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.