English Bible Camp 2025
Brothers and Sisters of Grace Lutheran,
While Aowyn and I prepare our presentation highlighting our experiences participating in English Bible Camp 2025 in the Czech Republic, I thought it might be best to give a glimpse into what is to come in our presentation on September 21st!
To start, Aowyn and I participated in English Bible Camp (EBC). English Bible Camp is a short-term mission that the LCMS offers each summer around the world. This mission is impactful, as English is a sought-after skill to have in non-English speaking countries; this means that evangelism can happen in unique ways. For example, some parents who are not Christian might send their children to English Bible Camp for immersion into English. The children will then go to camp, learn the Good News, and share it with their family. English Bible Camp is best compared to Vacation Bible School—just with a focus on English.
Aowyn and I signed up as a team, meaning we were planning on being the American team to a host church—just the two of us. However, we were told that our host church did not have enough children sign up, so we were put with another group in a city known as Český Těšín; I served in Cieszyn, Poland last year, which is the Polish side of Český Těšín. Though the last-minute change, it was a wonderful experience serving our host church, Niwy, a Polish-speaking congregation in the Czech Republic.
Our camp lasted from 8:30-3:00 each day, and we had around 29 participants ranging from 6 to 12 years old. We joined Barbra (who was the team leader of this group), Karen, and Phil—the American volunteers. Aowyn and I led the English lessons for the youngest age group (ages 6-7) along with Ben, Renata, and Rozie who were part of our Czech team.
A few notable experiences happened during our time at camp including an evacuation. Český Těšín’s border with Poland runs along the Olza River, which had a flash flood warning due to rain each day during camp. St. Louis (the home headquarters for the LCMS International Missions office) opted to have us spend one night at another camp 20 minutes away. Camp resumed as normal and no flooding happened, but it was better to be safe!
Another notable experience was working with the youngest age group. During our breaks, I would translate simple words (numbers, animals, etc.) into Polish. The children would make me go through each word and pronounce it. Some even took my phone and translated words they wanted me to learn! Rozie, one of the Czech volunteers, was very helpful translating when the translator app wasn’t working right.
Of course, the connections Aowyn and I made on this trip were valuable as well. Besides getting to know the children, we got to know the Czech and other American volunteers. In particular, we got to know Karolina, since her parents were our host family, and Rozie, who was an active translator and backup photographer.
While this paper does not highlight everything we experienced in the Czech Republic during the mission, I hope this gives a glimpse into what our presentation will be. Mark September 21st at 9:25 AM on your calendars!
Thank you all for your love and support to us and for this mission! This mission not only impacted the children for the better, but also us in different ways.
Blessings,
Beatrice Suggs
Evangelism Director
If you, or someone you know, is interested in serving with the LCMS internationally (whether short or long term), please reach out to the LCMS International Missions office for more information (they are amazing to work with)!
For more information on LCMS international missions and opportunities, please check out their website: LCMS International-Mission