PRAGUE, Czech Republic — They are known around this nation's capital for their white shirts and clean appearance, but after spending three preparation days scooping mud and hauling debris from the flooded inner-city streets, the elders and sisters of the Czech Prague Mission gained a reputation for getting dirty.

Photo by Shaun Stahle

Elders and sisters from the Czech Prague Mission clean up outside a theater in historic Prague.

Like others in this historically rich city, missionaries from the two zones in Prague devoted their time and muscle to the massive clean-up effort following the flooding of the Vltava River that took place in mid-August.

Their mud-stained clothes have become something of a badge of honor, evidence of a clean-up conquest. Elder Tamrom Lee doubted whether his streaked shirt and pants from the previous week's mud bowl would ever come clean.

Behind their surgical masks, worn to filter the stench, these missionaries serve with an eagerness.

"We have a job for you guys," said the director of the relief effort one morning in early September as a group of six elders and two sisters arrived at the clean up headquarters.

"You will be working in a theater. You will need boots," he said pointing to a military-like tent filled with supplies. "But first I need a signed statement certifying that you have had your tetanus shots."

Parts of this charming medieval city were submerged when a deluge of rain overflowed the river into the quaint inner city streets. Reports vary, but some accounts say the city hasn't seen flooding like this since the 1700s. Others say there is no record of flooding this devastating.

A sense of normalcy has returned to the city. Roads recently caked with mud have been swept. Clean-up efforts are now moving indoors where rotting materials are being piled on the street.

"That's where we carried mud last week," said Elder Alec Westwood, pointing to a building down the street as missionaries walked toward the theater. A large sign on the wall announced the "Sound of Music" was scheduled for performance.

The missionaries organized themselves in a fire brigade line, tossing mud-caked seats and cushions up the stairs as they were ripped from the auditorium.

Besides the satisfaction of serving a country they have grown to love, Elder Tyler Morley said their work has turned heads and provided opportunities to share the gospel. "One lady who was also volunteering asked many questions and gave her address to hear more," he said.

"The 16 missionaries in Prague had donated 700 hours of labor during the first two weeks of the clean up," said President Richard Chidester of the Czech Prague Mission.

"They wouldn't quit," he said, becoming emotional as he remembered their perseverance. "They've made a difference."

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