Thoughts for the day

Since this is looking like one of those boring blogs that no one ever updates, I thought I might add a thing or two. First of all, my sister said I didn't do a very good job telling what my ministry is going to look like in the Czech Republic. I suppose she is right. This is partly because I still don't know exactly what all I will be doing. I know that we will run Bible studies, and that we can use scripture verses in the curriculum (unlike in the US) but that's about all I really know. The majority of the ministry is based on making connections in the schools and in the community. The Czech Republic is a very atheistic country. After years under communist rule, the people have lost faith for the most part. From what I can glean from the information I have been given, it seems that they see faith as being irrelevant and anti intellectual. By acknowledging that we are believers, and displaying the fact that we are also intelligent, we can help to show them that being a Christian is not a sign of ignorance.
I've read a bit about their Christmas traditions, and this helps to illustrate their disbelief. In Czech tradition, baby Jesus is the one who flies around the world to deliver gifts, instead of Santa Claus. Consequently, when children become aware that their parents are the gift givers they likewise cease to believe in the relevance of Jesus, just as we disregard the myth of Santa. Hopefully this helps to answer some of the questions people might have about what I will be doing. I'll try to add this in to my next newsletter as well, so that it all makes more sense.