Frýdlant
Frýdlant nad Ostravicí is a small town of about 10,000 in the eastern corner of the Czech Republic, not far from Poland and Slovakia. Located in the rolling Beskydy Mountains, Frýdlant maintains a village atmosphere though it is well connected by train to nearby commercial centers Frýdek-Místek and Ostrava. It shouldn’t be confused with the other Czech Frýdlant in Bohemia, just south of the German border.
Like the rest of Czech Republic and much of former communist Europe, Frýdlant is struggling to shake the hangover of oppressive regimes and Soviet influence. The 1989 Velvet Revolution made an official end of the communist government, but road to healing, as a country and a people, continues. Positive signs are everywhere – new roads, bridges, and schools are appearing and many Czech faces are actually smiling.
Frýdlant and the Czech Republic are at a critical moment. Like a trickle of water in an newly plowed field creates the track for a stream, then a river, this generation of Czech students will set the course for their nation’s future. They share no memory of their parents’ communist past but are eagerly looking ahead with hope to the future. Beskydy Mountain Academy is a project that seeks to provide students an excellent education and give them a chance to encounter Jesus Christ.
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