Latest Report Available

A new report on the work here in the Czech Republic (November through mid-December) can be downloaded from http://www.baxleys.info/, under the heading "Reports - pdf" (in pdf format) or under "Current Report" (for reading on-line).

Bible Study for Joy and Profit

I have been reading a new book put out by brother Charlie Brackett entitled "Bible Study for Joy and Profit". I highly recommend this book for new Christians, and not-so-new Christians as well. It is set up with chapters followed by questions, so can be used not only for individual study, but also for Bible classes. It can be ordered from http://www.clarionword.com/.

Snow, snow, snow!

We had a nice snowfall yesterday, and then another today. Here are a couple of photos I took yesterday while it was still snowing. The snow today was about as much as it was yesterday. In 15 years living in the Czech Republic, I can't remember this much snow this early in November. If the weatherman is to be believed, a lot of it will melt in the coming days. The kids hope not, but I sure hope he's right!

All Souls' Day

November 2 is All Souls' Day in the Roman Catholic Church. Although most Czechs are atheists, they still keep November 2 as a day of remembrance for their departed relatives (something very much like Memorial Day in the U.S.). Traditionally, they visit the gravesites, cleaning them up, placing flowers, wreaths, and candles. They often travel quite a long distance to do this, returning to their native towns where parents, grandparents and other family members are buried. When November 2 falls during the week, most people do this either the weekend before or the weekend after the holiday. The burning candles (usually in red glass jars) make the cemetaries eerily beautiful at night. I thought I would take some photos this year of our local cemetary here in Horní Jelení, just before its gates were locked for the night.

Photos, Cemetary in Horní Jelení

New Report Available

A new report on the work here in the Czech Republic (September & October) can be downloaded from http://www.baxleys.info/, under the heading "Reports - pdf" (in pdf format) or under "Current Report" (for reading on-line).

Fall Colors

We went to visit Ivana's parents for Sunday lunch today. It was a beautiful fall day for a drive. We especially enjoyed the seemingly endless varieties of color that God's creation provides us this time of the year. After getting home, we found our furnace malfunctioning, so tomorrow will begin the race to find someone to come and fix it (technicians tend to be busy this time of the year). Thankfully the weather is not too cold ... yet!

First Snow

Last year, we hardly had any winter at all, it would seem this year that winter is going to come a bit early. We had a cold front come through, and we actually had some snow and sleet, not enough to accumulate, but enough to remind us what we can expect in a normal year here in Central Europe. The sky was beautiful around sunset, so I took some photos of the clouds. The camera (or maybe I should say the photographer) didn't do them justice!

English Bible Conversation in Holice

In September, we also started a Bible Conversation class in Holice, a small city with about 5,000 people located about 5 miles from our home in Horní Jelení. Unfortunately, only three people joined this course. Of those three, two dropped out after two sessions. After speaking with the third student, he and I both decided it would be better if he came to Horní Jelení to join the group here. So, starting next week, he'll be coming to the group which meets in our home. So, for this fall, instead of two groups meeting in two different cities, we'll have one group meeting in our home. I was surprised and disappointed that there wasn't more interest in this kind of a class in Holice, especially since Holice has about 3,000 more people than our home town.

Autumn Storm

Storms are not as common in the Czech Republic as in Texas. Most of the time here it just rains. Every once in a while, though, we get a nice show. This evening, a heavy rain storm moved through Horní Jelení and then continued on towards the northeast, the sun came out right after the storm, shining its light back towards the dark clouds and falling rain, producing a beautiful double rainbow. One immediately remembers God's promise after the flood:

Then God said to Noah and to his sons with him, “Behold, I establish my covenant with you and your offspring after you, and with every living creature that is with you, the birds, the livestock, and every beast of the earth with you, as many as came out of the ark; it is for every beast of the earth. I establish my covenant with you, that never again shall all flesh be cut off by the waters of the flood, and never again shall there be a flood to destroy the earth.” And God said, “This is the sign of the covenant that I make between me and you and every living creature that is with you, for all future generations: I have set my bow in the cloud, and it shall be a sign of the covenant between me and the earth. When I bring clouds over the earth and the bow is seen in the clouds, I will remember my covenant that is between me and you and every living creature of all flesh. And the waters shall never again become a flood to destroy all flesh. When the bow is in the clouds, I will see it and remember the everlasting covenant between God and every living creature of all flesh that is on the earth.” God said to Noah, “This is the sign of the covenant that I have established between me and all flesh that is on the earth.” - Genesis 9:8-17 (ESV)

Fall Evenings

One thing I particularly like about living in the Czech Republic is the pleasant weather here in the fall. It's nice to be able to sit outside around an outdoor fire and enjoy the nice cool evening air. We finally found a small metal fire pit to use in our yard, which we use not only for fires, but also for an occasional barbecue.

English Bible Conversation in Horní Jelení, Fall Session

Tonight, in about 45 minutes, we'll be starting the second meeting of our English Bible Conversation at our home here in Horní Jelení. We did this last spring, and many were interested in continuing in the fall. As it turns out, only 4 of the students from last spring are coming now, but 4 others joined the class, for a total of 8. We're using the English Standard Version of the Bible as our textbook. We're working in the Old Testament this time around though, starting in Genesis 1 and continuing on up to the death of Abraham. Our class last week was a general introduction to the Old Testament. This course will last 12 weeks (to the beginning of December), and then if interest continues, we'll start up again right after the beginning of 2008.

Day of Remembrance

Today marks a sad day of remembrance for many people all over the world, but particularly for Americans. Our thoughts and prayers are with the family members of those who died that day, and of course with our military personnel serving in the Middle East.

Back in the Czech Republic

After a long but uneventful trip from Dallas to Prague (via Atlanta), we arrived home in Horní Jelení after another 2-hour drive from the Prague Airport to our home. Our time in Texas (as well as our trip through New Mexico, Arizona, Utah and Colorado) was wonderful. It was sure good spending time with my family again, and letting Grandma and Grandad spend time with our kids.

In Texas

After a long and tiring journey, we finally arrived in Dallas on Friday evening around 6:30 p.m. It is good to once again be able to visit with my family. Here is our telephone number while in the U.S.: 1-214-603-6985.

Gone to Texas

Tomorrow is the big day. We have an early morning (very early) ride to the airport in Prague for our 7 a.m. flight to Amsterdam. From there on to Atlanta, and then a short flight into Dallas. This is the only part of the trip we don't enjoy ... the long flight over the Atlantic, especially with the kids. We have most of our things packed (Adela had her backpack packed a week ago!) and are just about ready to go. Ivana's parents will come and house-sit while we're gone (they live in an apartment in a small city, and so are looking forward to a month in the country). We're all excited to get to see Grandma and Grandad for the first time in a year, and make a trip with them to New Mexico, Arizona, and Colorado.

Bird Flu in Tisová

You may have read the news article about bird flu being found this week in the Czech Republic (if not, here's a link to the news article: H5N1 bird flu confirmed at Czech turkey farm). What's notable is that the village involved, Tisová, is only 16 km (10 miles) from our home in Horní Jelení. Earlier cases (last year) had been found in wild swans and in other parts of the country. That having all been said, there very little danger of it spreading to people, and especially to people who aren't working directly with the birds. In short, it's interesting, but not particularly worrisome (except for the people in the immediate area around Tisová who are going to have to slaughter all their poultry, and of course the owners of the turkey farm who will lose all their stock).

Colza Fields

When travelling in the Czech Republic in the spring and summer, you can't miss all the fields of bright yellow flowers. Colza, or rape, is a big crop for farmer's not only in the Czech Republic, but also in several other European countries. It is grown mostly for the oil which is extracted from its seeds. We've noticed this year that there seems to be more of it than usual. According to a Czech newspaper article, farmers have focused on this crop, since from September 1 gasoline sold here has to have a certain percentage of non-petroleum additives. This crop provides one source of those additives. Although beautiful to look at, these flowers actually have a fairly unpleasant odor, and their pollen seems to irritate even people who don't have allergies!

Trip to Ležáky

Today is a national holiday in the Czech Republic (Labor Day). We went for a day-trip with the Lustyk family to the site of what once was the village of Ležáky, about 22 miles from our home, in the area of the Czech-Moravian Highlands. Ležáky was a small village which was destroyed by the Germans on 24 June 1942. Here is a link to an article in English concerning what happened: Ležáky.

Large Monument, with inscription in German, English, Czech and Russian:

The text reads:

"Here stood the village of Ležáky
razed to the ground by the German fascists
24 June 1942
Defend peace in the name of life"

Place where the mill stood on the small creek near the pond (owned by the Švanda family who were members of the Czech Resistance):

Location of some of the other houses in the village, with their monuments (each monument gives the house number/address, as well as the family name of its occupants in 1942):


The little creek "Ležák" from which the village took its name:

Easter as a Religious Holiday

Mark Copeland has a new entry on his blog concerning celebrating Easter. Here's a link to that entry (which contains further links to other articles to read): Celebrating Easter

Lecture in Vysoké Mýto

Our latest lecture was last night in the town of Vysoké Mýto. Three visitors came, and several questions were asked after the lecture. Unfortunately, no personal studies were set up. Everyone was given a book in Czech concerning evidences for believing in God (which was the topic of the lecture).

Spring Arrives

Our beautiful springtime weather continues. The flowers have really started to come out. Now, I'll have to admit my ignorance of what flowers are called, but I sure thought that these looked really nice, even if I'm not sure of what we call them in English. The beauty of God's creation never ceases to amaze me.

Sightseeing in Kočí and Dvakačovice

We went out this afternoon for a little sightseeing in our area. We first stopped in the village of Kočí to see the Gothic church building dating from 1397. It has a wooden covered bridge leading up to the main entrance. The cemetary area (now unused) is surrounded by the wooden fence/wall. Here's a second photo from the rear of the church:

From Kočí, we went up the road a couple of miles to the village of Dvakačovice. The church we saw there isn't Roman Catholic like in Kočí, but Evangelical (basically Lutheran). It was in pretty bad shape, at least on the outside. Here is the inscription over the rear entrance to the building:

That's a reference from Isaiah 56:7: "my house shall be called a house of prayer." (ESV)

Both of these villages are about 15 miles southwest of Horní Jelení.

Polička Lecture

Tonight we had the second of our spring series of lectures. We used a rented room in the Hotel Opus, located very close to the center of town. As in our previous lecture in Litomyšl, the topic was "Why Look For a Purpose in Life?" and used Ecclesiastes 12:13 as a starting point for discussion of evidences for God's existence and seeking Him. Marek and Jarda from the church came to the lecture, as well as 3 people from the community. The lecture seemed to be well-received, and there was discussion for about 45 minutes after the lecture itself finished. All of the visitors have attended previous lectures in Polička. Unfortunately, as in the past, no private studies were arranged with any of them.

On a side note, most of the Czech Republic had snow on Tuesday and Wednesday. All of the snow in Horní Jelení (only about ½ inch) melted during the day on Wednesday. Polička is located in the Czech-Moravian Highlands, and as I went up the road from Litomyšl to Polička, I passed from spring back into winter, with about 8 inches of snow on the ground (in our area, which is lower in elevation, the apple trees and cherry trees are already starting to bloom).

Castle in the Backyard

Our family visited with Marek and Pavla Lustyk and their children this evening. We had a really nice visit, with their children and our children getting to spend time playing together. On the way to their house, I stopped and snapped a couple of photos of Košumberk Castle in the town of Luže. I have passed this castle many times, but am not sure if I've ever taken any pictures of it from a distance. According to the website for the castle, it dates from the late 1200's. For the people living below it, it must be really interesting looking out their windows every day and seeing these impressive ruins. Although only in Czech, the website has a lot more photographs: www.hrady.dejiny.cz/kosumberk/

February 2007 Report Available

Our latest report of the work in the Czech Republic can now be downloaded. It can be found at www.baxleys.info, and then by navigating to "reports."

First Bible Study in English

Our first Bible study in English took place in our home in Horní Jelení yesterday evening. We had 6 women in the first group at 8 p.m., and then 2 women and 1 man in the second group at 9 p.m. There is a possibility of a couple of other people joining in the 9 o'clock group, including the husband of one of the women from the 8 o'clock group. Of the 9 people currently coming, we know that 7 are Roman Catholic (Horní Jelení is a small town, we know most of the people who are coming). Although not everyone understands English at the same level, it seemed that everyone was able to understand most of what I was saying. Yesterday, I introduced our plans for the 12 weeks, and then gave a basic overview of the New Testament. For more details, please see the blog entry for February 22. Please keep this effort in your prayers.

Litomyšl Lecture

Tonight we had the first of our spring series of lectures. We rented a room in one of the centrally-located hotels in Litomyšl. The topic was "Why Look For a Purpose in Life?" and used Ecclesiastes 12:13 as a starting point for discussion of evidences for God's existence and seeking Him. Marek Lustyk and Petr Novák from the church joined me this evening. Unfortunately, only one person from outside the church in Litomyšl attended. After the lecture was over, we had a discussion which lasted for about one hour. We made sure to tell the visitor where and when the church meets, and hopefully at some point in time she may choose to pursue the topic further. She expressed surprise that more people from the community had not come. Please pray for the upcoming lectures, which will be in March and April, in 3 or 4 other cities in the area.

Studying the Bible in English

Although I usually try to avoid studying the Bible with people here in the Czech Republic in English (I prefer to use their language, Czech), Ivana and I decided we would try to have a short-term Bible study in our home in Horni Jeleni in English. Our hope is that although this might attract people whose true interest is English, during our time together, the seeds of the Gospel might be planted in their hearts. We printed up handbills and had them distributed throughout our town. Although we "plan" for the study to last 12 weeks, we will continue on longer than that if some (even one!) is interested. We are very happy to report that 9 people in our small town have said they would come! We plan to meet weekly on Wednesday nights, with the 9 people divided up into two smaller groups, one from 8 p.m., the other from 9 p.m. Our first meeting is scheduled for March 7. We are planning to use the English Standard Version as our text ... we are now waiting for the small ESV New Testaments to arrive from the U.S., as well as making our plans for which texts to cover. I would like to start with the birth of Jesus, and move throughout the New Testament, addressing topics such as Jesus' teachings, salvation, and the church. Please keep this effort in your prayers.

Newsweek - "Remodeling the Churches"

Here is an article I found on Newsweek Online. I thought it was interesting since it mentions the Czech Republic prominently and describes the overall decline in belief in Europe in general, as well as the state of old church buildings across the continent (and the new uses they are being put to). I remember last year stopping to take pictures of an old church in the tiny village of Vrchni Orlice, in the near-by Orlice Mountains. The building was in terrible shape, the front door open, and some local farmer was using the interior as a sheepfold. Here's the link to Newsweek: Remodeling the Churches

Typical Czech Village

Dolní Jelení is the small village just below the town we live in. "Dolní" means "lower" in Czech, as opposed to "Horní" which means "upper". We live in "upper" Jelení. I made this photo from the only decent slope around our house for the children to use for sledding. I thought it illustrates nicely what Czech villages typically look like.

Winter Arrives

Winter has finally arrived in the Czech Republic. The snow started moving up from the south yesterday, and finally reached our area during the night, with most of the snow falling since about 5 a.m. Supposedly, its going to keep snowing through today, and taper off into tomorrow. Hopefully so! Tomorrow I'll be headed to Prague to meet with a Bible student, and would welcome at least a snow-free road to drive on.

The first photo is the field behind our house, with the (barely) visible woods on the other side of it.

The second photo is of our dog Lady, who doesn't really mind the cold weather all that much, although she is glad to come inside when she can!

Wind Storms in Europe

As some of you may know from the news, we've had quite a bit of wind in this area of Europe over the last few days. The worst here was on Thursday night, where we all moved downstairs where we felt safer, and where there wasn't quite as much noise as in our attic bedrooms. Power went out about 10:30 p.m., and didn't come back on until the next morning about 9 a.m. School was canceled on Friday.

Winds in the mountains reached 137 mph, although they weren't that strong where we live.

Except for spoiled food from the refrigerator and a few shingles off the kids' playhouse, we didn't have any damage. Quite a few trees are down in the woods around Horní Jelení, some snapped in half at the trunks, some blown over with their roots exposed (its been very wet and unseasonably warm, so the ground is very soft).

The photo above is not from these winds, but from similar winds back in 2005. We took this picture near Kamenice, in South Bohemia. The damage from this last week's winds was not nearly so dramatic!