Lately, I have noticed more people asking me why I decided to move to Czech. Every time this question arrises, I become tongue-tied as I realize there are so many moments when I heard God's whisper and countless times when I have fully felt that I am where I need to be - I can't narrow it to one moment. Days with these smiling kids and with laughing friends is all the proof I need to know God is at work here and that I am within God's plan.
The past couple kid's English classes have been some of my favorite (we have learned the topics of Shapes and Directions). I can see the students are becoming comfortable with their classmates and are growing fond of the loosely-structured routine. Now that the weather is cooler and the days darken quickly, we haven't been able to use the outdoor space; however, the movement of the class is not limited as we make room for group games in the classroom and use the hall for bigger activities. While most working people greet Mondays with a sigh and multiple Snooze buttons, I on the other hand look forward to Monday all weekend because the joy this class brings seems to light up the rest of the week!
Making Shape Pumpkins
Learning Directions
Cha-Cha Slide for Practicing Directions
Last week's English Class included four more people than usual. About two months ago, the youth pastor received a call from Czech Television asking if they could film the many different activities of Elim. The news reporters went with one of our colleagues to his school lectures, followed my students around during English Class, and filmed the new club in Boskovice! I also had an interview about living in Czech and being a part of Elim. However, when they first asked if I could do the interview in Czech, I chuckled, thinking it was a joke. Realizing they were serious, I started shaking my head and wide-eyed began persuading them to just include subtitles! So, we started the interview in English, and then about half-way through, the interviewer asked if I could try responding in Czech. After the one attempted response, she gently said, "Let's go back to using English." After the interview, I couldn't remember much of what I said, so I am just praying that whatever words I said, God will use them to touch this nation. They are planning to air the footage in January in a segment about Christian organizations in Czech.
Our new club in Boskovice in thriving, and we are beginning to see the same kids consistently come back each week for more games and just to hang out together. I am really excited as I am getting to know these kids more, and even though I am only with them once a week, I am starting to remember most of their names! Recently, we have been playing Hide-n-Seek in the dark as well as lots of Nerf Wars. These kids take Nerf Wars to a whole new level. They make barricades with cushions, strategize as a team, jump over chairs, and slide behind sofas... simply army crawling would not suffice for this group! I understand I am 22, but when the box of Nerf guns is pulled out, I am convinced my inner-age drops about 10 years.
Dramatic Nerf Wars
In Boskovice Club
If club in Boskovice makes me feel young, then club in Letovice ensures it. These flexible, active little girls continue to challenge me in Twister and show off basic gymnastic tricks. I have also become a jungle-gym as the girls have found out I can give horsey-rides, flip them upside down, spin them around, and catch them in "trust falls"! It may seem simple, but I recognize that these activities reflect the kids' trust and friendship with the club leaders. One girl has recently started coming to club, and up until last week, I was always speaking Czech with her (or Chenglish as my friends call it - Czech & English). I noticed she had pretty good English when she would ask me something, but last week this little 11 year old started loosely translating what one of the other girls was saying to me! I commented on her impressive English skills for her age and she said, "Thanks.... I hope it is good, my dad is British. I lived in London with him for 2 years!" She now lives in Czech with her mom, yet we are finding we make a very functional team between the Czech I am learning and the English she already knows.
Club Smiles
Twister
I never know if there will be three kids or a dozen at Sunday School, but it is heartwarming to watch the littlest kids learn about Bible Stories and recall the story demonstrations. When talking with one of the moms, she said she asked her daughter what they talked about in Sunday School, and the daughter replied by saying, "I don't remember the guy's name, but he had a wet cloth and a dry cloth. We touched a wet and dry rag in Sunday School too, just like him." The mom told me she knew it had to be the story of Gideon, so she re-read the story with her kids and talked about it more. Even though they are little, these kids are still able to understand the love God has for them, and I am so glad I get to be a small part of their journey to know Him.
Sunday School
Usually, I take on the role of creating the games for Kid's Bible Study that incorporate some of the stories and lessons the students are learning as they are studying the gospel of Mark. Yesterday, instead of doing the games, I did the teaching of Mark chapter four. There was a lot to cover in the chapter, yet the kids kept up as we discussed the parable of the seeds, the faith of a mustard seed, and Jesus calming the storm. During the parable of the seeds, I casually suggested a faulty interpretation that Jesus must be speaking with farmers and giving them some helpful tips. Many of these kids are growing up in the church and have heard this story before, so they spent the next 10 minutes explaining to me what the parable really means. I couldn't help but smile as the kids worked together to describe the meaning of the parable - studies suggest that students remember about 20% of what they hear, and 95% of what they teach others. We then took some sweet treat (that looks like little seeds) and scattered it on the page and the students wrote a brief description of the various areas in the parable. The lesson continued to discuss a mustard seed faith and ended with the story of Jesus calming the storm. We took this last story from the view of the disciples. At least four of the disciples were skilled fishermen and had likely spent lots of time on this sea and probably witnessed some storms. They must have been trained to know what to do if they ever experienced some rough waters. Yet, in a time when they think they have little to no chance of surviving, they wake up Jesus. We shared that storms in our life can be like that. We might think we have been trained for this challenge, but when the sea gets too rough, we remember Jesus waiting peacefully next to us.
Discussing the Lesson
Scattering Seeds
When I look at pictures and short videos of these kids, I am overcome with joy as I glance at each smiling face. The amazing thing is that as much as I love these kids, I know God has a deeper love for each of them; and it is my prayer that they also find this deep love for their Heavenly Father. It truly is a joyous journey.