a debrief.

Well, so much for continued updates while I was over there!! As soon as the campers arrived, my computer was ambushed by kids wanting to check their facebook and email and add the camp team as friends on facebook. I think I only had the computer for about 10 minutes a day if that! We were able to add a bunch of the campers as friends on facebook so we can stay connected.

here is an update from Pastor Wagner.

God has greatly answered our prayers. The camp went very well in every way. There were the usual little glitches as always, but Sherry thinks that, from an administrative standpoint, the camp ran more smoothly than any we have done so far. God's presence was evident in so many ways.

1] The team was superb - working self-sacrificially to accomplish God's purpose for the camp, enduring the mild inconveniences of a week, always willing to put the needs of others ahead of self, coping with illness (a couple got colds along the way) and the wearing effects of hard work and not enough sleep as the week wore on. Though many of us were strangers when we arrived, we quickly became good friends through our joint service.

2] The participation of the Czech campers in all the parts of the program was very good. Everyone seemed to have a good time. Unhappily one camper, Monica Hartmanova fell during a frisbee game at mid-week and broke her forearm.

3] The evening meetings were well attended (an average of 60+ through the week). We had many very positive individual responses to our ministry of the Word (in the classes and in the evening messages for the adults and the young people). Several asked for Bibles and said they were interested in reading more for themselves, and we are able to distribute the copies purchased with the gifts of many here in the States.

4] Attendance at the service on Sunday in Modřany was very good. We forgot to count, the the estimate (judging by the number of chairs that we put up) was about 75, nearly half of whom were Czech visitors. We pray that those who said they would like to visit again will follow through.


o as you can see, there is more yet to be done than has been done, so continue to pray, pray, pray - God is answering!

Thank you for your continued prayer support on behalf of English Camp 2010 Team, Team Praha, and the church planting effort by Jerry and Marilyn Farnik.

I have posted my pictures on Facebook, here are the links if you would like to Czech them out ;)

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2043482&id=1472820686&l=23de114875


http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2043494&id=1472820686&l=00fa6885b3

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2043499&id=1472820686&l=3af1b5a4c0

Thank you for all your support.

In Christ,

Anessa Marinucci

An Update of Sorts

Well, it's definitely been a week! We arrived Wednesday morning and were greeted by Mr. Farnik who took us back to the hotel......
We had dinner and met all the team later that night after taking a nap and after practically collapsing from heat and lack of sleep.




Thursday, Havilah and I were able to accompany Mrs. Maclean and her sons Andrew and Brian to Karlstejn Castle, which was extremely breathtaking.






Friday we traveled to the camp hotel up in the mountains....and decorated our classrooms and made our posters so the Czechs can get to know us.








Saturday- The Czechs have arrived! And I was elected to be Lady Liberty for a turn..........









We start classes tomorrow, please keep us in your prayers.


In Christ,

Anessa




P.S. Did I mention that they have AMAZING Banana Ice Cream?

And We are Off!

I can't believe it's here! We leave in less than 24 hours! I hope to be able to update when we can find internet which may be far and in between. Please continue to keep us in your prayers!


Serving Christ With you,

Anessa

...and here we...go! ...

*shields eyes* Can it really only be four days? And it tis! Alas, we are scrambling to get our last items together, pack and scramble to write a personal testimony that we (Havi and I) both managed to use our procrastination skills to put off until the very last minute!

I have put together general schedule of sorts. I hope this will help to give you all an idea of what we will be doing, where we will be at and how you can pray for us on each section of our trip.


Prague English Camp Schedule 2010

Tuesday, July 13th- I will be flying out bright and early Tuesday morning out of San Diego, to meet up with Havi in Chicago. From there we will fly together to Frankfurt Germany where we will have a few hours during our lay over to stretch our legs.
Wednesday, July 14th- (Prague time) After that we fly to Prague where we will wait at the airport for other team members to arrive. We will then be shuttled off to our hotel to rest a tad before we walk to the Farnik's house for dinner.
Thursday, July 15th- Spend the day getting acclimated, help the Farniks packup. We will be having dinner at the Farniks followed by an orientation meeting. During the day Mr. Wagner will be showing us around Prague.
Friday, July 16th- Travel to Camp, decorate the classrooms and make our posters with pictures from home to help the campers get to know us.
Saturday, July 17th- Campers arrive. Havi and I will be helping with the greeting games (such as red light green light and such) while the placement tests are being performed.
Sunday, July 18th- Class # 1 (Employment), Worship Service
Monday, July 19th- Class #2 (Travel), Friendship Bracelet making (Havi and I are teaching this one), Soccer
Tuesday, July 20th- Class #3 (Cultures), Necklace making, races (3-legged races, wheelbarrow races, etc.)
Wednesday, July 21st- All Camp Outing (Communication)
Thursday, July 22nd- Class #4 (Compassion), Nature Walk, water balloon games
Friday, July 23rd- Class #5 (Business-Currency, time schedules etc.), Talent Show Rehearsal, Playground games, Talent Show
Saturday, July 24th- Campers leave after breakfast, team cleans and packs. Debriefing and dinner in Zbraslav.
Sunday, July 25th- Worship Service in Zbraslav. Meeting up with Havi’s sister Rachel
Monday, July 26th- Touring Prague
Tuesday, July 27th- Touring Prague
Wednesday, July 28th- Touring Prague
Thursday, July 29th- Touring Prague
Friday, July 30th- Touring Prague
Saturday, July 31st- Fly out from Prague in the early morning, layover in Frankfurt Germany, and then back to Chicago. From there I’m sure we will say many tearful goodbyes and then we will be catching our flights back home that night.




Please continue to pray that God would be glorified and we would strive to be a example of a Christian fighting the good fight.

In Christ,


Anessa

~The History of the Czech Republic~

I found this while reading about the Czech Republic...and thought I'd share it.


Czechs are West Slavs, as are Poles and Slovaks. The capital Prague is often called The Heart of Europe. There are about 10 million people in the Czech Republic and about 1.3 million people in Prague. Western part of the Czech Republic is called Bohemia, eastern Moravia.

History of the Kingdoms

Before the arrival of the Slavs in the 6th century this area was inhabited by Germanic and Celtic tribes. A lot of rulers and kings ruled the people in Bohemia from the 7th to 19th centuries. Let us notice two of them: emperor Charles IV and emperor Rudolf II. During the reign of Charles IV (1346-78), as king of Bohemia and Holy Roman emperor, Prague grew into one of the largest cities in Europe. It acquired its fine Gothic face and landmarks including Charles University, Charles Bridge and St. Vitus Cathedral. In the second half of the 16th century the city experienced great prosperity under emperor Rudolf II and was made the seat of the Habsburg Empire. Rudolf II established great collections of art and renowned artists and scholars were invited to his court.

History of the Republic


At the beginning of the 20th century Bohemia was a part of Austrian Empire. After World War I in 1918 Czechoslovakia declared its independence. The new republic had three parts: Bohemia, Moravia and Slovakia. The popular Tomas Garigue Masaryk became the first president. In October 1938 the Nazis occupied the Sudetenland, with the acquiescence of Britain and France, after the infamous Munich Agreement. In March 1939 Germany occupied Bohemia and Moravia. Slovakia proclaimed independence as a Nazi puppet state. After World War II in 1945 Czechoslovakia was reestablished as an independent state. In the 1946 elections, the Communists became the largest party with 36% of the popular vote and formed coalition government. In 1948 the Communist staged coup d'etat and Czechoslovakia became a communist country. In the 1960s Czechoslovakia enjoyed a gradual liberalization under the reformist general secretary of the Czechoslovak Communist Party, Alexander Dubcek. But this short period was crushed by a Soviet invasion in August 1968. In 1969 the reformist Dubcek was replaced by the orthodox Gustav Husak and Czechoslovakia stayed a communist country under the Soviet influence. The communist government resignated in November 1989 after a week of demonstrations known as the Velvet Revolution. The popular Vaclav Havel was elected president of the republic. At the end of 1992 Czechoslovakia split into Czech Republic (Bohemia and Moravia) and Slovak Republic (Slovakia). This peaceful splitting is called the Velvet Divorce.
Czech Republic is member of Nato since March 12, 1999 and part of European Union since May 1, 2004


Unemployment in the Czech Republic is about 9,9% (March 2010). Inflation is about 0,8% (March 2010). The average wage is about 25.752 Kc = $1355 a month (March 2010).

Havi and I

Hav and I prepared some for our trip while she was out here this past month!

15 days and counting!

In a about two weeks the 2010 English Camp Team will be on their way to the Czech Republic! The coordinators, Roger and Sherry Wagner as well as Jerry and Marilyn Farnik, are working on final arrangements and the teaching team members are packing their bags. Excitement and anticipation is growing as the hour of departure approaches quickly.

I have personally been assigned to the task of decorating the class room for the seven to eight year olds! Havi and I have also been trying to learn different types of friendship bracelets as we have been asked to teach friendship bracelet making one afternoon during the camp.
The Presbytery of Southern California (OPC) has asked its congregations to have a Day of Prayer for the 2010 Czech English Camp on Sunday, July 11, 2010. I hope you will be able to be join this team effort of prayer.

Call to Prayer
Czech English Camp 2010

JERRY & MARILYN FARNIK AND THE PRAGUE CHURCH PLANT

1] Thank the Lord: Czech Bibles secured for camp and church – fruit of last summer’s Czech Bible Outreach Project
2] Team Pahra (7/23-8/16) - ministry at Biblical Counseling Conference and “Ready, Set, Go” Modrany City Camp
3] Farniks’ continuing struggle with health insurance complications with the Czech government
4] Health, strength, and safety for the busy summer schedule

ENGLISH CAMP TEAM 2010 – JULY 17-24

1] Day of Prayer for English Camp – Sunday -July 11
2] Team will arrive safely in Prague with no delays (Iceland’s Eyjafjallajokul volcano, airline strikes and other issues)
3] Teachers (1) final lesson prep (2) home situations while in Prague (3) packing for the trip (4) nervousness and concerns as to what to expect at camp and in classes
4] Sherry Wagner (US Coordinator): final preparations, overall coordination of team, patience, and strength
5] Team Unity – a spirit of humility, respect, patience, and understanding for each other and for the campers
6] Roger Wagner’s Evening Lectures: preparation & impact
7] Spiritual protection and strength against temptation by the forces of the Evil One and team’s own sinful natures
8] The Lord will prepare campers’ minds and hearts to hear the Gospel and the Spirit draw them to the cross and Christ

For Czech English Camp Info contact sherrylwagner@ me.com

“For the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous,
and his ears are open to their prayer.” I Peter 3:12 a (ESV)