CEE Story From The Mission Field
Thank you, Arthur, for loving the Czech people
September 25, 2007
“Let’s start a group.” Arthur said. I hesitantly disagreed, “My family and I have met for almost one year with only three Czechs visiting our home Bible study. We need to wait until we find people who are interested.” Following my protest, Arthur said, “Ok, but I think we should start a worship group in September. You pray about it.” After two weeks of prayer, I met with Arthur in the center of town to plan when and where to meet for a new worship group. This was the first major influence Arthur Boynton imprinted on the ministry in Hradec Kralove, Czech Republic, but not the last. Arthur loved the Czech people and that love made a difference in their lives.
Arthur and Priscilla Boynton moved to Hradec Kralove to join our church planting team in August 2004. Arthur taught English in a local medical firm. His experience in business soon earned him a voice in the firm. However, his greatest impact would come outside the company. Along with his wife, they tirelessly invested their lives in people. Priscilla and Arthur, who were Southern Baptist Church volunteers on the field at their own cost, spent unknown amounts of money to develop relationships and serve people with Christ- like love. During their 18-month service, they impacted several new believers that are seeking to serve Jesus Christ. Stories abound about Arthur and Priscilla.
They started the first annual Christmas Party in 2004 in their home. With as many as 25 atheists present, we sang Christmas hymns and ate Priscilla’s home cooked desserts. Afterwards Arthur started to read the Christmas story from Luke. Starting to cry, he explained that, I, Harold, would finish the story. I did but more than 25 Czechs saw how the story of Jesus coming into our world had and was shaping the life of Arthur Boynton. Numerous Czechs knew that Arthur and Priscilla were Christians, but they were an enigma. Being neither pushy nor religious, they had no category to classify such a lifestyle.
Arthur and Priscilla taught English in the evenings several nights a week. It seemed to matter little if the class discussed stories from the Bible or geography, one of Arthur’s favorite subjects, the seed of truth was sown. Somehow, real love had been on display. I’m not sure if any of these students have made a decision to follow after Christ, but a number have said Arthur and Priscilla created an environment in which they could ask, “Does a God really exist? Are the stories from the Bible really true?”
After agreeing to start a new worship group, September 2005 became a special month. During our first meeting, not one Czech came. We agreed to sing, pray and talk about God’s Word. We just worshipped. The next week a woman Arthur knew came with her son. Within a month, my wife invited a woman she met through our children’s school. The group was growing in truth and love. My kids, Hayden and Taylor, loved Arthur and Priscilla. During one meeting, we all sensed that God was moving in Hradec Kralove. We were doing some of the same things we had always done, but it was during worship, God was meeting us. We now had three Czechs almost every week to explore, “Who is Jesus?” as we continued a simple trilogy of worship: singing, praying and discussing God’s Word.
No one knew just how God would begin to work in February 2006. Priscilla’s health began causing a few problems. Concerned, Arthur and Priscilla made the decision to return to the States on March 1, 2006. This decision became a way for God to write the last chapter of Arthur’s life. Priscilla turned out to be fine, but Arthur was diagnosed with a deadly form of cancer. It was a shock to all of us. Stunned by the news, our group of new believers started turning to Jesus in prayer. We wrestled with thoughts about Jesus in the Gospels. Our group had incredible times of prayer. We still laughed, but now we also cried. One lady in our group said, “He was a nice person that was able to strengthen us and bring support.” Another Czech said, “He was a great person and friend. When I was in his presence, I felt good. We all agreed that Arthur was used to point us to someone greater: Jesus.
I visited Arthur in Lubbock, TX, while on a short stateside assignment. We chuckled and cried when we received news that one of our atheist friends admitted that he did not know how to talk to the God of Arthur—in whom he did not believe, but confessed that he could learn. We all have some memory of Arthur and Priscilla’s investment in Hradec Kralove. I remember Arthur and myself handing out flyers to the JESUS Film while it was cold and snowing. Almost no one would take a flyer in almost 6 hours of work. Cold, a little discouraged and ready to quit, we ended with a cup of hot tea on the main square. In the course of our conversation, he said casually, “We may have learned what not to do by being obedient today,” I agreed. Obedience is what Arthur and Priscilla taught me. He left 40 years of professional life to invest his life in a new way in a country outside of the USA. Arthur and Priscilla’s love for the Czech people has had the single greatest visible influence on the church planting work in Hradec Kralove.
Arthur went into the glorious liberty of the children of God September 6, 2006. We all miss him. In our first worship service after Arthur’s death, a woman showed up from his work and wanted to light a candle to remember him. The Czech believers in the group had invited 3 new Czechs to consider “Who is Jesus” as our group continued with Luke 15. All 3 want to come back. I thought, “from not one Czech to 6.” How do we have 6 Czechs coming to worship in a group that started with not one on the first Sunday over a year ago? Perhaps we can let a Czech speak, “Arthur represented a mirror for me. In him, I could see a reflection of God. Through that, I have learned that we can also be mirrors, images of the light of God. All his actions, words and thoughts were rituals in which he was honoring God. He stands for what a true Christian truly is in my mind.”
Thank you, Arthur, for loving the Czech people.