These past couple of weeks, I wasn't the only American in Letovice. Two American missionaries came to visit for a few days as our youth group and kids clubs gathered together for seminars from the missionaries - and all my translators enjoyed a break since the teaching was in English. With the missionaries, we prepared for LetFest (our summer outreach event) and even had a special seminar for leaders on How to Teach. During the last couple of days the American missionaries were here, my parents and brother arrived! They were able to come visit for their Spring Break this year. It was a special early Easter treat to have some good friends and family in my home.
Seminar from the American Missionary at Youth Group
The number of kids coming to club is expanding rapidly! Two weeks ago, we had over 50 kids come to the regular club day. I was again happy for the nice weather so that the children were able to play outside and not all be stuck in our seemingly shrinking club room. Looking back to when I first started helping at this youth club, it was sometimes a challenge to find four players excited to play some of the table games; now there is an audience surrounding the four player games as we creatively add other roles to include more in the game! I love stepping back to watch how God is working through this program to reach these kids - and it was especially a treat to see this past week when an American Missionary came to the youth club and shared stories around the theme of Mistakes and Decisions.
Just a Normal Day at Club :)
The little girls have recently been asking for braided hair - but with the number of girls now attending club, the youth pastor's wife and I are getting lots of practice! We started laughing when a couple of the girls with braided hair (like Elsa's from Frozen) took over the club computer and played "Let It Go" while dancing around the room.
Everyone "Helping" to Deflate the Bouncy Castle
These girls have both been in my LetFest English Class for the past couple years, and I am so excited that they have also started coming to club!
Group Game Time
Just like the Letovice Club, our Boskovice Club is also growing. Some of the kids I met in my classes at the school have started coming each week and are beginning to bring friends along too! I enjoyed meeting one new kid last week who asked if I was Slovak (a similar language to Czech, but not identical. My friends here say I speak "Chenglish" - Czech and English.) We also had a party at club last week as we celebrated the start of the Easter break. Since most of Czech is atheistic, Easter traditions represent mainly cultural and not religious meanings. To break the mold, the youth pastor had the idea to have a "Black and White Party" symbolizing Jesus' defeat over evil and the new life we celebrate at Easter. Whereas many Easter parties are attended with pastel colored shirts and dresses, our kids learned the meaning of Easter through the contrast of black and white.
I first met these girls in their school classroom. I am thrilled to be able to get to know them more through our youth club!
Black and White Party Photo
Last Monday, we concluded our study of the five senses, and we saved the best for last - TASTE! We learned the words sweet, spicy, salty, sour, and bland to describe how something would taste. In the first game, the students had to sprint to the correct taste word written on the pavement. Their word recognition improved quickly during the game, so we continued onto the next activity where they were able to use the words through experience. The kids were elated when they found out I had asked my gracious parents to bring favored jelly beans from America! They enjoyed the taste testing so much that they didn't care they had to speak English while they were tasting all the jelly beans.
Taste Word Sprint
Jelly Bean Taste Test
It was a dream to have my family here to visit! I loved showing them all around the sights as well as let them have a glimpse of what I get to do here each week. They enjoyed seeing the youth clubs and thought about how something similar might be possible with the right volunteers and passion in Minnesota. My brother enjoyed a "culture day" without parents as he attended a Czech school with my translator! Like every Czech tourist, we visited a couple castles, churches, and enjoyed the Easter Markets throughout the Prague squares. Unlike normal tourists, my family was able to really experience the culture and meet so many of my friends. Like many of the people who come visit Czech, it is usually the pictures with the new friends that are the favorites - but the beautiful landscape is a close second!
Sightseeing with the Family
Prague Square Decorated for the Easter Market
While my parents and brother had to leave the day before Easter, I wasn't alone on Easter Sunday as I was welcomed by my Czech family for the day. We ate lots of food and sweets as well as played games, but my favorite part of the afternoon was when the family gathered in the living room and sang worship songs together. It helps that the whole family is musical and many people took turns at the piano. I, however, took turns holding the little kids and the sheets of music. Even though there was no Easter bunny or basket, I would say it was a memorable, beautiful Easter Sunday. Czechs have an Easter tradition for the Monday after Easter. All the boys in the city come to the homes of the girls and say a poem to wish the girl to be healthy in the next year. The girls then tie a ribbon to each boys stick and gives them a piece of candy. During the morning, my doorbell rang multiple times as I raced down the stairs to greet many friends and kids from club who came to visit me for this holiday tradition.
There seems to be a lot to get done this spring before summer arrives - applying for my second visa, preparing for LetFest, and staying up with all the other activities too! Even with so much to do, I know God is able to accomplish it all when I first focus on Him. I am praying for the strength my team and I need and that we will be able to show God's glory through all that is happening here.