Flanked by two friends, the curious high school student leaned across the classroom table as she asked the question. It was my fourth day of back-to-back conversations with teenagers at high schools in Opava, Czech Republic (CR).
Tears sprang to my eyes as I answered,
“I came because I love God, and I love the people he loves.”
Why would anyone travel for almost 24 hours and nearly 5,000 miles to talk with high school students?
The STAMP team of ten adults had been invited by College Church missionaries Nathan and Vera Beck to help with their pre-evangelism strategy that focused on students in the two most prestigious high schools in the city. We were to join English conversation classes, at the school’s invitation, to help students practice their listening and speaking skills. Remarkably, we had complete freedom to talk about faith and Jesus.
You might wonder, as we did, what in the world did a group made up of people mostly over 50 have in common with teenagers? How would we connect, especially in such a short time? It was sobering to learn that the CR is the most atheistic country in Europe, and for many Czechs that is their identity.
These were natural worries.
Over time our team planning meetings pivoted from logistics, to support letters, to identifying relevant life experiences, and a quick prayer at the end, to beginning with prayer. We prayed that the Holy Spirit would prepare the students’ hearts and give us sensitivity about how to, and boldness for when, to speak. We prayed for spiritual curiosity and hunger. We prayed for the Becks, for their encouragement and endurance in such hard-as-rocks soil.
Prayer prepares people, and prayer opens doors.
On our first Sunday afternoon there, we walked to the two high schools, located just steps from one another. Nathan told us about the personality of each school. Mendelova High School had welcomed English-speaking visitors for years, but Silesian High School had consistently refused, until this spring. Then, we prayed in front of each school.
On the van ride to Mendelova the next morning, we were delighted by a full crescent rainbow, each end gently resting in a field. God’s promise made visible.
The first class of the day set the pattern. After a fun groundbreaker exercise, team members sat in pairs at tables around the room. In groups of three to four, students picked which pair they wanted to chat with. Nathan invited those who were interested in continuing the conversation to the church youth group meeting on Wednesday, or to gather after school at a nearby coffee shop.
American visitors are not common in Opava, and word got around. Other teachers asked us to come to their classes. That meant dividing the team and each of us going solo. Not enough time to get nervous, but time enough to pray.
Lord, help me listen well and find some point of connection with the students.
Each evening, the team debriefed over dinner, as we sat at a large table in the back of the hotel dining room. The details of the day’s encounters added up to two (at least) important observations: First, each team member had his or her own way of connecting with students, and each made a unique contribution to the day. Second, the Holy Spirit was at work during and between the classes.
For example, during one of the breaks we were invited into the senior lounge, where some students chatted, studied or grabbed a quick snack. Jon Smalley noticed some girls with a celebratory cake and said in his humorously disarming way, “Where’s my slice?” They laughed, and that was it.
That same afternoon one of the “cake girls” showed up for coffee at the local cafe, even though she had not been in any of the English conversation classes. That brief interaction about cake drew her to know more about this wacky but obviously caring person. She had a lengthy conversation with Jon, as well as Klara, who is one of the Czech mentors to the youth group.
On the second day, one of my classroom encounters was with a group of three girls who were disinterested in spiritual things. It was hard going, what you might call plowing concrete. On my way to the next class I prayed, “Holy Spirit, please show up. Help me to remain engaged and sensitive to what you are doing.”
As I entered the classroom, Nathan said, “Our icebreaker questions work for freshmen, but not for seniors. What could we ask to get them into a deeper level of discussion?”
Without pausing to ponder, I responded, “Who is the most influential person in your life?”
A Holy Spirit nudge.
The question prompted deeper points of connection. Naomi (not her real name) told me that she was her own boss, that she guided her own life. As Naomi’s little group asked other team members who their most influential person was, Judy Gao answered, “Jesus.”
In reporting on the results of their survey, Naomi listed various responses, and concluded with, “and one person said, ‘Jesus.’ It’s interesting that their most influential person is a fictitious character.”
When the student groups selected team members, Naomi made a beeline for Judy. By the end of their conversation, Naomi’s skepticism was gone, replaced by “I want to learn more about the Bible and this Jesus.”
On the first afternoon when we met students at the coffee shop, Cliff Dyhouse was sitting alone. But he wasn’t idle. As he observed Judy talking earnestly with a student about faith, Cliff was praying.
To use a cliché, these brief examples are only the tip of the iceberg of how we not only saw God at work, but also got to be part of the Holy Spirit’s activity in the Czech Republic. We also benefitted from a crash course in how to do personal evangelism.
It was immersion learning, going from one conversation to the next. We practiced listening, detecting points of connection, and following up with a probing question, or simply stating at least one snippet of God’s good news. Planting seeds, not knowing how hardened the ground of their hearts might be.
We had practice in encountering opposition such as stony faces, the limited English vocabulary of younger students, or the nervousness of being the last team member chosen for conversation. Then, praying, taking a deep breath, and doing it again.
Over the course of the week, our team chatted with about 500–600 students and teachers. We identified only about 1 in 10 who seemed open or interested in continuing a spiritual conversation, but that added up to 50–60 students. That’s the power of a team.
Two people are better off than one, for they can help each other succeed. (Eccl. 4:9, NLT)
“Paige, why did you go to the Czech Republic?”
I went because I love God, and I love the people he loves, especially students.