There was an evening a couple weeks ago when I was in just the right mood for writing music. I had been listening to Hillsong worship for the majority of the day, and as the evening was drawing to a close and night was approaching, an idea hit me.

"Why don't you translate a worship song into Czech?"

This has been something that people have asked me to do in the past, but I never really took it seriously. I was probably one of the best equipped people to translate songs from English to Czech, understanding the nuances of both languages. But I never got around to it.

Being here at Moody this semester, I have really missed Czech. Particularly the language! My roommates can attest to this fact. (I have woken them up several times this semester by speaking Czech in my sleep!) I feel as if my understanding of the Czech language has actually improved since I've been away. And with no one to speak with, the only thing to do is practice with myself.

So I decided to try my hand at translating! It took me about two hours, and I did some minor corrections later, but I was for the most part very pleased.

I picked a newer Hillsong song, titled "The Greatness of Our God."

So here's a little preview of it! I was able to perform at Live Music Monday up at the coffee shop I work at on campus tonight, and this was one of the songs I chose. It was really fun to be able to share it with everyone, even though they couldn't understand it! I'm even more excited to share it when I go back home to Czech for Christmas.

In reading "The Consequences of Ideas" by R.C. Sproul for my Philosophy class, I came upon the chapter on Soren Kierkegaard.

Kierkegaard considered the clearest example of true faith in the patriarch Abraham. He says that Abraham's great struggle is to obey God's unthinkable command to kill his son Isaac. With the moral law clearly written on his heart, Abraham cannot fathom the conflict before him.

Then came this quote:

"Martin Luther's beloved wife once said to her husband that she could not believe the story of Abraham and Isaac because God would never treat a son like that. "But Katie," Luther replied, "he did treat his son like that."

Yes, He did.

And how much more must this have sunken in for Katherine as she marveled at the purpose behind God treating His son like that. If we are struck by the injustice of Abraham's story, we need only look to the cross to be put in our place. A sacrifice must be made. And while God redeemed Abraham's story by sending a ram to die in Isaacs place, Jesus took full responsibility upon Himself and was obedient unto death.

For us.

I need to let that sink in.

Kierkegaard believed that truth has no meaning if it does not change the way we live. (I wouldn't agree with everything Kierkegaard said, but it definitely gets you thinking.) How is the Gospel changing me today?

A good reminder that the Gospel is not just for the unbelievers, but even for Bible college students!

One of the things I love most about reading other people's blogs are the photos. I always take this into consideration when writing a new post - "How am I going to communicate visually as well as verbally?"

Well, you're in luck! Here is a little look into the world of Tyler Patty at Moody Bible Institute. I don't have much to say except that I love it here. The Lord is so good to have brought me to a place like Moody to grow in my knowledge and love for Him among such incredible men and women of God.

This semester I started working at JOE'S - the student-run coffee shop on campus. I love being able to serve the Moody community by not only making lattes and caramel macchiatos, but also by asking questions and engaging with their lives. There is a supernatural blessing over JOE'S - every time I work I feel the Lord's presence.

Even though I only got to sleep for three hours, I'm feeling quite chipper! It was a bittersweet goodbye with Nathan, Lauren, and Bronwen at the airport. I do pray that I get to serve with them again someday - it has been such a privilege.

On the drive back to Stevo and Sarah's house to drop off the car, I was completely soaking in God's glorious creation as I drove through the rolling hills of Italy, Slovenia, and Croatia as the sun was rising. Such a cool way to start the day!

I'm off to the train in about 45 minutes - thought I'd share with you what it looks like when Tyler Patty travels.

Just a quick post to let you know that my last day in Rijeka went smoothly! After driving Jamey and Meredith to the airport in Zagreb, I spent the day cleaning the house, packing, and enjoying these last hours with my teammates. We ended the day with italian pizza at a very cool restaurant downtown. It was a great way to end these two months. I am SO thankful for these three individuals, and I will miss them greatly!

Next steps are - drive Nathan, Lauren, and Bronwen to the airport in Trieste, Italy, tomorrow (Thursday) morning; train ride to Ljubljana, Slovenia, to be with my extended family (Josh & Kristi & the kids) for three days; meet up with my parents and Caleb and Claire and spend ten days on vacation with them in southern Croatia! I am really looking forward to time with my family after all this to process the summer, as well as think about next steps.


The story does not end here. I believe this summer is just the beginning of what God has in store for me. He has answered so many prayers while in Croatia, and has given me a greater understanding of ministry and a deeper love for Him and His bride. I am very excited to see where the Lord takes me next, and am just as as excited for you to continue travelling with me.

Will you continue to pray for me during these next few weeks? Pray that the lessons God has taught me would become very apparent and alive in my life. Pray that I would return to Moody ready to learn, be molded, and to serve. And pray that the Lord would make next steps of where He wants to take me in life more and more clear.


THANK YOU for how you have stood by me this summer. I am incredibly grateful to the Lord for your ministry to me over these past months!

This day was always meant to come. I just guess I never thought it would come so quickly. There's no turning back now, I've stepped over a line that no one has been able to take back. In life we must all face such days, moving boldly ahead. No turning back.

Of course, what I am talking about is my 20th Birthday! I am no longer a teenager. That's pretty crazy! I haven't had a zero in my age since I was ten! Haha. Indeed. 

So, after the second camp was finished and we sent off the American team, our intern team had a couple days of rest. It was a great way to regain strength after working hard for the past two months. The first day the four of us interns drove 3 and a half hours to Venice, and spent the day walking through the windy alleyways of the old Italian city. The second and third days were more individual - great time alone with the Lord.

Then we were able to hold another youth group, and were so encouraged again by the number of students who came! Jamey spoke about asking the Lord questions, and I know it made an impact on us all.


The following week was spent meeting up with as many students individually as possible. We had a lot of fun, and it was really fun listening to them look back on camp and reflect on how they were changed through it. 

On Friday we had the privilege of seeing most of the campers come together to our big English Camp reunion at the house. We grilled burgers, sang songs, danced camp dances, and had an awesome time together. I got to do video interviews with a lot of the students about their experiences at camp, and am looking forward to sharing some of them with you once I compile a video!

With only four more days left, a lot of thoughts are going through my head. I will share those with you at a later time, but until then, pray that we would all finish strongly. Pray that we would run this race till the end, to the glory of our Lord. We still have some students to meet with, so pray that those would be good connections, and that the Lord would work in the lives of the students through them.


Thank you for your incredible support throughout the entire summer. It has been a huge blessing to know that so many stand behind me and are praying for me and this ministry. I am excited to share more with you again soon.

Camp has officially finished! But the work God is doing has not. God is the same God both at camp and when we all return to our lives. This is one thing that we really wanted to stress to the students - encouraging them to continue searching for the Lord once camp is over. "Take God home with you!"

On the night of the labyrinth God worked mightily. We were overwhelmed by how God was obviously touching the hearts of these students. We felt again like a wave rushed over the camp, leaving no student unaffected. Thank you for your prayers! Keep praying that leaders would rise up from among these kids that would change this country for Christ.

I was able to give the final talk on Thursday evening, dealing with the topic of "the perfect world." I got to share some stories of my family's sicknesses over the years as an example of how broken and hurting this world is, and how much it needs redemption. I explained God's plan of redemption for the entire earth, and how Jesus is preparing a specific place for those who believe in Him. A very important part of what I was trying to communicate was how God is redeeming us here on Earth to be His people and His church in preview of the New Earth. 

The week ended as usual with many tears and many hugs. It is kind of sad to have camps behind us! But it is so satisfying to look back and see how the Lord used them.

But as I said - things don't end once camp is done! We were so blessed to have 17 students from the two camps come to youth group on Saturday. We hope to continue leading these while us interns are here, and hope to create good models so that things can continue once we are gone. Excited to see what the Lord has for us in these last two weeks!

A couple more days into camp, and I have been having a blast. I feel an extra portion of grace from the Lord this week! I have had so much strength and so much joy and feel like I've been able to engage with the students in a good way. 

Discussions have been also going very well. Last night's story was of David and Bathsheba - a very powerful story indeed! It really made the students think and reflect on their own lives in light of God's grace in that story. 

We have another two days here - it has gone by very fast! The evening talks have been really culminating up to tonight, where Nathan will share the story of the woman at the well, Jesus' offer of living water, and present the Gospel. Then all the students will get to participate in a "labyrinth" to reflect on their own lives, how they are connected to others, what they need to forgive and be forgiven for etc. They will reflect on the Romans road Scripture, and then have their hands symbolically washed and oiled to signify what Christ did on the cross. It is a very powerful night, and we are praying that God would do mighty things.

Would you join us in prayer for tonight, as well as the rest of camp, and follow-up after camp? Pray for an outpouring of the Spirit and a clear presentation of the Gospel that would affect the lives of these dear children of God for the rest of their lives.

What a great last couple of days! It has been so fun to watch the students, a lot of whom are at camp for the first time, to engage - in games, sports, classes, evening program, music, discussion groups.. It's been awesome across the whole map!

I myself have really enjoyed leading evening worship - teaching the students songs full of truth that point to Christ. It's been a pleasure to have several US team members play along with me as well! And it's a great privilege to lead everyone in this way.

Tonight's talk was the story of Joseph told from the perspective of Judah. Jamey did an excellent job drawing in all the listeners, and I think the story struck a lot of chords for the students. I am apart of an evening discussion group, and one thing that came up a lot was how difficult it is to fully forgive someone - especially if that someone is a family member. 

Please pray that the students would continue to open up and be genuine - both in discussion groups and in the one-on-one conversations that happen. We expect the Lord to show Himself and do some pretty incredible things!

I am very excited to tell you that our second English Camp camp has started!!!

We had a couple days off after the team from Arizona left back home, and then we were back up and running full steam. 

The second team from Arizona arrived two days ago, and after a full day of training, we were off to Fuzine again! It has already been a huge privilege serving with this team from Phoenix. The Lord has really brought us together as one team - which is such a blessing. 

What I am working on right now is exactly what you see in the lower picture! I am in charge of registration and have been welcoming students, handling money, and sending them off to their rooms (with the help of Sarah from Phoenix!). It has been lots of fun making these kids feel welcome!

The camp is off to a great start already. But we definitely need your prayers. Pray for a special covering of the Holy Spirit at this camp - that nothing would interfere with Christ being proclaimed. There are also many more first-time campers this time - pray that they would be affected for the rest of their lives by the things they hear, talk about, and experience this week. And pray that they would have fun! :)

I will be updating you more regularly this week - so please check back!

"And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion..." Philippians 1:6

As a team we have been studying through the book of Philippians this summer. I have been so incredibly encouraged and challenged by this letter of Paul and by the brothers and sisters I am studying it with. The theme of the book is often defined as "joy." That is what I want to communicate to you about this last week's English Camp!

The entire week was characterized by joy that can only come from the Lord. We were all able to build relationships with the 18 students that came through sports, games, English classes, evening programs, and discussion groups. 

We felt an incredible wave rush over the entire camp, leaving no student unaffected by the Message communicated and by God's love. Although not everyone made a profession of faith, the Lord is drawing every single one of them closer to Himself. 

And, just as stated in the verse at the top, we believe that the work is not done. God will continue to do His will in the lives of these young students. It is a process, and especially in a country as dark as Croatia it is slow work, but we trust that the seeds that were planted this week will cause faith to grow. And we are constantly rejoicing in the Lord for those who did make professions of faith! 

Please pray for the faith of these young believers - both new and who grew up in the church. All of them need discipleship, and able men and women to disciple are scarce. It is our team's goal to invest in the lives of these hungry individuals while we are still here, but we won't be here for much longer. Pray that God would raise up leaders of the church in this needy country!