THANK YOU.

We cannot believe it is only another short four weeks till our team gathers at our church hall with our well and full packed bags early in the morning to travel down to Dublin Airport to board a flight to Prague, CZ and begin this exciting adventure of a mission to see what God is up to in the lives of Czech students and join His ministry in the beautiful country. We are well aware of not being able to do any of this without your continuous support, in both prayer and finances. We would like to take this opportunity to thank you again, for your love, care and support, and also to tell you a little bit of the work our team has put into fundraising so far.

We have two fundraisers done, and another two to go. Our first fundraiser was two weeks ago, it was a Ladies’Movie Night and we thank all the ladies for all their individual support – in helping to cater, in coming along to show support, in praying from their homes on the night, in the rich donations they brought. It was a great night spent in the sense of fellowship and fun. I heard from more than one of them it was good to leave the kids home with their husbands and just take a break and not think about what the house was going to look like when they came back – we are glad to have provided such a night for you all. You were a blessing to serve!

Our second one was just this past weekend, Rachel and her Mum Gwen Jackson were so kind as to open their home to host a Coffee Afternoon.  It was a beautiful day and therefore everyone was able to enjoy their coffee, tea and beautiful buns & cakes outside on the sunshine, people chatted and laughed and relaxed and we were blessed to serve in such a practical way to people who smiled and shone joy in financially supporting the team. Thank you so much if you were in any way a part of this afternoon, and a special thanks to Rachel and Gwen Jackson for not only providing their home, but also for the days leading to this event and all the planning involved. We appreciate it so much!

Our next fundraiser is a Table Quiz written by one of the team members, it will take place at Saintfield High School this Saturday June 15^th at 7 PM. Everyone is very welcome, it will be a night full of laughter and fun, children welcome as well. Teams are to be 4-10 members and suggested donation per person is £5.

Our last fundraiser will be a Soup Lunch on the 23^rd June, after the church service in Saintfield, which will also be our team’s commissioning service, please come along as the church sends us and the team will serve you in a practical way while you ask each team member about their experience and reasons to go on this trip.

Thank you for being there, praying, supporting, loving and encouraging. You are a vital part of this trip and we are eternally thankful for all you are to the team, as individuals as well as a group of supporters. I couldn’t sum it up any better than the following picture does. God bless you.

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Stepping out in faith

Sometimes there can be misconceptions of what mission is. People travel across the world thinking that they are taking the Gospel with them, but really God is already at work. We get to join in with Him and what He is already doing. Also sometimes we think that we're going out carrying a message that we already have got all figured out...but as you will see in this weeks blogpost there are lessons that only God can teach his followers on a foreign soil. The reason so many team members return to the Czech Republic is the growth they experience in their relationship with God. Stepping out into a foreign culture challenges us to rely completely on Him and His Word. This week you are going to hear Jenna's story of when she first travelled to the Czech Republic and what she is learning through this experience. 

A number of years ago, the thought that I would be preparing to go on my third trip to the Czech Republic was something that I wouldn't have believed. This year I cannot wait to spend another summer dependant on God and relying on his promises. 

Growing up I was privileged to be a part of a Christian family, although it wasn't until my early teenage years that I started to grow in my relationship with God. 

At first I was resistant to go to youth events. It was the perseverance and love that leaders and young people from within the group showed me, that gave me the interest and confidence to go. Being part of the youth ministry in 1st Pres changed my idea of what it means to be a Christian and gave me friendships with people who encourage, love and live out their faith! The friendships that started within the group are ones that can challenge me in my walk with God. 

Leaving home and going to another country was something I never thought I would be apart of but three years ago I decided it was something I wanted and needed to do. That year I was nervous about every aspect of the trip but was given confidence through the people on the team and through God's word. Reading verses such as Philippians 4 vs 13 "For I can do everything with the help of Christ who gives me the strength I need." and  Matthew 10 vs 20  "For it won't be you doing the talking - it will be the spirit of your father talking through you." amongst many others taught me that I wasn't alone at any point in the trip and that it wasn't about me, it was about God. 

Throughout that first year I experienced many things that made me step out of my comfort zone. Sharing my story in discussion groups was something that was made easier by the encouragement of those around me and knowing that God was the one who was speaking. 

Before we left Saintfield someone said, "they will be silent, we have to break the silence" even-though this was said in a different context it was something that replayed on my mind. Many of the Czech students had the opportunity to hear about God, Jesus or the Bible. It was exciting for us to get to be alongside Czech students as they reflected in the silence about what they had heard. In these moments it was amazing to let God work through us in our actions and let our words be His words.

During my first camp I learnt that prayer is undoubtably powerful. Relationships don't work without communication and prayer is our communication with God. We don't bring God to the Czech Republic, he is already there. We go so that God can use us in ways that we couldn't do, without Him working through us. 

"Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter"  these words from MLK Jr proclaim even louder that we should not be silent about the most important relationship we have, which we believe is a relationship with Jesus.

I am so excited to go out to Czech for a third time as part of a team with some of my closest friends. Thank you for your support and prayer for our team.

~Jenna

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Afternoon Tea with the Czech Team

As a team we are stepping out in faith that God will provide all our needs on this exciting adventure. As part of our team building we work together to create FUNdraisers. This week we have our first event, a ladies movie night which there are still tickets available for. Also coming up we have Afternoon Tea with the Czech Team on Saturday 8th June. This will be a great opportunity to chat to the team and find out why we are going on this trip. In typical Northern Irish fashion there will be plenty of tea, buns, scones and pancakes for you to enjoy over some lovely conversation.

If you can support us by attending this event we would love to see you! Please do not hesitate to ask about other ways you can hold the ropes for us as we join God in His mission. (contact: niczechteam@gmail.com)

Keep an eye on this page for more updates from the team and comment if you have any questions or words of encouragement. 

Peace, 
Rach J

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Build Well

We know we couldn't do this without you and you're a vital part of our team being able to go, and so we would love to share with you about what it means for each of us to go, why we keep going back and what we learn about God and serving in the nations to bring glory to His kingdom. We hope this gives you a little glimpse into what we do, but most importantly into what He is already doing out in the Czech Republic, and we get to join in at. Thank you for your support and we pray that as you read about our humble experiences you are inspired to know Him more.

Thank you Michael for sharing with us first!

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I have been going to the Czech Republic for the past 4 summers. I often get asked, “Why do you keep going back to the same place year after year?” Simple, Relationships. To see my relationship grow and deepen with God over the years has been somewhat of an epic adventure. Going to the Czech Republic for three weeks in a year continually shows me that God is at work across the nations. It highlights the importance of putting HIM first in everything. Back home we often take Church, youth group and a chance to hear about God for granted. To see the hunger and passion of students who have never heard of the Gospel is a reminder of how blessed I am. This year the theme is Re-Connect, I am returning to re-connect with friends, but also to connect with students who have maybe never heard about Jesus before.

When I think back to the start of my journey with God, it wasn’t crazy games and memorable experiences (yes, they played a vital role) but it was the relationships that I developed over TIME. Seeing the difference Jesus made in the lives of ordinary people, made me think about my own life.

A phrase which has stuck with me over the years is “Build Well.” It is taken from 1 Corinthians 3:9-13 “For we are God's fellow workers. You are God's field, God's building. According to the grace of God given to me, like a skilled master builder I laid a foundation, and someone else is building upon it. Let each one take care how he builds upon it. For no one can lay a foundation other than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ.” We go as a team to build well into the lives of Czech students, knowing that our foundation in which we do this is that of Jesus.

In class one day a Czech student said, “ I didn’t know anything about people who are Christians, but now I do, thank you.” It is the simple things that can so often leave us thinking, WOW. God is at work in the Czech Republic and I get to join him there for a short time.

I want to finish by thanking all those that continue to pray and support us as a team. We are all part of Gods Story.

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The Team 2013.

We have a super team hoping to travel to the Czech Republic this summer on 9th July. We are lead by Paul and Valerie Bowman (along with their beautiful girls) who have been leading teams to English camp for over 15 years. Their heart for the Czech country and to see young people transformed by the Gospel is contagious which is why so many team members return every year. 

Who's who?

Over the next few weeks as we prepare to go you will hear a bit from the team. There are 18 students hoping to go and teach English and share their faith with Czech students. The age range is 15-24 years old, which provides an incredible opportunity to learn from each other as we are at slightly different life stages. Many team members have been on trips before and they will share with you why they keep returning. 

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Ladies Movie Night

The Czech Team welcome all ladies to our fundraising movie event on Thursday 30th May.
We ran this event last year and the ladies loved watching a great movie, eating yummy desserts and being together for a fun evening. 

Don't miss out! If you would like to purchase tickets please email us niczechteam@gmail.com or purchase from a team member.

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Welcome to the NI Czech Team Website.

Hi friends,

Welcome to our page! 

We hope this will become a way of sharing our involvement of what God is doing in the nations, in particular, the Czech Republic.

The lyrics of Rend Collective's tune 'Build Your Kingdom Here' echo the reason for our mission to the Czech Republic we ask that God would "...bring this nation back, change the atmosphere, build your Kingdom here. We pray!" This is why we go to share the life changing, nation changing news that Jesus desires to have a deep, personal relationship with the world and God longs to build His Kingdom on earth.

As we prepare to go as a team to teach English at English Camp and share the Gospel we hope you will be encouraged and inspired to pray and support us. 

Keep an eye on this page for team updates, fundraiser events and incredible stories of hope that are being written in Saintfield and the Czech Republic.

If you feel like you could donate something to our team please contact us: niczechteam@gmail.com

Peace
RachJ

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