Dear friends,

We have for a you a slightly longer update this time around. We believe it will be both encouraging and informative. Read on for some brief Millican updates, and some insights into how to pray for the Czech church as a whole.

Here are a few verses from our time together in the word recently (Psalm 33:20-22):

20  Our soul waits for the LORD;

he is our help and our shield.

21  For our heart is glad in him,

because we trust in his holy name.

22  Let your steadfast love, O LORD, be upon us,

even as we hope in you.

Waiting, trusting, and hoping are not stagnant activities (e.g. Noah and the ark; Matthew 25; Hebrews 10:23-25). With most stories or parables of ‘waiting’ in scripture you will find someone called to work while they wait.

Why?

Because doing so demonstrates something: A glad trust in God’s character, hope in his promises, and an understanding that neither of these are untied from the present process.

By God’s grace, that’s increasingly defining our lives right now. We pray the same is true for you.

Here’s the latest on language learning, ministry, family, and various logistics.

LANGUAGE…

After Bible study last Wednesday, we asked one of our friends, “Was Daniel speaking slower and simpler tonight?” (Daniel was leading discussion that night.) Our friend replied, “No, I think he was speaking like he always does.”

Claire and I exchanged smiles. We’re improving!

It’s encouraging that we’re getting to the point where sermons, bible studies, and training classes are more edifying because they’re more understandable. Yet understanding proper Czech in a teaching context verses colloquial Czech in a conversational context can be quite a difference. It’s yet another thing to contribute significantly to those conversational contexts.

Nevertheless, our teacher is positive about our progress. There are still days of frustration (and there always will be), but… we work while we wait – wait for that day when Czech feels comfortable.

PRACTICE MAKES… MORE CAUSE FOR PRACTICE 🙂

We’re trying small things like leading Bible study with pre-written questions in Czech, while any follow up to those questions on our part is in English for now. We want to also begin preparing prayers in Czech for Sunday prayer time.

We read very simple Czech books with the kids. We listen to Czech podcasts. We’re always filling our minds with something Czech.

Jared converses weekly with a new friend in Prague whom he met at a coffee shop, and that’s great practice. Claire is also getting regular practice. We’re having increased interactions with neighbours or friends we see on the bus, and we’re thankful that we can ‘chip in’ a bit more and react more naturally in conversation.

“Hey you actually speak Czech well” is a very gracious comment we hear every once in a while. What they probably mean is: “Wow, I didn’t know anyone would dare to learn our language! Not bad compared to the people who don’t try!”

We’re praying about other avenues for increased speaking opportunities, such as online conversational groups. Time and financial budgeting are the factors there.

Lord-willing we’ll have someone stay with us in about a month. They’ll stay for about 5 weeks to help with the kiddos. During that time we might be freed up to pursue a few of those avenues.

THE KLADNO CHURCH…

“I rejoice, because I have complete confidence in you.” 2 Cor. 7:16

There are only encouraging things to say about how the Kladno church is doing right now. This church has the same occasional struggles and regular needs that any other church has, but the saints are growing and enjoying fellowship. Pray the church would grow in its pursuit of discipleship and evangelism.

The church is full of kids and young families. I don’t think that’s changing any time soon as more young couples are getting married.

Naturally, space is getting tighter. Pray alongside the BSKK elders for a new space to rent or buy, and everything necessary for that prospect. Pray also that men would be called to pastoral ministry. The country needs it.

EQUIPPING

We’re working on a plan to take the church through the bible in 1 year. Pray we can prepare well for this, and that it would be used to increase love for God’s word.

A parenting class began about a month ago, and it is well-attended with both young and seasoned parents.

The men’s training class still happens every other Tuesday. One Saturday a month we have our men’s and women’s study, which focuses on personal holiness. And home groups are meeting weekly/bi-weekly to review and discuss Sunday sermons. Please pray for these things.

THE CZECH CHURCH…

SHALLOW PLANTING OFTEN MEANS SHORT-LIVED GROWTH

We’ve spoken to a few people outside of BSKK about the churches they know about or are a part of or desire to start. These conversations are not with people within our small circle of like-minded churches.

Sparing detail, we can unfortunately say the trajectory for these churches is not strong. That’s no ‘Elijah complex’ speaking, that’s just seeing the present church through the lens of church history (both modern and ancient).

While a small minority of young men and women are being exposed to scripture and the gospel through various means here in CZ, both the listeners and their preachers have little guidance as to what to do with that knowledge in their lives.

And yet, some still feel self-appointed to start a church. These unstable beginnings are concerning.

It leads to an unfortunate cycle: Men catch wind of doctrine (even good doctrine at times). Then they feel compelled to preach it, and so they do. And yet, as scripture is taught and understood, what happens? Needs of the heart are exposed. That’s a good thing, right?

Yes.

But sheep suffer when a ‘shepherd’ knows only how to give them food but not how to stitch wounds or guide through rough terrain.

In short: The Czech church has some preachers. But it does not have shepherds.

Pray that the young believers would be convicted by the Holy Spirit of their need to be trained in righteousness and godliness through the deep application of God’s word via a healthy local church and its elders.

But therein lies another problem… Where are the healthy churches?

There are about 5-6 faithful, small, established churches in this country of 11 million people, but even some of these are struggling. (For perspective: BSKK is about 90-100 people consistently, and that’s a big church.)

Sadly there is chasmic disunity in a couple of these churches, which (if they fall) is a big hit on this small country. Pray for repentance, restoration, and revitalisation in those churches, both for leadership and members.

There are also a few other very small house churches which have expressed their need for help.

ALL OF THIS IS A REMINDER OF WHY WE’RE HERE

We are learning this language so we can help train, disciple, evangelise, and equip – jars of clay though we be. We aren’t Christian superstars, and we don’t want to be. But the simple truth is this: By God’s grace, we’ve been discipled and trained. That is simply not the case for most Christians in the Czech Republic, and most of its preachers.

We’re working while we wait… so we can work some more until eternity comes 🙂

FAMILY…

Overall, Claire and I are doing well. We believe our priorities are where they should be in terms of balancing family, language study, church, driving school (pray Jared can take the test and pass soon!), relationships, rest, evangelism, and our personal relationships with the Lord. We’re learning every year how to be a better team.

BENNETT

There’s something called “Zápis” here (which just means registration), which every kid going from kindergarten to 1st grade must do. It’s simply a proficiency examination. Benny proved proficient enough in the language and knowledge at both schools we applied to, and was accepted in to both.

Please pray for him as the school we’ll likely choose will mean he must say goodbye to most of the friends he’s already made here 😦

Benny is also enjoying playing football on the village team. He has a lot to learn, but it’s still very fun.

MILLIE

Millie is learning how to make friends at school. She’s a bit more reserved than Benny, and nervous with the language. She has also had her first exposure to ‘girl drama,’ which is just really ‘exciting’ to navigate… 🙂

But really, she’s doing well. We’re occasionally reminding her, “Benny won’t be in class with you next year, so make sure you’re practicing making friends and speaking Czech.” She’s doing great.

CALEB

Caleb is at home with Annie. He does some small home school tasks. Besides that, he’s mainly learning not to argue. His arguing stems from being lazy and manipulative.

We’re learning how to adjust our expectations for him. We’re learning that every kid is different and may require different communication, levels of firmness, and help.

He’s also potty training. So… big things happening for this little guy…Monumental…Life-changing 🙂

ANNIE

It’s unfortunate there isn’t a baby Olympics, because if there were I think we’d enter Annie. She’s just over 7 months, and about a month ago she started crawling. She’s climbing tables now, standing up at them and shuffling along.

She even pulled off a cartwheel into a double back handspring… Ok, maybe not, but she started clapping yesterday. ‘Potato potahto.’

She’s a VERY smiley baby, and we love it. Almost as much as we love her frequent screams in the middle of the night… You can pray for that.

Claire also finished up everything with Annie’s visa, so she’s official now!

RELATIONSHIPS…

Continue to pray for the new friendships we’re working on right now. There are 6 people in particular. We are thankful that God is bringing people in to our lives, both for friendship and for the sake of the Gospel. May it be that among them are some of God’s elect.

The weather will start getting nice again soon, we hope. That’ll mean more time in the front yard, which means more time seeing neighbours. Pray we’d keep working at those relationships too!

SUMMER HOME VISIT…

We can’t wait!… But we will 🙂

June will mark two years of living in the Czech Republic. It will mark three years since we’ve spent time with the majority of our supporting churches.

Lord-willing around mid-July we will be making a trip to the US. We’ll be there through the end of August.

While our longest stay will be in Spokane where two of our supporting churches are, we’re praying about which of our churches we can stop at for a few days on the way there. We’re in communication with supporting churches in Texas and in Nevada about this.

We’ll also enjoy a short 4 day respite for some vacation with Spokane family members. We very much look forward to that.

We appreciate your prayers as preparations are beginning for this. We are also grateful to you that your support makes things like this possible!

UNTIL NEXT TIME…

Thank you, dear friends and family, for your devotion to us via prayer and financial support, encouragement, and friendship. While distance from you can often mean that loneliness is an unwelcome guest, it also increases our affection and gratefulness for you.

Just think how Jesus must have felt leaving the fellowship of the Trinity in heaven. He must have longed to be back with his Father more than anything we can imagine. Yet consider how that longing was the very thing which kept him faithful to the task (John 17).

We pray the same would be true for us and of you.

Until we see his face (1 John 3:2-3)

Beloved, we are God’s children now, and what we will be has not yet appeared; but we know that when he appears we shall be like him, because we shall see him as he is. 3 And everyone who thus hopes in him purifies himself as he is pure.