Hello! Did you think we'd fallen off the face of the Earth?! Nope, we're still here. We've had a very busy year since last summer and quite a bit to update you on.
We'll start with an update on our ministries. English camps were amazing this year! We saw 19 youth accept Christ as their Savior! We had two amazing volunteer groups from Missouri and Idaho come help us teach English at camp. We couldn't have done it without them, they were all an amazing blessing to the ministry.
I continued teaching my Wednesday night ladies ESL class and Clem continued coaching and helping lead with our Czech friend, Ondrej, in his sports ministry. My ESL class on Wednesdays was a bit smaller this year as our teenage students acquired boyfriends and Romana had a baby. But the other ladies remained faithful. Please continue to pray for Jana, Tereza, Jitka and Zdenka and that they will begin to respond to the Gospel message that they have heard so many times. Clem's coaching with Ondrej went well. He was helping coach elementary age boys and mentoring the two youth coaches as they learned to lead devotions with the boys and be a witness to them. Please pray for young Czech Believers as they learn to be bold and share their faith with those around them.
I also led a monthly Bible study at the Czech Baptist Church. And we both joined with other team members and began working on a new church plant in a village just outside of Prague called Nucice. The year consisted of trying to form relationships with the townspeople through English classes and monthly community events. We had a regular group of about 10-12 coming for English each week. The attendance for the monthly community events varied from just a handful to 2 or 3 dozen. Please pray for the people of Nucice and that their hearts would soften toward the Gospel as our teammates continue to work with them in this new school year.
Now for the family update. We are all doing great! Allie attended the International school with Hunter last year. Spending two years in a Czech school meant she had some catch up to do in English and Reading. She was a trooper and worked hard all year and is doing very well now. Hunter loved being in the Jr. High last year and playing drums for their "rock" band.
This month marks a very important milestone for us. We have completed our first 3 year term with the Board. Tomorrow, Monday, September 24 we board a plane with 16 pieces of luggage...and the cat...and head back to Missouri for a 6 month furlough. We are all very eager to get some much needed rest and time with family. Please pray for safe and uneventful travels as we head out early in the morning and that all of our luggage...and the cat arrive safely and on time.
But with this Stateside time also comes some uncertainty for us. For the last year and half, God has been laying on our hearts the need to make a change in our ministry role. We came to Prague to fill a support role in the Strategy Office. Support roles with the Board are very important and very much needed, but after some time in this role, we began to hear God telling us that we needed to spend less time with other Believers in the office and more time working alongside the lost. This prompted us to begin searching for a new ministry role. We have been seeking and praying for some time now, and God has not yet revealed to us what this new role will be, where it will be, or what it will look like. We're not even sure if it will continue to be with the Board or if He will choose to move us in a new direction entirely. At this point we are open to wherever God leads and whatever He leads us to. The only thing we are certain of is that we will not be returning to our support role in Prague in 6 months. Whether God will choose to continue to use us overseas or back in the States we don't know, but we do know that he has an amazing plan for our family and we've decided it must be pretty exciting if he's waiting this long to fill us in on what is it! We would like to ask for your prayer support over the next few months as we continue to seek God's desire for our family. As soon as we know what is next for us we will let you know. Until then, we thank you for continuing to support us with your prayers!
Please continue to pray for the Czech people, that they would begin to listen and believe that God is real and that he loves them and has an amazing plan for their lives. Pray that their eyes will be opened to God's truths and that they will accept Christ's gift of Salvation. These are very special people and we are sad to have to say goodbye. We hope that our time here and the stories and pictures we have shared with you have left a lasting image in your hearts and that you will continue to pray for the Czech people in the coming weeks, months and years.
You have been such a blessing to us over these challenging and exciting three years! We thank you for your encouraging words, your prayers and your love for us and the people we came to serve.
With Love,
Clem, Carrie, Hunter and Allie
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