Surprised in Prague

The last two months my wife and two of our kids drove 4,554 kms in Europe. We were visiting old friends and meeting new ones. What we found in Prague totally surprised us…

There, Andrew Jones and his gang showed us his wonderful former home city and introduced us to Mathias Schwender (D)  who runs four hotels in the city, which are models in innovation and a different way of living.

Mathias came to Prague with a vision to serve backpackers. He started with one room, in one apartment building, which eventually he bought. He and his wife Carrie, redesigned the place into a cozy inn where anyone can feel at home.

They now run Czech Inn, Sir Toby's, Miss Sophies and Mosaic Inn where we stayed. All four places are characterized by their warmth and inviting atmosphere, great food and very friendly staff.

We loved everything at Mosaic House. The moment we entered our room we noticed the environmentally consciousness that went into the design. The shades opened and closed automatically, the aircon went on the moment we stepped in among other things.

Later, Mathias showed us the state of the art facility, which processes wastewater from the showers, extracting the heat and then sending it back to use the toilet tanks.

 

 

Later, at the lobby and met different people in his staff. I met people from all over and I was particularly pleased to speak Spanish with Juan from Paraguay and Luis from Colombia. We also met folks from Australia, USA, and local Czechs. The one common thread in all my conversations was how much they loved working with the Schwender's and how much they appreciated their style and caring attitude.

I learned that Mathias and Carrie are motivated to be the type of people who embody the message of Jesus in their day-to-day life. It was exciting to see those who are closest to them at work confirm that they are the real stuff.

The Schwender’s are people who are living their Jesus-life everyday. They are the types for whom worship is a moment-by-moment experience, which reveals the love of God to anyone in tangible ways.

They are also part of a cadre of business people who are not satisfied with just making money but are also interested in their environmental footprint, the impact they make in peoples lives, both their customers and their co-workers.

When I pray…”your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in Heaven”. I see Mathias and Carrie as people who are answering my prayer.

If you go to Prague, I have a deal for you at their hotels, so drop me a note and I'll hook you up. You will not regret it.