Lessons learned from the January craft night at Skalka!

Yay! The other night we had our monthly craft night outreach event at Skalka! This time we got to make earrings. I was quite excited for the event because my family has a tradition of making earrings and I was looking forward to have the chance to pass on some of the knowledge that I have to the people who came.

My co-worker Michelle and I had gone shopping at the bead store earlier in the week for supplies (which was really fun) and I was feeling quite proud about being able to be the earring making helper/instructor. I was quite humbled at the event though. I had drawn a diagram for making the earrings on the board and was getting ready to teach the people who had come how to make them. I had assumed that the people wouldn't have any experience with making earrings, but oh, I was wrong!

One of my students, Jitka, from one of my weekly English classes was there with her daughter. I was really excited to see her there. She always comes to class with a smile and a cheerful attitude, but in the past was reserved and was rarely very talkative. When I started to explain the pattern for the earrings to her, she smiled and nodded. I could sense that she thought that this was simple and that she already had a good understanding of the earring making process.

Yes, so my "important knowledge" wasn't as "important" as I had thought, hmmm, sheepish grin...It was quite a pleasure to get to watch Jitka work with her daughter to craft some lovely pairs of earrings throughout the night though! Oh, what a good reminder that we are all blessed with certain unique gifts and talents. It turned out that one of Jitka's is jewlery making! I must remember that while not everyone may excel at learning English, that doesn't mean that they are not highly capable in one of the multitudinous areas of life in which there are to excel! Praise God that He made us each different and unique!! :)

I also noticed this uniqueness in the designs for the earrings that people chose to create. My co-worker Michelle and I bought beads for the earrings in many colors...but it was so interesting to me to see how people came up with combinations of beads that looked really good together that I never would have imagined! Praise the Lord for how we all have different tastes and preferences and even with these differences we are all made in the image of God and we all display something of His glory! :) God is a God of diversity! How awesome it is that he receives and deserves glory from people in all cultures around the world who outwardly appear different, but inwardly we were all made to glorify and praise Him!!

"And they sang a new song: "You are worthy to take the scroll and to open its seals, because you were slain, and with your blood you purchased men for God from every tribe and language and people and nation." (Revelation 5:9)

Yes! Jesus is worthy to receive glory from people in every tribe, language, people and nation! (Including the Czech people and the American people too!) :)

As we were shopping for the beading supplies before the event, I was struck by a realization...in some mission fields, the missionaries would be offering literal food to the people they were ministering to, whereas here in our ministry location we are offering jewelery...??? Hmmm...well, it is true that here in Prague many peoples' physical needs are provided for, but EVERYONE still has a common need-something that is shared across cultures and social classes. This is the need for MERCY, grace, forgiveness and LOVE. This is the need for a SAVIOR-someone who will take away our sins and bring us back into unity with God the Father! This is the need for redemption and UNCONDITIONAL LOVE!

That need is met by Jesus Christ alone. No matter what country a person is in, no matter what physical or other needs a person might need to have met, everyone shares the same deep need for the truth that God offers. This is the truth that "But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us." (Romans 5:8)

This truth is still the same whether people are receiving bread from a worker in Africa, or whether they hear this truth while participating in a craft night here at Skalka in Prague!

Our hope is that the relationships that begin at these Skalka craft nights will help will help those who are searching for truth make vital connections with people in the Skalka community. We hope that as they continue to be involved that the truth will grow in their lives and they will accept Jesus as their Lord and Savior! Will you please join us in this prayer? Thank you! :)