Love has risen: Update 19 from Prague

Dear family and friends,

This Easter, Josh’s mom, “Gigi”, came to visit us. She was able to see our life and ministry through the eyes of her grandchildren. She said, “I was surprised to find that Christ showed up through them in the most unusual ways. I was lucky enough to be there during the Easter holiday and to be able to have natural conversations surrounding the meaning of Easter. In the evenings we would read scripture and discuss what Jesus and the disciples must have been feeling and thinking.” Having her in town made Easter all the more special for us. We had our sacred space set up in our living room and walked through Holy Week together as a family. She got to witness Ukrainian kids hanging on to Anna after church, explore Easter markets, meet the kids' teachers, and most of all love on her grandkids.

Washing feet on Maundy Thursday

One of Anna's ballet students gave this to her

Our ministry is full in Prague! Anna just got her Ukrainian ballet students ready for their spring performance. This ministry has been a small light in what continues to be a dark time for our Ukrainian friends. As the war drags on, we are having conversations with families who are making decisions about whether to stay in Prague or go back to Ukraine. One dancer told Anna, “I just miss my father.” Another mom told Anna she is worried about returning to a city with damaged infrastructure. A good friend of ours and ministry partner is returning to Ukraine to visit her family this week. Please pray for her safety. Anna’s ballet camp for the Ukrainian community this summer is the first week of July and, thanks to a generous group of supporters, every girl will have dancewear provided for them!

We are hosting 4 more student dinners this next month. We continue to trust that Jesus becomes known in the breaking of the bread. Just the other week a student stopped Josh in the hallway and told him how much the dinner meant to her and her family after she told her parents about it. The dinners always go late with some great conversation and become an entryway to deeper relationships.

Our kids love to be part of the conversations with students and bring their own bold innocence into it. At a recent dinner a student was talking about ‘taking the steering wheel’ of their life. Abigail jumped in, confused, “steering wheel?” We explained the analogy. “But God has the steering wheel,” Abigail responded. Students know we are Christian and sometimes we talk about it directly, but we want our hospitality, interest in their lives, love for each other, and the nature of our conversations to share the Gospel even more than what we say. Yet sometimes a word from a first grader can bring a truth we all need to hear.

Josh’s classes (Psychology of Cooperation and Leadership and the Self) have included meaningful discussions about adversity, reconciliation and forgiveness. Recently, as they were studying the truth and reconciliation process in Rwanda, students in class wondered if it was possible to forgive and reconcile without faith that God can heal relationships. This led to some contemplation about what forgiveness looks like in their lives.

The shootings in the US, especially at the Covenant School in Nashville (where we have dear friends and a family member), have really affected us. We continue to hold the whole Nashville community in prayer. We know our home parish at St. Bartholomew's is grieving. As parents of school-aged children, even though we are far away, we feel the fear, sadness, and grief that many must feel.

Pray for us as we finish this semester. We’d love to pray specifically for you as well, so send us your own update when you can!

In Christ’s love,

The Haydens

Collier enjoying Anna's desk at school

Collier and friends at a school dance