Does Art Matter?

  Those of you who have been partnering with us for the past couple of years should remember some of the stories from my trip with OM Arts to the city of Baja in southern Hungary in 2011. I wanted to share a story with you which I just heard a couple of weeks ago – one which speaks about the lasting impact of our short trip there.

  On that trip, one of our main objectives was to create a large scale piece of art which would be a part of the final concert in the main town square of Baja. The message we sensed from God was how He takes our brokenness and transforms it into beauty. He doesn't always "fix" things in our lives, but He takes those broken pieces and transforms them into something beautiful. The word we found in Hungarian which best communicated this transformation was, "Csodálatos", which means full of wonder and beauty and awe, and has the sense of birth and new life. We decided to do the piece as a "graffiti wall", on a 5' by 12' canvas.

  After we presented this piece live on stage for the concert, the local pastor we were working under in Baja had a strong sense that God wasn't finished with this word for his city. There was a particular bridge over the river which runs through Baja which was well known as an “evil” area, a place for drug use, drinking and other activities. The pastor's vision was to bring the Spirit of God into that place through our art. So, that evening, we took our stencils and spray paint and went to the walkway which passed under the bridge. After spraying over some of the obscenities there, we proceeded to put up the same graffiti art we had done at the concert, along with the Scripture from John 7:38 – "He who believes in Me, as the Scripture said, 'From his innermost being will flow rivers of living water.'"

  Since that time, I have always wondered about that bridge, and whether or not our work there had had a lasting impact. That's where the story continues...

  A little while ago I received a note from Pat Butler, who led the Hungary outreach. She had just received a message from the pastor:

By the way, the City Manager gave Baja a new theme or slogan that he was inspired to do... He passes under that bridge twice daily... Can u guess? Csodálatos Baja... It's on all their letterhead and tourist stuff... Makes one think! ps .... Thank U, for that summer together... Irreplaceable!

Stunning outreach! U Rock!

Looking forward to our next commission from God!

So, more than two years later, the word we left spray-painted on a bridge abutment along a walkway following the river is transforming the city of Baja!

Czech Republic, 2013:

  We are still working toward returning to the city of Prague in the Czech Republic with OM Arts this September. We look forward to sharing our sculpture and fiber arts again, connecting with people and challenging them to consider God's claims on their lives. We were able to interact with hundreds of people last year in the streets of Prague, and we look forward to cultivating those seeds we planted, and to the fruit of the Gospel as we co-labor with the Czech believers, reaching the lost!

  We have purchased our airline tickets, but are still a good distance from raising the approximately $5,000 needed overall for both of us for this trip.

  Please continue to pray about how God wants you to be a part of this outreach, how you can bless the people of Prague!