(Written By David Sandy)
“For you make me glad by your deeds, Lord; I sing for joy at what your hands have done.
How great are your works, Lord, how profound your thoughts!” Psalm 92:4-5 (New International Version)
Five days… it’s five days until we leave…
For the last few months, we’ve been planning for this trip. There have been meetings, itineraries, and checklists to get us ready for the upcoming mission. I thrive on a plan, and we’ve planned well.
Now, it’s five days until we leave, and I’m starting to get that familiar feeling of excitement. This is the fourth time I’ll be going back to the Czech Republic, and every time I’ve gone, God has surprised me with how amazing He is. As I count down the days, I’ve been analyzing why exactly I’m excited to go (I’m a very analytical person), and a couple reasons shine clearly.
Firstly, I have a family through Christ in the Czech Republic. It’s been amazing getting to build an ongoing relationship with the CB Těšín church in Český Těšín, and through our shared love for Jesus, we have a shared love for each other.
The first time I went to the Czech Republic, I was amazed to see how Christ’s capital “C” Church goes beyond cultural, language, and national boundaries. We were able to train with churches from other states in America, partner with a church from Czech, and God was able to use all of it to bring students we’d never met closer to Himself.
Secondly, I’m excited to go back because I’ve grown a love for the country and culture of Czechia. God is doing a powerful work among the hearts of the youth in Czechia, and it’s so exciting to see it happen. The Czech culture is so different from what I’m used to in America, and I’ve learned so much about myself and how I view different cultural boundaries from the Czechs.
When we first started training with Josiah Venture, we were told that just because our culture was different, it did not mean that it was better. As I’ve continued to go back, I’ve learned about and come to love some of the differences that Czechs have. (It’s refreshing how direct communication is! Czechs don’t sugarcoat things.)
Lastly, I’m excited to see how God changes me through this upcoming trip. Every time I come back, God has shown me things I can let go of or grow in to become more like Christ. God has used Czechia to change my heart, and I cannot be more excited to see how He will continue to shape me.
We’ve talked in our training about our expectations for the trip, and the more I think about it, one expectation that I can count on is Jesus’s ability to further His Kingdom in powerful ways. More than anything else, I am excited see Him work, see Him change Czech lives, and see His power at work in our own hearts.
God is amazing! Five more days… five more days!
Prayer and Praises
- Health for the team as we prepare for this trip.
- Wisdom as we coordinate the final details with the Czech team.
- Praise for the Czech response. We have already met our target for camp attendance. However, there is room for 8 more students. Pray that God would encourage 5 more to come for a completely full camp!