Desire a taste of life in another country? Have a sense of adventure? Looking for direction? Seek a broader understanding of the church and the Army? Desire a deeper faith? Then this is for you!!

A group of Australian Salvationists said YES to these questions and, a few months later, nine YES (Youth Experiencing Service) team members were gathering in Geelong for their first orientation weekend, making plans to visit the Czech Republic and Germany for a four week Eastern European mission.    We had not met one another before, but it was clear from the start that God had brought our team together, with each of our strengths and weaknesses, to seek a greater understanding of what He had planned for our lives. Ten weeks (and countless e-mails and phone calls) later we met again for a weekend of final preparations immediately prior to our departure from Australia.
 

Although sharing common concerns regarding language differences, health issues, and the likely stresses of working and living so closely with the same people constantly, we had confidence that the One who had brought us together would see us through. So, off we went, excited about the adventures and experiences ahead of us. Only half of the group had traveled outside  Australia before, so flight schedules, passport controls and currency changes each became little adventures in themselves. By the time we finally arrived in Ostrava, after 36 hours of travel, all we desired was a warm shower and a bed. We were so tired that our almost completely female group was not the slightest bit bothered by the fact that we were accommodated in a men's hostel. Well, at least not until the next morning when a man nearly walked into our bathroom!

Ostrava is located in the eastern part of the Czech Republic, 15 kilometres from the border of Poland. It is the country's biggest producer of coal and steel and it's largest industrial centre. The work of the Salvation Army in this country re-commenced about 10 years ago, following the demise of communism in Eastern Europe. The Army is currently re-establishing it's  presence there. Our team had the opportunity to experience this work in various centres around Ostrava and in the neighbouring towns such as Prerov & Krnov.

In  Prerov we worked with the Czech service corps (their YES team equivalent) in a special day of outreach celebrating the first anniversary of the corps. During that day, Vanessa, Jodie and I had the privilege to join with the corps leaders to meet with some local government department heads. What started out as a chat over coffee and biscuits evolved into a business discussion on future projects that they want the Salvation Army to run on their behalf. We were questioned about social welfare problems existing in Australia, and how the Salvation Army works with our government to approach the problems. For me, this experience was a highlight of the trip.

Doing the Hokey Pokey with a nice bunch of kids in a gypsy ghetto in Prerov. Doesn't Sam look like she's having fun! We all did, but this song was Sam's special favorite.

The corps officers at the Ostrava-Poruba Corps, Henk and Arde van Hattem, immediately made us feel very welcome. During our first day there, we took part in their bible study where we were able to meet many of the corps folk. We led worship services including participation by Nadine and Alison as they presented their thought provoking talks. We also visited many day centres, which provide a place for people to share fellowship over a cheap meal, often followed by some entertainment. We would give a short programme, including timbrels, singing, a talk about Australia, our flag, our animals and so on. The swagman's hats that Leah and Sam wore were particularly popular on these occasions, and provided a wonderful introduction to our acapella renditions of Waltzing Matilda. We were even able to encourage audience participation with our Czech singing of "To Je Ten Den" (This is the Day).

When a visit to a children's centre was required, we led games, action songs & craft activities based around animal bible stories presented in flannel graph, which Bronwyn always delivered with enthusiasm. The children were always eager to participate, and obviously enjoyed their times with us. On our second-last day in the Czech Republic, we were kindly 'volunteered' to enter a team in the annual church volleyball tournament, organised by the Ostrava-Poruba Corps. Considering our lack of preparation, and the fact that we were competing against teams comprised mostly of male players, we survived the experience relatively unscathed. Special mention here must go to "TM", our token male John for his volleyball guidance in a team where most of us didn't really know how to play  The result for us may have been a seventh placing (do you really need to know that there were only seven teams participating?), but what we lacked in ability we made up for in enthusiasm. Our cheer squad was the envy of all! Aussie! Aussie! Aussie! Oi! Oi! Oi!

On our arrival at the Guben Corps in Germany, we were greeted by the corps officers Patrick and Kitty Granat, who were to be our hosts for the next ten days. Also there to meet us was a group of German young people who, under the leadership of their TYS Fernanda van Houdt, were brought together to work with us in an evangelisation campaign in the part of the town where the corps was located. We were all living in the corps buildings and sharing meals together. It was a special time for everyone, and the friendships made there are precious to us all.

The German team, in grey T-shirts, (don't be fooled by the swaggy hats...) and the Australians, in  uniform. Also in uniform, officers; the Granats of Guben, and the Walzs of DHQ in Berlin... NOT just another Sunday in Guben...

Guben is situated on the German/Polish border. In fact, it is made up of two towns - Guben (Germany) and Gubin (Poland). This part of the country, like the Czech Republic, was formerly under communist leadership, and the Salvation Army has once again been working in recent times to make an impact in the community. The Guben Corps was opened just 10 months ago.  We had been told that one of the biggest social problems that Guben faces, is that many of the young people have nothing to do. What also became apparent to us is that the work God is doing there through the Salvation Army to spread the gospel is not without opposition, both seen and unseen. Much to Satan's dismay however, this only proved to give us more cause to be thankful for the amazing miracles that we were privileged to witness.

Our daily programme commenced with a bible study and prayer time before conducting an open air service at one of the local market areas. Participation included singing, timbrels, drama sketches, and an open invitation to come along to one of activities taking place at the corps that day. After lunch there were children's activities similar to those we had lead in the Czech Republic, and on a few of those days we had the opportunity to teach timbrel playing to the 3 junior soldiers of the corps. In the evening we ran a Youth Club for the 14-plus age group. The response to these activities was very encouraging, and none more so than on the evening  we showed the "Jesus" film. The invitation was made for those present to make a commitment to the Lord, and God greatly honoured our efforts by allowing us to see positive answers to our prayers.
 

God taught us a great number of lessons while on the YES team mission. We learned, or were reminded, that prayer is the most important preparation and rehearsal that we can make. We learned, or were reminded, that our God is truly an awesome God, and HE ROCKS! He took care of practical things, like our concern with language difficulties. None of the team spoke Czech, and few people in Ostrava spoke English. However, Henk & Arde, being Dutch officers, were totally conversant in English. God provided wonderful translators for us who also became great friends. Petr, Renate & Petra even doubled as sightseeing tour guides on our free day! God ensured that we were never in a situation where we couldn't communicate with others. In Guben, the Corps officers were American, half of the German team spoke English, and a couple of our team spoke German. Those who couldn't speak the other language became reasonably fluent in Denglish (our own mutually contrived combination of Deutsch & English).

This is Petra, one of our most favorite Czech translators, with  Winnie the Pooh, one of her most favorite characters..

Hudson Taylor once said "God's work done in God's way will never lack God's supply". This statement was certainly true of our mission to the Czech Republic and Germany, as God proved every day. We witnessed some amazing things, and it was incredibly evident how God looked after us and went before to prepare the way for us. We each had the opportunity to understand more about ourselves and what it is that God has planned for us.  God never failed to provide what was needed, even if it wasn't always in the way that we had planned. In the words of Matthew, "......with man this is impossible, but with God ALL THINGS ARE POSSIBLE....."
 

Für Menschen ist es unmöglich, aber bei Gott ist alles möglich!
                                                                                                      Matthaüs 20:26

head on back to where you just were...