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Parakletos
News Letter
March 2006
We had a very long and cold winter here this year. It feels
so good to have a few Spring days lately. The problem now though is that quickly
melting snow and rain cause the floods throughout the country. We pray that the
weather would normalize in the end.
A Story
Vasek is
one young man with whom I have been meeting for some time now. He studies
university and was intensely involved in the Christian ministry. He was working
with sport evangelism camps and he started to lead a youth group in the church.
You should understand that because the church in the Czech Republic is small all
those activities exist only because of volunteer work. Vasek was studying hard
and serving hard. In the Fall he started to have problems which gradually got
worse. He was leading one Christian camp but was paralyzed with anxiety. He had
to seek a psychiatric help. We started to meet together. And we slowly started
to understand the deeper causes of that crisis. In having those people who have
been working hard for Christ I find that they usually find it hard to understand
God. They worked diligently and seemed to have deserved the Lord’s favour,
help and blessings. It was then rather confusing when instead of blessings they
got into difficulties. Besides an already uneasy situation, they are perplexed
spiritually and feel unsure in their relationship with God. Did God leave them?
If so, why? Did they do something wrong? Did they misunderstood His will?
I find
that always interesting. The suspition that I have is that those people might
have been doing good things but perhaps out of wrong motives. It is almost like
if God said, “Thank you for serving me! I appreciate that very much. But now
is the time to heal something that has been hidden under your ministry. I no
longer need you to minister me the same way you did. I want you to start to see
that I have already loved you regardless of how much you were able to
accomplish. And I want you now to know that love without keeping busy and by
that keeping me in distance by showing yourselves.” I see God gently touching
a sensitive but significant issue. God does not seem to be impressed by our
sacrifices. He wants us to be impressed by His grace and appreciate the level of
His love which we could have never deserved by works. Then we can be free to
serve Him with thankfulness. Free of ourselves and any of our personal gains.
Then we can be sensitive to God and really start to see what He has done
and then submit with joy to His will and guidance.
We are
just currently going through such findings with Vasek. He was confused in the
beginning. Nothing seemed to make sense. But now he slowly has got hope again.
The pain which he was going through may be part of God’s good plan. It may not
be only a bad joke. It may still be part of God’s will for him. God said
“stop”, I want you to learn something very important before you may be
allowed to work for me again.
That is
an example of our work with Christian leaders and pastors. I realize in my life
and lives of others that real growth is often hard. But there is a great
potential in those painful situations to get to know God better, more intimately
and live closer to Him and understand Him better. And live in greater freedom
before Him.
We were
going through a difficult time in our church. The former conflict between the
pastor and elders came up again in a very unpleasant form at the members
meetings. Even though the leadership of our denomination got involved the
problem has not been resolved. Even though I always supported the pastor in the
past, this time I could not do it. I had several open discussions with him in
which I told him that and explained why. I still do not fight agaist him. But I
try to find right balance between honesty and relying on God’s power not my
own. At one point I had to give it to God and I decided to wait for Him. My hope
is that He still can use the situation for good in ways which I cannot foresee.
He can speak to the pastor or to me or any other person involved. My business is
to believe to Him and do what pleases Him. And He at His time will accomplish
His plans.
Late Activities
We are
glad that in the last months we were able to continue with our programs. Support
to pastors, individual and marital counseling, lay counseling team meetings and
lay counselors training, women’s ministry, lectures, teaching and seminars in
churches. There have been several news. We are looking for an office to rent
because we received the funding for one year rent. That will help us to function
much more effectively. We also discussed with the board the new strategy for
Parakletos. That would mean to develop a platform and resources for some new
staff people to join us within next two years. That is a real change but the
only option if we who are now involved should not burn-out. We pray that God
would provide what we need for that to happen.
Petra,
our assisstant, had to leave her rented appartment. She decided to take a
mortage and get her own appartment what financially has been the best decission.
We only pray that our financial situation would be stable enough to pay her a
proper salary with which she can pay her loan.
Family
Our
older daughter Kristyna is just now on a mission trip to Thailand and Philipines.
She seems to be very excited with all the new experience and friendships. She is
going to return in the beginning of May and we are looking forward very much to
have her home. Jana, the younger daughter, is working hard for her school. Last
two years are rather demanding. But she enjoys being in the same school second
year for the first time in last eight years. She really enjoys her time at home
now and we too are glad to have her home.
Thank
you for your prayers and support! We wish you a blessed Easter!
Pavel and Julia Raus
Parakletos
News Letter
June 2006
We had good spring months. We feel very privileged to have been
part of people’s lives and we had many opportunities to see God at work. After
several beginnng years things got more established and we have great hope for
future. God has been very good to us!
Seminar for Pastors
Just about a week ago we had together with Dan Green, the
Parakletos board member, a seminar for pastors about “How to Deal With
Difficult Person in the Church”. It was obvious that it is an issue which
pastors struggle with. They were very involved. One pastor in the end commented
that he was surprised how fast the time has gone. He thought that we would not
have much to talk about because the fact that there are difficult people is
clear and there is not much that can be done about that. He thought that what to
do with them is always unclear. But he was, to his surprise, drawn into the
program and forgot about the time. It was interesting to hear the stories of
pastors and see that they face certain problems that are very similar. One
pastor wrote to us, “Thank you very much for the seminar. I liked it very much
and it helped me to realize some things which are very useful not only for my
ministry but also for my personal growth.”
Several
pastors had ideas about other susequent seminars which would address other
issues they face. We would like to continue with those seminars also in future.
Lay Counseling Team
We had two more weekend seminars which are part of two
years training program for lay counselors. The group continues to learn the
skills and they support each other. One participant shared with us her
experiences:
“I have been realizing for some
time the great need for pastoral help in the society. Especially in the last one
and a half an year I was close to a person who needed that help. I found that it
brings me joy and I started to have a desire to be more involved. Since I
started God has been leading me to other people who needed help. The seminar was
the first place where I discovered what the pastoral care really is about. I was
confronted with many of my own misconceptions. I was discovering myself and my
motives were tested. I am learning to help, understand what is important to
focus on, when to be careful and what to avoid.”
There is a wide range of ages from 28 to 76 years in the
team. And all those people are able to support and encourage each other. It
seems to be a very positive quality of the group.
Summer
In July we will have, together with Julia, one week program
for one church in
Slovakia
. They contacted us because many marriages in their church are having problems
and they want to do something about it. They want to discuss with us what can be
done to help the marriages. Marital problems are a growing and serious challenge
for the churches. Contrary to the situation during Communism when divorce was
extremely rare in the church, today marriages and families often face serious
difficulties. Churches are not prepared for those new issues. And we see that as
an opportunity for churches to minister their people. We are looking forward to
be with those people, to talk with them and understand what are their needs.
Office
You may remember that we were seeking an office for some
time. That has been a real need as we were meeting as the team in coffee places
or at home. We were working from home and that meant that in our appartment’s
living room we have had a family room, Julia’s office, my office, and the
bedroom in the night. That put a lot of an extra stress on our family. I was
using one place downtown
Prague
one day a week for pastoral counseling meetings what meant that I had to have
11 people a day. We received a donation towards the office rent and we were
looking for a place. We seem to have found a small two room office. It is in the
place owned by Campus Cruisade For Christ in
Prague
. We plan to move there in September. We find that a real blessing from the
Lord.
A New Strategy
We started one year ago to discuss with the board the new
strategy for Parakletos. Because the need for what we do is so extensive we
realize that we cannot accomplish our vision without having others involved with
us. We wish to build a base and resources for other staff people to join us. We
pray that God would give us what we need and send us the right people. We have
been considering one man and seek God’s discernment and pray for several
others. In October we plan to have a big board meeting in
Milwaukee
,
WI
. There we want to discuss practical steps for future.
Family
Kristyna returned from her mission trip to
Thailand
and Philipines. She was involved there in evangelism with students and in a
church in
Manila
. It had a strong impact on her. Jana is finishing the school year at the end of
June. Then she is going to the evangelism camp with one Christian group. We wish
to have some time together in summer as a family. It may be the last holiday of
all of us because Kristyna is going to
St. Andrews
University
in
Scotland
in the Fall.
Petra
, our assisstant, and Julia, decided to proceed with their study of theology and
pastoral counseling in the program which has been developed for Christians from
Eastern Europe
. That is an equipment for their ministry to women which is part of Parakletos.
Thank you for your
prayers and support! God's blessings!
Pavel and Julia
Parakletos News Letter
September 2006
Greetings from
Prague
! We hope that you had a good summer!
We had a really good summertime. We were on our holiday in
Croatia
which is a popular vacation place where many Czechs go to the sea. (The
Czech
Republic
is an inland country with no sea). For
the first time we were on our vacation for two weeks. It was a wonderful time
for all of us. We really enjoyed the rest. We had an apartment with the view of
the beach. So we just got of to the balcony and had a marvelous very relaxing
view. I suggested to our girls that I would collect an entrance fee from them
for the exclusive panorama sight. And even serve them coffee for a good price.
They disagreed. But it was so nice to sit there and chat and drink coffee
anyway.
Part
of the time we were at the beach, part of the time traveled around, we read
Bible together every morning and one missionary story book in the night and
talked a lot and enjoyed each other’s company greatly. We
really rested and felt that our fatigue was gradually decreasing. After we
returned we felt new strength.
Also
Petra
had a good holiday in
Scotland
. She walked the
West Highland Way
and The Great Glen Way, enjoying the beauty and the difference of the Scottish
landscape. That reminded her of the greatness of God-Creator. Some pictures to
share with you:
Late Activities
In July Pavel and Julia were speakers at one church retreat in
Slovakia
. We spoke there about different aspects of relationships. Relationship with
God, relationships in marriage and relationships in the fellowship. Apart of the
morning programs we had many counseling meetings and the night for couples and
another two nights for young people from the church. One afternoon we made with
Julia a hiking trip to the mountains. We really enjoyed the people. God
obviously prepared that time. It was one of those occasions where you realize
that it could have not happened without God being involved from the start. After
the week we received the letter from the pastor of the church in which he
described some people who made significant decisions after they returned back
home. Pastor described one man who was crying when he told him that he decided
to do something about his excessive drinking problem because, as he said, he
realized that he needed the close relationship with Jesus. Another man decided
to take responsibility for his life and face difficulties as “a man of courage
rather than a coward”, as he said. Even after return we still keep in touch
with some people by email.
 At
the end of August Pavel spoke at the conference of several churches in Pisek.
Pavel spoke about marriage, family and sexuality. There was a very good
response. As result we have several invitations from participants to visit their
churches and have seminars for them.
Board meeting in the
USA
In October we plan to have a board meeting in
Milwaukee
,
Wisconsin
. That will be the key meeting of the Czech and US parts of board together. We
would like to discuss the vision and mission but main part will be the
discussion about the strategy of Parakletos for the future. We realize that the
need and also the opportunity for ministry to pastors, marriages, families,
churches and individuals in our country is so overwhelming that it takes many
more people to accomplish the calling which we have. In the last four years we
were able to be involved with many people but there are many more. For
Parakletos to have more substantial impact it requires two things, a stronger
base of support and resources and the new people to join us. The idea is for
Pavel to change his role and to give more attention to the base development and
within next four years to have several new co-workers to be involved in the
systematic development of specific programs for pastors, marriages, lay
counseling, women and men. We are very excited about that. And we would
appreciate your prayers for the board meeting and for clarity of direction for
Parakletos.
Team
We have our new office and we really enjoy it. We are still bringing some
more pieces of furniture and trying to find the best way to arrange the place
for our needs. We have two rather small rooms. One more administrative with two
tables for Julia and for
Petra
. And the other is for meetings with individuals and small groups. It can set up
to 8 people. We are very thankful to God for the place.
Prayer Request
We live with many needs of different people. And we realize our
weaknesses. We feel tired more often and need to respect changes in our bodies
and find some ways to rest, what is not always easy in the midst of pressures we
live with. Pavel was also lately offered several leading positions in the church
and in the Theological Seminary. All that leads us to the prayer for wisdom to
accomplish the vision we have from God. We would appreciate your prayers that we
always know what is and what is not from God.
Family
Kristyna, our 20 years old daughter, leaves for the college in
Scotland
in a few days. That will be a new situation for her and for us too. She has
grown into a young lady committed to Christ and involved in different sorts of
ministry. It has been a privilege to
observe her to live with God, grow and mature. Jana, her 18 years old sister,
has one more year of high school. It is going to be a difficult year at the
school. But she is also considering to be involved in Czech branch of Young Life
as a leader. Julia and
Petra
are in process of admission to the MA in theology and pastoral care. Julia
needs to visit her mom in
Slovakia
several times a year after her father passed away one year ago. Julia also met
with the girl Linda who stayed with us for about 8 months a year ago after being
beaten by her father. Linda decided to return back home but left her father
again. We then did not have any contact with her but she contacted by herself
Julia in June and they met. Linda wanted an advise in her quite difficult life
situation. Last week she met with both of us and it was very good meeting. She
is still in our hearts and we desire that she knows Christ one day.
Thank you for your prayers and support! God's blessings!
Pavel and Julia
News Letter December 2006
Board Meeting in Milwaukee
In early October
we had our board meeting in Milwaukee, WI. It was for the first time when the
parts of board in the US and the Czech Republic met together. It was a very
important meeting. We discussed critical long-term issues like our vision and
mission, values and our strategy for future. It was very exciting time of
evaluating how God has led us up until now and looking with a new hope and faith
to the future. Our hearts were filled with thankfulness for what God has already
done. We all felt unity of spirit and God’s presence. It was time of
refreshing discussions about the vision which God has given us. And we were able
to discuss very specific next steps we need to take. The meeting was started by
Rev.
Don Smith
by the passage from Josue about Israelites crossing the Jordan river and
carrying stones to build an altar. As memory of the meeting we all took stones
with us to remind us of that significant meeting. We all felt that it was very
important time and we decided to have those whole board meetings
every year if our financial situation makes that possible.
New Strategy
One lesson which
we learned in the last four years is that the need for what we do is so
overwhelming and the opportunity it represents for the church in the Czech
Republic is great that we know that we cannot accomplish our vision without
significant change. We want to think beyond our current limitations in trust to
the Lord. We do not want to limit Him by lack of faith. So we have been thinking
through the plan to expand our ministry. Our plan is to build a base and train a
few more people who will work with us overseeing specific programs. One program
for pastors. We have been working with six pastors a year but the need is much
bigger. We wish to work out and offer a two years pakage of individual
pastor‘s development and support with the idea that when pastor has been
invested into he will live with a greater peace, his ministry will be more
effective and he will invest into others in his church.
Similarly we would like to develop other programs for marriage and
family, lay counseling and seminars and conferences. Our new stated vision is, We
exist to facilitate the church to be a safe, honest, and intimate place to meet,
know and grow in Christ and His Body. Our desire is to see the church to be
a healthy flourishing place where people grow and touch meaningfully each other.
In last years we have learned and tried to do it. We think that we know how to
do that and we need to increase our capacity by having more people working with
us.
Our office
Part of the base
is the office space. We have had a new office starting in September. That is
possible because of a donation towards the office rent. The office has been a
real blessing. We have a place where we can work, have meetings, discuss and
plan things as a team. We have been still furnishing it. And we really enjoy now
having a place to work for each of us. It helps us to function as an
organization.
DVD about Parakletos
In November Prague
visited Wesley McKnight who is working on a DVD about our ministry. Wesley
studies at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School in Deerfield, Il. He lived in the
Czech Republic for 13 years with his missionary family. Wesley speaks Czech
language perfectly and that made his work much easier. He worked hard in
recording many interviews with people here and he recorded some of our meetings
and seminars. He works on the project free in his free time. So we appreciate
his work very much.
Třinec Marriage Conference
Pavel was speaking
at the Marriage Conference in Třinec in November. About 150 people
participated. The response was very positive. It was rather new for some people
in that church to speak in that way about such topic. As the pastor of that
church said people tend to pretend that their marriages do not have problems
even though the reality is different. The talks addressed practical issues in
marital intimacy. And the participants gradually gained confidence to speak of
their real concerns. At the end many people came individually to share their
struggles and asked for an advise. In his final evaluation the pastor expressed
an appreciation because the conference met his expectations. His desire was for
people in the church to be more real and open about what they experience in
their lives. Pavel was accompanied by Wesley and Amy and Craig Thompson who
spoke at the conference too. Amy and Craig visited us because especially Amy is
exploring possibilities of working with us.
Continuing Activities
Apart from our
continuing regular activities Pavel spoke at the annual Evangelical Theological
Conference. He spoke about role of man in family and it seemed to have been
appreciated. The conference is always the time to meet people from different
churches. We had one pastor with us during that time and it was good to spend
time together and understand better his struggles and hopes. He said that the
whole time was refreshing and encouraging for him.
Personal
Julia has been
admitted to the M.A. in Theology in pastoral counseling program. It is an
extension program and she will start in Spring. The courses are partially in a
place in Austria and partially in the Czech Republic. The program is in English
and Julia considers that to be challenging. She will appreciate your prayers.
Our daughter Kristyna started in September her study in Scottland. She
likes her school and has had many friends. She is also involved in the Christian
student orgranization and in worship in her church. Jana has last year of her
high school. At her school she will do two sets of exams, an International Baccalaureate and Czech graduation exams. It is a hard year with a lot of work. Jana
works hard and even though she is under a lot of stress but has been managing.
Petra has been facing tensions related to her other than Parakletos
part-time job. There have been requirements
Navrat Publishing
House 15 years anniversary
Thank
you for your prayers and support! God's blessings!
Pavel and Julia
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