noel: czech republic

I am super excited this year to be featuring at least two ministries per month as an opportunity to share what God is doing is these friends lives. Jeremy and I are directly involved with most, and so many are a very special part of our lives. We hope their testimonies and ministries show the many ways the gospel is being shared worldwide.

I start the year with my very special friend, Noel, who has been serving in the Czech Republic since 2005. Our journey started together in 2004, when we both travelled to the Czech to help with the summer English camp hosted by the Common Grounds Ministry. Both Noel and I felt the Lord talking to us and asking us to trust his guidance for our future.

There was this one beautiful summer day when we had a break from the teaching and we rode the gondola up to the top of the mountain in this ski town we were staying in, Janske Lanze, near the Polish border. (Note: ski town in summer is prime for hiking - no snow). We had lunch at this local bistro/pub with our friends and decided to hike down the mountain the remainder of the afternoon. It is one of those adventures that is ingrained in my memory so clearly. It was this hike down the mountain that the fog cleared from our vision and we knew for certain the direction the Lord was taking each of us. The hard part was that as close as we hard grown, he was calling us to opposite sides of the world.

Here I am on the hike.

Noel was certain God had called her to work with the poor, and though the Czech people were not monetarily poor, they were destitute in spirit. They did not know God, nor had they been taught about God with years of atheism in their country. She heeded God's call and moved to the Czech Republic the fall of 2005 and has been in full time ministry there since. She worked in Renice with Common Grounds teaching English through Bible study, working with children and young ladies....many of whom are serving in ministry themselves now. She also helped introduce mission work to the Czech people - a concept very foreign to them. She was key in starting a ministry in Ethiopia where she has been visiting on short-term mission. The lady is crazy (in a wonderfully-good way); she does mission within mission and truly loves her work for Jesus. She is a true friend and I am so fortunate to know her!!

You can read more about Noel on her profile with TEAM minstries. {click here} She is now embarking on a new phase of her ministry in the Czech, as she and friend Petra are starting a business focusing on health and fitness in Prague, creating opportunites to share Christ and offer counseling in safe environments.

He bids me come...

"When Christ calls a man, he bids him come and die." - Dietrich Bonhoeffer

I have been blessed this January to have spent time with two of my favorite people, both missionaries home on short leaves. Kim Smith is a missionary in Liberia - a godfearing, peaceful man, and I respect him greatly. He has given away his possessions and made Liberia his home, sharing Jesus with the people and starting many churches. The Liberian people are hungry for Jesus. (www.wordsowerliberia.com) My other friend, Noel Garrett, spent a few months in Ethiopia before returning to the Czech Republic, where she has spent the last 7 years as a missionary teaching English through the Bible. Noel recently has been called to start a new mission in Prague. The Czech people are spiritually hungry after being oppressed for generations.

Here in the land of plenty it is easy to loose sight that we are on mission. I have been very challenged of late to ensure that I am teaching my children what is most important in life, and that is Jesus Christ. I want them to know what it looks like to give it all for the service of Jesus, to not be afraid to loose their life for him. I remember growing up that my parents would be very frank with us about the cost of following Jesus. Mom would say, "If someone shows up in the middle of the night, drags us outside, threatens to kill me or Daddy if you don't deny Jesus...", she would stop, "you do not EVER deny Jesus. We will die first." That ingrained in me a deep obedience at a young age. Now that I am a mother, I respect how hard that was to say to a child, especially how protective a mother is of her children. I want my children to know there is a cost to follow Jesus, and that we must rely upon him to guide and direct our lives.

Obedience. Compassion for the less fortunate. A willingness to give. Give even when it hurts. My friend Shawn once asked me to list ten things I would tell a new Christian - I keep it with me, as it reflects much of my walk with Christ.

1. It is about relationship. Without communication there is no relationship.
2. Read Bible daily.
3. Talk to God as if you could see him sitting next to you.
4. Find someone to be accountable to.
5. God is loving.
6. The Bible is truth; everything in it is truth.
7. People will let you down, even Christians. God will not.
8. Never deny Jesus Christ.
9. The devil is real. He is a liar and he never sleeps.
10. God has already won!

He bids us come and die. Don't loose sight of the value of a soul. It is more valuable than any earthly possession. Two of the biggest highlights from 2011 were when my daughter Claire was born, and when my daughter Elauna asked Jesus to live in her heart. My sweet son Frederick is learning to pray, trying hard to keep his eyes closed. My job as a mother is to teach my children the ways of the Lord, and let God convict their hearts. Hopefully I am doing my part in making fertile soil.