April 19th, 2013 by Zac

If you haven’t heard, Kim is writing a new blog now. God is really given her a new passion and special gifting for communicating in this way. If you would like to receive notification of her most recent posts, you can leave your email address in the space provided on the front page of our web site.

She also is writing AN E-MAIL almost every week with our current prayer requests. If you are interested in getting this e-mail, you can leave a COMMENT ON THIS POST with your e-mail address. Then, she can add you to her mailing list.

Thank you to all who faithfully read what we write and pray for the work God is doing here in Slovakia!

April 19th, 2013 by Zac

At this year’s Advance conference, which inspires church leaders toward healthy, multiplying churches, we were challenged by Neil Cole (author of “Organic Church) to stop hiding behind our castle walls. And instead, to engage in the spiritual battle to win souls for Christ.

This clip from the movie, Lord of the Rings was used as a visual for CHOOSING not to hide, but to be bold and brave. (Click here to watch video clip).

Ten church leaders from Slovakia attended the conference among 150 other leaders from across Central Europe.

Later, we all went out to do just what we had been inspired to do – share the gospel of Christ boldly.

Two of our men thought it might work to get a haircut and talk to the hair dressers about Christ. But neither of them needed a haircut. Finally, one decided Read the rest of this entry »

April 19th, 2013 by Zac

God chose to represent himself in three stories from Luke 15 – a woman, a shepherd and a father. They all had something in common. They had lost something precious to them and they wanted desperately to find it. The woman had lost a precious coin, the shepherd a sheep and the father a son.

In these stories, God informs us about his character and heart for the spiritually lost. There is emotion. There is urgency and persistence.

Our prayer for this year’s 20th anniversary youth leader’s conference was for these leaders to be infused with this character and heart from God.

Over 600 youth leaders attended the 5 day conference from all over Slovakia. (You can see our Facebook comments/pictures on the week’s activity at this link.)

We focused on 6 core competencies during the week, for each leader to master.

1. The Gospel – Christ’s story

2. The Witness – Your story

3. The Search – Crossing four barriers in sharing Christ

4. The Battle – Prayer

5. The Power – The work of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit

6. The next steps – Care for new believers

During one afternoon of practical application, conference participants divided into groups and traveled to 14 nearby towns and villages. Together they had spiritual conversations with over 650 people and shared the gospel over 350 times.

Please pray with us that God would keep motivating us all with his SEARCH AND RESCUE heart, as we go back to our circles of influence.

Click HERE to view a conference video that recaps our practical day of evangelism. (The video is in the Slovak language, but it has English subtitles. If the subtitles don’t automatically appear, you can click on the closed caption button (cc) in the YouTube viewer frame to enable the subtitles.)

April 19th, 2013 by Zac

Last summer our supporting church in Greenville, South Carolina (Southside Fellowship) sent a ministry team for the first time to help in an evangelistic English camp here in Slovakia. It was a big step for the South Carolina team to dive into a foreign culture where they couldn’t understand the language. But the team served with courage and wisdom. And in the end, we all experienced a very fruitful camp in cooperation with the Brethren church in Presov.

This summer (2013), another team from Southside will return again. We are thankful for their passion for the world and for their commitment to the next generation in Slovakia.

April 19th, 2013 by Zac

Everyone knows this famous picture of a group of men eating lunch over Manhattan. I recently read an article in a Slovak news paper that claimed that the worker on the far right is a man from Eastern Slovakia named Gusti Popovič. Truth or urban legend? Probably we will never know.

April 19th, 2013 by Zac

Traveling during the Christmas holidays was not at the top of our “to do” list. But during this past Christmas season, we believed it was necessary. The four months following the car accident (July 2012) were the most challenging of our family life.

But by the Christmas season, the family was mostly healed from their injuries and we were reflecting a lot on how many people helped us and how much support we felt from our friends and family back home over the previous months.

We felt a strong desire to return home, even for a short time, to thank everyone face to face and brag about how God had saved our family from death.

                                                           It was a whirlwind, 3 week, trip, but in the end it was well worth our effort. Thank you to our supporting churches in ElDorado who gave us time to speak and to the numerous people who patiently listened to our story over these 3 weeks.

I will give thanks to you, Lord, with all my heart;
     I will tell of all your wonderful deeds.
I will be glad and rejoice in you;
    I will sing the praises of your name, O Most High.

Psalm 9:1-2

March 22nd, 2013 by Kim

All of this is new to me as a mom. High school. Never mind, that my girl learns in her second language and in a country where I don’t know the system much less the language (at least not well enough to know what to expect).

So all this starts me on this journey with a minus. These last 2 years have been a huge learning curve for me,  for us. Starting with the day we went to see a perspective high school last March, and were told it was too late to apply (for the upcoming fall)! This “oversight” delayed her high school a year.
 Then finding out she must take “monitorovy” tests in addition to entrance exams for individual schools.

Hearing the discouragement in her voice as she recounted opinions her teachers (publicly) expressed of her chances to pass these tests with good marks. Foreigner.  Never mind she has lived her 12 years. Seeing her work hard preparing, mostly for herself but also a little to disprove those teachers. Hours of tutoring, hundreds. Trial tests. All the while carrying a full course load.

There isn’t much I can do to help her prepare. I try, but it’s impossibly hard for me to understand anything. I only tell her this foreigner’s mom could not pass a test like this. How this test makes school in the US look ridiculously easy. And if I had to score high enough on the SAT to place in the top 130, I would not have gone to high school. Truth. I wonder if she believes me, or if she thinks I’m just trying to make it better?

Is it enough to say:

This is our life.

God has put us here and we are satisfied.

He is a good God and has good things for you.

He loves you and knows the plans he has for you, plans to prosper you.

Trust Him.

It is enough for this 15 year old mom, but what about her?

And that day when she went for the first of tests and I walked the halls and prayed for strength. For remembering all things learned. For His peace and His presence to fill her. That it would be enough for her too. It is all I could do.

And just Maybe this isn’t  about her fears,  but mine. And calling on God AGAIN to bless this girl. It’s all I could do. It’s all I have. I have no power, no alternate plan, no great idea. Just prayers. And reading HIS words,  reminders that He cares. Even about this. And He met ME there and gave ME peace and ME comfort and ME His presence.

And that morning, those hours that passed like minutes, and it was me that was blessed.

Here is one of the songs He gave me that morning.

March 11th, 2013 by Kim

After my last post, I decided the next one must be easier, lighter,  less deep, less thinking and most definitely less processing.  Here we go. . .

Menu planning and grocery shopping is part of my weekly schedule.  It can get routine and mundane, and somewhat uneventful, but since I like to cook, it has the potential each week to turn into something fun!  When I am at the grocery store, I’m on the prowl, eyes open wide, always sniffing and searching out some new product (or new to me) and for sales!  At home, I try to be creative, in the menu having a variety of meats, sides  grains, while at the same time making everyone happy (doesn’t always happen).  To keep it from getting boring,  I made a rule not to have the same thing 2 weeks in a row and I try to have at least one new recipe a week.  All of this takes time and planning. To do this, I have a few tricks up my sleeve. Read the rest of this entry »

March 5th, 2013 by Kim

This post was supposed to be a quick link of Gwyneth’s testimony when we were in the East last week, two weeks ago. Easy, quick, “published”.

Two weeks later, here I am at it again. Revising. It is true what “they say” about how writing things out causes you to think more, process more, and in turn learn more about yourself, about the situation, and for me, about God. This post is proof of that! Now if I can just get it out of my head and sounding right. . . .

Read the rest of this entry »

February 26th, 2013 by Kim

I like this chapter a lot. It’s humbling. It gives me compassion for my children and it shows me that I am the same as my children in [at least] one way, full of sin.

I know this in my head of course, but probably my day to day life and schedule doesn’t model it so well. I am the parent. I am the one to lead and discipline them. I think it is easy to fall into a “prideful” authoritative posture with my children. But the reality is that I need daily leading and discipline as well. This doesn’t always (most always) feel very good.

I think when I am able to understand Sarahmae’s  point, “There is a darkness in each of us that bends toward rebellion,”  (and that means me too) then I have more compassion when it comes to patience, understanding and discipline for my children. My love is easier shown when that compassion is there.

I don’t have to think long for an example. Yesterday, Read the rest of this entry »