Update from Kendra

Well hello to all!

What an exciting couple of days (Monday and Tuesday) our team has had!

Monday afternoon Dave Patty, president of Josiah Venture (and father to our schoolmate Tyler), joined our team for lunch at Malenovice and had some very encouraging words to share. Along with amazing stories about the way God has worked to make JV into what it is today, he had a special message just for us: perseverance in prayer and faith. Dave spoke on observations of our generation, how we are passionate but hardly know how to persevere through the thick of toughness to reach our dreams. Light was shed on the humble understanding that God is simply asking us to join in with the work He already has underway. “Sometimes we believe in and pray for things that we could never imagine happening; God gives us the vision and we just go along for the ride.” Dave challenged us to keep a hold what visions God has given us for the future, knowing that the road may be different than we expect but also that God is faithful.

Monday evening we had the pleasure of enjoying some homemade chili as we joined our new friends Nate and Emily at their apartment in Cesky Tesin (only a seven minute walk away from Poland, which we made later that night). The wonderful day that started with our lunch date with Dave was only added to by our time with Nate and Emily. As a young couple serving over here in the Czech as missionaries they had many words of advice along with life experiences to share. Not to mention, the chili was great, nice and spicy; an added bonus for those on our team who have been missing the flavor kick of the food we often eat in the states.

Tuesday morning started bright and early; another delicious breakfast at Malenovice, over looking the valley and the distant mountains (and the yummy delicacy of chocolate granola that we’ve all come to love). Although the scarce amount of clouds in the sky held promises of a good day per weather, our team found ourselves in a rather somber and confused mood; we all knew that it was the day we’d be heading to Auschwitz. We did not know what to expect and after talking about our experience later in the day, processing is still happening. Many questions were brought up and my prayer in all of it stands that they will not become questions that we will ignore but ones we will seek God through. The saying does go, “Ignorance is bliss,” but ignorance is ignorance. We must be aware of the depravity that once happened in our world and the variety of types that are happening today. I can only speak for myself, but I believe I also stand with the majority of our team on this one: our visit to Auschwitz gave us much to think about. God has been molding many of our hearts on this trip, in different ways for different individuals but shaping to be more like Him indeed, and I believe our time at Auschwitz will play a significant part in this.

Tuesday evening we had the chance to enjoy dinner with the Ellenwood family, missionaries who have been over here with JV for 13 years now. Their family was welcoming to our group right off the bat and continued in the trend of hospitality from the JV staff as well as the Czech people that we’ve been experiencing on this trip. Listening to the story of transporting a family thousands of miles across the world in obedience to what God was calling Mel and Amy to do was beyond incredible for our team to hear. Along with that was the fun of getting to talk with them about the most recent adventures that their family has found themselves on. The Ellenwood’s youngest, Noah, who is 15, is a contestant in the top twenty on the Czech version of American Idol called Super Star. To hear that Noah, as well as the family, is so grounded in the fact that this is God’s working to further His kingdom was great to hear. And we’ve all become big Noah Ellenwood fans for sure. (Here’s the link to his latest performance on the show this week http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B8Q41JbIv60 .)

Onward we continue to travel around the Czech, continuing to learn how to function as a group of people and follow what God is calling us to do. Wednesday morning we’ll be back in English classes at a couple of different schools before joining JV’s Fusion choir in the afternoon. While with Fusion Nick will be sharing on why God is important to him and what it means to be a Christian, so please keep him in your prayers. After that we’ll be heading on a train to Prague, spending Thursday in the city and heading to the airport early Friday morning. To our family and friends, we have been having a wonderful time here and are sad that it is coming to an end, but we’re looking forward to being back with all of you (or at least able to make a phone call to you).

Love from the Czechsters!

-Kendra Osepchuk