Czech Republic Missions Trip 2006                                 

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Introduction

In August of 2006, 14 of us went on a missions trip to the Czech Republic. We flew out from Nottingham Airport, lunchtime of the 9th after leaving the Church at 6 o'clock in the morning.. We landed in Prague mid-afternoon and met our host, Jimmie Bennett. after a 2hr minibus trip we arrived in the city of Pardubice, 60 miles east of the capitol for what promised to be an exciting, yet tiring, week and a half. Our time out their was split fairly evenly between Street Outreach, organising and cleaning the English Teaching school (called 'Simply Speaking') run by Jimmie and his wife Hulda, and sightseeing both in Pardubice and Prague for the last 2 days. It is fair to say that it was a challenging time for all involved but also very rewarding. This page aims to give an overview of the trip so that you can God for what He did through and for us.

The Team

The team that went out consisted of 7 of the Upper Room youth group and 7 leaders, although most of the 'youth' were nearly 20. The youth were Dave and Andrew Churton, Sam and Al Hendley, Dave Scott, John Harris and Nathanael McLennan. The leaders that went were Simon Matheson, Dave Webster, Alun and Zoë Howells, Kath Burke, Naomi Holland and James Richards. Although we were a very varied bunch and the potential for contentions was very real, God undertook and we all got along superbly despite the lack of sleep.

The Timetable

It is safe to say we where kept busy the whole time that we were there. There was always something to do. Because we were staying on the outskirts of the city and the school were we were based was in the centre of town we had to get up to catch a bus at 7am to arrive in time for breakfast at 8am. At the end of the day we always met up for a short time of feedback and prayer so after the usual chatting few were in bed before 11pm on most nights!

The Outreach

We basically had three different opportunities for outreach while we were away. Most of the outreach was in the town centre of Pardubice itself. A band, consisting of Simon, James, Kath and Zoë, played worship songs to get people's attention whilst the rest of us gave out tracts and sought opportunities to speak to people about what Christ achieved on the Cross for them. On the first Friday morning we went down to the train station to speak to those there. Most of those waiting there were on their way to a Punk Festival. A good number of people were willing to talk and some good conversation took place. The other opportunity for outreach was after we were in the Refugee Centre in the nearby town of Litomysl. Despite feeling emotionally and physically drained everyone got stuck in especially when we found out that there was a Catholic Convention happening that week in the town. For some this was their first experience of street ministry but everyone participated in some way and all threw themselves into the work.

The Refugee Centre and Children's Home

Two of the hardest times, at least emotionally, for the team were the visits to the Refugee Centre and the Children's home. Going to the Refugee Centre, none of us had much idea of what to expect and being required to show our passports at a set of locked gates guarded by several armed men didn't help. But after getting in we had an chance to play football with some of the guys and the girls set up an area for children to go a colour and have fun. We met people from all around the world all seeking refuge from their own county. It was hard for some because there was little opportunity to speak to them about God and what Christ had done for them, but at the end numerous Czech and English Bibles were handed out along with other Christian literature. The children's home was for kids from birth to 4 years old. We were encouraged by Jimmie to just go and show them some love and attention. Some found the babies area difficult because it was hard to imagine how parents could give up their child when they were so young (some were as little as 6 weeks old) as we had to constantly remind ourselves that we had no idea of the parents situation. It was comforting to see them well looked after and fed and changed regularly. The toddlers section was equally as difficult because none of the staff could give all the children the attention the deserve and require because of time constraints and the number of children. For both these places, our prayer is that God would allow the Christians in the area the chance to regularly go in a share God's love and His salvation regularly so that many would come to know Him.