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AIM Rocks: AIM at What?
By Scott and Suzi McGarvey
January 10, 2005
(Editor’s Note: This
is the first of a six part series on working overseas for a season of your
life.)
The house lights dim again.
It’s the fifth act of the VOX04 Christian Music fest. The stage glows blue and
green as Vesela Zubata rips into their first set of the evening. Guitars howl
along with the lead vocal; drums and bass pound. In the swirl created by the
fog machine, lyrics of praise, hope, and humor reverberate in the hall; and the
crowd goes… silent.
And so it goes when playing
to a Czech audience.
Even after the lead singer
entreats the audience to get on their feet, the vast majority sits with their
arms crossed, beer or water bottles in their laps, passive expressions of
disinterested art observers. At the end of the set, the younger generation
reclaims their seats or heads for the bar/snack stand in the back. Oddly, the
seated audience applauds long and loudly.
Beer on the front row.
Jesus in the lyrics. A concert audience full of quiet, non-committal
observation. And, with the exception of the German group that speaks English,
it’s all in Czech. These are the strange paradoxes in which we find ourselves
as Associates in Missions (AIM) in Eastern Europe.
Strangers in a Strange
Land
Since the Iron
Curtain was ripped away 15 years ago, Christianity in all forms and flavors has
flowed through this area. The United Pentecostal Church International (UPCI)
took up residence here nine years ago. How can the fundamental, Apostolic
message of purity and separation exist in this bohemian society where alcohol is
more prevalent than water (you can buy beer at KFC)? How do you preach to, much
less reach out to, people who have a natural distrust of anything considered
absolute? How do you convey love and joy to people who, by nature, show little
emotion?
Europe is a pioneering
battleground for Apostolic missions. This is not Africa or South America. There
are no 500-soul revivals. Revival is accomplished one hard-fought soul at a
time.
We’ve spent six months on
the field, based in Prague, Czech Republic. Alongside Roger and Becky Buckland,
the resident missionaries, we are trying to find the right combination of
outreach and teaching to touch the lives of the Czechs around us. How can a
work that’s nine years old still be considered pioneer? To begin with, take the
fact that over 50 percent of the population considers themselves atheist. We
have to start with the barest of ideas—God really exists. And not only that, He
is truly concerned about you.
We didn’t get here by
accident, nor did we “ask” to come to Prague. Several years ago, we made a
conscious decision to give a season of our lives to the Kingdom’s work. We put
promising careers on hold in order to do what God asked of us. We decided to
take God up on the promise that He would direct our paths if we put our trust in
Him. Since then, we’ve added experiences to our resume that we never could have
dreamed of on our own. While today we don’t see missions work as a long-term
vocation, that is what is so powerful about the AIM program. It’s the
opportunity to give a time of your life to the Kingdom in a way you might not
have considered before.
More on Prague
For more
background on working here,
read Dana Vannoy’s take on
ministry in Prague.
ninetyandnine.com
©
2005, Scott and Suzanne McGarvey
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Suzi’s parents emigrated
from the Czech Republic in 1969, but most of her family still lives there.
While in Prague, Scott and Suzi McGarvey live in the same apartment
building her dad grew up in, right next door to her teenage niece and nephew.
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