Welcome to Camp English Part I, 2012

Hello from English Camp!!!


We have been running around since... well, for quite some time. Camp officially began last Saturday morning.
Thank you all so much for your prayers! Things have been going very well. During the day, we have English classes, workshops and sports. Many of the English teachers are 'first-timers' and we are quickly learning how best to teach our individual classes - thank You LORD! The workshops are a great idea; both Americans and Czechs are discipling the students in the skills they have been equipped with. Shelly is a wonder at the sporting events! We have an 'English Camp Olympics 2012' theme going; it is obvious that Shelly has put a lot of time and creativity into these events. 
Durning the evening program, there are games, dancing, singing, skits, and a teaching; afterward we have small group discussions. The teachings follow the parable of the Prodigal Son, a skeleton has been provided by Josiah Venture and each speaker is putting their own flare to the 'flesh' of the talks. So far each night, the evening program ends with a cliff-hanger; the students are very engaged and eager to know how the story ends. During small groups, leaders are guided by questions that have been prepared to go along with the evening talks. Magda is my Czech-speaking small group leader and she does a wonderful job leading the girls. They like her so much. Tonight, I will be sharing my testimony with the small group (Magda will translate). The teaching will introduce the older brother... someone I can relate to very well. For a good portion of my life, and somewhat still today, I was bound by laws; God is so gracious in leading me back into the freedom I have in Christ. 
Slowly, we are building up to the good news of Jesus Christ... the anticipation is AWESOME!! 


Please continue to pray for us!! Thank you!

Rejoice in the Lord, always!


Esther. 

Pray, Pray, Pray!

We've met our American team! Mike and Mary Alice, Vonni, Lisa, Steve and Jason were brought in by full-time missionary Lauree Austin (who will also be doing camp with us). The team has been sent by Lauree's homechurch in Hensen, Oregon, and Lauree's sister, Anna, will also be joining us on Sunday! Adam, Michael and Monika have also joined us here from Ostrava. It has been great getting to know their stories and encouraging to see their excitement for camp. 
Camp is finally here; we're really doing it! Sorry, rephrase: God is doing it and He's brought us on to be a part of His victory!!! He's brought YOU into this victory! Through your prayer and  financial support, we  the body of Christ are functioning in our parts to advance the kingdom. Please, please pray this week especially. 
Pray that we would be courageous, humble, flexible and that we would persevere; that we would indeed rest in Jesus and rely on Him for strength, energy, wisdom and creativity. PRAY PRAY PRAY for the victory of the salvation of the young people coming to camp! Pray for open eyes, for soften hearts! Fight for us in your prayers. We are more than conquerors; 
Jesus said, 

“The Spirit of the Lord is on me,

because he has anointed me

to preach good news to the poor.

He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners

and recovery of sight for the blind,

to release the oppressed,

to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor."

Luke 4:18-19

 “Today this scripture is fulfilled in your hearing.”

Luke 4:21

we have been promised a land of rest in Jesus!!!
"Let us, therefore, make every effort to enter that rest...

For the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow" - Hebrews 4:11...12)

I am so grateful and so excited about your support! Thank you for praying. We will overcome by the blood of the lamb and the word of our testimony!!

Rejoice in the Lord, always!

Esther.

And so it Begins... !!!!

Today is Day 1 of the camp cycle; we have begun a new era. At noon today, Team Hartczech (that’s our new team name) and four other Czech teams will reunite at Hotel Malenovice to begin “American team training.” !! It’s finally HERE!!

These past few days we have been reviewing, sharing and refining our English classes and have been preparing for these next three days of training.

Camp leaders consist of the Czech leaders from the local church, the J.V. intern team and a short(er) mission team from an American church. (Fellow Canadians, we need to talk about getting a Canadian team over here in the coming years, yes?)

During the training, Sarah and Chelsie will be leading the Camp Dance Workshop and Ben and I will lead English Teaching – presenting the heart and practicality of English classes. I am super excited to be working with Ben on this; he is jam-packed with creativity and energy. I am looking forward to presenting what we have developed.

Camp #1 begins on Saturday, July 7.

Please continue to pray for us! We are Christ’s body, and we cannot do this without our Him, our Head.

‘Not by might nor by power, but by my Spirit,’ says the Lord Almighty. Zech 4:6

Rejoice in the Lord, always!

Esther.

Dinner with the Hartmans

Fushion Concert: Matt is at the top left.

Thursday morning we said 'goodbye' to our leader, Jonathan; don't worry, he's coming back tomorrow (Tuesday). He left for the American coast to fill his role as Best Man in his friend, Matt Wheeland's wedding.
Friday the four of us remaining were off to Ostrava to spend the weekend with the Hartman family - Matt and Amy, Hannah (10), Caden (8), Asher (7) and Hayes (4) (the family now includes Sarah, Esther, Ben and Chelsie).
Friday: Fushion Concert. Fushion is another branch of Josiah Venture which reaches out to the local youth through music. The group performed all their songs for friends and family, and since Matt Hartman helps lead the ministry here in Ostrava, we interns came along! It was a blast! All the songs were in English, and the students sang, danced and played instruments with so much heart and enthusiasm. It was exciting to see their joy through music. 
Saturday we traveled to Zlin to spend time with the youth group there. We got to know some of the leaders we will be coming alongside for English camp - playing games, eating, talking and discussing responsibilities. We will be doing our second camp with this group in July, and we are looking forward to serving with such a kind and loving group of people. 

Here we all are at the Zlin Zoo!

Sunday Matt shared a message, Sarah and Esther each testified to the power of Christ in our lives, and a group of us sang "Come Thou Fount" for the congregation. Then we went to the ZOO!! I LOVE the zoo and I was so happy to be there as a part of a family. 

Here we are on Monday, back at the Hartman home - invited to stay one more night. It has been such a blessing for all of us to share this time together in a family setting. My heart is most certainly encouraged. This very minute Hayes is chasing Asher who is doing his best to eat a rice cake while Caden is watching as he eats lunch. We are in good hands.

Thank you all for your prayers! We will continue to prepare for English camp, as we now have new responsibilities for Zlin camp!

Rejoice in the Lord always,
Esther.

The Dixon Farm

Monday, June 18, 2012: Work-day on the Farm.
What a day! 

Sarah's pumped about her arms getting pumped up
from all this shoveling and 'wheelbarrowing.'

Kevin and Daniella Dixon are full-time missionaries with Josiah Venture; throughout the year they are part of Exit 316. Exit 316 is a branch of Josiah Venture that operates throughout the school year. It addresses daily issues teenagers face from a biblical perspective through a TV program, school tours and small groups. 

Kevin and Daniella have inherited her parents beautiful house in the countryside, which was built by her grandparents 60 years ago! It's time for reconstruction. Kevin and Daniella are so thankful for any help they can get and we are more than happy to help. 

Sarah, Jonathan and I went out to help clear their attic of cement, wood and straw. It is beautiful out there on their farm. It seems that Daniella and I have had similar experiences at home - with cows, chickens, gardens, hay, open space and great meal home-cooked meals! I was so happy to be out there. It was wonderful. 

Here we are in the middle of the day, working alongside
 the neighbours who were turning over their hay. 

Thanks for joining us once again! We're happy to share our story with you. 

Rejoice in the Lord, always!

Esther

Father's Day Post

Happy Father’s Day! This morning I treated myself with a sermon in English! I miss my church family, so it was a nice to watch a piece of home. I watched Kyle Idleman’s sermon from last week. If you missed it, you can watch it here:http://www.southeastchristian.org/?page=4754

In this sermon, Kyle presented the idea that we (as Christ-followers) should be the illustration of God’s design. This reminded me of the question that I have been presented with over and over. “Am I a picture of Christ to others?” As I have stepped into this internship and my role as a disciple maker, I have to be sure that when I invite people to “Come & see” (John 1:39) my life that they are seeing Christ in me. Is there truly something impeccably different about my life? Do people see the Gospel in how I live, act, speak, etc.?

When I think about the people that have discipled me, its not only the knowledge that they shared with me, but also the actions that I saw them doing. One of the most influential women in my life taught me to love the Word. She didn’t teach me that by telling me that I should love it or that I have to love it to be a good Christian. She taught me that by simply loving the Word. She always has her bible with her, she is familiar with it, she lights up when she talks about what she learns about Jesus, and she makes decisions based on the Word/Jesus. Without a formal invitation, she invited me in to “Come & see” her love for the Lord.

Am I inviting others in to see my love of the Lord? Am I reproducing Christ-followers who fear and obey God? (Ecclesiastes 12:13)

Not only am I called to make disciples, but this summer I am called to “pull a Philip”. In Acts 8, we see Philip walking in obedience even though he has no idea what God is EXACTLY calling him to. His journey starts in verse 28. I encourage you to read it. At the end of this snapshot of Philip, we see that after he made a B-line to teaching about Jesus, they arrived at some water and the Eunuch wanted to be baptized. In verse 39, Philip is gone. It says that the Eunuch never saw Philip again, “BUT went on his way rejoicing”.

At the end of the summer, when I leave, will these students be rejoicing because its not about me (Sarah Burge) changing their lives or being dependent on me. Instead, are they rejoicing because I made a B-line to teaching about Jesus? Can I leave and it not matter because they are rejoicing that they encountered Christ?

So, my job is to be Philip. To run along side them. To sit with them and do life with them. To teach them about Jesus. To let them see how I live because of Christ. To leave and it not matter because its not about me, its about the Kingdom.

Please continue to pray for me and my team as we are pursuing being disciples who make disciples!

Love ya much,
Sarah

Together bringing His love to the world.

"and because he was a tentmaker as they were, he stayed and worked with them." - Acts 18:3 


We arrived in Ostrava on Thursday and stayed through Monday. What a great weekend! It came with its bumps, miscommunications and challenges, but I assure you it was a good experience overall. 
Thursday we were picked up at the train station by Michael (church youth leader), Monika and Davide. These are some stellar people! They were so helpful throughout the entire weekend. Jonathan and Ben stayed with Michael, while Sarah, Chelsie and I stayed with full-time English teachers: Shelly, Chelsea and Ashley. These girls allowed us to stay in their apartment... even though they left for a conference Friday through Sunday! They gave us the keys to the 'flat' and said, "make yourselves at home." This is a concrete example of the attitude of the believers we met this weekend. 
Over and over we were welcomed into the lives of those we encountered and were invited to join in their work. Before this weekend, I had expected to come and serve this body of believers in tangible ways. However, coming out of the weekend I realize that I have been served and so very blessed by them: through their love, hospitality, kindness and encouragement. 
On Sunday we joined their Bible study; Michael began by reading Acts 18:1-4. It is the introduction of Paul's relationship with Aquilla and Priscilla. Through this story, Michael very clearly communicated that we are "Paul" and their body is "Aquilla and Priscilla"; we met them and immediately joined in their work. This touched my heart deeply; it also gave me a better understanding of our relationship as believers. We are all here for the purpose of the gospel, and because we are fellow Christians, there is an immediate unity of love and trust. We come alongside one another, encouraging one another in the faith, and building each other up as we live to advance the gospel. 
"and because [we are Christians], we "stayed with them and worked with them." 

Sunday night Bible study.

Friday: School Visits, Young Life (youth outreach progam that was so well done by the Czechs!), bowling.
Saturday: Camp meeting, Youth Group. 
Sunday: Church, Lunch with a large group of Christain young people, Bible Study. 
Monday: School Visits, traveled back to our base (Cesky Tesin), debriefed the weekend, Jonathan shared his testimony with the team. 


I am so excited to be doing camp with these incredible brothers and sisters. They are so committed to sharing the gospel and to living the gospel. I am even more excited to be a bridge that connects unbelievers and new believers to these amazing children of God. 
Its all because of Jesus we're ALIVE! 


Rejoice in the Lord, Always, 
Esther.