Highlights from Friday

A huge THANK YOU to everyone to came to New Hope's Got Talent this past weekend; the fundraiser was a huge success!

We began the evening with a silent auction in the hallway. There were so many goodies to choose from - 1 hour massage from Detox Massage, photography with Giah Photography, Movie In/Movie Out baskets, Game Night basket, Rainy Day Reading basket, and so much more!

Also, a special thanks to Compass Electric for matching financial donations!

Amanda Maas kicked off the variety show with her performance of "When Will My Life Begin" from Disney's Tangled. The evening was full of entertainment - spoken word, a bluegrass band, screamo, punk/rock, and stand up comedy.

Paul Schoolmeesters & Dayton Dodge emceed the evening and included a few acts of their own - the history of worship music, impersonations of each other, and the conjoined twin - "Paulton."

In the end, the Emcees's Choice Award went to Chintya Kaligis & Elayna Abboud for singing, "Call on Jesus." Joshua and Matthew Nelson's juggling and uni-cycling act, "Brotherly Love," received the Fusion Czech Team Choice Award; and, Honorable Mention went to Layla Johnson for singing, "Amazing Grace."

If any of you were on Facebook, you may have noticed a video from Jess Lindgren and Jennifer Stahl, promising that if more than 200 guests attended New Hope's Got Talent, 2 lucky Fusion Czech Team members would receive a pie in the face after the show. Just 15 minutes into the show, we counted our attendance to 214! Colson Wabshaw and Mike Leslie were voted our pie-in-the-face winners! 

Below are a few more pictures from the night. Many thanks to our tech and sound team, stage managers, silent auction donors and bidders, those that participated in and attended the variety show!

Layla Johnson

 Our Tech Team

 Paul & Dayton

above: "Brotherly Love"
 below: Chintya & Elayna

Meet Heather "Inde" Indelicato

Who I Am
My name is Heather Indelicato, but some people call me Inde (pronounced like Indy from Indiana Jones) and I'm always up for an adventure. I grew up in Illinois and moved to Minnesota to attend college in Minneapolis. I always intended to leave when I completed college, but through a series of events, I stuck around and have have been enjoying city life for about 10 years now. I'm an adult education teacher with Minneapolis Public Schools. In my time there, I have taught ESL, career search support, and writing for English Language Learners, GED students, and college preparation students.

How I Became a Christian
I grew up in a loving home that didn't go to church regularly for the longest time and then when we did, church was a Sunday morning thing. I attended Sunday School and church services; I looked forward to church camp and special events throughout the year, but didn't know Christ as more than a character in a story until high school. Growing up, I longed for something that gave purpose to my life and made sense of the chaos in the world I saw. I saw hints of this at several points, but it wasn't until I met some people who genuinely took time to know me that I really gave this faith thing a chance. I observed for a long time and asked a ton of questions, until one day I surrendered. After that, my desire to know this Jesus was insatiable and I sought everything I could to know more. Since that time, through many ups and downs, I have found this to be certain: Jesus loves me; I am His; and he has never abandoned me.

Why the Fusion Czech Trip
I've had several opportunities to visit Europe and each time I find a deep passion for the people in the different places I travel. As I've heard Vasek speak on the different visits he's made to New Hope Church, I've had a growing desire to be a part of what's happening with Kostel Jinak. I look forward to meeting people, listening to their stories, and learning from each of them. I believe the Fusion Czech trip is an opportunity for me to learn how I can connect with the people of Kostel Jinak and strengthen the connection that has been started between our churches as we share the Gospel with the people in our worlds.

What You Could Pray For
Relationships: While I really enjoy people, I don't always find it easy to connect. Please pray that I will be able to build real and lasting relationships with both my teammates and the people at Kostel Jinak and in Sumperk.
Work: As a teacher there's always a lot to be done and it's hard to be away from my classes. Please pray that the preparations I need to make will be completed and that the students will find success while I'm away.
Trip: 10 days doesn't seem like a lot of time, but time is irrelevant to God. Please pray that we will see and accept the opportunities God prepares for us, both while we prepare and while we are in Czech.

And... Some Random Fun Facts
Everyone loves a story, especially with pictures which are a fantastic way to tell stories, and I really enjoy taking pictures. I can pass on most candies, but I really enjoy baked goods - Stollen is one of my favorites. I don't know a lot about pop culture and I can't recall names of most actors, artists, etc, but I really enjoy a good book, movie, or song. My favorite movie/actor and book/author are always changing, but my favorite genres are sci-fi/fantasy and historical fiction. For me, it's all about the story, and I'm always looking for a new author/actor to check out.

Meet Rachel Cherico

Hi, My name is Rachel. I grew up in  New York until I was 11 years old. My family moved to Minnesota when I was in 5^th grade and I’ve lived here most of my life (except, I did live in the Dominican Republic for a year!).

I chose to follow Jesus after I heard the gospel from my Sunday School teacher. I was very young, but I knew I wanted to follow God. Even though I’ve been a Christian a long time, I have been through some challenging times, and I am always trying to follow Christ better. I was typically a shy kid when I was younger, but one day in junior high, after hearing many missionaries at church speak about their adventures of following where He called them to all over the world, I decided I wanted to give missions a try. My parents almost didn’t even believe me at first! But they sent me off to a city near Chicago where I worked with little kids. Through various missions trips that followed, I developed a heart for children. I knew that I wanted to do something that would make a difference for them.

I now work as a 3^rd grade teacher in a diverse community of children that come from all kinds of home lives and situations. Whether I’m tying shoelaces, grading tests, or reading a story, I love that I know teaching young kids is exactly what God wants me to do and He began to put that desire in my heart a long time ago.

I first heard about the Fusion Czech trip and I wanted to go, because I thought it would challenge me in my own faith. I’m comfortable talking to kids, but I don’t always feel comfortable talking to my peers about my faith; and I knew that was going to be part of what we were doing in the Czech. I had to get special permission from the principal at my school and the superintendent of all the schools to get time off to come on the trip. I wasn’t sure if I would be able to go, but I decided that I would allow God to work out those details.  My boss approved the trip, and I am so excited to meet Christians from another part of the world, learn about the Czech culture and see where the relationship between Fusion and Kostel Jinak takes us.

FUN FACTS: I jam to Beyonce and Adele. I have 2 nieces - Maxine & Penelope - and they’re the cutest little girls on this planet. My guilty pleasure is making pancakes on Saturdays. I can whistle to Christmas songs really well!

Jehovah Jireh - The Lord Will Provide

The pieces are coming together.

Our team had a meeting this past Sunday, and Jess Lindgren shared a few cultural tips. Please be praying for us to be sensitive to cultural insights. We'd like our time in the Czech Republic to create bridges.

Looking at our team reports, we still have a ways to go to reach our financial goal. Support letters are making their way to mailboxes and our big fundraiser is quickly approaching. One of the many names of God used in the Bible is Jehovah Jireh, translated, The Lord will Provide. Pray for us to trust Him. Thank you to those who have already given so much!

Today is the application deadline for those that wish to participate in or contribute toward our silent auction/variety show, "New Hope's Got Talent." Many of you have been generous with your donations and eagerness to be involved, and a few more talent applications are expected to arrive today - thank you!

How You Can Pray for "New Hope's Got Talent" - 

• Pray for participant applications to arrive on time.
• Pray for the administrative, behind-the-scenes organization of this event.
• Pray for our tech support, Kenton Pust. He has an incredibly busy weekend and week ahead of him. We're so grateful for his dedication and willingness to help.
• Pray for courage for our participants; it's never easy getting up in front of a crowd of people.
• Pray for our Global Ministries admin, Beth Clark, as she pieces together our team prayer cards (to be distributed at Friday's event).
• Pray for guests to attend.
• Pray for generosity of those participating in our silent auction.
• Pray for our team as we prepare for our individual roles at the event.

"Now to Him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us, to Him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen." Ephesians 3:20-21

Meet Jennifer Stahl

Hi, My name is Jennifer. I've lived in Minnesota my entire life and was raised in a Christian home. I came to know Christ as my Savior at an early age of 4 and was baptized when I was 7. 

I always have had curiosity and a desire to understand other people and how to love them. I'm fascinated and excited about other cultures and learning what makes a person thrive. Some of the most impacting experiences in my life have been centered around travel. Whether on a missions trip, family vacation, or reading books, I've always valued the observations, conversations and interactions with the locals of the destinations. I don't want to settle for living life in my own comfortable bubble; I believe in going, doing and exploring.

After high school, I went to the frozen tundras of northeast Wisconsin, to a missions focused college where I majored in Bible. During my freshman year, I met my husband, Daniel.  When we married 2 years later, we initially intended to head to Albania as missionaries. Through different circumstances though, we settled in the Twin Cities.

I worked at a hair salon for a few years before becoming an administrative assistant [for Fusion, Men's Ministries, and Monday Night Discovery] at New Hope Church. I'm also involved with NHC Arts and a women's group called, God's View of You. I love the variety that the environment brings, and I welcome any opportunity to use my creativity. It's an honor to work with people like Pastor Paul Schoolmeesters and Pastor Dayton Dodge - it's humbling to see their love and desires for the church and all the work and passion that is put into making ministry happen.

I'm so excited to build relationships with our friends in the Czech Republic! I think there is so much that we can learn from them, and I look forward to getting to know the people of Sumperk and Kostel Jinak and bridging that connection back to New Hope Church.

FUN FACTS: I tested out of college math by doing eenie-meenie-minee-mo on the entrance exams. "Martha" is my favorite Dr. Who companion. I love to paint. I love animals. Sour Patch Kids are my favorite candy. Summer is my favorite season. I can be enthusiastic about almost everything in life.

Meet Jess Lindgren

                                                 Pictured Above: Jeremy Deck, Jess Lindgren, Jake Miller, Lisa Bodkin, Justin Wevers

Ahoj všichni :) jsem Jess. Nemluvím česky, ale učím se.
Hi everyone! I am Jess – I don’t speak Czech, but I am learning!

A Little About Me…
I work at New Hope Church as the Administrative Director of Student Ministries. Working with my staff is always an adventure – but I am so thankful to partner with them in ministry and consider them close friends. It’s also such an honor and joy to serve junior and senior high students (and their families!) and to walk through this season of life with them. They are such a talented and gifted group of young people – and I love seeing the Lord grow them and stir their hearts to be on mission! A few other important facts about me – I love FALL (nearly everything about it), Anne of Green Gables, running, TEA, the Bears, cooking/baking/food in general, sunsets and the time 11:11.

Why Czech…
I first traveled to Czech in 2007 as a high school student to do an English camp in Sumperk. The Lord opened doors for me to return the following two summers and after those three short-term trips, I began praying about an opportunity to do more long-term ministry in Czech. After graduating from the University of Northwestern-St. Paul, I did an extended internship in Czech for 6.5 months to get a glimpse of what it would be like to do missions in Central Europe. I helped lead three English camps with different cities across Czech that summer – and then continued to build relationships and and do ministry in the fall through English clubs, meeting students, visiting youth groups, and just living life alongside students I met. After returning to the States, I began working at NHC and now have led teams of high school students to Czech the past three summers to continue doing English camps in Sumperk.

Why November…
The Lord is at work in Czech! This is so evident to us as we continue in our partnership with Kostel Jinak. Many of the core members of Kostel have come to Christ in the last seven years – and many of those through the ministry of and relationships that have come from English camps in the summer. I am excited to head back to Czech this November with the Fusion team – and to explore ways that Fusion can also partner with Kostel during the year. I am so looking forward to continue learning about a people and place that is so near to my heart. It’s been a joy to see others grow and catch vision for what God is doing in Czech — and I LOVE being able to partner in ministry with our dear friends in Sumperk. I’m also really looking forward to reconnecting with students who were at English camp this past summer!

So, Czech friends… see you soon! And thanks to everyone for your prayers as we prepare for this trip!