Dear reader,
I hope that if you take the time to read this post, you may be encouraged to draw near to Jesus Christ, through whom are all things and to whom are all things. My prayer is that you grow in the assurance of your calling to reconciliation with God and His mission on this earth.
My Prior Experiences
Last summer, I had the amazing opportunity to join a team from my church in Arizona on a trip to the Czech Republic where we partnered with a local Czech church to facilitate an English Camp. At this camp, we shared the gospel with youth in their area through various talks and small group discussions in the evenings. I embarked on the trip with an awareness of Europe’s larger attitude toward Protestant Christianity, having previously served in Romania three times, but I came back to the States with a yearning to return, in order that I may continue to walk in the good works the Lord has prepared for me.
I am excited to write to you now to inform you that God has provided an opportunity for me to return to the Czech Republic, only for a longer period of time. After going to Europe to engage people with the gospel four times, I cannot deny the strategy I see behind living in Europe as a Christian, let alone serving alongside missionaries who are already actively working there.
My ‘Why’
I currently attend college in a city that is ranked on this list for the most churches per capita in the world. I grew up less than a mile away from two large churches, and even a Presbyterian church to sweeten the deal. My experiences in Europe have shown me that a European mega-church usually consists of around 100 members, as opposed to the 2,000+ members that I am prone to visualize when I picture a stereotypical American mega-church.
I mention this to illustrate that in America, people actually have options of where they choose to go to church, which is not a reality everywhere in Europe. This disparity points to the notion that there is much work to be done in exposing people to the gospel in Europe. There are so many people in Europe living a life that has never been exposed to Jesus in a personal way.
The population of the Czech Republic is approximately 0.737% evangelical 1. That’s right. Less than a percent. However, this percent has a growth rate of 0.3% per year! There are believers on the ground in this nation, and I am honored to be given the opportunity to walk alongside them for two and a half months.
My Posture
Last summer, I was able to serve at English Camp with a Church in Český Těšín, CZ. I was coming out of a very heavy season of life, where I had just quit baseball (I had played for 13 years and gotten to the college level) and was convicted that I had used it as an means to glorify myself. I had been drawn to missions in high school before, but after coming to Wheaton, I was less mindful of it while pursuing other passions that I have since deemed as not conducive to spiritual growth.
As I was in this heavy season, one of my pastors at my church in Wheaton shared a verse with me before I left for Europe last summer.
“For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them.”
(Ephesians 2:10 NASB)
Although I was encouraged when I heard it, I had no clue how clear this would become while I was serving. I was able to reframe missions as my participation in building the most honorable kingdom - the kingdom of God. Missions was not the passion of my past, rather it was restored as a means by which I could walk in the good works God has prepared for me. I want to accept this invitation from the Lord to partake in His masterful building plan for His kingdom.
By no means am I saying that missions is the ONLY way to walk in the good works God has prepared for me. That would be to suppose the sacred-secular divide is real, which is not true. I just know that the Holy Spirit empowered me to get excited about sharing my first love with other people.
Hence, I am going back. I am by no means sufficient to carry this out on my own, but I know God’s power is perfected in my weakness. I just need to act in faith and obedience.
χάριτος καἰ εἰρήνη,
(grace and peace)
- Carson
P.S. If you want to inquire or chat, please feel free to reach out to me via email.