HOWEVER, we want to report that we have been having a great time here! The first few days were mostly getting set up (and recovering from jet-lag!), getting art supplies, coming together as a team (both the US team and the church we are working with here), learning about the Czech Republic and its history and culture.
On Tuesday, we dove into what will be our more or less regular schedule for the next two weeks. We are in a large tent in one of the squares in the city (within sight of the river). In the morning, we spend time in devotions and prayer, and then in our individual art activities. After lunch at a local cafe, we start the free workshops. There are a LOT of people walking through the square, so we have many people dropping in to the tent, curious to see what all these crazy artists (5 of us working on creating art, plus a photographer/journalist and a bunch of the people from the church) are working on. We are open to people of all ages just dropping in and joining various learning sessions. Not surprisingly, my table of clay attracts a lot of kids! I have kids from probably around 6 or 8, up to much older "kids" in their 20's and 30's. (I'm convinced that picking up a lump of clay will bring out the child again in almost anyone!) It's pretty crazy, with up to 6 or 8 people all working at once. Depending on who is there, or when they come, or how much "instruction" they need, I may be teaching a specific project, or just helping people out as they dive in and start making whatever is on their mind. Technically, the workshops start at 3:00, but it's hard to turn down a bunch of excited kids at 1:30 or 2:00 when we get back from lunch, so by the time 5:00 rolls around, I'm pretty whipped. Happy, but exhausted!
After dinner, the local church is putting on either music concerts or teaching seminars in the tent, so we have to clean up all our stuff (and I have to clean all my tools and clean the mud off the table :-/) before we leave for dinner. One of my hardest things is getting all my students to stop in time for me to clean up!
It's an amazing, diverse team. I'll try to describe them more later, but for now, I have to get to bed, since the alarm will go off all too early in the morning tomorrow!
Keep praying for good, meaningful conversations, for good communication across the language barrier, and for good health for the team.
Blessings!
It's an amazing, diverse team. I'll try to describe them more later, but for now, I have to get to bed, since the alarm will go off all too early in the morning tomorrow!
Keep praying for good, meaningful conversations, for good communication across the language barrier, and for good health for the team.
Blessings!
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