After nearly two years of praying, planning, waiting, and learning, I’m grateful to share a major update: Chris and I are now officially in contract on the apartment in Český Těšín.

It’s an 83‑square‑meter flat — about 900 square feet — tucked inside a classic brutalist, concrete, communist‑era building. Not beautiful on the outside by any stretch, but solid, central, and exactly what we need. Inside, it has a kitchen, a combined living/dining room, three bedrooms, a toilet, and a bathroom. Not large by American standards, but more than enough to serve as a ministry home base for up to nine people.

This process has taken us about two years from first conception to contract. Along the way we’ve learned more than we ever expected about Czech business practices, Czech real estate law, and the unique dance of cross‑cultural communication. But more than anything, we’ve learned to trust and wait on God. Every delay, every complication, every unexpected turn has reminded us that this is His project, not ours.

Our vision for the apartment is simple: A place for our team and family to stay when we serve here and a resource for Josiah Venture and the local church when we’re not here.  It is a small space, but one we pray will have a large impact.

We’re not finished yet. We have about a month until escrow closes, and then roughly three more weeks until we take ownership. That means Chris and I will likely be traveling back in late September to finalize the deal and begin the renovation process.

It has been a long road — longer than we expected — but God has been faithful at every step. And we’re excited to see how He will use this little apartment in the years ahead.

Caio,
Pastor Doug