Czech Republic
17 February 2008
IBTS
Nad Habrovkou 3
Jeneralka, CZ – 16400 Prague 6


Dear Friends and Family,

We’ve been marking dates on the calendar in preparation for several groups of guests coming in the spring – making plans about what to do with them, where to visit with them, what to see and hear with them – it’s going to be great fun!

The Czech calendar puts Sundays as the last day of the week. The week begins on Monday. It’s a bit confusing for us who think of Sunday as the “first day of the week,” but, I suppose, for all practical purposes we are rather like the secular world; Sunday is the last day of the “week end” – the end of the week.

So I send you a weekly greeting with a report on our activities of the week just past, although, in fact, Roger and I like to make use of our Sunday as a time of mental and spiritual preparation for the up-coming week. For us it is usually a day to rest, to catch up on any outstanding lesson preparations or paper markings, etc. Actually, Roger is at the moment in his office making preparations for two twenty-five minute devotionals for a group of college and seminary presidents who are meeting here next week. He just got notice of this expectation yesterday! Ironically, the theme for their conference is “Excellence in Administration”! Oh well!

Roger had the chance of a lifetime last week. He was given the opportunity to “respond” to I. Howard Marshall’s paper at the conference on “Life After Death – a Soteriological Perspective” (Yeah, I know. I was a bit put off by the title as well, but went anyway, just to see what these Biblical Studies people were up to.) Howard Marshall, always a teacher at Aberdeen University, was Roger’s external reader for his PhD work in Glasgow many years ago. He read Roger’s dissertation in 1970! Of course, when we met Prof. Dr. Marshall on Wednesday evening just before supper, we introduced ourselves as having met him long ago in Scotland, Roger a student of William Barclay in Glasgow. But Roger never said a word about his doctoral paper. However, later, at the table, Dr. Marshall, in what we were to discover as a characteristic gesture, hands folded over his chin, said, “Humm – Roger Capps, that name sounds familiar. Wasn’t I your external reader for your PhD? Didn’t you write on eschatology and ethics in the teaching of Jesus?” Wow! We were blown away! What a memory on a 70+ year old. Actually, he was only four years older than Roger at the time, but he was a brilliant young scholar at Aberdeen University, a professor who would become one of the well-known evangelical New Testament writers, for years his thick book on The Gospel of Luke becoming the definitive commentary for Evangelicals who can handle the Greek. That is still considered a very important book, although, as he said, there is newer scholarship available. So Roger had this wonderful opportunity to share in the seminar, even to critique his old professor and, as Marshall said, “to be as kind to him as Marshall was to Roger many years ago.” Actually, Roger didn’t find Marshall all that kind those years ago. In fact, the man was sharp in his criticism, but the years have mellowed and softened him; and, of course, the same has happened to Roger. It was a great reunion. In fact, it was a wonderful reunion; one we hadn’t expected this side of heaven (the after-life). We dined with Howard several times and just enjoyed the fellowship.

For me, the conference was challenging. There were several papers delivered. Two of them came from the perspective of the Old Testament. There is really not much in the Old Testament about an afterlife. The term “Sheol” is used as the place for the dead, but it’s not a particularly happy place. In fact, it amounts to simply “going to the ancestors” wherever they are – lying in the dust. But the New Testament talks a lot about heaven and hell. In fact, the resurrection of Jesus is considered as a sign of the “first fruits” to us. As He arose, so we who know Him can expect to arise to a new life. Really, it is very encouraging to look at particular passages like these and to consider their teaching along a theme. To the Old Testament writers, salvation (soteriology) meant salvation from enemies, from a violent end or from an early death. In the New Testament, salvation means much more. It means a real life before death as well as eternal life afterwards. Actually, I may be oversimplifying the conference. But that’s what I got out of it. It was uplifting. That’s for sure.

So I didn’t meet my Russian student, Christina, on either Thursday or Friday. But I believe she was studying. She is reading English books now, and reading English children’s books to her daughter, Julia. Julia is funny. She’s only three, but in chapel she sits with a songbook and follows along with her finger as if she is reading. And when anybody finishes praying and says “Amen,” she pipes up, “Amen.” Today at the beginning of our Sunday worship, a fellow Russian student, Alexander, was leading the service. Julia (Julichka, her pet name in Russian) ran up and grabbed Alex by the leg just at the moment he was explaining that our service is multi-cultural and multi-age. It was quite appropriate to see them holding hands together at the front of the church. Julia and I aren’t good friends yet. Her best friends are the Russian-speakers, but as soon as she learns a bit more English, we may manage to become friends.

Yesterday we went with the Livelys to another part of Prague, a part we’ve not visited before. We went to the “senate” building, the former palace of the Waldenstein Empire, a building with several elaborately decorated rooms open to the public only on Saturdays and Sundays, and on those days the visit is without charge. We were meant to be astonished at the parquet flooring and the ceiling murals, but I found the crystal chandeliers throughout pretty amazing. And can you imagine an entire, very large room “wall-papered” with veal leather tooled and painted in floral designs floor to ceiling? There are formal gardens too which would be better visited later in the year.

From there we visited the Catholic church called the Cathedral of the Holy Infant Jesus. There is a little statue of the baby Jesus very elaborately dressed in embroidered silk. And in another room some of the “wardrobe” for the statue, other outfits from other Catholic countries all over the world. But we were most impressed with the “father” who spoke to us and when he heard we came from Singapore pulled us back to the vestry to show us the signature of the president of Singapore, R. Nathan, a Catholic who has visited this church in Prague. There is now a statue of the Holy Infant in the Queen Street Catholic church in Singapore. Father Anastacio was there to dedicate it last June. But what most impressed us about this priest was the work he is doing in the Central African Republic, a country that borders Chad and Sudan. He has a ministry among the street children there and the refugees. They have bought enormous tracts of land and are planting fruit trees and palm oil to help the people become self-sustaining. We saw pictures of the progress of these plantation missions, wonderful rescue work.

Our final stop was the Folklore Museum, so named because of the rooms full of glass cases containing life-sized mannequins elaborately dressed in costumes of old. From different regions and on different occasions, church going, folk dancing, weddings, the costumes reflected the loving care and meticulous stitchery of a former time. There were fantastically delicate embroidery work and bobbin lace. And the colors were bright and airy. How lovingly the women spun the yarn, wove and dyed the fabric and then sewed with their hands stunning outfits for their families and for themselves. Was it the work of their lives? I suppose they also cooked and kept a garden. And they washed and ironed somehow as well – all the headdresses attest to huge amounts of starch and a hot iron.

On the way home we passed a very moving memorial to the people who disappeared under various circumstances during the communist period. There is a brass runner along the sidewalk with the enormous numbers of each group of those who were killed, those who were exiled, those who fled the country, those who simply never returned home and others. Then on a staircase behind, there is a bronze statue of a man. On the next step above him, the same man is cracked and missing some parts. On the following five steps, the same man is increasingly missing parts of himself until at the end, only a part of a leg and foot remain, testimony to the nation’s loss. We do not know and cannot imagine such tragedy.

I’ve been long-winded tonight. Thanks for reading. We look forward to the visits of some of you during the spring.

With love and blessings,
Janice and Roger