September 2025

Return to Czech

After 9 months, I returned to my other home.

I have two earthly places I call "home" for the time being, and while I often wish it was easier to travel between the two, there is something about the distance that sweetens knowing someday we will all be in home together in one place in eternity.

I was incredibly grateful to be able to travel back to Czech for one week before my team arrived for our ministry Rekindle week to help ELIM Letovice kick-off the start of their school year.  During the week, I intentionally met with 14 different families and reconnected with those friends.  I was able to play volleyball with my old team, join in with Bible Dancing, walk some of my favorite trails, bike over 60 miles, and get in LOTS of bunny snuggles with my rabbit who lives with my host family.  Even with the full schedule reconnecting, I had time to drop in for most of club time twice in Letovice and also to youth group.  Being back felt really natural, and others said that too.  It was a joyous time getting to do all the things and see so many of the people who had been such a huge part of my like for over eight years.  It was a great reunion.

 

Rekindle Mission Trip

Our Rekindle Mission Trip is a small group of young adults who take a week to serve in Letovice and Boskovice to help ELIM kick-off the start of the school year.  We hit the ground running for the week of ministry as we go into the local schools, help lead after-school clubs, and ending the week with a big party!  The goal is to "rekindle" the spark in the kids to come to events at ELIM and also to encourage the leaders as they gear up to serve the community in the school year. 

We were in a total of four schools, and regularly taught the whole day!  Teachers wanted all their students to have an opportunity to learn from native English speakers.  I was so proud of this team and the lessons they created, the flexibility they had as the class sizes and ages jumped all over the board during the week, and the way they shared God's love with their presence in these schools.  Many children were invited to after-school clubs and the big Birthday Party at the end of the week, and we are so grateful for each of the kids we were able to encourage and connect with ELIM ministries this week. 

After-school clubs only grew during the week as we met more and more students in the schools.  Our team brought some familiar and new games to play with these students.  At about the half-way point during clubs, we would pause the activities to share with the kids a testimony from one of the American team members followed by a short and focused lesson from one of the leaders.  The lesson encouraged the students to ask questions, seek answers, and to not just dismiss the idea that they will just follow the crowd when it comes to belief in Jesus.  In a primarily atheistic country, this lesson certainly hit home with some youth, and we already started seeing the conversations rooting from these short lessons.

We finished off the week with a huge party to celebrate everyone's birthday!  Birthday Party is a long tradition at ELIM, and after COVID, we had wanted to bring in back, and the team last year was able to resurrect this event. The kids were already looking forward to it again this year as they remembered the fun events from the year before.  We had many traditional birthday activities like pin-the-tail-on-the-donkey, birthday hat decorating, face painting, gifts & prizes, and a clown act!  Additionally, one member from our team shared a testimony and another gave a message about the most important gift that any person can receive - the gift of Jesus's sacrifice for our mistakes.  It was a full event - we believe about 200 students and 100 adults made an appearance during the night of Birthday Party!  I have a huge love for this community, and I am so grateful the ways this team was able to help connect so many people with ELIM!

Youth Group

While talking with many of the junior & senior girls I am close with in Czech, I mentioned this group of 6th graders I get to pour into in America now.  I told them, "They remind me of when we used to meet for Connect Club!"  As I related these 6th graders to the Bible Study group we had created when they were that age in Czech, these upperclassmen talked about all the experiences they had in Connect Club and how they are some of their favorite memories.  I know God had me in their lives in that time for that reason, and now, He has me with these girls back stateside for that reason too.  As the two weeks in Czech were coming to a close, I was reflecting on how grateful I was to be back for a visit and reconnecting with all the kids and youth.  I also happily greeted a readiness to return to the place God has me now in this season and looking forward to all the ways I get to share His love with this growing group of young ladies!

Toddler Tuesdays

The question of the day is, "why?"  These kids are curious learners!  One of the the preschoolers in particular is always asking "why", and I love the conversations.  In typical toddler and preschooler fashion, the conversation always ends with "no."  The two favorite words of little thinkers - why and no.

"Why is that there?"

"It's a basket.  It holds things."

"Why?"

"In case there are items the teacher needs for the lesson. Do you want to put something in the basket?"

"No."

"Why is that there?"

"It's a CD player. It's for listening to music."

"Why?"

"To enjoy songs. Do you want to listen to something?"

"No."

"Why is that there?"

"It's a game! It's a mystery box."

"Why?"

"It's for fun. We can play! Do you want to put something in there for me to guess?"

"No."

My favorite conversation with this curious child was during our lesson time as we created owls for a lesson about "whooo loves you? Jesus!" I started the lesson asking the kids to think of lots of different birds God made and the sounds they make. While they had fun coming up with different kinds of birds and the sounds they make, I watched as this inquisitive preschooler formed his question, "But, how did God make the birds?"  Instead of just giving an answer, I sat on the floor with him, grabbed a Children's Bible from the shelf behind me saying, "That's a great question! When we have questions like that, we can look for the answers in the Bible. God gave us the Bible for these kinds of questions."  Starting at the beginning (knowing the creation story would be the first story in any Children's Bible), I said to the small group, "Look at the pictures and tell me when you see the birds!"  I paged through a couple pages and heard them all call "STOP!" I read, "And God spoke and created the birds in the sky and the fish in the sea."  I summarized, "So, God spoke, that's how the birds were created." The preschooler then asked, "But why did God make them?"

"The birds have purpose - like to eat insects and things - but I also think God just liked the birds and wanted to make them."

"Why did God like them?"

"God likes all that He creates. He says it's good.  Do you like the birds He created?"

"... no."

These little theologians in the making, after creating a fun owl project, went off to play with the couple activities I had pulled out for them.  As I was cleaning up the feathers, I heard, "Look! I made a bridge. It's a cross, like the one Jesus died on."  I didn't want to miss the opportunity this preschooler had created and said, "You've made the bridge just like Jesus did for us!  He reconnected people with God.  We can imagine the people on one side of the train tracks and God on the other.  And it is through Jesus that people can be with God again."  The other toddlers and preschoolers decided we needed God and people for the story, so they lined one side of the tracks with Little People toys.  Then, I asked them, "What will we use for God?"  Curious myself to see how these kids would picture God, I was beyond impressed when one preschooler grabbed a Sensory Bottle and shook it so the glitter swirled all around. It looked like a galaxy contained in the little bottle.  The other kids gave little "oohs and awes" as he placed the bottle on the other side of the tracks saying, "Maybe we can use this for God." 

Student Link 

We are starting off the new school year also in Student Link and will soon be adding in morning prayer and breakfast times for students before school.  Soon, we will start Student Link disciple-making programs for high school students before youth group also.  With a couple of the team members from last year now at college, we have new interest and are forming a new team of leaders to work with the kids in this year.  I am looking forward to this year and seeing all God will do through this program in the hearts of His children.

August 2025

Ministry Outreach

Early this month, I was invited to northern Minnesota as a guest speaker for Mission's Chapel at camp!  Camp Grindstone on Grindstone Lake has a wonderful, long-standing tradition of inviting non-profits and missionaries to speak and share on one of the morning chapels during the week of camp.  A college friend, who is newly the director of the camp this summer, and his staff invited me to come and share about the Czech mission trip I am helping lead this September.  The kids at camp had many questions and they were engaged during the whole presentation as they learned about kids the same age as them in another country.  I shared with the group about our Rekindle Mission Trip as we will go to help ELIM Ministries in Letovice kick-off the start of their school year with school visits, youth clubs, and a huge celebration at the end of the week.  The students at camp are able to partner with the missions that are shared by pledging a few of their canteen funds to the mission.  For Rekindle Mission, when the pledges arrive from camp, they will be used for the special birthday gifts we get the Czech children to share the gospel. As I finished speaking, one young girl came running up to me saying, "I would give a billion dollars to this mission if I could!  But I have only $10 in my canteen fund, so I wanted to pledge the mission with $7."  I love seeing the hearts of kids and their generosity towards missions!  I know these moments can impact a child in so many ways as they learn about their world and how to pray for lost people in other countries.  My heart warmed at the giving hearts and eagerness of the students to learn more and connect with the stories I shared.  I had to stop the questions to let them out of chapel on time!

Student Link 

As summer is coming to a close and vacations wrapping up, I've been glad to spend more time with these ladies studying the Bible together.  It is so fun to see them growing in their faith walks and jumping into new serving opportunities.  They all said yes to helping us launch the Student Link Disciple Building program to the youth students in the fall.  They have seen how it has impacted their lives and want to share that experience with their peers.  It is such a joy to see how invested they are with each others' journeys too.  One of the girls has been very intentional about sharing Jesus with one of her friends at school. We all come to out meetings excited to hear about the next piece of the story and the ways God is opening up conversations!  My co-leader for this group recently left for college, and we are all missing her and so excited for all she is learning and doing at school.  We love how she still connects with this group in messages and prayers. 

Youth Group

These 6th Graders will bring joy to anyone's week!  I am always so blessed by their energy, smiles, and love.  We finished our summer series on Proverbs and are gearing up to the new school year.  The youth group is all excited for our upcoming Fall Retreat in October.  It is a highlight of the year, and we are thrilled to be joining this year with the theme "The Eternal Kingdom" as we learn about Heaven and what eternity looks like with Jesus on Earth and for eternity.  I am beyond excited for the year with these girls and looking forward to how God will grow in them and through them! 

New carpeting going in the youth room, so they let us sign the floor.  I (easily) convinced the 6th grade girls we should play a prank on the next carpet guys... so we drew spiders on the floor!

Mini-golf adventures with these girls at a middle school summer youth event!  (Picture 1: "Show me your reaction when I feed you to the alligator!")

Offsite youth group picnic dinner

Baptisms

There were many baptisms this summer at the lake, but a couple stood out special this month!  One of the 6th graders in my group was baptized along with her sister!  It was so fun to see these girls who I've gotten to know over the summer publicly display their faith and share their stories.  Additionally, one of the girls I disciple in Student Link was also baptized that day, saying in her testimony that her faith really grew through these discipleship meetings!  It has been so fun to see God moving in these girls and through the church!

Toddler Tuesdays

The toddlers and preschoolers met twice this month, so as their moms were in a Bible Study, we continued in learning Bible stories on our own too.  The previous month, we had learned the story of the Lost Sheep and how the shepherd when to find the lost sheep, leaving the 99.  As the kids recalled the story from the previous week, I shared that Jesus tells two more stories about lost things after the story of the lost sheep - a lost coin and a lost son.  They were excited to learn about both!  I shared the story of the lost coin and then sent them on a scavenger hunt in the room to look for a lost "gold star" (in place of a coin).  I learned that these toddlers and preschoolers have a really hard time not peeking!  One even said as he tried to hold his eyes shut as tight as he could, "I want to keep my eyes shut, but they just want to peek!" Patience and honest play was also practiced in this lesson.

After learning about the Lost Coin, we moved to the story of the Lost Boy - the Prodigal Son.  I told the story first with a flannel graph (old school fun!); then, the kids recreated the story on a storyboard with stickers; and finally, the kids all acted out a part of the story with the toys I had set out to recreate the prodigal son story.  I loved hearing them retell the story saying, "Hey Daddy, I want to go to the city." "...If you want to you can... but come back here.  Here's the money." And interjections of, "I want to be the piggy!  I want to be the piggy!" 

The following week, we talked about Jesus being the light and what that means.  I asked the kids if the sun was still up when they went to bed last night.  They all said, "No! It was dark outside!" 

I asked, "Well, how did you see inside your house?" 

"We turned on the light!" 

"And what happened to the darkness?"

"It went away!"

"What would happen if you didn't have a light?"

One boy answered, "I'd probably run into the wall!"

I shared with them how Jesus describes Himself as the light and how He shows us which way is the right way because there is no darkness in Jesus.  We made some lanterns and then made fun glow-in-the-dark scratch off art to remember this! It was a fun lesson, and the kids especially enjoyed creating their glowing art.  They were so focused on their art, one saying, "This is my favorite day ever!" 

July 2025

Madison YWAM Mission Trip 

My late entry isn't due to writers block or a lack of events to cover, rather the opposite!  We got home from Madison, WI with the high school youth group mission trip on Friday, and I'm just getting the chance to record it all now.  There was so much that happened in this eventful week, and these youth and leaders are the highlight.  Each person grew in their own way as we all dove deeper into Christ's calling of the commission and what it means to leave it all behind and focus on the kingdom. 

We started each day with a training session that focused on the call of John, James, Peter, and Andrew as Jesus instructed them to leave their nets behind and follow Him.  We looked at different things Jesus called them to leave behind and what that means for us.  We also looked into scripture of those called by Jesus who didn't give up everything to follow Him and what they were afraid of leaving.  It was an insightful study that concluded at the end of the week with asking the students and volunteers what God is calling each of them to surrender to follow even closer behind Him.

During the afternoon, there was a variety of activities.  We began the week with a scavenger hunt in downtown Madison that encouraged gospel-focused conversations.  I loved watching as students in my group jumped immediately into Christ-centered conversations.  One of the scavenger hunt challenges was to find someone riding a bike and take a picture.  I instructed my group that in order to take the picture, we need permission first, and while it was only a one-point scavenger hunt item, a student in my group made that his top priority.  It was comical to watch him try to flag down bikers and move to different areas of the sidewalk in hopes a biker would be passing by.  Finally, after a couple of hours downtown, he was able to signal to a biker who stopped for him.  I explained that we were a church group doing a scavenger hunt and asked if we could take a picture, and he agreed.  He then asked more about what we were doing in Madison and the group and I began talking.  This really interested the bike rider, and he shared how he believed there had to be something greater, but that each religion seems to explain it for themselves.  Still, with every point he made, he would then contradict himself saying he has seen miracles in people who believe in God.  It was an interesting conversation, though unfortunately, as it was at the end of our time, I explained we were already late to meet our group.  He asked, "Where are you headed? I'll walk with you all."  He joined us on the walk back, continuing to chat and ask questions.  When we arrived with our group, a few others from the rest of the team joined in the conversation.  I took a copy of the gospel of John we had been using in conversation with people and and went to John 3:16.  I circled "the world" and wrote in this man's name, saying that because he is part of the world, this can be a personal promise for him.  He happily accepted the Bible and wanting more information, I connected him with one of the YWAM staff members who wrote their contact in the front of the Bible. 

The next day, we went back out on the streets of Madison and shared Christ with people and brought some bagged lunches to the homeless.  Some of the kids were just itching to share Jesus with others that they started talking to people before we even dismissed them!  When we returned back to the whole group after that day, a few of the kids were already talking about getting together back home to continue evangelizing.  There was another surprise, our biker friend from the first day had contacted the YWAM staff and came to say goodbye and thank us! We are praying he remains connected with the staff and will become connected with a church in the area. 

While the first two days included more street evangelism, the next two days were focused on service projects.  The group I was with on our first service project day went to a summer daycare at a low-income housing center that housed mainly refugees.  I connected with a couple little girls from the Middle East, and we spent the time painting and making bead-lizards (my 90s-kid talent got me some "cool points" with these little kids)!  The time went by incredibly quickly, and I loved looking around the room seeing the youth connect with these kids in a variety of ways - board games, card games, crafts, conversations, and all was accompanied by smiles. 

When we arrived back to the center where we were staying (an adorable little schoolhouse transformed into a team mission center) one of the leaders had noticed the front garden was in need of some TLC.  We asked the group of students after a full day of serving if anyone was interested in helping, and we were pleasantly surprised that nearly all the youth and leaders came out to help!  One of the students who is extremely filled by hard work said, "This is the project I was waiting for!"

To start our last full day in Madison, we went in the morning to a nearby city to for a prayer walk.  While we had been in the car, the students were playing a game of listing food that starts with every letter of the alphabet, starting at A until they can't think of more and then changing to B.  Another leader and I took advantage of this game and during the prayer walk asked the students to play the same game listing the attributes of God.  It was such a powerful way to be present in adoration of our Creator in the entirety of the pray walk.  

Later that day, we served by cleaning out three storage units owned by the food shelf for families in need in the community.  The storage units hold children's bedding and beds for children they learn who are sleeping on the floor.  I had so much fun sorting through and organizing the bedding with my team, and I was amazed at how engaged everyone was during the entire serving time.  Later, we asked the leader of the food shelf how many children they service with beds and bedding.  She said they access the storage unit pretty frequently as they serve 6-7 kids a month. 

During the week, we introduced a new game that we called "Underground Church."  It is essentially the game of Mafia with roles of the underground church trying to find the "informants" who are turning in members of the church.  We had such great team-time playing this game for multiple evenings, and we loved seeing the students discuss what a real underground church would be like and research the most persecuted churches in the world.  It was impactful to see how this game caused a spark discussion that focused then on praying for the persecuted churches worldwide. 

The final evening, the YWAM staff had a couple application activities for us to participate with as they asked each of us to write something to "cast on the net" as Jesus calls us to let go and follow Him.  We then each retrieved a stone from water with a truth God says about His children.  We brought the net with all the items written out to the bonfire in a symbolic act of burning these things that had been weighing us down.  As dusk rolled through, we were greeted by many little fireflies!  A group of us enjoyed this fantasy-like evening as we caught fireflies and watched as they glowed on our fingertips.  It was a great evening seeing these students spend with their friends, mentors, and soaking in God's promises. 

Toddler Tuesdays

With a toddler time right before Independence Day, we focused on what freedom means.  Some of the kids tried their own definitions of freedom, though none of them could really understand this big concept on their own.  Finally, one student said freedom is when someone does something bad and is punished and someone does the same thing and isn't punished.  For the age of these young kids, this was the best way to understand "freedom."  I embellished on the child's response saying that we are blessed in America because we have freedom to worship Jesus and in other countries, they are in trouble if they worship Jesus and could be put in prison by the police.  One of the preschoolers said, "that's sad," and we all talked about how freedom is something to celebrate this Independence Day!

Big Machinery and Little Construction Overseers at Church

Later this month, we looked at the parable of the lost sheep.  We talked together about how being lost can be scary and referred back to a lesson last month on things that make us scared.  As we read the story, the toddlers considered this lost sheep and without hesitation, said the obvious solution would be for the shepherd to go look for the little sheep.  When we reached the part of how the shepherd found the sheep and carried him back to the pen, I passed around a stuffed animal sheep and asked the kids to show how they would carry the lost sheep home if they were the shepherd who had found him.  Each child took a turn hugging that stuffed sheep - each child gripping the little sheep tighter and closer than the last.  It was such a beautiful display of how Jesus carries each of us He loves back to the safety with the Father.  

Student Link

My co-leader and I have been loving the extra time these girls want to spend with each other and with us.  It is always so fun for us to think that just six months ago, none of us knew each other, and now these three are best friends! We have been meeting outside in the nicer weather at parks for picnics and then playing some rounds of pickleball - which ends up being more comical than competitive with this group!  

We had a couple birthdays on our Student Link Team in July!  We embraced these summer birthdays at one of our favorite, frequented summer place - the pickleball court.  We know as summer comes to an end, we will be losing a few of these team members as they pursue ministry schooling as they continue in their calling to all God has for them.  It is exciting to see where they will go in these next parts of their journeys, and we treasure the times we still have a team together. 

Youth Group

One of my favorite ministry joys this season is with these 6th grade girls.  I am beyond blessed by them and their joy and desires to spend our Wednesday evenings together to study scripture.  A couple of the girls have brought some friends to join and when I introduced myself, one new friend said, "I know who you are!  All my friend ever does is talk about church and the people there!"  I love the heart of these youth to already be sharing Jesus with their friends.  

As a Student Link Team, we took on leading evening games for one youth gathering this month.  With all the different ages represented and the continually changing weather forecast, our ideas were vast and flexible.  I enjoyed seeing all the students participate and involve everyone in the games.  The unity in this youth group is fun to witness, especially as these new 6th graders involve themselves with the activities of the "big kids" and fit in so beautifully.