Czech Republic

Since 2007, Ignite has partnered with Křesťanské centrum church in Český Těšín, Czech Republic to help impact the youth, young adults and university students within their city. In that time, we have led three mission trips, sent countless resources, provided leadership training, encouragement and coaching, and raised awareness of what God is doing in this country.

This July, we will return to Český Těšín with a team of 7-8 young people for our fourth mission trip.

Our trip will consist of an Outreach Camp, where we will work with the local youth group to organize and lead a series of outreach courses on activities from fashion and sports, to learning English and rap. Youth in the city will sign up and attend these courses, getting to enjoy the activities, learn something new, and hear about how God has made an impact in our lives. We will end this camp time with a Showcase, where youth can show off what they did during the courses.

We will also host a youth retreat, where young people from the outreaches and those from various youth groups in the area will take time to relax, have fun and seek God through a series of worship, prayer and message sessions.

Each year, God moves through our team to impact the lives of the young people we meet. Some gain a greater passion and desire for more of God. Others take another step closer to following Him. Others still build lifelong connections with both the youth in the youth group and with our team.

And we don’t come back the same either.

Consider partnering with us on this powerful trip as we reach out with the love of Christ to young people in the most atheistic country in the world. Details on how to donate, along with trip details are to the right.

Jason Vana

Team Leader // President, Ignite Student Ministries

Jason is the President of Ignite Student Ministries and has a huge heart for missions. He has traveled to the Czech Republic every year since 2006, assisting with training conferences and leading mission teams. This will be his fourth time leading a team working with youth, young adults and university students. It will be his eighth time in Czech. He blogs regularly at JasonVana.com and is a bit of a technology geek.

Ryan Kerr

Team Leader // Student Representative, Ignite Board

Ryan Kerr is a core member of the Ignite Monmouth group and serves as the Student Representative on the Ignite Board. He has been involved in Ignite since his freshman year and was part of the Czech 2011 mission trip. Ryan is a member of Phi Delta Theta, loves mission work and has a habit of leaving his passport on planes.

Wynton Shannon

Team Member

Wynton was a core member of the Ignite Monmouth group before transferring to Columbia University in Chicago at the start of the 2011-2012 school year. He has a great heart to impact those in oppression and poverty. He was involved in Ignite since his freshman year and was part of the Czech 2011 mission trip. Wynton loves slam poetry and drama, fell in love with Czech last year, and drew people to our outreaches with his amazing afro.

Libby Gazda

Team Member

Libby is a regular member of the Ignite mission trips, attending both the Czech 2009 and Czech 2011 trips. She has a great heart for that part of the world and enjoys crossing the border into her homeland, Poland. Libby attends Iowa State University, in Ames, Iowa, where she is a regular member of the college ministry, The Salt Company. Libby loves Polish food, traveling, and loves interacting with kids.

Andrea Engle

Team Member

Andrea is a student leader of the Ignite Sandburg group, where she has been involved since its formation in August, 2011. She was a part of the New Orleans mission trip in January of this year, where she reached out to the locals over New Years. This will be Andrea’s first international mission trip. Andrea attends Carl Sandburg College, loves singing, and has never flown on a plane before.

Jessica Lenz

Team Member

Jessica is a regular member of Northwoods Community Church Galesburg, where she serves on the worship team and helps with Discoveryland, Northwoods’ children’s ministry. Jessica is a nurse at St. Mary’s OSF Hospital in Galesburg and regularly helps with The Weekend: A Journey With Christ. This is Jessica’s first international mission trip. Jess loves spending time with her daughter and is looking forward to serving God in another country.