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| Greetings in Christ from the Czech Republic! If God is for us, who is against us? He who did not spare His Own Son, how will He not freely give us all things? Rom. 8 Thank you for praying for the English camp. It was a very fruitful time. The gospel was shared clearly, and people responded. We have people to follow up. Please pray for wisdom, diligence, and further openness to God! We were once again encouraged to see how the Lord answered specific prayers for hearts to be open. The hard work of putting on the camp was worth it, as people who normally are not in contact with God’s truth lived with Christians, read God’s Word, and repeatedly heard the gospel. As I have heard from others who put on camps this year, it still seems like this is a method that is being blessed in this culture. Praise God, and thank you for your prayers! Nate is leaving August 13! He will be traveling by himself and joining a program that Biola has for students from out of the country (either missionary kids or other internationals). We are so thankful that they have this program and are prepared to help these students who have grown up in another culture than the US get settled in. He still has been finishing things up all week: the editing of the Youth Praha CD and a final guys’ Bible study among them (the guys still want to meet for Bible study). Our little church will miss him, as he has led a lot of the music and been a leader in the teen ministry. It is encouraging to see how a few of the younger boys are rising to the challenge of him being gone. Please pray for Nate’s transition and for our transition here: both personally and for the ministries he has been involved in. The girls will be taking part in MK camp Aug. 13-20. This is the same camp that we organized, but now the International Church of Prague runs it. We are thankful that the camp has continued. Hannah and her good friend Wendy will be organizing music (Nate’s job last year). Marshall and I will be home alone for the week and are planning on meeting with people from camp and church, as well as doing projects to get ready for the new school year. I recently was reminded by a friend how much personal discipleship had meant to her during her university years. So, we are praying that the time with people that the Lord has brought in our paths would build people up for the sake of the gospel. Thank you. May God bless you and keep you! Marshall, Cathryn (Koko), Nate, Hannah and Krista Brown m.c.brown@vs.inext.cz | | |
| But when the fulness of the time came,
God sent forth his Son, born of a woman,
born under the law,
in order that He might redeem those who were under the law, that we might receive the adoption as sons. Galatians 4:4-5
Greetings in Christ! December 2010
We pray that you would have great joy this advent and Christmas season as you meditate upon what God has done for us. We are very thankful that we can be in a relationship with the God of the universe by His grace. May we each meditate upon that truth very often!!
Thank you also for praying for us. Here are some updates from this past month:
✟ I, Cathryn, had a wonderful time celebrating with my parents their Fiftieth Anniversary. The Lord and His faithfulness were lifted up.
✟ Marshall and the kids stayed very busy here. Marshall did double duty and more, as they had the elders spend the night for an extended time together and the band members another two nights for practices. Thank you for praying!
✟ The kids and their band, the Witness, had some amazing opportunities. They played two evangelistic concerts. One at our church, the other at a school in Prague in partnership with a local church in that area. At that opportunity, they were able to visit the school during the day, play some music in the gym for the whole school and do English classes for the older students (pictured below). They then invited the students to attend a concert at the place where the church meets in that area- the same day, and at the same time the church usually has an English club for teens. About 60 of the students came to that concert and heard the gospel. One of Nate’s good friends from school here in Tousen seems to have responded to the gospel. We praise God for these opportunities, and we ask for His wisdom in other things the kids should be involved in. They seem to have many possibilities. Please pray for these upcoming events:
✟Dec. 14-16: Their band will be visiting a school in southern Czech with students from the Christian school. They will play a concert. Pray for openness to spiritual things.
✟Dec. 16: They will return to Prague and play on Old Town Square.
✟ There are other opportunities- pray for wisdom in what things to do.
Christmas Festivities: Our church will have a special service on the afternoon of Dec. 19. We are inviting the children from Kids’ Club and their families, as well as other friends of the church.
✟The Czechs celebrate Christmas (without Christ) very intently. They have the tradition that baby Jesus brings the tree and presents on the evening of Dec. 24. As a nation, very few of them believe that Jesus, our victorious Savior became incarnate, redeemed us from our sins, and lives now. Pray that we as a church here would live victorious Christian lives that would make a difference. That we would be salt and light. ✟ Marshall will be preaching Dec. 26 (on his birthday)- pray that God’s Word would be mightily proclaimed.
May our victorious Lord dwell in your hearts by faith and make a huge difference to each of us!
Marshall, Cathryn, Nate, Hannah, and Krista Brown
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Greetings from the Browns in the Czech Republic, June 2009
Marshall recently began a time of prayer in our Czech church with this passage from Numbers:
“And whenever the cloud was lifted from over the tent, afterward the sons of Israel would then set out; and in the place where the cloud settled down, there the sons of Israel would camp....Whether it was two days or a month or a year that the cloud lingered over the tabernacle, staying above it, the sons of Israel remained camped and did not set out; but when it was lifted, they did set out. At the command of the Lord they set out; they kept the Lord’s charge...” Numbers 9: 17
This past month we experienced the Lord’s leading in a pretty direct way. Marshall was able to meet with the president of the Evangelical Theological Seminary. It was pretty clear that there is not a place for him at the school. The school has taken on a different direction that involves some emphasizes we are not excited about being a part of, plus they offered Marshall no place to teach or lead.
We are not surprised at this development, although we are sad. At the same time God has led us in different ways this past year in our lives and ministry, which we are thrilled about, and which we have written about in past letters. We are more involved in our local church, which is really what we would think of as a church plant. Marshall is the leading elder and is preaching often (going through Romans). We are all involved in the ministry: the kids in leading worship, the girls and I in the kids’ club, me in Sunday school. It has been a wonderful thing to minister as a family. Another area of ministry is that Marshall is involved in the research and writing of a book about an important Czech reformer, who lived the same time as Luther and Calvin, with many of the same views. It is to be published by a Czech publisher this year, Lord willing.
One huge decision, which we have made over a period of time, but many of you will hear for the first time, is that we have put the ministry house up for sale. There are a number of significant reasons and ways that the Lord has confirmed this for us. Houses are not selling very fast in this economy, so it might be on the market for a long time, but we have begun the process. Please pray for God’s grace in this decision, and that the right people buy the house. We don’t know what the future holds, but since we don’t have the need for a place for regular intensives, there is not really the need for us to have an entire house for them. We do still have our original set-up downstairs in our house here as a possibility, as well as the church in Celakovice, so, for occasional teaching opportunities these should be sufficient (or to house ministry teams!).
These are changes. (For us, the cloud moved.) We are so thankful that God is in control, and we seek Him to lead and guide us along this path of life. We are so thankful for you, and your involvement in the ministry here. We are praying that we will faithfully minister where the Lord leads for as long as He has us here.
May God be glorified! May He bless and keep you,
Marshall, Cathryn, Nate, Hannah, and Krista Brown
m.c.brown@vs.inext.cz
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| Greetings in the Lord for 2009!
Teach us to number our days, that we may present to You a heart of wisdom.
Psalm 90:12
We do not know the particulars that the Lord will bring into our lives this next year, nor the year after that. But we do know that His plans will be accomplished, and we desire to live wise lives in light of that. We are thankful for the time that God has given us here in the Czech Republic. I want to update you on some current activities, and ask for your continuing prayer.
Marshall has recently been investing time in two places. One, he has been preaching and leading in our local church. It is what we would consider a church plant, but with around 40 people attending most Sundays it is actually a good sized Czech church. We are looking forward to a past student, Milan, joining us as a pastor intern this year. We are praying to help in the transition and training time. Also, Marshall has been doing some research on the Reformation in the Czech lands. This has led to a lecture at a Theological conference here, and a published article in Banner of Truth in Jan. He has now been asked to write a book for a Czech publisher on three influential Czech Christians. We see this as a way to evangelize and deepen the knowledge of the way God has worked here, as often these mens’ love for our Lord is not known, only their contributions in a more secular way.
God has multiplied the missionaries in our family. On Hannah’s face book page she correctly identifies herself as a 15 year old missionary. The kids are involved in more and more ministry activities. Nate has led the worship team at their youth group, shepherding and organizing a group of around 15 for the weekly meetings. He also gives leadership to the music part of the worship at our church services twice a week. Hannah and Krista are involved in the music also. The girls help at the weekly kids’ club, where I also serve. I also see them actively trying to minister to their friends.
We are so thankful for these areas that the kids are being faithful to the Lord. Please pray that their, and our, love and knowledge of God would grow, and that we would be faithful in each revealed area. We will pray the same for you.
May God bless and keep you and make His face shine upon you and give you peace.
Sincerely, Marshall, Cathryn, Nate, Hannah, and Krista Brown
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| This gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all the nations, and then the end will come. Matthew 24:14 Greetings from the Czech Republic! December 2008 
As we look back at the past year we are thankful for what God has done and are looking forward to 2009. We appreciated the different opportunities God has brought into our lives this year. We have been more involved in the church planting effort close to our home. Marshall has been preaching and giving leadership as the head elder. The children have been a big part of service in this church and their international youth group in the area of music and youth ministry. I, Cathryn, have helped out in children’s ministry. We are thankful to be able to minister as a family during these years we have the kids in our house! Here is a picture of Nate (guitar), Krista (violin), and Hannah (piano) on a Thurs. night church service. They had the theme to dress crazy.. which you can especially see in Krista's funky hair style.. I though she looked like a Dr. Seuss character!
A new opportunity of ministry has recently opened up. Marshall has been able to continue pursuing his love of research, combining it with his knowledge of the Czech language and culture, by researching the Reformation period of Czech history. This has developed into an article that will soon be published in a journal, a lecture at the Theological conference, and more recently being asked to write a book on the subject for a Czech publisher. Please pray that in all we do we will be faithful and bold to be a testimony to the people here of the gospel. We will also pray for you; and we are thankful for all that you do to make our being here possible- both by prayer and financial support. THANK YOU!! May God bless and keep you. | | |
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