Here are some live videos from our trip to the Czech so far....Thanks to all the kids who have posted them!
Monday, November 3, 2008
Monday, October 27, 2008
Czech Update - Weeks 3 & 4!
Ahoj (Hi)! I missed last week's update and I apologize for that! Things haven't stopped since my last update. We rolled right through last weekend and today is our first day off. Soooo, here is the condensed version of the latest happenings:
We spent last week in Havirov, Czech Republic. There are about 83,000 people in that city and the kids we met were AWESOME! An interesting point about Havirov is that the Communist party still exists and thrives there, being one of the largest represented in the city. An election actually took place during our week there, and the concert hall was where the ballot counting occurred - during our concert! I picture it just like a scene from a movie...A dark, smoky, room with ballots everywhere... Czech and Russian being spoken at the same time... The Communist plans to take over the world floating in the air... and the soundtrack of Dizmas shaking the ceiling! I'm sure that's exactly how it went :) The longer version has me and the rest of the guys dressed up as secret police and kicking down the door, etc., etc.
Anyways, the response in Havirov was really great. We hung out with so many kids almost all day long. We added a few new afternoon activities to the schedule in this city. One was called The Dizmas Factor (not named after our YouTube video series), and it was a chance for kids to come sing in a choir that would perform with us during the concert at the end of the week. We had two practices with about 30 kids. It was so interesting to see who showed up to sing! Occasionally there would be some guy heckling us a bit during the morning concerts at some of the high schools. We usually took the "heckling kid" on as a mission during the day. One of those guys was named, Martin. He slowly warmed up to us as we singled him out a bit and got to know him during our lectures and time in his school. We invited him to The Dizmas Factor, not expecting a "cool guy" like him to be interested in a choir. That night, though, Martin showed up and was the life of the party! For both songs he chose to sing the female Soprano part, which was just way too ridiculously high for him. We were DYING with laughter! It was amazing. He had even brought a friend, and the next night of practice - he brought 3! Martin and his friends became some of our best friends on this trip, particularly for Joey and Larry.
The concert on that Saturday was so awesome! Over 600 kids came out. The choir sang with us during our encore on the songs, Redemption, Passion, Glory, and What I've Done (Linkin Park). Redemption was especially emotional for all of us as we worshiped with a bunch of voices ringing behind us...They sang, "What love is this, that you would die for me?" over and over and it was a sweet, sweet sound. I just can't describe how amazing that was. I'm sure I will never forget that.
We ended the weekend with a musical workshop. I taught electric guitar, Clay taught drums, Nick taught bass, and Josh taught acoustic guitar.
On Monday and Tuesday of this week, we started our morning and afternoon concerts and lectures in the schools of Ostrava, Czech's 3rd largest city. On Tuesday, we left in the evening for the city of Vsetin, which is about an hour and half away. We finished this week in Vsetin and will head back to Ostrava during the upcoming week. Vsetin was a blur! The schools asked us not to lecture, so we just played our sets, promoted Exit 316, and shared about the concert. The afternoons were great, though. Nick, Clay, and I taught musical workshops on Wednesday and Thursday. Kids packed into small, sweaty rooms to learn some riffs and jam with us. Not many people spoke or understood English, so we used translators. It's really cool to see something as big as a language barrier be swept away by music. There were definite moments when we all understood each other through just a few notes on a guitar. We played, we laughed, and we became friends.
One highlight of the week that I have to mention is...Mexican Food! We've all been craving it. Some missionaries from Josiah Venture had us over to their apartment and cooked us some legendary tacos. Soul food.
So, that brings me to the concert last night - another one of my favorites! There were about 500 or 600 kids there again and pure chaos. We were able to spend a long time with them after the show. We gave away a ton of Bibles, signing them with some verses to read, and asking the receiver to really read the book. Hopefully they will! It's something we can all be praying for...
Thank you for your continual prayer and support...We are all so thankful for it.
jon
We spent last week in Havirov, Czech Republic. There are about 83,000 people in that city and the kids we met were AWESOME! An interesting point about Havirov is that the Communist party still exists and thrives there, being one of the largest represented in the city. An election actually took place during our week there, and the concert hall was where the ballot counting occurred - during our concert! I picture it just like a scene from a movie...A dark, smoky, room with ballots everywhere... Czech and Russian being spoken at the same time... The Communist plans to take over the world floating in the air... and the soundtrack of Dizmas shaking the ceiling! I'm sure that's exactly how it went :) The longer version has me and the rest of the guys dressed up as secret police and kicking down the door, etc., etc.
Anyways, the response in Havirov was really great. We hung out with so many kids almost all day long. We added a few new afternoon activities to the schedule in this city. One was called The Dizmas Factor (not named after our YouTube video series), and it was a chance for kids to come sing in a choir that would perform with us during the concert at the end of the week. We had two practices with about 30 kids. It was so interesting to see who showed up to sing! Occasionally there would be some guy heckling us a bit during the morning concerts at some of the high schools. We usually took the "heckling kid" on as a mission during the day. One of those guys was named, Martin. He slowly warmed up to us as we singled him out a bit and got to know him during our lectures and time in his school. We invited him to The Dizmas Factor, not expecting a "cool guy" like him to be interested in a choir. That night, though, Martin showed up and was the life of the party! For both songs he chose to sing the female Soprano part, which was just way too ridiculously high for him. We were DYING with laughter! It was amazing. He had even brought a friend, and the next night of practice - he brought 3! Martin and his friends became some of our best friends on this trip, particularly for Joey and Larry.
The concert on that Saturday was so awesome! Over 600 kids came out. The choir sang with us during our encore on the songs, Redemption, Passion, Glory, and What I've Done (Linkin Park). Redemption was especially emotional for all of us as we worshiped with a bunch of voices ringing behind us...They sang, "What love is this, that you would die for me?" over and over and it was a sweet, sweet sound. I just can't describe how amazing that was. I'm sure I will never forget that.
We ended the weekend with a musical workshop. I taught electric guitar, Clay taught drums, Nick taught bass, and Josh taught acoustic guitar.
On Monday and Tuesday of this week, we started our morning and afternoon concerts and lectures in the schools of Ostrava, Czech's 3rd largest city. On Tuesday, we left in the evening for the city of Vsetin, which is about an hour and half away. We finished this week in Vsetin and will head back to Ostrava during the upcoming week. Vsetin was a blur! The schools asked us not to lecture, so we just played our sets, promoted Exit 316, and shared about the concert. The afternoons were great, though. Nick, Clay, and I taught musical workshops on Wednesday and Thursday. Kids packed into small, sweaty rooms to learn some riffs and jam with us. Not many people spoke or understood English, so we used translators. It's really cool to see something as big as a language barrier be swept away by music. There were definite moments when we all understood each other through just a few notes on a guitar. We played, we laughed, and we became friends.
One highlight of the week that I have to mention is...Mexican Food! We've all been craving it. Some missionaries from Josiah Venture had us over to their apartment and cooked us some legendary tacos. Soul food.
So, that brings me to the concert last night - another one of my favorites! There were about 500 or 600 kids there again and pure chaos. We were able to spend a long time with them after the show. We gave away a ton of Bibles, signing them with some verses to read, and asking the receiver to really read the book. Hopefully they will! It's something we can all be praying for...
Thank you for your continual prayer and support...We are all so thankful for it.
jon
Wednesday, October 22, 2008
The Day Fast food Came to My Rescue...
So we are coming up on our month anniversary of being in Europe! With this realization comes an excitement but also a homesickness. In my devotions every morning I was praying that God would take away these thoughts, allowing me to focus 100% on ministering where He has placed me. This relief came in a way i did not expect.
I have never been more excited to see a Mcdonalds in my life! In the states I dont even like the sight of those golden arches, but here it feels like home. I don't know what that says about America, but i know what it means for me here. So, though i never thought i would say this, it now seems appropriate.
Thank you Lord for Mcdonalds. :)
Josh
I have never been more excited to see a Mcdonalds in my life! In the states I dont even like the sight of those golden arches, but here it feels like home. I don't know what that says about America, but i know what it means for me here. So, though i never thought i would say this, it now seems appropriate.
Thank you Lord for Mcdonalds. :)
Josh
Monday, October 20, 2008
Update....
Hello. I have the great privilege of sending the latest on our tour in Czech Republic. Let me start off by saying thank you to all those who have been praying for us. We see your prayers being answered every day as God has been doing miraculous things in our lives and in the lives of many Eastern European teenagers. We couldn't do this without you.
Real quick, I thought I would share a quick story with you. To preface my story, I must remind you that we are ministering in a predominantly atheistic country that has continually been betrayed by their closest allied countries and taken advantage of for centuries. Needless to say, because of their dark history, it takes time to build relationships with many Czech people. Many conversations seem to be one sided when I introduce myself to a Czech but often turn into deep, meaningful dialogues as my patience is stretched and I spend time with them. I have found the Czech people to be a very meek and humble people. With the understanding, that they are often skeptical and intorverted, you might imagine the joy I felt when a teacher blatantly asked that I talk about God and my religious beliefs in a class meeting the other day. With hesitation, from the shock I had just experienced, I began to share my testimony with 15 to 20 Czech students. I challenged them to look beyond the walls of their households and what they see on T.V. and open their hearts to a heavenly father that sent his own son to die in their place. I spoke of sin and how it separates us from God while explaining that Christ could end that separation if we just believed in Him. Before I knew it, I had shared the core of the gospel message and had kids jumping at the chance to hear more. I was blown away at what God had done in that moment and couldn't believe how open most of the kids were to something they hadn't, really, ever heard before. After class, the teacher thanked me for being so open with her students said she hoped that we might be able to come visit their school again and speak to more of the students about our lives. I new in that moment I realized I had experienced something extraordinary.
After leaving the students I had met with I bumped into Jon and Nick who were talking about how a very similar thing happened in their classes and then bumped into our friend Scott who said he had experienced the same thing. It was unbelievable! I was in awe of what God was doing through this small group of musicians from the U.S.
I must say, I couldn't imagine things going any better than they have been. Every single member of this group (dizmas) is doing an amazing job. I am extremely blessed to have such great friends and I am excited to see what else God will do in the weeks to come.
We miss you all!
zach
Real quick, I thought I would share a quick story with you. To preface my story, I must remind you that we are ministering in a predominantly atheistic country that has continually been betrayed by their closest allied countries and taken advantage of for centuries. Needless to say, because of their dark history, it takes time to build relationships with many Czech people. Many conversations seem to be one sided when I introduce myself to a Czech but often turn into deep, meaningful dialogues as my patience is stretched and I spend time with them. I have found the Czech people to be a very meek and humble people. With the understanding, that they are often skeptical and intorverted, you might imagine the joy I felt when a teacher blatantly asked that I talk about God and my religious beliefs in a class meeting the other day. With hesitation, from the shock I had just experienced, I began to share my testimony with 15 to 20 Czech students. I challenged them to look beyond the walls of their households and what they see on T.V. and open their hearts to a heavenly father that sent his own son to die in their place. I spoke of sin and how it separates us from God while explaining that Christ could end that separation if we just believed in Him. Before I knew it, I had shared the core of the gospel message and had kids jumping at the chance to hear more. I was blown away at what God had done in that moment and couldn't believe how open most of the kids were to something they hadn't, really, ever heard before. After class, the teacher thanked me for being so open with her students said she hoped that we might be able to come visit their school again and speak to more of the students about our lives. I new in that moment I realized I had experienced something extraordinary.
After leaving the students I had met with I bumped into Jon and Nick who were talking about how a very similar thing happened in their classes and then bumped into our friend Scott who said he had experienced the same thing. It was unbelievable! I was in awe of what God was doing through this small group of musicians from the U.S.
I must say, I couldn't imagine things going any better than they have been. Every single member of this group (dizmas) is doing an amazing job. I am extremely blessed to have such great friends and I am excited to see what else God will do in the weeks to come.
We miss you all!
zach
Thursday, October 16, 2008
Making Friends and Winning....
One day in Cesky Tesin, probably my favorite day in Cesky Tesin, Clay, Nick, Zach, and myself got the chance to play in a futbol and basketball tournament. You have 6-7 players a team. Which if you do the math, like I did, we needed 2 or three more players. I managed to find and ask the only english speaking czech guy, Vetia, and his two friends to join the USA team, and form team USA-CZ.
There were 4 teams total in the tourny, including us. We played 3 games of futbol, and 3 games in basketball. Best record of wins vs. losses wins each tournament.
First our basketball games. We started off confidently in basketball with a 50-8 victory, and a 38-6 win. We felt like we had it wrapped up only to find that we played the best team last. We barely squeaked by with a 16-10 victory. It got heated at times, but ended with hugs, and a trophy to team USA-CZ! Yes they had an actual trophy for us! Which i had the honor of giving to the best player on the other team.
Then onto the tourny that we were worried about, futbol (aka soccer). We started with a very tough game, but managed to squeeze a 4-2 victory out thanks to our czech team mates. We then played the best team in the tournament, who just so happens to be 6 pieces to a real soccer team in a league in the Czech republic! :) Our czech team mates informed us that we would probably lose to them badly.
The whistle blew, and we were down 2-0. It was a long, hard fought battle that ended in a 3-2 victory for team USA-CZ!!! This game turned almost strangers into friends. When the final whistle blew we were hugging and jumping for joy with our czech team mates. It was a victory that will not be soon forgotten. The 3rd game was a forfeit, because the team we were supposed to play lost 8-0 to the team we just beat. They just told us congratulations, and took off for home. We received another trophy which we kept.
I am happy to announce that we represented America well, and couldn't have done it without our new found friends, and team mates Vetia, Zdenik, and Thomas. Most of the guys that played that day were at the concert, and heard the gospel preached. God works in mysterious ways. Keep us in your prayers.
Josh
There were 4 teams total in the tourny, including us. We played 3 games of futbol, and 3 games in basketball. Best record of wins vs. losses wins each tournament.
First our basketball games. We started off confidently in basketball with a 50-8 victory, and a 38-6 win. We felt like we had it wrapped up only to find that we played the best team last. We barely squeaked by with a 16-10 victory. It got heated at times, but ended with hugs, and a trophy to team USA-CZ! Yes they had an actual trophy for us! Which i had the honor of giving to the best player on the other team.
Then onto the tourny that we were worried about, futbol (aka soccer). We started with a very tough game, but managed to squeeze a 4-2 victory out thanks to our czech team mates. We then played the best team in the tournament, who just so happens to be 6 pieces to a real soccer team in a league in the Czech republic! :) Our czech team mates informed us that we would probably lose to them badly.
The whistle blew, and we were down 2-0. It was a long, hard fought battle that ended in a 3-2 victory for team USA-CZ!!! This game turned almost strangers into friends. When the final whistle blew we were hugging and jumping for joy with our czech team mates. It was a victory that will not be soon forgotten. The 3rd game was a forfeit, because the team we were supposed to play lost 8-0 to the team we just beat. They just told us congratulations, and took off for home. We received another trophy which we kept.
I am happy to announce that we represented America well, and couldn't have done it without our new found friends, and team mates Vetia, Zdenik, and Thomas. Most of the guys that played that day were at the concert, and heard the gospel preached. God works in mysterious ways. Keep us in your prayers.
Josh
Tuesday, October 14, 2008
Fall is here....
So these past two weeks have been crazy, but also incredibly rewarding. We are still maintaining the wed-fri 5 am to 11 pm schedule, which is nuts, but great at the same time. All of us are having to rely on God as we make our way through the days, as we are tired physically, but know that we can do all things through Him who gives us strength.
We have had some time to relax as well. Our location has allowed us the opportunity to see much of the Czech countryside. We are staying at the foot of the Carpathian Mountains, and are surrounded by the forests that run along there faces. Fall is in full swing, as autumnal colors are everywhere, from vibrant reds and oranges, to the last touches of green, signaling the full change of the season. Recently we went on a hike along one of the nearby mountains. As we walked along the ridge we had the cloud covered hills of Slovakia to one side, and the green valleys of the Czech to the other. Its amazing to see God in these places, and know he is everywhere you go.
Please continue to pray for us, and If you would like to further support us you can through the Josiah Venture website.
I hope this finds you all well,
clay
We have had some time to relax as well. Our location has allowed us the opportunity to see much of the Czech countryside. We are staying at the foot of the Carpathian Mountains, and are surrounded by the forests that run along there faces. Fall is in full swing, as autumnal colors are everywhere, from vibrant reds and oranges, to the last touches of green, signaling the full change of the season. Recently we went on a hike along one of the nearby mountains. As we walked along the ridge we had the cloud covered hills of Slovakia to one side, and the green valleys of the Czech to the other. Its amazing to see God in these places, and know he is everywhere you go.
Please continue to pray for us, and If you would like to further support us you can through the Josiah Venture website.
I hope this finds you all well,
clay
Help Support Dizmas
If you would like to help support us on our trip to the Czech, please visit HERE
Thank you to each and every one of you for your prayers and support for the trip.
It really means so much to us.
-Dizmas
Thank you to each and every one of you for your prayers and support for the trip.
It really means so much to us.
-Dizmas
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