Patrin, November 2008

Dear friends,

It has been a long time since I have formally sent anything out, and for that I apologize. Time gets away from me very easily these days, but being settled now in my new apartment I hope will help me settle into a less chaotic routine. This has been a busy fall, and looks like staying busy for a while. Of course, it is that very fact that makes it so important that you all know and can pray about what is going on!

Summer, with one camp after another for a couple of months, was great—but rather than going into a lot of details here, I am going to refer you to the summaries of some of these different outreaches on my blog. The result has been some good follow-up with the campers, but my desire for the rest of the fall and into the winter is WAY MORE follow-up. At the last camp, many students expressed an interest in continuing to study the Bible. Now that I live “in the ‘hood” (more on this below), I am trying to develop some studies for continuing the work from the summer with some of the kids from camp.

One result of the summer camp season was a growing conviction that I needed to live in Prague (I have been in a suburb about half an hour away by train). So in September I began an apartment search in the city. In order to be more accessible to the students who were at camp and to the church plant I am part of, I limited my search to one district, Prague 9. After several weeks, I found a wonderful place within easy distance of everything. The bonus: It is in a new housing development that is very densely packed and full of young families and single professionals. There are so many possibilities! I have learned of a Christian family who lives here, and the wife has expressed interest in starting a community Bible study. What a great opportunity!

I am back in language class, and enjoying it very much. The little language victories continue. Indeed, the whole apartment search and move provided more language practice than I had counted on! From browsing advertisements to translating the lease contract to returning a defective storage basket to the store (all in Czech!), I had a lot of “firsts.” It was hard, but confidence-building.

So, looking ahead… So much is going on, and I greatly covet your partnership through prayer! This is getting long, so I will summarize the big things. For more detail, please see the blog or just ask me.

FAMILY CONCERNS

My brother Greg (who turned 33 today!) will undergo major surgery this Tuesday to repair a seriously leaking valve in his heart. Please pray for his peace, comfort, and healing.

My grandmother, who likewise suffering from congestive heart failure, has spent a lot of time in the hospital in recent weeks due to a serious but inoperable blockage near her heart.

Praise the Lord! My little sister Kelley has continued cancer-free since a surgery to remove a melanoma and affected lymph nodes one year ago.

MINISTRY

“Compass”: Our field has its annual planning retreat next weekend (Thursday p.m. to Monday a.m.). We will spend time in prayer and worship as well as discussion. Please pray for us to hear clearly what the Lord wants us to focus on in the coming year and to draw closer together in our relationships with one another as we prepare for another year of ministry side by side in this place.

Church plant in Rajska Zahrada/Cerny Most neighborhood of Prague: For the next few weeks, the church’s Wednesday evening small group meeting is being replaced with “Tea Nights” with special speakers on topics such as the purpose of prayer and why a good God allows suffering. Thousands of invitations have gone out into the neighborhood. Would you please pray with us that this outreach would bring many people to consider spiritual truths and to desire a deeper knowledge of God? We are also making available copies of the Jesus film, recordings of Scripture, and New Testaments. May we be overwhelmed by the response!

English Club (one of the primary outreaches of our church plant in the Rajska Zahrada) is continuing strong. Please pray for our effective communication of the Gospel to the young people who come.

Teen Challenge: This program, which began (obviously) with teenagers, now has programs for younger children as well, many of them from Roma families in an impoverished neighborhood in Prague. I am trying to be with the preschool group twice each week. These children are severely disadvantaged and desperately in need of love. Please pray that, even without perfect language skills, I will understand their needs and they will know they are safe and loved with me.

Camp follow-up:

Girls Bible study—I am hoping to get this study going soon. We will begin with a series on “How and Why to Study the Bible” as an overview and then study a book of the Bible together. Most of the girls who are invited, if they are not professedly atheist, are nominally Catholic but unchurched. Still, the interest has been there… God knows their hearts, and I suspect He is tugging at several of them.

“Sunday Philosophy Club”—This is a new idea still forming in my mind. I would love to do this like a book club I was in in Chicago. I would choose an excerpt from a Christian writer on different topics, then the participants would read and come ready to discuss the excerpt (in English). This is a very intellectual approach, yet it is very Czech too.

Visits to children’s home—For two summers I have been able to develop a relationship with several children from a home in Frydlant, a couple of hours away by train. I would like to continue those relationships more regularly, but have not managed to do this very consistently. Please pray that I would have wisdom about whether and how to do this.

Holiday outreach: Two big holidays approaching…what a great way to share with students, friends, and neighbors! I am looking forward to putting my new home to good use. Please pray for all the details involved in this!

Church Planting Institute: Many missionaries in Europe met for church planting training in Hungary last month. That was exciting enough. But we had several of our Czech partners with us, and it was SO ENCOURAGING to be with them and talk and dream and plan about church planting in the Czech Republic. Thank God for the opportunity to learn alongside these partners!

LANGUAGE LEARNING

Praise the Lord for progress and small victories in language

Pray for some new language partners to help develop my speaking skills

ALL THE REST

Praise God with me for a wonderful new home and great opportunities for outreach.

Praise God also for an improved dollar (how did that happen?) just at the time when my expenses increased due to the move. However long it lasts, this has been a remarkable blessing.

Please pray for healing from chronic hives for the last several months. Some days are worse than others, but not a day passes without some itchy welts forming.

Please stay in touch. I really do love to hear from you!

E-mail:

jrmclean123@yahoo.com

renee.mclean@efca.org

Mailing Address:

Renee McLean

Pod Harfou 938/58

190 00 Praha

Czech Republic

If you would like to contribute to this work, gifts can be sent with a note designating them for account 1276 to

EFCA

Attn: Donor Services

901 East 78th Street

Minneapolis, MN 55420-1300

Thank you for your prayers and support. They are a valuable part of all that I do here!

Seeking the Kingdom,

Renee

Camp Season, Part 4: What Now?

No matter how great the relationships are during the week we are together at camp, no matter how moved people were by what they learned, camps in themselves are not enough. Follow-up is a significant part of our camp ministries.

Some of that follow-up, especially for the short-term teams, comes in the form of e-mail, Facebook, and other online interaction. (By the way, this last camp inspired me to get on Facebook...a new era has dawned!) But most is personal...face time. So right off the bat, we made sure the students had some post-camp get-togethers to look forward to. We invited them all to church the Sunday after camp ended, to be followed by lunch out and sightseeing. Almost 20 campers showed up for church, and once again got to hear the Gospel clearly taught. Then we were off to downtown Prague for the day.

The next day, another 20 or so went to Karlstejn Castle--one of Czech's most famous and important castles. Things on this trip didn't work out quite as expected, and yet relationships continued to blossom.

Now follow-up begins in earnest! Tomorrow will be the first meeting for the fall of the English Club at Rajska Zahrada. The program is developed around a Christian-themed television program for youth called Exit 316. Each week, we cover a different topic through games, songs, and discussion. At the end of last spring, some significant things were happening with some students. Camp continued that work. Now, what opportunities are ahead! Please pray for this English Club--for students to be excited about coming and about bringing their friends, for the messages of the program to take root and bear eternal fruit in the lives of these young people, and for more Christian adults to come to help.

In addition, please pray for me and the other adults at the club to be sensitive to the needs of these kids and to know how to reach out to them beyond club time. I have a great desire to start a girls Bible study to continue the conversations I had with several of the girls in my classes at camp. Would you please join me in praying for this and other opportunities to meet the spiritual and emotional needs of the young people God brings into my path?

TWO BIG WELCOMES

My team was thrilled to welcome our newest members to the field August 27. Curt and Vicki Mobley will both be teaching--Curt at the Evangelical Theological Seminary, Vicki at Christian International School of Prague--when they have a little Czech under their belt. I'm so glad they're here! (Means I'm not the newbie anymore!)

In addition, my dear friends Melissa and Caleb welcomed a precious baby girl--Kaitlyn Joy--into the world one month ago today. Kaitlyn is my first niece (yes, I get to claim her), which is delightful after 4 much-loved, rough-and-tumble, rambunctious nephews. Caps the whole wonderful experience of aunthood to finally get a little girl to dote on, too!

Camp Season, Part 3: Krkonose Mountains

One week later, I was meeting another American team for another camp. When I volunteered for this camp, I told them to use me where they need me. So I arrived without being really sure what was about to come my way. All part of the adventure, after all.

This camp was hosted by the church plant I attend in the Rajska Zahrada neighborhood in Prague. At the beginning of the summer, we had only about a dozen students signed up. We were counting on about 20. By the time camp rolled around, the number was in the 30s, and between campers and staff we managed to max out our facility. Praise God both for His abundant provision of campers and for His miraculous working out of space and resources!

Camp was at a chata ("cottage"...in this case, an inn with dormitory style rooms) in the Krkonose Mountains of northern Czech. These are stunning mountains (which I learned on the "medium" hike of 13 km a couple of days into camp). The team from Story City, Iowa, was a blast to work with and brought much experience and a good bit of fun with them. Like my previous camp, this camp had themes in the first part of the morning, followed by reading and conversation (in this case from the book "The Little Prince"), followed by lunch and afternoon activities (often games or different workshops), followed by dinner, and then fantastic evening programs that featured great music and really GREAT straightforward gospel teaching. And the kids were listening. (You'll have to wait for the next post for more on that!)

I co-taught with a couple of the Iowa City teachers. When I got switched from one class to another part-way through the week, at first I was really sad because I was so enjoying the relationships I was forming with students in that first class. But what ended up happening is that I "kept" my old students and gained some of the new ones! I am so excited that I will get to see so many of these students at English Club during the new school year, and also for some of the follow-up possibilities. Please pray for these kids! Many sound seeds were planted. There was some absolutely amazing stuff happening in some hearts, some of which was verbalized and some of which came out in other ways. Pray for good soil where the seeds fell! We have some watering and tending to do now, but the increase is the Lord's to plan and to bring about.

Up next...What's next?

Camp Season, Part 2: Frydlant

So camp was over, and follow-up begins. As I mentioned before, one thing that I love about this camp is the emphasis placed on loving and ministering to the children from the children's home. Let me emphasize: The children's home in Frydlant serves these children to the best of their ability. The children live in "family" units with tetas--"aunts," or what we might call a dorm mom. The children in each family are of a mix of ages. They eat several meals each week together as a family rather than in the home's dining hall. The older kids help look after the younger ones. They share chores, much as they would at home. The kids physical needs are provided for, which is better than what might have happened in the homes of their natural families. However, this is an institution, and these children are desperate for love and attention that their tetas simply don't have the time or resources to give.

Camp helped us develop relationships with these children that I would so love to preserve. So when Ben and Helena Middleton, who organize the American team, asked me to join them for follow-up at the children's home during the week following camp, I was so excited to be able to join them. The first day, Friday, we went to the home and picked up our students. We then proceeded first to an ice cream shop, then to the only really decent restaurant in this tiny town, where the kids got another round of ice cream. It wasn't the most nutritionally sound ministry opportunity, but those kids felt so special sitting in a grown-up restaurant with grown-ups (well, sort of) who had eyes and ears only for them. It was so fun to spend that special time with them.

The Monday following that, we brought board games and card games to the home and played games with not just our students but with about a dozen other kids in the home. There was more energy and enthusiasm and liveliness in that room than I ever get to see in my sedate little suburban home here in Ricany!

So the challenge begins now. Frydlant is 2-1/2 hours away from Prague, but I want to continue these relationships. Would you join me in praying for wisdom about shaping this relationship? How often do I go? When? What do I do with the kids when I'm there? How do I form a good relationship with the staff there? And--very importantly--how do I draw some Czechs into this scheme of mine? Pray for the churches in Liberec (20 minutes away) and Jablonec (30-35 minutes away) to become more involved in reaching out to these children and this community.

Up next..."Ain't no mountain high enough...."

Family Notes

An update on my sister Kelley: So far, all her scans indicate she is still free of cancer. The doctors are continuing to investigate what is causing the pain, but we are thankful for their assessment that the cancer has not returned.

My brother Greg is due to have an EKG soon to check on a heart valve that seems to be failing. In the meantime, he has been traveling the country this summer and getting on with his life, which is great. Please continue to pray for his health.

My grandfather has been hospitalized this week with something that seems to be worse than angina and not quite a heart attack. They are still running tests to figure out what is happening with him.

Thanks for remembering my family in your prayers.

Camp Season, Part 1

So camp season is finally over. It has been exhausting and exciting and very, very fun. So much to share, and so much work yet to do! And so you will get camp stories in installments. Here is part 1.

As July began, I was off and running to Slovakia for a Roma youth camp (see the previous posts). When I got back, I had less than two weeks to finish writing teaching materials before a team arrived from Kenosha, Wisconsin, and whisked me away for English camp in the north--hosted by churches in Liberec and Jablonec nad Nisou, Czech Republic. This camp is special to me for two reasons. First, because I came with the team from Kenosha last year, before I was in the field full-time. So it was great to be back with old friends, and to return to a camp where I already knew some campers and some members of the Czech contingent. Second, because the camp organizers hold out a certain numbers of spots at this camp for children from a nearby children's home. These kids are close to my heart, and they are such a joy to be with. So coming back to this camp was something I looked forward to all year.

What a week! I started the very best possible way: riding to camp on the bus with all the kids. This was super fun, and it gave me a head-start (which an introvert like me always needs) in getting to know the kids and gaining their acceptance. Never have I had so much fun on a bus! By that evening, camp was in full swing. The theme was "The Biggest Loser," built around the stories of people in the Bible who gave up (or otherwise lost) a lot because of their faith in God, but then got to see God do amazing works in their lives. It was good stuff!

Most days followed roughly the same schedule: English theme lessons (such as sports, fashion, and education) in the morning, then reading and conversation from these Bible stories for an hour before lunch and an hour after, followed by some incredible games and activities organized by the Czech team in the afternoon. The evening programs included music, testimonies, and usually a special message by a guest speaker. Thursday was a special day, though: THANKSGIVING. The whole camp worked together to act out the story of the first Thanksgiving, and then we worked together to prepare a Thanksgiving feast, complete with turkey, mashed potatoes, cranberry sauce, green bean casserole, and pumpkin pie.
Wow.

The last night included a gospel invitation, and three young men responded. Please pray for these young men. Zdenek left camp with a reading assignment in the book of John, which he was half done with less than a week later and wants to continue talking about it. He is one of the older children from the children's home, and has been to the camp several times. This year, he seemed so much more cynical for the early part of the week, so it is a great gift of God that his heart was softened again and that he is willing to continue to learn more about the hope that can be his in Christ. Vojta meets sometimes with a youth group in the Prague area, but he is struggling with understanding what God wants from him. He really needs a mentor in the faith. Please pray that we can help him find just that.

Coming up next...How many food joints can you hit in one day in a small village in the Czech Republic?

Slovakia Camp Report

This month began with a last-minute trip to help at a Roma youth camp in Hermanovce, Slovakia. This was such a wonderful experience. During my five days there, I was able to meet Roma youth, Roma Christian leaders, Slovak Christians, and some missionaries who have been involved in this region for many years. The Lord showed me some absolutely stunning answers to prayers that I and others were praying more than a decade ago. I can't tell you how humbling and thrilling it was to see.

The camp was established for youth at two Roma churches in eastern Slovakia--one in Hlinne and one in Sabinov. About 20 kids were there, along with youth leaders and camp helpers. Each day began with breakfast and group Bible study, followed by small group times. Then there were great activities, more camp food (yum...), and a lesson from Scripture in the evenings around the campfire. Though large-group times were conducted in Slovak, much of the socializing among the teens was in Romani. What this meant was that the non-Roma helpers ended up in much the same position as me--in a state of minor culture shock. Still, the young people were happy to teach us Romani words and songs and made a point of including us in conversation. Some even put up with my bad Czech and were able to understand me! Some pictures are included below.

I was there as an "observer" rather than as a helper this time around. This gave me lots of opportunity for conversation and questions, and what I learned from the leaders, both Roma and non-Roma, encouraged and enriched me. For example, I was able to ask one of the youth leaders (who is also an elder of the church) in Sabinov about the history of their congregation, the challenges Roma believers face, and how I (and you) can pray for them. I have done a lot of reading about Roma people, but book-learning is nowhere near as valuable as hearing and seeing what is happening on the "front lines." I was deeply blessed by my conversation with this man, Marek Olah. How can we pray for Roma churches? Pray for:

• Discipleship that would break down the strongholds such as alcoholism and gambling that keep drawing people back
• Multiplication of Christian leaders and quality training for them
• Unity in the Body of Christ
• Clear priorities of loving and serving people in the name of Christ over building projects and church programming (which are still important and need to be balanced)

I was so thrilled to see the number of non-Roma volunteers at this camp. For several, this was the very first involvement in this kind of ministry, and they struggled a bit with their fears and prejudices and with the above-mentioned culture shock. But they stuck it out, trusting God to work on their hearts even as they obediently served. This was HUGE for these young people. Please pray that fruit would spring out of this experience for them in the form of hearts more tuned to mission and to ministry among "the least of these," and that "the dividing wall of hostility" that Paul talks about in the letter to the Ephesians would continue to be broken down as God's people obediently seek to serve one another in this way.

What a great week. Praise the Lord!


Ready for the evening program


On the steps of the cabin during free time, or around the campfire, or during a meal, or even during a hike, this guitar seemed to be always in use.


Some small group times

Family Needs

Please continue to remember my family in prayer. There are job concerns, money concerns, health concerns, relational concerns. It is hard to hear from them about their troubles and not have the ability to do much for them.

Some of you have been asking about Kelley. The last check-up she had, there was no outwardly visible sign of the cancer. However, Kelley is experiencing some internal pain, and the doctor would like to perform an MRI to check that.

My brother Greg continues to hang in there with the congestive heart failure, but now a new problem is rearing its head: His mitral valve (also in the heart) is leaking blood in a way that is causing his cardiologist some concern. We don't know what any of this means for the future, but God does, and we're trusting Him.

My grandmother's health is fading. My dad is not 100 percent. My mom is tired and overwhelmed. Any of you who have watched family members struggle know that this watching is a difficult thing to do. So as you pray for them, please pray also for me, that this sense of helplessness would draw me nearer to the Father who knows and cares about each of these needs.

To Him be the glory.

Patrin, June/July 2008

Welcome to my new "minimalist" newsletter. (I know some of you are saying "It's about time....") It's minimalist not because I've got too little to say but because I have TOO MUCH...and I am heading out the door for a last-minute trip to Slovakia in half an hour. So here goes:

Recent months have given so many new reasons (in addition to the abundant ever-present ones) to be thankful and to praise the Lord. Join me in rejoicing for:

• A VISA!!!!! I'm legal here till March 31, 2009.
• Unlooked-for and greatly blessed opportunities to share the gospel recently, and especially for delightful and growing relationships with two of my language partners (Karla and Monika)
• Growing relationships also with Czech ministry partners in Prague and Vlasim
• Progress--slow but steady--in language and culture learning
• The gift of refreshment and fellowship brought by some visitors from South Carolina (well, they were really visiting my colleague Mindy, but she very graciously shared them with me, and I was so blessed!)

The present and coming weeks present many opportunities to cast my anxieties on the Father who cares for me, as there is so much going on! Please pray for:

• Safe travel and a great and meaningful time at a Roma youth camp in Slovakia this week
• Wisdom about involvement in a program that ministers to impoverished children and street kids in Prague
• For the preparation of leaders and participants at upcoming outreach English camps (more details about these when I return from Slovakia). These camps are an outstanding opportunity to share Christ in a setting these kids love. Pray for much fruit this year!
• Continued language learning progress
• The well-being of my family (and my peace about being away from them through their difficulties)
• Improvement in the financial situation for me and all Christian workers in Europe, where the dollar continues to deteriorate in value
• That I would be continuing to draw near to God and set my priorities to reflect that Christ is at the center of my life

Please STAY IN TOUCH!
I love to hear from you!

E-mail:
jrmclean123@ yahoo.com
renee.mclean@ efca.org

Mailing Address:
Renee McLean
Srnci 2176/5
251 01 Ricany
Czech Republic

Skype: jrmclean1234
Skype phone (a US call!): 918-919-4575
Cell phone (an international call): 420 608 184 728

Blog:
www.fortheromani. blogspot. com

If you would like to contribute to this work, gifts can be sent with a note designating them for account 1276 to
EFCA
Attn: Donor Services
901 East 78th Street
Minneapolis, MN 55420-1300

Thank you for your prayers and support. They are a valuable part of all that I do here!

Seeking the Kingdom,
Renee

The VISA Arrived!

"Just in case," I sent my passport and all the necessary documents to Vienna yesterday with the courier who was retrieving my colleagues' visas there. We had not received any word about mine, so imagine everyone's surprise when my passport returned last night ONE PAGE HEAVIER: The visa was issued and inserted into my passport before we had been notified! Praise God with me for this providence!

Slovakia Update

About a month ago, I promised an update on my anticipated trip to Slovakia to visit a ministry working with Romani families there. You didn't see an update because I didn't get to go. However, I want to share a little about it anyway, and ask your prayers for the work.

The reason I didn't go was because of a difficult circumstance in the church that needed a lot of time and energy of my hosts. It was a question of church discipline, and anyone who has been in a fellowship where this has happened knows this is a difficult, delicate, and painful situation for any church. It is tempting to be discouraged by a circumstance like this in a small, struggling body of believers. Churches often shy away from public discipline out of fear or pride. The leaders of this church, however, saw a need and prayerfully acted on it. And the result of their obedience to Scripture was far from discouraging! People who had stayed away from the church were able to return, and we can all pray that the faith of this congregation was strengthened by witnessing the healing God brought about through this difficult time.

My colleague who did go came back greatly encouraged and excited for what God is doing in that area of Slovakia. I am excited for my visit, which we will reschedule for sometime this summer. In the meantime, please continue to pray for all those who are working among the Romani people in this part of the world, that they would be encouraged and strengthened. And pray for Romani believers to be strong in their faith and to grow in their knowledge of God and their love for one another. I am convinced that God wants to use transformed Romani lives to demonstrate His power to a watching and as-yet-unbelieving majority in Europe. What an awesome thought: a renaissance of faith being born out of a Roma revival!

Urgent Prayer Need!

I NEED A VISA! The application for a long-term visa was submitted more than 60 days ago, but I have no visa yet. I am now the last member of my team without one, and the deadline by which time I need one is fast approaching. Two teammates have a courier going to pick theirs up in Vienna on Tuesday, June 17. This courier has all my paperwork for picking mine up too, so please pray with us that my visa will have been issued by the time the courier gets there so that the visa comes back Tuesday.

Who's Next?

I have had such a fun week. My friend and colleague Mindy had a team visiting from her home church in Columbia, South Carolina. Mindy guaranteed that joy and laughter would be part of the package deal if I helped her. Did that team ever deliver! I had so much fun, and the best of it was that these folks came with a heart for knowing the ministry better and for encouraging the Christian workers here and for generally being a blessing to the Lord's work here. I got to join them as we prayed together and visited and taught English at a middle school in the very densely populated neighborhood where I attend a tiny church plant, and they came to the English Club that I help at in the same neighborhood. And their prayerfulness, enthusiasm, and joyful transparent faith made a noticeable difference. I am so thankful for this team.

I am also excited about future visits from other teams. This summer, I will be at English camp again with a team from Kenosha Bible Church in Wisconsin. Go, KBC! I had so much fun getting to know some of these folks last summer, and this year the team has changed up a bit, so I get to meet still more friends as they involve themselves in Kingdom work here. For a week, we will teach, play with, feed, encourage, entertain, and generally befriend a campful of Czech teens. It has pleased the Lord to make disciples out of this ministry in the past, and I am so excited about this upcoming year as we base our lessons on the lives of people of great faith from the Bible. Please be praying for well prepared soil for the seeds that will be sown there.

So who else will I be seeing in the coming months? I would love to welcome any of you here, show you "my" town, share the ministries here with you, and give you a vision of the exciting things God is bringing about here. Short-term teams--doing everything from teaching English to plastering walls to playing soccer (sorry...football here)--are an important addition to the long-term work. We have many camps during the summer that would benefit from a short-term team, but we could put you to use at other times of the year too. Will you consider being part of this? Think it over! Then contact me if you would like to consider putting together a team to come here. Looking forward to seeing you this side of the ocean!

A Prayer to Share

Let me share with you a prayer that has really touched me. It comes from a prayer entitled "A Christian's Prayer" in a magnificent collection of Puritan prayers called The Valley of Vision. I hope it enriches your prayer times, and I ask you to pray for this on my behalf. It becomes so easy sometimes to do what is expected in ministry rather than to be who I am asked by my God to be, namely a child who is daily growing in her likeness to the Son.

May I remember the dignity of my spiritual release,
Never be too busy to attend to my soul,
Never be so engrossed with time
That I neglect the things of eternity;
Thus may I not only live, but grow towards thee.
Form my mind to right notions of religion,
That I may not judge of grace by wrong conceptions,
Nor measure my spiritual advances by the efforts
Of my natural being...

Draw on my soul the lineaments (lines=characteristics) of Christ,
In every trace and feature of which thou wilt
Take delight, for I am
Thy workmanship, created in Christ Jesus,
Thy letter written with the Holy Spirit's pen,
Thy tilled soil ready for the sowing, then harvest.

Grace and peace to you, my friends.

Between Two Worlds

I find myself in the midst of a busy travel month. Last week I got to spend a week in Portugal at a wonderful conference for the Europe-based women of my organization. The main theme was growing in the fear of the Lord. What an encouraging, challenging, and timely topic! Let me encourage you to delve into Psalm 34 and see the passion and the promises it contains. Beautiful!

And Portugal -- oh, my! What a lovely place. The week was loaded with great teaching and fellowship, and the weekend gave me some opportunities to sit on some rocks by the ocean and just be quiet with the Lord for a while. What a blessing to get to enjoy so much beauty and to rest a bit.

Now, four days later, I'm heading off to a different world. Tomorrow I leave for five days in a poorer town in Slovakia to visit some fellow Christian workers who are doing there what we want to do in the Czech Republic: holistic ministry among the Romani people. Please be in prayer for this trip. I am so excited to visit with them and see some of the exciting things they are doing there and get a picture of what we can do here. (I am not so excited about the overnight bus and train travels to get there, so that is one thing in particular you can pray for.) I will get to join the workers there for evangelism, worship services, and children's programs. Fun! I look forward to sharing some of the news from Slovakia with you next week.

In the meantime, may you "taste and see that the Lord is good!" (Psalm 34:8)

What's the Difference?

Let me share a few of the differences between the cultures of the Czech Republic and the United States.

Here, you pay for:

• shopping carts (refundable upon returning the cart to the corral)
• the use of public toilets (nonrefundable, though at McDonald's you get a coupon for that amount off your purchase...just make sure you go to the toilet first)
• water in restaurants (also ketchup, tartar sauce, etc. etc.)
• pizza boxes (which I've never yet seen anyone refuse when taking out pizza...)

Here, people routinely cram into trams and buses until the doors can barely close and you are nose to nose with complete strangers, but you can get yelled at for standing within the 2 meter "privacy zone" at the post office or bank window.

Here, you might not find eggs or milk some evening at the grocery store (Why bother to restock in the afternoon? You'll just have to do it again in the morning...) but you can find dusty bottles of year-old Dr. Pepper hidden on the bottom shelf of a little corner market.

Here, vegetables are either marinated in something or they are potatoes (or they are potatoes marinated in something). I have yet to find an explanation for this phenomenon among the highly health-conscious Czechs. Fortunately, the abundant fruit and veggie markets are full of very yummy fresh produce, so somebody besides Americans must be eating veggies. They are just keeping it a secret from the rest of us...

Here, people sometimes regard underwear as perfectly acceptable outerwear should the weather be warm enough. After all, pants are just too restrictive and hot when you're doing hard labor like roofing your house...

Here, it may cost us $8 for a gallon of gas, but it costs way less to make a movie here than in the U.S. Besides being home to it's own thriving movie industry, this country is home to--among other things--a part of Narnia. Who wants to come visit now?

Yet, in spite of having a bit of Narnia to it, it isn't quite another world. Kids still like to swing and splash and turn paper towel rolls and cardboard boxes into art. Teenagers still argue with their parents about piercings and dating and curfew. College students still fret about what to do when they enter "the real world." Grandmas brag about grandkids and make old family recipes. People go to movies, go to malls, go to McDonald's.

The difference is that, in a place full of the same daily grind and the same physical needs and the same spiritual malnutrition as you see everyday walking beside you on the sidewalks of Anyplace, USA--in a place where people really aren't so different from you--there is an average of 1 library for every 1300 people but 1 church for every 18,000. To put that in perspective for you: In Bartlesville, OK, where my parents live, there is 1 library for 34,000 people but 1 church for every 1000 (conservative estimate). If with that many churches the people of Bartlesville still have a deep need for God's people to be reaching out for the lost, how much more does the Czech Republic need workers taking part in sowing the seed here?

Patrin, April 2008

Many Romani songs and poems have at their heart the idea of "latcho drom"--the long road. I feel like I am on that road now, a pilgrim through and through. For me there is a lot of joy in being here in the Czech Republic--being right where God has asked me to be. But there are trials and inconveniences too, the reality of life "on the road". As you read on, you'll see a little of both the joy and the struggles. Please pray with me that ALL of it might be for God's glory. That is, after all, the whole reason for being here!

LANGUAGE I finished another intensive language course. This one was TOUGH. But now I'm seeing more of the little victories and milestones that remind me that there is progress. For example, just yesterday I sent a registered letter at the post office, got a new battery for my watch, carried on a conversation with my roommates, spoke with a new tutor to arrange upcoming lessons--basically conducted my whole day in Czech. And now I have started dreaming in Czech! (Those of you who have learned another language well know this is no small thing.) So language is progressing...Praise the Lord!

I have downshifted for a few weeks from intensive classes to private tutoring, meetings with conversation partners, and a lot of personal study. Please continue to pray for my mind to absorb this language.

VISA I finally got my short-term visa last month, and after 2 trips and more than 4 hours waiting at the Foreigner Police office (oh, what fun) I became a legal alien in the Czech Republic on March 26! My application for a long-term visa (meaning up to one year) is still pending. Please pray for that to come through without a problem.

"THE GREAT ESCAPE" Opportunity and need coincided a few weeks ago for me to return to the States for a little more than a week. There wasn't any new emergency in my family, as some of you have expressed concern about. There was just some personal and family business to take care of. The opportunity to see most of you was very limited, and I am so sorry to have missed so many.

Reflecting on this trip (even while in the midst of it) I know that it partly felt so pressing to return because things have felt very hard here in recent weeks. "Culture shock" is a real phenomenon, and I have struggled with it recently: inexplicable changes to train schedules, detours on my comfortable routes, price changes due to the falling dollar, mildewing windows, muddy roads, hard classes. While God did some important work in my life while I was in the States, and some very necessary things got taken care of, I know in my heart that I was also trying to escape some of the mounting cultural pressures here. This is probably the single most important thing you could pray about for me personally right now: That I would know in my heart that "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me"--even walking muddy roads and putting up with transportation hassles.

MONEY MATTERS You've probably heard by now: The dollar ain't doing well. When I arrived in Czech at the beginning of the year, a dollar was worth about 18 Czech crowns; today, it is worth 15.5. Small sample of the effect: My rent has gone up $10 per month since my arrival. The falling dollar has created a serious situation for many missionaries in Europe! Attached is a letter from Rick Burke, ReachGlobal's international director for Europe. Please take a minute to read his thoughts and to pray for the situation here.

UPCOMING EVENTS
English Weekend, April 18-20--with young people from the English Club run by the church I attend
EFCA Europe Area Women's Conference, May 5-9


PRAISE GOD FOR...

• language progress
• the issuance of the visa
• safe travels recently

CONTINUE PRAYING FOR...

• language progress and cultural transitions
• gospel-centered relationships with my roommates, tutors and conversation partners, and others I encounter here
• a long-term visa
• the health and wellbeing of my family
• financial stability in light of the falling dollar values
• wisdom about phasing in my involvement in Romani ministry in Vlašim and elsewhere

STAY IN TOUCH!
I love to hear from you!

E-mail:
jrmclean123@yahoo.com
renee.mclean@efca.org

Mailing Address:
Renee McLean
Srnčí 2176/5
251 01 Ríčany
Czech Republic

Skype: jrmclean1234
Skype phone (a US call!): 918-919-4575
Cell phone (an international call): 420 608 184 728

Blog (yes, I intend to begin updating again):
www.fortheromani.blogspot.com

Seeking the Kingdom,
Renee

MEMORY VERSE:
"If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all--how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things?" Romans 8:31-32

"Je-li Bůh s námi, kdo proti nám? On neušetřil svého vlastního Syna, ale za nás za všecky jej vydal; jak by nám spolu s ním nedaroval všecko?"

FUN WITH CZECH
In describing dal, a wonderful Indian dish made with spicy lentils, I explained that it was made with kočky (pronounced "koch-key") instead of čočky ("choch-key"). What a difference a letter makes: "kočky" is Czech for cats! I'm not sure my classmates will be eating at my house anytime soon...

I'm back, and this time I've brought friends...

After three months silence, I'm sure some of you thought the blog was dead. Well, it is being resurrected, not because I am proving especially adept at this form of communication, but because I know there are a few of you faithful souls who will see this as often as I post...and you will PRAY. That is a big deal, and well worth my fumbling through yet another username and password to log on and JUST DO IT. So here I am.

In the last newsletter (which I will post up here tomorrow, in case anyone missed it when I sent it out...and if I did miss sending it to you, please drop me a line. I am trying to get my e-mail and snail mail addresses up-to-date.) I asked people to pray that I would develop gospel-centered relationships among my roommates, in my language studies, and at large. Well, during this week, I have begun (or have scheduled to begin) four relationships that you can be praying about.

• Iveta is a teenage girl at English Club. She is enthusiastic and friendly and curious. She is also planning to be sprinkled in a Catholic church in June. Pray that I would find the balance in encouraging her excitement over her newly formed faith and discipling her to understand the real truth of the Gospel: that Jesus is the only way, and that salvation is found in Him alone.
  
• Eva is a worldly mother of two with an interest in learning English. She has agreed to a "language swap" in which we speak together in Czech for half the time and English for half the time. She is my biggest "stretch." Pray that I would get to know her better and that a real friendship would form that would make way for more meaningful conversation than "This is a book. This is a chair."
• Petra is another local mom and a good friend of my teammate Susan. She is casually a Buddhist, and Susan recently shared with her a book by evangelist and apollogist Ravi Zacarias that is written as a conversation between Christ and Buddha. RZ's materials that I have read and heard are right on--and right up the alley of many of Czech's academically minded people. Petra and I will try meeting for a while as language practice partners. Again, please pray for a depth in the relationship that will give me insight into Petra and opportunities to share Gospel truth with her.
• Milan is my tutor. When we practice conversation, he mostly lets me set the topic and the tone. Pray that I would use this learning time efficiently for Kingdom purposes: both in progressing in this language and in engaging him with meaningful, Gospel-centered conversation.

These people are in my oikos, or household, now. (You old-time EBFers will know what I'm talking about.) PLEASE PRAY for these individuals and for continued opportunities. And pray for my boldness, that I will always be prepared to give an answer for the hope that is in me and to not squander the time I have with each of these souls who are precious in the sight of God.

Home at Last

Remarkable though it sounds, I began life this side of the ocean with little of either jetlag or culture shock (so far). In fact, I think the transition from Chicago to small-town Oklahoma was actually harder! (Except, of course, for the fact that Oklahomans do speak English.) After years of planning to be here, it just seems so right to finally be "at home". Praise God!
After five days at a conference with colleagues from all over Europe, I arrived in Prague last Tuesday. With help from a teammate, I have gotten my bus/tram/train passes, begun visa paperwork, registered for my first Czech class, and purchased a bed at IKEA (that's "ee-kay-uh", for those of you familiar with the store on the American side of the ocean). I attended church at a small church plant in Prague, visited a mall (apart from the language and the parking lot full of Skodas, you would never know you were shopping in a former communist country!), shopped for groceries, and found my way--with some trial and error--from my home in the "suburbs" to my class in Prague ALL BY MYSELF!
I am living with three Czech women in a town southeast of Prague. I walk about 20 minutes to the train station, then ride the train for half an hour, then switch to the Metro (subway) for about 15 minutes, then walk another five minutes to get to class. In a few weeks, I will (probably) switch to the university for more intensive lessons in Czech. In the meantime, I'm working on establishing a rhythm. That's my life in a nutshell.

Praises:
Getting here! (and getting a running start)
Wonderful teaching and fellowship at the conference last week
SKYPE (if you don't know what this is, ask)
Finding a good language course starting at just the right time
Having Czech roommates to help me learn the language

Prayer Requests:
For healing from a cough that has redeveloped over the last few days (I finished a course of antibiotics just before arriving in Prague.)
For the ability to absorb a lot during my language courses
For visa paperwork to be finished with a minimum of hassles
For me to be a blessing to my roommates and teammates
For wisdom figuring out some easy and inexpensive solutions to getting some paperwork, books, and other things that got left behind in the trans-Atlantic move