Heritage Tour: Prague

I'm finally getting to post my last pictures from our tour across Europe! Prague was BEAUTIFUL this year. Last time I was there, I remember snow and cold. The time before that, it was just dreary.  This time it was sunny with a beautiful blue sky.

 First we walked across the famous Charles Bridge. It was packed with people, but still really enjoyable. I had a guide book (courtesy Shay) that told me who all the statues were. Last time I had no idea about anyone. (although, knowing the name of the saint isn't always helpful. Knowing a name isn't interesting if you don't know the story)

This is my best photo from the bridge and maybe even the day. However, I don't know which saint this is. The balloon looked like a "historic" hot air balloon that you could pay to have rides in!

The cathedral/church downtown which is so fun inside!  The top of it looks like a fairy tale castle. 

A plaque at Bethlehem Chapel. 

Loosely translated "Here lived Mister Jan Hus (John Goose)"

Mural on Bethlehem Chapel wall:

Jan Hus actually was martyred on my birthday (July 6) in 1415. 

Makes him one of my favourite "reformers" even though he was really just a dissenter before the reformation actually happened. Someone once said that if the Catholic Church had listened to Jan Hus there would have been no need for the reformation (or it would have happened in a nicer way... something like that). 

While in Prague, Shay had the most exciting discovery of the whole tour. His name on something!  Look really close...  

That car dealership sells such high end cars as Lamborghini, Bentley, Audi, and Aston Martin. 

Shay hopes its a relative. I think finding out is a great reason to go back to Prague.

This was a beautiful little bookstore that sold English books!  (can you see that little UK flag? English section!)  I hadn't seen a bookstore like this ever...

Floor the ceiling books, with a cute little upper level that staff could walk around. I want a library, bookstore or cafe/bookstore like this one day.  I LOVE BOOKS!

The "Dancing House" in Prague.  I think it is some pretty cool architecture although it is so strange against all the really old buildings.

The Golem!  I know practically nothing about this mythical creature from Prague. Well I know a little. But I will wait until we go back to Prague before I post more about him because I hope to do much more research on him next time I'm here. I haven't even gone to the Jewish Quarter of the city yet. This is definitely still on my "Must See" list. 

We were so blessed to still see roses in a rose garden. It was really cold in the evenings, but somehow the roses were still blooming. Here is Maria enjoying how fragrant they are. 

Shay picked me a rose and took off all the thorns so I could hold it. Then he and the other boys gave one to each of the other girls in the group. Such gentlemen.

Here you can see the Eiffel tower in Prague. We didn't go up, but we went to the base. I love this picture because you can see our group enjoying the walk. I love these guys!

 St. Wenceslaus Square

We had a great opportunity in Prague to do street ministry. It was super duper cold that evening but we had an hour on the square to talk to people and pray over everything that happens there. Prague is known as the Stag Party capital of Europe. Groups of people from Holland, England, or wherever come to Prague to drink and whatever else. I don't want to go as far as to say it is the Vegas of Europe, but it definitely has an industry built on sex and drinking.  The night we were there was a Friday evening, so you can imagine there were quite a few people out. 

My group ended up standing on a side street that God led us down, with one cabaret on one side of the street and another strip joint directly across from it. And we spent our whole hour there. We prayed, and worshiped, and talked to a guy from one group of men from Holland. We weren't able to talk to anyone specifically about God, but we definitely were active in changing the spiritual atmosphere there. Shay was a champ. It was his first time on the street like this, and did great. 

Below is the Museum at the end of St. Wenceslaus Square with a huge statue of the king. We met back here and it was all foggy, which made this picture super cool.  We also were standing next to a memorial for a guy who, during communism, soaked himself in gasoline and set himself on fire in the square as a sign of resistance. If that isn't radical for freedom, I don't know what is.  Apparently, during the Velvet Revolution there were half a million people in the square. (someone told me a million, but I can't find evidence anywhere else to back that up)

The pretty metro under the museum. 

 At the end of our visit to Prague we saw a protest march going across Charles bridge and probably up towards the government buildings by the castle. It was so noisy, we could hear it all the way up this hill. We aren't exactly sure what its about, but probably connected to all the "Occupy" protests happening across the world.

Prague was such a highlight of the trip for me. I love every city we go to, but I think that this time I realized how much more there still was to see in Prague, and how affordable it is compared to places that use Euro.  And having Starbucks coffee probably helped my mood. 

I saw this picture in the Starbucks in Prague. I hope that on outreach I'll be able to take a few absolutely beautiful pictures of people. Ones like this that I can blow up and put on a wall. 

PS: I still love comments. It lets me know someone out there is reading!

Heritage Tour: Germany

Germany was three days on our tour.   We were at Hurlach and Herrnhut YWAM bases. Both are amazing bases although very different from ours. Hurlach has been owned by YWAM since the Munich Olympics (did I say this last year?) and Herrnhut has over 100 students in their DTS. Can you imagine that many people eating supper? I couldn't either.

We spent an hour in downtown Augsburg one evening. I saw it in daylight last time. More stores were open... but I kinda like that night walking and photography.

Herrnhut is the birth place of the modern Moravian church. This is the cemetery.

These are some of the head stones. They were from the 1700's. Isn't that amazing?!?!

Next: Prague!

Heritage Tour: Switzerland

We have returned home from our tour!  Safe and sound in Slovakia, although VERY tired.

But I want to continue to tell you about our trip!  In Switzerland we stayed with YWAM families who showed so much hospitality to us. They actually had a wood pizza oven and we had a make your own pizza night!  That was AMAZING!

We spent time in Lausanne and Geneva. For many more pictures of those cities, look at last year's post. This was my favourite picture from both cities this year. (Its's from Lausanne)

And as always, I fell in love with the vineyards all over the mountainsides. 

And we were lucky enough to drive into Switzerland during the sunset. The Alps are just AMAZING!

I have at least two more posts, but more pictures than I will ever fit in two posts. The few I do put up will have to suffice.

Heritage Tour: Assisi

Today was AMAZING!  Even as my second time here, I absolutely adore this city! (is it a city? It's pretty small... but anyways: totally worth the whole trip!)

I'll just post a few pictures until I can give some other information. Fast posting means you just put up pictures. Hope you all fall in love with this pretty town where such a great group of people lived.

Francis' Hermitage

 My quiet time in an olive grove this morning. (photo credit to Shay)

 The Basilica 

Burke and Lizzie, two students on our school. They are an awesome couple. If you want to see the front of their faces, click on this link to go to their blog! 

The sunset was GREAT!

Heritage Tour: Rome

Hello from Italy!  After two days in beautiful Rome (with 28 degree weather) we are now in Assisi with wifi connection so that I can share these with you!  It will be so hard to choose pictures but here are a few of our time. I have plenty of the whole group, but I won't be sharing them on my blog to save the students' privacy. I hope you enjoy these though!

St. Peter's Basillica

Heritage Tour: Prague

Our last city on our tour.
All I can really say is WOW.  Prague is definitely a tourist destination.  Apparently people call it the city of 100 towers because there are so many towers and churches.  And it is beautiful.  Very beautiful.

The reason Prague was important to us was Jan Hus.   (John Goose in English)  He was a preacher, an academic (he was the rector of the university in Prague by the time he was 24), and a reformer.  He preached in Bethlehem chapel in Prague.

He preached that the entire congregation could drink of the cup at Eucharist (in the Catholic church only the priest would take of the cup) and the chalice became a symbol of his followers and theology.  He also condemned indulgences. So the Catholic church didn't really like him.  And he ended up being imprisoned, put on trial and charged with heresy.   He was burned at the stake July 6, 1415 and there is a national holiday in the Czech republic to commemorate his death. Interestingly, that just so happens to be my birthday as well.  However, there is a silver lining, the Catholic church has apologized for killing Hus, and has undone his excommunication.  Isn't that an act of reconciliation? Why don't people appreciate that?  Instead of hating on the catholic church for killing people, why can't they forgive?  I think that the Catholic church is to be commended for apologizing. And reconciliation can flow when the protestants no longer allow themselves to be bitter.  (sorry, that is my little mini sermon for the day).  

So Prague was amazing. We really enjoyed it, even though it rained at the very end of our stay. But I think it was God's way of telling us that we needed to go home now.   And we did.  

Heritage Tour: Germany

We spent our time in Germany at two YWAM bases...Hurlach and Herrnhut. And both blessed us so much.  And both were huge!  Hurlach base was actually was used during the Munich Olympics by YWAM.

They kept 1000 students in the building.  Three levels of bunk beds because the ceilings are really high.

It was a beautiful base.  And it was cool to think of the significance of the base.  The team that was here during the Olympics was important in reaching people from otherwise unreachable nations at the time (because even communist countries sent olympians).  Especially with what happened at the Munich Olympics (look it up for more information because its too detailed to explain here), having a Christian presence at the games was really significant to reaching people where they were at.

We also spent time at Herrnhut, which is a much newer base, they have only been around for six years or something. But they own a big old orphanage and they have almost 100 DTS students.  We have 4 students in our DTS.  We couldn't even comprehend the size of their DTS.

Their DTS actually left the same day we arrived, so we didn't get to meet their students.  Instead we saw the wake they left behind. Especially the washroom... 40 some girls in one bathroom... Yikes. 

But they use their space very efficiently.  It is an arts focused DTS, so they do photography, graphic design, fine arts, music, and handicrafts all for the kingdom.  Knitting for God. I love it! And I know lots of people who this would resonate with.  They have state of the art equipment, I didn't try to count the number of Mac computers.  They have two dark rooms.  They have a cafe in the building! 

I don't regret choosing the Slovak DTS, but if you like arts and can handle living in a room with up to seven other girls/guys and speak either English or German... this is an amazing option! 

We also learned a bit about the town of Herrnhut.  The town actually began when this nice count decided to let religious refugee people live on his land.  They were fleeing persecution from the Catholics I believe...  And Count Zinsendorf realized that these people were part of the Ancient Moravian Church that had been driven underground.  Along the way there was a pouring out of the Holy Spirit on the believers in the town, essentially a revival took place.  The modern Moravian church was essentially begun in Herrnhut, and it became a missionary sending church.  They sent missionaries to Africa, Asia, North America, Central America.  The stories are amazing.  Moravian missionaries were significant in the spiritual growth of John Wesley (and if you don't know his story please read it! wikipedia) They ministered to slaves in the Caribbean.  There were something like 200 missionaries sent out from this little town in the first 10 or 20 years of the church.  I'm really not doing the story justice, but it is very inspiring.  I appreciated hearing it.

This is the Moravian Church in Herrnhut that was rebuilt after world war two. It is completely white, as the congregation is considered to bring the colour and decoration to the building.

And Herrnhut is also known for these:

The Herrnhut or Moravian Star.  

All I really know about those is that they are a sign of Christmas and are very very expensive. A tiny one smaller than my hand was 8 euro or something.  CRAZY!

We also talked about Luther in Germany, but since people talk about Luther all the time I figured that I would just tell you to watch the movie if you don't know about him. :) 

Now we are off to the Czech Republic!

Heritage Tour: Switzerland

Switzerland was interesting for so many different reasons!  The first YWAM base is in Switzerland, so we were lucky enough to go and visit that base. It was beautiful!

And it is amazing to think about how many lives have been changed in the base. And how many more lives were changed because those people went out into the world.  That is the cool thing about YWAM, it doesn't stop with the students.  I know someone who received direction from God to go to Albania while it was still a closed country at this base. I know another couple who received a prophetic word about their relationship here at this base.  So many "lifer" YWAMers have gone through this base, and moved onto starting other bases, and other ministries like Mercy Ships. WOW. God obviously has given this building and organization an anointing of his direction.

We visited other significant places like this former hotel where reconciliation talks happened after world war two.  It was led by Christian groups by my understanding, and I think it was French Christians and Germans.  But don't quote me on that one.

One other amazing story from Switzerland is from the time of the Roman Empire.  There were some rebels making an issue in Switzerland, so the Emperor dispatched a legion of troops from Egypt to go deal with the problem. He figured that they could handle it best because they are so far removed that they wouldn't take the rebels side. However, this group of soldiers were Coptic Christians. And when they got to Switzerland, they realized that these rebels were Christians too. So they refused to put down the uprising. They wouldn't kill the Christians rebels.  So to get them to comply, the emperor ordered that every tenth soldier be killed. The group was "decimated"... now you know what that word means.  That happened, but they still wouldn't comply.  So they did it again, and again, and again.... until all 6000 men were dead.   You can read more on wikipedia.

Some people think that there is continued grace over Switzerland because of the blood of those martyrs.  It is a pretty amazing story. (However, we didn't go to the church dedicated to St. Maurice, their leader).

However, we did spend time in Geneva learning about the Protestant Reformation.  And to tell you the truth, all the reformation stuff was the least interesting to me on the tour.  I do find Luther interesting, and I obviously am a protestant, but somehow the way that they went about it isn't as inspiring to me as other stories.  But that didn't stop me from wanting to have my picture taken with four famous reformers!

These are (left to right) Farel, Calvin, Beze, and Knox.  

It was strange in Switzerland to walk into big beautiful Cathedrals built by the Catholic church that are now used as protestant churches.  We found it very strange, and it actually felt different in the space. It was really sad to see how much less respect these churches get than Catholic churches that are still consecrated.  

Although the churches have beautiful organs in Switzerland.

Lastly, we also went to the UN and talked about how we as Christians are called to influence the world and bring God's Kingdom to earth. That it isn't enough to just make sure everyone is saved, God also wants us to reform our societies so they abide by his principles and can actually function better because of it.  And interestingly there was a protest going on when we arrived, so that was quite an experience as well. It was a group that wants sovereignty from Ethiopia I think... 

So from Geneva we drove into southern Germany, and it was very sad that most of the way it was dark so I didn't see nearly enough of the alps. But Germany was quite the adventure...