Because of Boyd’s new responsibilities we will be moving from Brno to Prague.  Please pray for us as we make yet another transition as a family.  

We’ve started saying goodbyes here.  We moved to Brno in August 2005 and have lived in the same house the whole time.  It is truly home — especially for our children.  This past week they’ve had to say goodbye to many good friends.  

 

Madison with some of her friends in kindergarten.

 

Mason and his good friend Lucka.

The Czech Baptist Church in Brno (yes, there is only one in our city of  over 350,000) thanked us for ministering with them and prayed for us last Sunday.

On our last Sunday at Brno Baptist Church

Our friends at Brno Christian International Fellowship also gave us a special send-off. 

 

Boyd is in the US until July 2 for meetings/training for his new position.  We plan to move on June 8.  Thank God with us that we’ve found a nice apartment in a great location.  Please pray that the move goes well.  Pray for us to make new friends.  Pray that we find a good Czech school in our neighborhood that will accept Madison in first grade.

The IMB is going through some major restructuring.  We are moving from geographically-focused fields to people group-focused clusters.  One of the clusters in the European Affinity Group will be the Roma Cluster.  Boyd was asked to serve as the Cluster Strategy Leader for this affinity group.  Currently we have teams in the Czech Republic, Poland, Romania, Bulgaria, Macedonia.  Over the past few months we have been traveling to meet some of the people that we haven’t met yet and learn about the ministries that all of our cluster members are involved in.  

Boyd has travelled to Slovakia and Bulgaria and has had meetings in Prague and Richmond, Virginia.  Our whole family was able to join him on a trip to Poland in March.  And Macedonia in April.

 

 

  In front of castle in Krakow, Poland

 

On the way to Macedonia we spent the night with colleagues in Belgrade, Serbia.  This was in front of the fortress there.

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At the fortress in Skopje, Macedonia.

 

We ate lunch with some Roma children in Skopje who are fed each day through one of our teams’ ministries there.

 

After visiting with team members in Skopje, we went to Prelep, Macedonia to visit some friends/colleagues/LSU fans. One day we went hiking with them.  Here are our kids with theirs.  It was a lot of fun to spend time with them. 

Please pray for us as we make and our colleagues make this transition.  Pray that would know God’s direction for future ministry.  Pray for us and Boyd will be doing more traveling to visit existing team members and look for areas across Europe for potential future ministry.

Over the Christmas holidays we had a great team of Lifeway Fuge staffers come and minister with us here in Brno. It was a great week.  The team was one of the best we have ever had.  They were great with the Roma.  They also ministered to our family by the way they loved on our children.

 

 

We’ve added two new members to the family.

Meet Happy.

And Justin.

It has been a while since we’ve updated here. A lot has been going on, so I’ll try to catch you up with the next few posts. First, the reason most of you read the blog: the children.

Our school year is winding down. Mallory is completing 4th grade and Miles is completing 2nd grade. Madison finished Czech kindergarten today and Mason completed a year of Czech preschool. They have all done great.

In addition to their academics they have been involved in a variety of activities (all in Czech!). Mallory has been taking piano lessons and swimming lessons. Miles has been taking violin lessons. Madison and Mason took ice skating lessons and Madison took a ceramics class. During the winter months all of the children also took ski lessons.

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In December Miles broke his arm playing soccer and in May Mason broke his collarbone playing at home. We now know the children’s orthopedic doctor well and Jennie has learned lots of new medical terms in Czech.

Vesele Vanoce from the Hatchels!

Boyd and I enjoyed a weekend getaway in Paris. Friends in the Czech Republic kept our children for us. Two stayed with one family in Brno and two stayed with another family in Hradec Kralove.  We’re so thankful for the opportunity to take the trip.

Our morning Bible story was about the Israelites wandering in the desert.  Boyd told our kids that the Israelites began to complain and grumble and wished they were back in Egypt.  Boyd asked the kids what they Israelites probably missed from Egypt.  Mason answered, “Cracker Barrel”.

Yesterday Boyd and I worked on the news story below about his trip to Litviov Friday.  Today we received a warning from the Czech office of risk management about escalating violence in that area.  This link to bbc news with video tells about a clash that occurred on Monday of this week.  Please continue to pray for Litvinov.

Litvinov Outreach – Czech Republic

November 17, 2008 

      North of Prague, near the German border, is the industrial town of Litvinov. In Litvinov, the majority of Roma live in a section of the city called Janov.  This ghetto is the run-down, neglected part of town, where no one wants to live or even visit. 

      In October, more than 300 extremists, held an unauthorized anti-Roma rally in downtown Litvinov.  At the conclusion of the rally, the emotional mob marched and rode on horseback to the Janov neighborhood.  They attacked local Roma with sticks and stones.  Police successfully stopped the raid, but not before three police were injured.   

      Last week, IMB personnel visited the Janov neighborhood.  They distributed tracts, brochures, and evangelistic CDs.  They listened to the concerns and fears of residents.  They prayed with family members.   

      “They came in here to our homes and treated us like dogs.  We have lived here all our lives.  What did they want us to do?  What have we done to them?”, asked Petra, a 40-year old mother from Janov. 

      “Has anyone from the church visited your area since this took place?” asked the IMB missionary.   

      “No one knows we’re here, except those people (extremists),” commented Jan.  “The government wants us to leave, but we have no place to go.” 

      Your prayers gave missionaries the courage to go into an unknown neighborhood.  Your  gifts and resources provided the means for missionaries to travel to another section of the country.  Your prayers will provide the direction for future ministry in this area. 

      Thank you for your partnership and prayers.  Thank you for your gifts and generosity to reach those who feel forgotten.