The Big Garden

The Czech Republic is a beautiful country. Many Czechs have gardens, either around their homes, or at their chaty. A chata is a small retreat. Many Czechs own one. It is usually a very small cabin – many times little more than a shack – in which there may not be any electricity or running water. These little houses are especially desired by those who live in crowded city housing. They provide a quiet place and a patch of ground to tend. The gardens around these tiny retreats are exceptionally well tended and full of flowers, vegetables, and berry-bearing plants.

The entire country resembles one of these beautiful gardens, but on a larger scale. We often thank God that we are so privileged to serve in such a beautiful place. Nearby is a view from the front driveway of the Penzion at which English camps are held, and some pictures of Czech gardens. The whole countryside is manicured by loving hands. Pray with us that these gardeners would begin to see the beauty of Him who put us in that first garden long ago.

Camp is HERE!

The summer English camps have been one of the highlights of our year for a long time now.  We so look forward to seeing friends from home and from around our new country.  This is the only time during the year when we will see most of them. 

So, we were thrilled when the team from the US arrived in Zlin on Friday.  Saturday morning we drove from Zlin to the little Penzion where camp is held each year.  With the arrival of each carful of folks, the level of noise from the joyful chatter rose higher and higher. 

On Sunday, the Zlin church joined us for worship in the chapel.  Our speaker this year is Dale VanDyke of Grand Rapids, Michigan.  He spoke Sunday morning from the Beatitudes about how God, in Jesus, blesses losers and rebels.  It seemed to me that God was present and pleased to use Dale’s words.

Please pray with us for our campers, our classes, and our hearts as we seek to serve our friends and as we seek them on Jesus’ behalf.   

Missing the Air in the South

Alan and Sally

Sometimes you don’t know how much something is worth until it is taken away.  Living in the “Bible Belt” it was relatively easy to find spiritual nurture.  Yes, it still required work to get up early to read our Bibles and pray each morning, but the soul food that we got from Christian radio, our small group meetings, sermons, and Sunday school classes was sort of like air – it was just there all the time.  When we moved to the Czech Republic, the “air” was all gone!  

Yes, we do still go to church on Sundays, but the messages are all in Czech, there is no Sunday school, and no Christian radio.  We have started a small group, and those relationships are growing deeper, but many times the conversation and the prayers are in Czech.  “Don’t you guys already speak Czech?” you might ask.  Yes and no.  Our Czech skills are still at a pre-school level.  We often don’t get much from the prayers or conversations of our dear Czech friends, and very little from the sermons in church.

So, we are really appreciative of the ministry plan that MTW has in place to send PCA pastors to visit mission teams at least once each year.  We are doubly blessed by this plan since the pastor assigned to our team happens to be Alan Carter, the pastor of our home church in Birmingham!  In May, Alan and his wife Sally came for a long weekend and went with our team on a two day mini-retreat to the nearby city of Olomouc.  There are some pictures from the retreat posted nearby.  We enjoyed some English worship, times of extended prayer, and several encouraging messages from Alan.  Alan and Sally also took time to be alone with each of the missionary couples here to nurture and to encourage them.  It was a blessed time.

So, the next time you are bored by your pastor’s sermon, or distracted in Sunday school, or weary of the regularity of your small group meetings, please think about losing all of those things.  They are more valuable than you might imagine.  

The Slavic Epic and Moravský Krumlov

Throughout this year we have heard so much about the Slavic Epic that is located in the small village of Moravský Krumlov. Last year during camp there was a Mucha Exhibit at the zámek in Holešov. Many of the campers went to see it and I had the opportunity to go with them.  The exhibit was comprised almost entirely of Mucha’s posters and advertizing art.  But, while there I saw a video about Alfons Mucha. That is where I first heard of what he considered to be his greatest accomplishment, The Slavic Epic. I was struck by the emotion of the faces he painted in his Epic, that I longed to see his paintings in person.

Interesting symbol on the wall of a building

Moravský Krumlov

In the yard of the Zámek

Entrance to the Exhibit

So, knowing that Erin loves art, and desiring to also see this great work that we have heard so much about, we took her to the town of Moravský Krumlov to see the Slavic Epic. Alfons Mucha painted these masterpieces depicting Slavic history between the years 1910 and 1928.  This is a series of 20 huge –gianormous- paintings portraying the most important events in Slavic history, at least according to Mucha.  He is known throughout most of the world for his Art Nouveau style, seen mostly in posters designed for advertisements.  He gained much of his acclaim and popularity when actress Sarah Bernhardt hired him to design all of her posters.  The posters are unique and beautiful, but simply nothing to compare with the emotion the Slavic Epic draws from the soul.  The faces of the people in Mucha’s Epic display a wealth of human emotion: sorrow, fear, uncertainty, dismay, pain.  One of the greatest emotions that can be seen in the Epic is the powerful force of hope.



        You can see from this picture just how large the paintings really are; the artist is sitting in front.

 

The Printing of the Bible of Kralice in Ivancice

The Abolition of Serfdom in Russia

I hope that you will take the time to look at some of the others for yourself.   

To read more see: http://www.pricejb.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk/  follow the gallery link to the pictures, the link is at the end of the page on the Slavic Epic.