Outreach

Today marks my last blog entry for this trip. Tomorrow I will say farewell to Český Těšín for a time — farewell to the lives and stories that God is still weaving into His tapestry of grace. Farewell to the laughter and the tears. My part in this story will pause, yet God continues His work quietly, faithfully, in ways I can only glimpse. Yesterday would have been a fitting day for my departure. I joined our brothers and sisters for worship at the regular Sunday service, and — just like at home — we celebrated the Lord’s Supper together. After the service came a long line of farewells, from youth and adults alike. I

Today was one of those quietly full days, the kind where the hours slip by because there’s simply a lot to do. I spent most of the day in the apartment working through the long list of tasks that need attention before I leave Český Těšín for a while. Washing clothes, planning out the next few days, cleaning, boxing up items, setting the radiators, using up the remaining food in the fridge — all the practical things that help bring a bit of order before a transition. I also recorded the Sunday school lesson for the kickoff of our new class this weekend. I wish I could be present both here and back home, but

Yesterday I spent the afternoon and evening with the Kukarczyk family, and the time we shared opened a window into a part of Czech history—and Czech emotion—that I had never encountered before. Until now, I only knew Karviná as the seat of the regional government. A normal city. Administrative buildings. Shops. Trains. I had never heard of Old Karviná. But the Kukarczyks took me there, and what I found was something entirely different. Old Karviná is not a preserved historic district or a quaint village. It is a place shaped by disappearance. In the not‑too‑distant past, it was a thriving town—homes, schools, shops, families, stories. But decades of coal mining caused the land to sink

Yesterday was a very different kind of day. After so many days filled with people, meetings, and movement, I spent the entire day inside the apartment. It wasn’t glamorous, but it was productive. Most of the day was devoted to work—my contracting job (the one that will take me to Prague next week), preparation for the new Sunday school class that begins this Sunday, and documenting the renovation changes we hope to make in the apartment. It was one of those days where the hours slip by quietly, one task flowing into the next. By the time I finally wrapped up, it was late, but I felt good about what had been accomplished. Please continue

As you know from my previous post, I dropped Chris off at the train station early this morning. At the time I’m writing this, she’s somewhere over the Atlantic. Her day has been filled with the familiar rhythm of airports—waiting in lines, waiting in planes, and the occasional rushed sprint to make a connection. My day, however, took on a very different rhythm. After walking back to the flat, I managed a couple more hours of solid sleep. Then the morning turned domestic: deflating the air mattress that had been Chris’ bed, washing clothes, making breakfast, washing dishes—simple tasks that keep the apartment livable, even if they’re not glamorous. Everything shifted at lunchtime. I met

Sorry for the delayed post. Both Chris and I were feeling under the weather last night, and we ended up going to bed early. Today brought a big change for this trip—Chris’ return to the USA. We both woke at 3:00 in the morning. She finished packing her things, and then we walked the twenty minutes from our flat to the train station in the dark, quiet streets of Český Těšín. Chris boarded her short train to Ostrava, then walked to the bus that would take her to Kraków. It was a hard moment to watch her departing on the train – God has given me such a blessing in Chris and I feel it

Today was a Czech holiday, and we were invited to join the Madrysz family for a day trip—one that turned out to be exactly what our tired bodies and foggy minds needed. We left the apartment around 9:00 a.m. and reached the mountain a little before 11:00. Our goal was the tallest peak in the Polish part of the Beskyd range. We took a gondola partway up, then hiked the remaining stretch. It was a well‑traveled path, but new to us—and made better by being with friends. Everything was lush from recent rains. Green plants crowding the trail, forest stretching out in every direction, water still pooled in places where the ground hadn’t fully absorbed

Today was a day of settling in. Yesterday had been a rush—conference sessions, the drive to the bank, a sprint through the store, and finally landing in the apartment. At times it felt like our whole world had been set to fast‑forward while we were doing our best to keep up. Today, however, moved at a different pace. Since Chris and I will be here for a little while—she for a few more days, me for about ten—it was time to make the place a bit more comfortable and livable. You might wonder what that means when we’re committed to not adding any real furniture until after renovations are complete. Well, for starters, we needed

Today has been another packed day—one of those days that begins one way and ends somewhere completely different. This morning, Chris and I left the now‑familiar accommodations of the penzion we’ve been staying in and drove up the hill for our final breakfast. We shared that meal with our friend—and FBC missionary—Tiffany Short, which felt like a fitting way to close out the week. After breakfast, we had our last Czech team meeting, then walked up to the big tent in Malenovice for the final worship time, commissioning, and sendoff. There’s something about those closing moments that lands with a mix of gratitude and anticipation. After lunch, the plan was simple enough: catch a ride

Have you ever had a day so full you can’t quite believe it all fit inside twenty‑four hours? That’s what the last stretch has felt like since my previous post—one moment tumbling into the next, each carrying its own weight. Last night followed the familiar rhythm: dinner, worship, and an evening program. Each night has had its own flavor, but this one highlighted the ministry targets for every country where Josiah Venture serves. The countries came up one by one, in the order JV first began its work there. It was with a real sense of pride that Chris and I stood with the Czech Republic team as the first country to the stage. A