Jan

Hi, I'm Jan (yes, this is a female name in the US, similar to Jane :) ). I come from Pennsylvania where my family lives on a small farm. But I have lived in Prague for the past 10 years, mentoring youth and young adults, offering pastoral care, teaching English and learning Czech! I have taught English at many English camps and am looking forward to this one! With my dog, Maggie, I enjoy hiking in Czech nature - it's so beautiful (especially in the mountains). I also love to travel and explore; discovering new cultures and experiencing a different way of life is so fascinating.

Chase

My name is Chase Bearden. I am 16 years old and I am in tenth grade. The school I go to is Dayspring Christian Academy and I have been living in Pennsylvania my whole life. I work many different jobs like selling flowers and fireworks, and helping my dad with electrical work. I love to play basketball and hang out with my friends. I’m excited to go to Czechia because I have never been out of the country and I like to help others with things that they struggle with.

Abby

Hi, I'm Abby Harnish. I'm 16 years old. I am from Lancaster, Pennsylvania. I live and work on a dairy farm. I'm in 10th grade at Penn Manor High school. I enjoy working with animals and I'm on the track and field team at my school. I also enjoy being involved in my church's youth group. I'm looking forward to traveling to a different country and learning about different cultures.

Maija

Hi, I'm Maija Jurgensen and I am 16 years old and from Lancaster, Pennsylvania. In the summer I work in a warehouse and I also babysit throughout the year. I go to Penn Manor High School and I am in my Sophomore year (10th grade). In my free time I enjoy listening to music, reading or drawing. I also like to play board or card games. I am excited to see the beautiful country and to learn more about another culture while connecting with and helping people. I hope that I can learn from them and they can also learn from me.

Jada

Hi! My name is Jada and I am from the state of Pennsylvania in the United States of America. I attend school at Penn Manor High School and I’m in 10th grade. I work for a cut flower farm making bouquets, growing flowers, and going to market to sell the flowers. Some of my hobbies include reading, making beaded jewelry, baking, and singing. I actually sing on my church’s worship team! Some things I hope to learn from you are what you enjoy doing in your daily day to day life, how you’re furthering your relationship with Christ, and some of the things or hobbies that you like to do in your free time. I’m so excited to visit a different country and learn what life is like outside of the United States!

Connor and Ian

My name is Connor. I am from Pennsylvania in the United States. I have lived here my whole life and there are a lot of farms here. I like to ride bike and also like to watch sports like basketball and American football. I also enjoy hunting and anything outdoors. I have never been to the Czech Republic. I am excited to meet and teach the kids.

And my name is Ian. I’m in 11th grade and am from Lancaster county, Pennsylvania. I have many hobbies. I enjoy really anything outside, hunting, fishing, riding bike, and flying camera drones. I am looking forward to Czechia and eager to meet kids and find out some of their interests. I look forward to learning new things about the culture.

Pete Johnson 1/2

Hi, I'm Pete Johnson from St.Louis, Missouri. My wife, Jennifer, and I have seven children, three of which will be joining us at this camp. I recently completed a 33-year career in Civil Engineering / Heavy Construction Project Management and two years ago began working as the Director of Missions at Central Presbyterian Church. In my new job, I lead a dedicated, loving team whose main purpose is encouraging and supporting our missionaries in our city, nation, and world. Part of that includes visiting cool places and meeting wonderful people from different cultures and countries. Some of my interests include cooking, vegetable gardening, singing, playing percussion, and watching NBA basketball.

Pete Johnson 2/2

Fun Fact: I'm half Czech! My mother's family came to the US in the early 1900's from Bohemia (not sure what town, though). I grew up eating my grandmother's wonderful Czech cooking: roast pork, sauerkraut, potato dumplings, potato pancakes, jaternice, and her specialties, koláčky and vánočka. Yum!!

Frank C. Schaper

My name is Frank. My wife's name is Toodie. You will meet us both this summer. We live In St. Charles, Missouri. Our town is about 25 miles west of the city of St. Louis. When you look at a map of the United States, you will see that St. Louis is in the middle of the country. It is called the mid-west. I have one daughter Heather and two granddaughters. Milo will be 15 this July and Hadley is ten. I was a firefighter in the city of St. Louis for 30-years. I own a fire service training and consulting business. This allows me to travel all over the country working with and teaching firefighters. I love to hike and fish. I am a writer, too. I have published two books, and I am working on three other books. I am looking forward to meeting you all this summer. I will be praying for you all.

Toodie Schaper

I am a Wife, a mother, and a grandmother. I have been a Christian since I was a child. I have spent almost 40 years serving in an international Bible Study organization which has kept me growing in my faith. I have served as a children’s leader, a group leader of adult women, and am currently serving as our class administrator. My husband and I love to walk and birdwatch. I am currently taking lessons in watercolor painting! Caring for my husband and grandchildren fill a lot of my time with love and joy.

Zack Lewis

Hello! My name is Zack and I am an engineer in St. Louis, Missouri. I grew up in northern Illinois and moved to St. Louis when my wife and I got married about 2 years ago. I love to tinker with computers and learn how things work! I also love playing guitar and listening to good music. I also love hiking and being in nature so I’m excited to learn your favorite places to explore!

Audrey Lewis

Hello! My name is Audrey and I work as a counselor with adults, children and families. It will be my first time traveling to a new country outside of the United States with my husband, Zack, and I am eager to learn about Czechia and what life is like for you there. I grew up attending Christian wilderness camps in Missouri where I did lots of outdoor activities and developed a love for nature and the outdoors. I am from a state called Illinois where there is lots of corn, chickens, and goats! I love to play sports, including tennis, and I enjoy serving in the Missions ministry at church. I look forward to meeting you and learning more about you!

Lily Johnson

Hi! My name is Lily Johnson, and I am 20 years old. I am from St. Louis, Missouri. I finished my second year of university at the University of Tulsa in Oklahoma. I’m studying Nursing and really love it! I have been at a few different camps similar to this before. Last summer I helped lead a kids’ camp in North Macedonia and Albania. I absolutely loved getting to know each kid and doing my best to relate with them on a younger level. Some of the things/activities that I enjoy doing are: playing cards with my family, hanging out with my friends, being outdoors, drawing and painting, listening to music, and watching NBA basketball. I’m super excited for this camp!

Daniel Johnson

Hello, my name is Daniel Johnson and I am from St. Louis, Missouri. I just graduated from the University of Tulsa with a major in finance and minors in both economics and marketing. I am currently searching for a job but in the meantime I am enjoying hanging out with my friends and family as well as playing and watching sports. I am a quarter Czech but I have never been there so I am very excited for this experience!

Anna Johnson 1/2

Hi, I’m Anna Johnson from Saint Louis, Missouri but currently reside in Tulsa, Oklahoma. I’m excited to go to this camp with my dad and two of my siblings. I presently work at Phillips 66 in the information technology (IT) department to automate business processes using scripting and have been employed there for 2 years. Outside of work I have variety of interests including math tutoring, Gracie jiu jitsu, playing the piano, reading with my cat Kevin, singing, drawing, playing chess passably, and hanging with my siblings in Tulsa.

Anna Johnson 2/2

Fun fact: I have a mixture of perfect and relative pitch meaning if you play a note on an instrument, I can tell you which note was played without having to look. Additionally I have pitch memory so I can start a song in the correct key without having to listen to it immediately before. And all of this, plus many years of piano lessons, makes it so I can play just about any song by ear.

Mark Geisz

I am a 23 year old Mechanical Engineering student from St. Louis Missouri. As a kid, I grew up in competitive gymnastics and performed on the stage of the Municipal Opera Theatre. Currently, I am working as an engineering intern at a manufacturing plant. I love acrobatics and learning how machines work. I am very excited to be a part of my first English camp.

Cole Lescher

My name is Cole Lescher and I am pastor at Central Presbyterian Church in St. Louis Missouri. I have had the privilege of working with university aged students to young adults for the last 12 years or so. I am married and have 3 sons (8months, 6, 9 years old) and love spending time with my family. I love watching different sports with my kids and watching them play them as well. We are big soccer fans at our house (Go Man U! & STL CITY SC!). I have never been to Czechia and am looking forward to learning, listening, and having fun!

Shari Wynn

My name is Shari. I have lived in St. Louis, Missouri for most of my life. I have 2 adult daughters, Lucy and Mary. Being their mom is the best part of my life! They are amazing and I am always learning from them. Reading is my favorite hobby but close behind that is traveling to new places. I love making new friends with the people I meet along the way. I'm excited to meet you and hear about your family and school. English is the only language I speak however i have never attended an English camp. I look forward to experiencing camp alongside each of you.