Blessed by the Local Body

God has given us such a sweet gift in the Czech church that we attend.  Betanie (http://www.betanie.cz/en/) is missional and has already multiplied itself.  The believers are eager to see more church plants grow from their body and for a church planting movement to take place throughout the Czech Republic.  Our pastor and his wife (and their two daughters!) have been a huge blessing and encouragement to us.  We share the same vision and passion for God’s glory in this nation.  The elders at Betanie have been very welcoming to us and kindly thank the Lord for bringing us here to spread the Good News alongside them.  

We are learning so much everyday about the culture, not to mention the language!   Our activities and ministry opportunities are taking shape.  For now, though, we are thankful for a God-honoring church home as we immerse ourselves in language studies.  Please keep praying for our adaption, wisdom in parenting in this transition (especially for our kids’ schooling), language acquisition, and for God to work supernaturally through our empty vessels.  

Here are some photos of our church (click on the pictures and it will go to the next one).  Pray for these believers!!  They are generally the first Christians in their families and they live in a country where only 1 in 200 people follow Jesus Christ. 

Betanie does not own its own building.  We meet in a Catholic chapel above a hospital.  As you can see, it's a beautiful space.  The pictures show our family walking into the chapel, the pastor, the church body standing in a circle around the sanctuary to receive communion, Hannah's Sunday school class, and the space where we have fellowship (and Mark and I clumsily practice our new Czech) after each service.