Thank you all for your prayers and notes to us. I can not tell you how much it means to us while we are gone. Keep them coming. We go back to work again tomorrow but it is coming to an end far to quickly. Continue to pray for us here and our familys back at home.
Joyce
What a wonderful day and evening!
We attended meetings at the Town Hall with Councilman and Drug Prevention Mayor’s team, then met the Plzen City Mayor at the Teen Challenge Jericho Tea Room. At the Town Hal we heard of their programs for yearlong school education and prevention programs. We heard of the over 5 Million KUC they will spend in 2008 for more rehab centers and therapy services.
We heard of the close cooperation of city government and Maranatha, for Teen Challenges major accomplishments with materials and services for therapy, rehab and prevention materials and children/teen education. They have the only certified set of manuals in CZ Republic for parents and children with addiction challenges.
The VIM Team travelled to see Marek, a Holy Hill client we met last year, who is in hospital recovering. He was happy to see everyone, old and new friends. We will pray for his recovery and return to Holy Hill.
Then, each team member spent the evening with a family of Plzen from Teen Challenge staff member. Lisa and I spent the evening with Gustav Cerny, wife Sonja, and their two children Valentyna (10+) and Julie (21 months). What a blessing!!!!
At 1800 we were at Prayer Meeting in Maranatha, where we met up with clients from Holy Hill and staff, and congregation members. Music and prayers, then slide show of our VIM work with clients at Holy Hill, and talks by VIM team, Gustav and Pastor Petr. God’s presence was in the room with us, and we had a blessed time.
We had a delicious dinner and CZ kolaches, then a concert with Valentyna on the flute! She played beautifully! Such a treat. By the way, Valentyna has taken English in school this year, and greeted us with ” Good evening, come in please” and ” Please sit down “… Amazing young lady, also winning an art contest last year and continuing to draw and paint this year. Sonja shared her work with facilitating a woman’s group in Maranatha (she is a certified social worker and therapist) and social programs. Gustav and I remembered old times ( meeting in Celina 6 years ago, etc…) and just had a terrific warm time. Too soon it was 2300 and time to return to hotel.
Took some pictures, will upload later today. Miss our grandson Kindon and church family, but feel your thoughts and prayers. Please pray for the clients at Holy Hill and Reentry House…also the staff of Teen Challenge.
God’s Love and Grace to all,
Charles in Plzen
Today was another awesome day! We couldn’t work at Holy Hill today because the clients had to attend a meeting so we did a walking tour of Plzen instead. Then we were to meet with the Vice Mayor in City Hall but she was delayed and we met with the head of the City Council and the head of the drug prevention program instead. Later this afternoon we met with the Mayor. These meetings were important to encourage the mayors and city council to support Teen Challenge. It seems to carry more wieght if the mayors see that Americans spend time and money to come here and support the program.
After those meetings, I had asked Peter if he would take us to see one of the clients from last year that is in the hospital. When we were at Holy Hill last year one of the clients was struggling with his drug addiction and lstruggling learning to accept Christ in his life. Before we left here last year he opened up to us and he told me that he wouldn’t be where he is if he had had a mother like me. That of course touched my heart and he is one of the reasons I wanted to come back this year because I promised him I would be back. He is now in the hospital for depression and is struggling to survive. Peter took Jennifer, Freda, Joyce, Lisa, and me to see him and I’m so glad we went…..it was the highlight of my week so far. He was so glad to see us and told us that his mother lives not far away but she has not visited him…..we were the only visitors he has had in the 14 days he’s been in the hospital!!! It broke my heart to hear that but I knew then that God wanted us to be there for him. We prayed with him and let him know that we will continue praying for him and that seemed to make him happy. He said sometimes when he has trouble focusing on things he watches Texas Rangers on TV and thinks about his American friends……how cool is that!!!
After the hospital visit, we attended the bible study at Maranatha church and then Jennifer and I went to the home of some staff members for dinner. It’s always nice to have an opportunity to visit individually with the staff members in their homes even though it is sometimes challenging to communicate, but we always seem to manage somehow. It was a very full day but an awesome experience!
We spent Monday and Tuesday working alongside the clients at Holy Hill. What a great experience! Monday I spent the day cleaning old bricks off, so that they could be used again. The work was fun, and during different parts of the day, a number of the clients came over to help us. Thomas was one of our favorites! He speaks a little English, but clearly understands more than he speaks, because often when Trish and I would be talking, he would smile or laugh at our conversation. But he still denied that he spoke any English :-).
On Tuesday, Freda and I got to go up into the loft of the old barn and work with Olda and Thomas to take things from the main barn floor and store them in the loft. We spent a lot of time chatting and laughing with the two clients. They are obviously starting to feel more comfortable around us. At one point Thomas came over to help me paint the gutters. He told me that he had only been at Holy Hill for 8 days. I asked him if he thought that program was good. He hesitated and then smiled broadly and said, “Yes..very good!” He seems to be happy and smiling most of the time, I hope that his positive attitude will help him to be successful in the program. Each day they seem to be more comfortable around us. Although I think that they wonder why these crazy American women, who spend so much time smiling and laughing would spend their own money, and vacation time to come and work alongside them at Holy Hill. I think that even some of the staff at Holy Hill wonder the same things. Paul worked with Trish and I on Monday, and he asked what I did for a living, then asked if this was my “holiday time” that I was spending here. I explained that Jessica and I usually take a week’s vacation and go to the beach, but this year we chose to spend our only week of vacation together here in the Czech Republic. He was very surprised to find out that we pay our own way to come here.
It does feel like just our being here, working (happily) beside them makes them feel good that there are people so far away, who care enough about others, and for this week, about them specifically to be here.
Last night we had a dinner with the staff of Marantha Church, the people who are here from Paris, TX and Decatur, TX. It was a great time! Pastor Peter took the time to explain the history of Holy Hill to Tracy and I. It was really informative and I was surprised that it all started with some missionaries who came here that were of Czech decent who were living in Texas. I guess that it is just natural that connection be continued into the present day.
I do miss a few of the comforts of home, like a bathtub :-). The hours are long, and the sleep is pretty short, but for some reason, I’m not feeling tired. Just excited about the work and relationships we are building here.
That’s it for now!
I miss you all!
Donna
Ahoj,
I have had such a great time. I just got here on Monday and I flew over with nice people from FUMC Paris. Seeing all of the clients again and seeing their smiles when we get there is so nice. Today we met with the mayor of plzen. Tonight we are having dinner with some families of the church. I look forward to our trip to prague tommorow. Love you all, see you soon
It was a Awesome day at Holy Hill!!!!!!!! When we went down the road to holy hill and we were pulling up to the house and they all started to wave and have big smiles on there faces . Then I realize why I was there . What another good day in Czech. Steve, Alison, and Stephanie I love you and I miss you.
God Bless
Freda.
Wow! Wow! Wow! What an incredible journey we have had just in the few days we have been here. From the time spent in the airport to the time we go to bed late at night, it seems we have had so many opportunities to witness. We wore our “pink” Czech T-shirt on the flight and people would ask us “what are you guys doing” in Czech. We would share our mission and they would be so proud of our dedication. From London to Prague, I had the pleasure to sit with a young girl from Berlin. She could not believe someone would give up “holiday” time let alone pay for their expenses to go to another country to witness and help others. It seems God put us in the right places at the right times.
Each day has been more fun and I am more impressed with the work that is done at Teen Challenge and Holy Hill. The men (clients) at Holy Hill seem so happy to have us there. Of course, we are doing some of their work, but just to have us there to talk to and share our stories and for them to open up to us, slowly but surely, what has brought them to Holy Hill. It is awesome and you all can hear that from everyone of us, but never know that joy until you experience yourself. Just like being a grandparent - one can tell another one the thrill of being a grandparent and you think you “get it”, but really one does not until you have that first grandchild.
Tonight we had dinner with seven men and women from Plano, Decatur and Paris, Texas plus the Teen Challenge staff. What a great evening with these other church members asking us what all we do and what we think of the programs we are assisting. It was, again, awesome.
Each evening, we gather in Charles and Lisa’s room to have devotions and to share “highs” and “lows” of the day. Ater the day of work, later dinner and still trying to adjust to the time difference, I am so exhausted, I think - oh I wish we could skip devotions tonight. And then……….we share and I go back to my room and it takes us a couple of hours to come down again. Donna Vittorio and I, again, go over the day and how pleased we are that we made this trip.
Thank all of you for your prayers and support.
Love
Trish Scates
Blog.com has some limitations on the number of pictures you can post, so all the pictures will be uploaded here instead. Edit: Pictures updated on 6/3 at 4:30 pm.
Good morning to our Grace Avenue Family, from your CZ Maranatha / Teen Challenge Families and Team,
Good hard work yesterday - Monday saw a bit cooler weather, sometime showers, and wonderful work for Holy Hill. Carol and Jason, you ears may have been burning - your names and memories were mentioned with Teen Challenge clients and staff. Pastor Billy, your presence is still here, and some of the seeds you planted continue to grow and bear fruit. Both Petr Ballous and Pastor Petr wish you a wonderful trip to see your son, and prayers to your entire family.
OK - the work included electric planing of boards, sanding of same boards, cleaning bricks, wheelbarrowing dirt to clear the small soccer (fotball) field, and kitchen duty.
Youth of GAUMC - your Jessica helped to make the greatest soup for all our lunches!!! It was excellent! Then we had chicken with herbs and potatoes. Then I needed a siesta!
We worked till 1200, then had lunch, then back to labor in the fields! Included all along were conversations in Eng/Czech-ish and a little German. Tracy continues to amaze the clients with her basic Czech sentences, with them noticing no accent of Texas! I used my little German, little English and basic Czech ( dobra, voda…) to listen and speak to George. He gained confidence slowly, we worked together, and slowly he opened his thoughts and fears. He is a wonderful man, new client to Holy Hill (few months only) and struggles daily with “Old George” versus “New George”. How many of us have a similar struggle.
We left Holy Hill, returned to Hotel Plzen and cleaned up, then joined the staff meeting of Teen Challenge at Maranatha. We heard about the wonderful work they have done in schools, creating a series of manuals for parents and children, on how to handle relations when drugs / alcohol are involved. They have attained certification of the manuals and will distibute them Plzen-wide to many schools. (Only group to attain certification).
Mor later - will try to upload some pictures.
Blessings to all, and to Jason for the BLOG.
Charles
