Rivenhill

...and Its Fulfillment

The things described above were inspired by the New Testament, but also by J.R.R. Tolkien’s mythical place called Rivendell. We’ve been speaking about a place of refuge and healing for years and since coming to the Czech Republic in 2002 we’ve been searching for a suitable location. After a 20-month process that begun in the fall of 2006 God made a way for us to purchase an old farm in a nature preserve in Prague 6! The place consists of 5 separate buildings and you can see its location on a map of Prague map by clicking the picture on the left.

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Pray that as God shows us each step forward and that we don’t miss any of the steps and have the courage to take them. As the Good Book says, “He has planted eternity in the human heart, but even so, people cannot see the whole scope of God’s work from beginning to end” (Ecclesiastes 3:11, NLT). You can sing up here to receive our semi-regular prayer updates.
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Partner. If you would like to join us here in Czech or support our work financially you can email us here. Your tax-deductible contribution can be either mailed to:
Marek or Elaine Mudrik, 812 Lynn Lee Dr., Aberdeen, MD 21001
Please make your checks out to “Vineyard Christian Church.”
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Thank you for all your support!!!

The Rivenhill Dream...

While the lives of many 21st century earthlings tend to grow increasingly busy and stressful God is still inviting people to enter into His rest - the inner healing that allows us to become fully ourselves and ready for anything life brings our way. God’s rest is gained through communion with Him and through hearing and following his Word. This can be done anywhere, but there are special places where inner healing can be initiated or helped along.

At the core of the Rivenhill vision is a community, which creates a specific spiritual atmosphere, lives out certain values and has a specific rhythm of life. The home of Lazarus and his sisters Mary and Martha in Bethany seems to have been one of Jesus’ favorite places to go. We’d like Rivenhill to be like Martha’s - a place of service; like Mary’s - a place where one can sit at the feet of Jesus and receive things that will not be taken away from them; and like Lazarus’ - a place of healing, hope and even new life! All of us are like travelers on the journey of life and when we get tired or hurt it is a blessing to find a safe and welcoming place of rest.

A place of rest is not a place of hiding, though. Jesus left Bethany for Jerusalem to fulfill his life’s calling. We seek rest to be healed, changed, and empowered to return to life and face its challenges with clearer purpose and greater confidence. God has called us to help create a place like this here in the Czech Republic - perhaps one of many such places around Europe and the world.

Last Update: December 12, 2009.
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The property is called Zelivka in Czech and it appears under that name on various maps. Most recently it belonged to the largest real estate developer in the Czech Republic and the way God orchestrated the sale is a testimony of his sovereign involvement. If you’d like to hear the story ask us in person or write to us - you’ll be encouraged. The property had been neglected for years and is in need of some major work. But here is my perspective on that: the purchase of the place was a miracle in itself and its reconstruction will be another one (because here is no way we can do this on our own).

Since the purchase we moved forward in small steps. We cleaned the place up and hauled away truckloads of junk and trash left over by the last owner. Then we started clearing much of the land of bushes and dead or dangerously growing trees. Next we contracted an architect, a civil engineer, and an engineering firm to get a set of reconstruction plans and a building permit. Then we had two wells drilled and finally we hired a construction crew (from the Ukraine:) to begin a thorough reconstruction of two of the buildings. We also contracted a grant-writing/business consulting company to help us prepare a proposal for a possible grant.

There are several more years of work left as you can imagine. We need to decide what kind of a waste water system and heating system to use. We need to design the inside dispositions of all the buildings including the electric lines and plumbing. We’ll have to find someone to make new windows, repair some of the roofs. One of the buildings is in such poor shape that it may be better to tear it down and start over. And besides the buildings - the land itself needs much improvement.

At the end of the process we imagine several houses for the accommodation of the locals as well as long and short-term visitors; a hostel with about 30 beds with meeting rooms for various groups and food service facilities; a play area for children; an outdoor team building course; several rows of sweet corn; some farm animals maybe even horses - and all this in a pristine valley about 15 minute walk from Prague public transportation, 25 minute ride from the city center, and 15 minute drive from the Prague airport! Location, location, location!

Can we build it? Not a chance! Can God cause things to work out despite our inadequacy? Absolutely!