In Czech with GOD

Well, as some of you may know (and many may not) I am back in the United States.  I got back here on Friday evening (about 4:30 a.m. Czech time) so I’ve been resting and getting ready to leave to go to Harrisburg, Penn. on Wednesday.  I’ll explain more about what I’ll be doing there in a bit, but I want to give you all a brief summary of what I leaned while I was in Central Europe since this will probably be my last entry here.

The most important thing I learned while I was in Central Europe was to trust GOD and His absolute sovereignty. I know we all strive to do this, but it is so much different is a country where less than 1% are evangelical Christians.  When the fruit of seeing people being saved regularly, or even getting responses from people is rare I must trust GOD that He has all the world and universe in His hand.  I must trust the Gospel of my Savior in regards to knowing that Christ is the one who saves, not me.  I must not rely on my programs, speeches, apologetics, or clever arguments.  These things may be a secondary help at times, but ultimately it is the Holy Spirit who saves and He has been working for far longer than I have over in the Czech Republic and around the World.  GOD is not asleep, nor is He unaware.  He see’s it all from every perspective and so often I forget that.  GOD is at work in such subtle ways that if you did not look closely you would miss it!  From the relationships being built in the church or the English classes, to the ministries growing around the country (of Czech).  Seeing the students taking an interest in something bigger than themselves (the protest) is GOD working!  They may not even know it and I may not understand it, but that’s why I must trust in the sovereign hand of GOD who’s ways are infinitely loftier than mine.

Something that I learned personally the very last week I was in the Czech Republic was about the questions I ask. I was taking a walk by a river and talking to the LORD about returning to the Czech Republic full time (which is final now).  I was asking GOD what I’m to do in this in between time now that I’m going home.  I asked the question, “How am I going to spend my life?”  And immediately it occurred to me that I was asking the wrong question.  I should be asking, “How is the Holy Spirit going to spend my life?”  I can tell you that that question brought me more peace and confidence than the former question by a hundred fold.  I know what the LORD has for me in my life and that is in the Czech Republic as a full time missionary.

This summer trip was one more step towards full time missions over in the Czech Republic and I want to thank every single person who prayed for me (even if it was once) while I was in Europe and I also want to thank those go contributed financially.  I love you all and I thank GOD for you!

I hope to visit a lot of you who live in Richmond when I get back from Pennsylvania.  While I’m there I’ll be sitting in on candidate school at ABWE (Association of Baptist for World Evangelism).  I will be observing all that is required to become a full time missionary and in several months LORD willing I will truly participate in the class and become a full time missionary.

Again, thank you to everyone who took time to read this blog and I hope to see you soon!

Taylor Traficanti

Here is a video I’ve spent the past week working on.  It’s to the song “GOD of this city” by Chris Tomlin.

All of the photo’s from the student protest are under “extra photography.”  They are just a bit hidden about half way down the page.  Thanks for viewing and for praying!

Good evening!  Before I start I want to direct you to the “extra photography” section of this blog.  I have just added some photography from a student rally that was taking place while I was in Prague, CZ.  I went up there yesterday for a day trip and saw some pretty phenomenal sights.  Even though I went there last year it was still quite amazing to go back and see the city again.  I saw the castle once more and the culture of the Czech Republic.  Life in a huge city such as Prague is so much different than what I’m used to.  It is new and exciting, yet at the same time chaotic and rushed.  I want to focus on the student protest though because that captures the heartbeat of the Czech Republic.

In America (especially in Virginia) we are put through so many tests and we fill out so many scantrons.  Most in America go through all of grade school, high school, college, and some go to grad school (some go even further)!  By the time most people get through college they are a bit weary of school and want to go see the real world and get experience.  That is natural to have those feelings.  Every generation has them (don’t deny it)!  Indeed, even the students here in Czech have those feelings, but they take them one step further than simply expressing them verbally.

As I neared the Charles Bridge in Prague I heard shouts, whistles, and air-horns.  As I drew near I saw thousands of students holding signs and gathering together.  The police led the procession through the city to the main square which is called Wenceslas Square.  Now if any of you know your Czech history you know that every major revolution in the history of [Czechleslovakia] was started by students and always ended up in this square.  Indeed, students have died in this square for the ideal they were protesting for.  So the thousands of students marched to this square holding there signs and shouting the entire way.  I do not know Czech, nor can I read what the signs say.  However, I soon found out that the students were protesting a new standard of testing and education because they felt it wouldn’t teach them skills for the real world.  I was amazed that students who seemed to care little about anything felt this strongly about the exam process of their country.  These were mostly high school students who marched through the entire city desiring a change for the better of…themselves? …a future generation?  Who?  and Why!?  It simply astounds me that these students who were probably atheist or agnostic were doing this.  It is my Christian university student training that always has me looking at the presuppositions of actions and questioning the motives.  Yes, you seem to care about the education of yourself and your peers, but do you protest simply to protest?  The whole event was supposed to last until 16:00 (4:00 p.m.), but ended a couple hours early because students simply wandered off.  Did these students really care about this?  I do not know what the hearts of these students are.  It is saddening to see that they care nothing of GOD their Creator, but seek to better the life they live here and even then seem disinterested.  I have never seen such hard soil.

Acts 2:44-45 “All the believers were together and had everything in common.  Selling their possessions and goods, they gave to anyone as he had need.”

I posted two pictures of the Roma people under “extra photography.”  People sometimes ask me, “What has been the coolest thing you’ve seen so far in Europe?” After thinking about it I would certainly say, “The Roma church in Slovakia.”  I want to again emphasize what it means to be a believer and a Gypsy in Central Europe.  The Roma people are looked down upon by all of Europe.  Europeans consider them “not truly european” or simply blemishes in society.  Therefore, the Roma people cling together in their own communities and also shun the Europeans living around them.  However, once a Roma person becomes a believer in Christ they no longer belong to either camp.  They are still shunned by everyone in Europe because they are “Gypsy” and they are also shunned by their close knit Roma community because they are a believer in Jesus.

The church we visited was so inviting and loving it was incredible.  The typical Roma in general don’t care about Europeans and certainly don’t care about Americans.  However, the Believing Roma loved us immediately within minutes of meeting us.  No longer was it “Americans” and “Roma”,  Rather, it was “Bondservants of Christ.”  That was it…that is all we were.  This was the first time i’ve really experienced something close to the model of the church presented to us in Acts chapter two.  Am I saying that the Roma church is the perfect church? Of course not.  I am not so naive as to assume that.  I will share just a few more things that will reveal how this church knew what it meant to love and be of one spirit in Christ.

Some of the Roma that I spent time with couldn’t afford both water and electricity at the same time.  They had left school many years before and their family wanted nothing to do with them because of their faith in Christ.  Instead of sitting around and wondering what to do or trying to simply get a job to sustain them they were raising money to go on mission trips.  The LORD has blessed me with an amazing believing family and i’ve never known what it is to not have water or electricity and so often I am claiming I am a “poor college student.”  I want to banish that term forever from America.  If you are in college you are not poor.  If you can pay for school and your bills you are rich.  Some of these people had nothing by American standards, but they were still relentlessly pursuing mission work and support raising to spread the renown of the Lord GOD!

I am not bashing any church in any country.  I simply presenting to you how these group of believers (church) really helped me to see what unity in Christ really is.  I hope that you saw a bit of it too.

Once more (I shall never tire of saying this) Thank you to everyone who has prayed for me!  It is appreciated more than you know and I in turn hope you have seen how the LORD has shown me marvelous things!

Hey everyone!  I just added about nine new photo’s to the extra photography page.  I am aware of the long load time for the photo’s but they are certainly worth the look!  I hope you enjoy them!  

Also, be sure to read the most recent post below!

When I could barely stand…

A couple days ago we had several people from the church over here (at the missionary’s house) and one gentleman who is only several years older than me asked if I wanted to go mountain biking with him.  This is the same gentleman who I help with english every week.  I recalled during one of the lessons that he usually bikes around 60 km (37 mi) at a time through the mountains.  Now, I am not really an avid biker or hiker, but I knew that if I was to build a friendship with him this would be my opportunity.  I also know myself and that if I didn’t go the first time offered it was highly unlikely that I would ever go.  So I decided that I would go because that is why I am here…to build friendships and relationships for the long term.  

So Saturday morning came around and he came to pick me up and he had his own mountain bike, special peddles, and all of the legit clothes.  Then there is me… running shoes, shorts, and a workout shirt.  We went and got my bike from a friend of his (which was a really nice bike I might add) and began the trail.  At first I was doing really well (because it was just roads and flat trails) and then we came to a fork in the road.  He stopped and said, “Flat or mountains?” The night before I had thought, “I’ll just do the flat and it won’t be too hard.”  However, when he asked me it was like I had something to prove and I said, “Mountains.” He said, “Are you sure?” and he implied the angle of the trails with a motion of his hand (which was very steep) and I said, “oh yeah, I ride the bike at the gym at an incline” (Hah. I know now that they don’t compare at all).  So on we went through the mountains and villages

During the course of the trip I saw some of the amazing country side of the Czech Republic.  I would have taken pictures, but it was not wise to bring my camera along.  To see people tucked away in the mountains and villages was so… what is the word?  …concerning.  To know that these people had their own lives back in these tiny villages and they too were created in the image of GOD; yet, they probably never even think about GOD.  Maybe you think I am assuming too much about what I do not know, but I don’t think I am because I am not ignorant.  It is for those reasons I took this bike ride.  I could have sat in the house and browsed facebook all day.  I wanted to get out and see to the world I’ve never even heard of …the back towns of Southern Bohemia, CZ.  To simply ride by and watch these people as they watched me was very interesting.  Just like when I was in Hungary I saw them not as just people living, rather I saw them as souls who will spend eternity somewhere… I could continue typing about how badly we need workers over here…and not just here but everywhere!  However, I will keep the entry light.

Okay, this next part you might find funny because my friend who I was riding with found it hilarious.  We were biking through this one town and I looked and just ahead of me was a rooster!  Maybe I could be wrong or maybe I just do not remember, but I don’t think i’ve ever seen a rooster up close in real life!  So I stopped and I shouted to my friend and said, “Rooster!” and he looked at me like I was an idiot. I told him how i’ve never seen one in real life and it took a while for me to convince him that I was telling the truth.  He then had to stop because he was laughing so hard.  Apparently in the Czech Republic they have 10 roosters for every 1 person.  How’d I miss that?

Anyway! I’ll wrap this entry up.  You may be wondering why I took so much time to write about a bike ride.  I write about this to show that I’m not just doing graphic design over here.  I’m getting out there in to GOD’s world and seeing the sights tourists never ever see.  I’m building friendships and keeping the long term in mind.  There is so much more about this bike ride I could share, but I will keep it at this and I want to take this opportunity to thank all of you who are praying for me.  GOD is working and He never stops!  

p.s. We rode 40 km (25 miles) that day.

Okay, I just finished, “The Gospel” entry and now i’ll get to the other stuff that is going on.  I have been on a fairly routine schedule for graphic design.  Right now I’m working on a brochure (that is looking rather nice I might add) for Ron and for the Czech Republic mission field specifically.  I am kept quite busy by the amount of work that i’ll be doing here for graphic design.  However, I’m not simply sitting in a dark corner with my laptop clicking and staring at the screen all day long.  

This past Saturday Ron and I drove to Bruno, CZ which is a city about three hours away.  Word of Life Czech was putting on a futball tournament and Ron was playing.  I went along because some people I met in Slovakia would be there and there were guys from the Seminary in Ceske Krumlov, CZ that I wanted to meet and get to know.  So we woke up at 4 a.m. (10 pm your time!) and headed down there.  It was so cold there, but I had a blast watching the street futball and talking with my new friends.  Yesterday (Monday) I had the opportunity to have a Czech lesson which I will have weekly.  Czech is a very difficult language to learn especially since I cannot roll my r’s ha!  That same day I was able to teach english to one of the gentlemen who attends the church here.  It was a great lesson and he knew more english than I knew Czech respectively.  I’m really trying to build relationships with as many people here as I can and teaching english is a great way to do that!  

We are right on the outskirts of a town called, “Ceske Budejovice” and in my humble opinion that is a really big city! Most cities are really big for me though because I live in Lynchburg… So we (the interns) don’t have a car and have to take the bus in to town or anywhere outside of the neighborhood.  Ron taught us the bus system and we all caught on fairly quickly.  Tonight we (interns) decided to have a night out so we caught a bus (we barely made it) and rode into Budejovice.  It was so wonderful because all the tourists were gone and we were able to go to a coffee shop and look out over the square and watch the sunset while drinking espresso.  That is Europe right there!  Man!

I always write the title to these posts last because it’s easier to summarize an entry once everything is… typed.  This past week I have been working on graphic design for Ron (the missionary here) and really learning so much about the Gospel.  I know I can sometimes tend to preach in these entries, but that is a main point!  If you wanted to read a blog only about what I am doing in graphic design you would be bored quite quickly.  However, if this blog is about what GOD is doing in my heart and all around me then it quickly becomes much more than just a blog.  

As I have written several times before: the Gospel changes people.  For so long I used to think that the Gospel was something that happened at a one time event and I must look back to that event in order to draw fresh water from Jesus.  That is not the Gospel though.  Look at Paul’s epistles:  In almost every letter Paul writes he lays out the Gospel in detail (Romans for example).  The amazing thing is when you look at the greetings of those same letters they are all written to… (can you guess?) Saints! Church members, Christians, Believers.  The Gospel is indeed a one time event that happened on the cross and was put in to effect when GOD chose to reveal Himself to us.  However, GOD’s mercy is new every single morning.  The Gospel is what saves and what sanctifies.  It is for the unbeliever, the new in faith, and the seasoned saint.  There is nothing that can top the Gospel!  It is ALL WE NEED FOR LIFE AND GODLINESS!  So to end this short devotion: Preach the Gospel…to yourself!…every single morning.

Settled in…

Good evening from the Czech Republic!  It’s almost 10:00 p.m. here so that means most of you are getting to head home for the day (it is 4:00 p.m. there).  The five country tour has come to an end and I’m sad to see it so.  It was an incredible trip and I miss all of the people I’ve met.  I haven’t forgotten about Part two of the Gypsy church, but I have been so busy.  Even though I am not rushing around from city to city I have begun my graphic design internship and that takes up almost all of my day.  I truly could write so much about all that we did while in Slovakia (the last country of the tour).  Out of the five countries we were in the majority of the time was spent in the Czech Republic, Hungary, and Slovakia.  We went to two different parts of Slovakia and on Tuesday we returned from there to the Czech Republic (henceforth called “CR”).

I learned a lot from the latter part of the trip to Slovakia.  I made several friends there that I hope to see this weekend as they travel up here for a futball match.  I was also given the honor of sharing my testimony at the local church in Bratislava, Slovakia.  I have learned how to effectively share my testimony, and this is by leaving me out of most of it!  It is not I who reached out to GOD. GOD reached out to me when I was dead in my sin.  It was not I who had faith.  GOD gave me faith as He announced what Christ had done for me.  It was not I who sanctified myself.  Christ shone his light on my evil heart and gave me the strength to surrender those evil parts of my heart and I continue to do so!  A testimony is a beautiful narrative of Ephesians 2:10 “For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.”

That was such an honor to be able to hang out with those in Slovakia.  Anyway, back to CR.  The rest of the team has gone back to America and the LORD brought them back to their homes safely.  The only one’s that remain are me, Mia, and Jessica.  They are also from Liberty and are doing women’s ministry/youth ministry internships.  So that is all for tonight!  Thank you all so much for your prayers and I’ll do my best to post more photography as quickly as I can!  May the LORD bless you!