Rettig Furlough Update

Just before we left Prague for our summer furlough, we were thankful to baptize our first convert from the new outreach in Pribrim.

This is Zdenka and she is 57 years old and a newborn child of God!

For all who have prayed and supported us, she is fruit to your account!

On the Road Again

Philippians 4:10 "But I rejoiced in the Lord greatly, that now at the last your care of me hath flourished again;"

Being back on furlough reminds me of the our deputation eighteen years ago. Only this time we are going with one college age daughter and not three small children. We are traveling in a mini-van, not a 29 foot travel trailer. Our 7500 mile route will take us to 12 different states over the next three months. This is the longest period away from the work in Prague since 2002. The men in the Prague work are preaching and teaching in 2 different works now and that is a real blessing for us and that they are handling the work without us.

The first stop we take is at our home church in North Dakota for rest and relaxation and a few days to get over jet lag. We very much enjoy staying in the warm NTBC mission apartment . One of the highlights of our furlough is visiting in the home of our pastor and his wife. The great home cooking of Mrs. Shaffer surpasses any of the restaurants we will be eating in this summer! It’s always so nice to have a chance to get to know and be in the home of other church members, too. Our church is planning their yearly family camp in which we will be able to participate.

Stop #2 led us to pick up Amy in Menomonee Falls, Wisconsin, who was just finishing her first semester in college. Amy has helped make our travels more enjoyable and has been serving along with us in every church. We have already been able to relieve ladies from the nursery work so they can hear Jon preach.

Pastor and Mrs. Stan Gustafson with Amy, Jon and I.

Both Jon and I enjoy visiting with pastors and their wives in their homes and in their churches. Many pastors and their wives are wonderful examples of self sacrificing, hard working servants of God. There hasn’t been one couple we have spent time with that hasn’t had their share of burdens and yet faithfully serve the Lord in their local churches. It seems as though the trials never stop for them, and yet so many of them continue to press on for the cause of Christ and for His work. One church recently lost their pastor and 2 other men in the church all at the same time. How sad. And yet the new pastor and his wife are fervently serving even though their hearts are broken. Pastors and their wives are to be admired and certainly heros in this day and age.

I especially enjoy the time of meeting new friends and fellowshipping with God’s people in the churches we visit, especially when they support us and have supported us for a long time. These people are the ones who give so that we can go. This is our chance to be able to thank these good folks. Many times I am humbled when someone tells me that they pray for us every morning. Or that they pray for our children and/or the Czech people by name. This is a real blessing for us to hear. There are many who have our prayer cards or magnets on their refrigerator, so they are reminded not to forget to pray for us.

Thirty years ago, Jon and I were members of a church in Illinois. In that church is one particular faithful outgoing friend, named Mary. We saw Mary again just two weeks ago. I always admired her zeal in praying for her lost husband. She is still praying for him. I was just so glad to see her again. We have seen each other just once every 5-8 years or so. She is just one example of the many people we see in the churches, who are still serving faithfully year after year.

The preaching has been a great encouragement. In between meetings on Sundays and Wednesdays (and some Thursdays) there has been time to visit other special services and be challenged by the preaching of other men of God.

Pastor Ron Pittman and wife Wendy

It is such a financial savings to be able to stay in a church mission’s apartment. After all the meals we eat out, it’s a nice change to eat in and I can actually cook a meal. Not to mention being able to stay longer than one day. What a savings for anyone traveling a long distance. Added blessings are when they have a washer and dyer. :)

Some of things I personally enjoy while on the road are:

Time with family (this trip we will meet up with our son David, and his wife, Chrissy, Jon’s nephew and family, Jon’s older brother and sister, and my sister).

Meeting other missionaries and old friends as we travel.

Having to stop at Starbucks to use the internet :)

New churches, new names, new faces.

Yard sales and thrift stores! Little shops and little towns off the beaten path.

Speaking in ladies‘ groups.

Sharing our call and burden to the Czech people.

Can traveling 7500 miles really be without any negative? Can it really be all that pleasant? No, there are many things we "love“ but there are also many things we "loathe“. The roar of the road noise, sitting for hours in a day, traffic jams, construction, road blocks, accidents, dead batteries, a bottomless gas tank (although the prices are half of the price of gas in Prague), dirty gas station bathrooms, too many greasy $1.00 hamburgers, packing and unpacking, etc. The 2 million dotted lines on the road that we will have to look at can make anyone crazy after a while.

This trip we are determined to be both a blessing and an example. I prayed that the Lord would allow many opportunities to be able to share our testimonies with someone who is lost. In our first church on the road, the Lord allowed just that. A 17 year old girl, a pastor’s granddaughter, opened her heart enough for me to share my testimony of salvation. The pastor and the church are praying for her salvation. I promised the Lord, too, to pray for her every day on this furlough.

Thank you for your prayers...