Now I’m back home, sitting in the bleachers watching my son play his first floorball competition. And I’m pondering the things we learned. I wonder about the influence his father has already had on him during his eight short years. What is we are doing (or not doing) that makes him (Sam) afraid to play in this competition. He has told me about his fears. He doesn’t want to disappoint his team. He doesn’t think he is a very good player.

I know I consciously praise him in floorball. I hear his father praising him as well. What on earth has shaped this young boy’s thinking and tricked him into believing such lies?

I ponder. I pray. And here he is today. Dressed in his uniform waiting his turn to go out in the court. Of course he is scared. Of course his heart is pounding. Of course his palms are sweating waiting for the coach to call his name.

And then I find myself being the mom that sits on the side yelling for her boy. Never mind I’m speaking English while everyone else stares at me. I am a mom. A proud mom. Full of joy as she witnesses her son fight his fears.

Thank you God for this boy of mine. Thank you for his kind heart. Thank you for his sensitive spirit. Give me and his father wisdom as we parent him and teach him in yours ways. Make him strong in his faith and strong in his dependence on you his heavenly father.

And if you see fit… maybe a goal here and there along the way!

This time we drove so there would be no chance to miss the bus (like last time)! Gwyneth was however still nervous about making it on time, until we arrived!

I love that she wants me here with her. I wouldn’t want to miss this experience.

But today is also special for another reason. It is the first day of the long awaited Josiah Venture Spring missionary family conference. There are always good things in store at this conference for our whole family.

Our friends from Croatia were able to come a few days early to be with us before the conference starts, along with another 2 friends from Poland! We have a full house for sure. Everyone is content. Even the moms got a solid block of time together yesterday just for talking (and praying)! An additional 7 more people from Slovenia came for the afternoon to visit and dinner!
Everything was going quite smoothly up until I took the meat from oven that had been cooking for several hours (pulled pork). Despite the long hours of baking, it was still not done! At that moment my heart panicked ” what went wrong?. . .I’ve made this many times before”, and worse, “now what can possibly feed all these hungry people at a moments notice?” it was such a helpless feeling . Mentally i surveyed the pantry and knew, being the day before we left home for a week, groceries were low. However serving uncooked pork was not an option!
Thankfully the answer came quick! We chopped the meat (all 7 pounds) and sautéed it bit by bit until it was all done. Whew. That was a close one. One we laughed about later and all agreed what a good blog entry it would make!

BY THE WAY – AS AN ADDENDUM – GWYNETH WON FIRST PLACE (GOLD) AT THIS COMPETITION!!

WE ARE REALLY PROUD!

In addition to Exit tour there are a few other things on my plate I could really use help praying for:

Hampton’s Visa: I will need to return to the foreign police this week and report Hampton’s new passport. Since his visa has lapsed there could be complications. However, since he is a small child, it is our understanding they could equally choose to NOT make it complicated. We are definitely praying for NO complications!

Emili’s school: Now is the time of year for students finishing 8th class to decide which high school they will attend for the fall. This is really an education for us, learning all the rules/laws and which schools are a possibility. It really seems to be more equivalent to when i went to college:( Somehow I really believe that if I grew up in slovakia I would not get accepted to High School! (i’m not joking, it’s very difficult) There are entrance exams, deadlines, specialized schools (“majors”), so much to learn.

Then since Emili holds a US passport, it seems the laws are a bit different for her. This process has helped us to see more clearly Emili’s needs. Although she LOVED homeschooling and declares even now that she learned more when she was homeschooling, she prefers the class-room atmosphere. With that said, she is certain that she does not want to continue in the present school she is attending for various reasons (mainly the students in her class). I am trying to make some appointments to check out some possible schools. It is slow going, but I am confident the Lord is leading us.

EMKO Friday- This friday will be the next meeting for our church’s middle school group (EMKO). We plan to have a review and a decision time from the past week’s Bible lessons. Today in Sam’s class we invited some of his classmates and sent informational emails to their parents.

Slovak Lessons Friday- We have added an additional weekly meeting to our slovak language learning. Starting this Friday we will meet weekly. We hope to speak much better Slovak.

Nitra trip- Last weekend we had 2 beautiful girls (actually sisters) here with us for Sunday. They both were saved while in the US as exchange students to an Arkansas Highschool! (i know, what a coincidence right? Ha!) They attended the school here in our city where I teach and that is how I meet them. They happened to be in our city this past weekend and joined us at our church for Sunday and for lunch at our house in the afternoon. They invited me to their house for a visit I’m am considering a trip to see them this Saturday-Sunday. My heart hurts for them and I want to encourage them as I see them walking so strongly in their faith. They need a church family, they need someone to disciple them. I am asking God to lead us to the right person who can walk with these sisters. Their city, Nitra, is about 2 hours away from our city.

Our Jay-ko- Many of you know our dear dear friend Jay (we call him Jay-ko). We spoke of him so often when we were in the US. He is presently away from Slovakia attending Bible College in Denmark, but returned home for the weekend for a family wedding. He came to see us! It had been over 1 year since we last saw him. It was a short, but very loud, lots of laughing and playing and visiting! We love him so much and are so proud of him.

Today is a BEAUTIFUL day! Thank you Lord for the sunshine, warmer days, and blossoms on the cherry trees!

Exit tour is an very special outreach project that travels to schools in Slovakia.  The goal of EXIT Tour is to help schools provide lectures about the problems teenagers face daily, how to live a healthy lifestyle and to share true life values.  While we are in the schools, we provide an assembly for the students in their gym where the American band performs a few songs. During the morning concert, we present our program, invite students to the afternoon activities, and promote the various preventative lectures taking place at their school. Students are divided into five or six groups, and attend two series of lectures on Sex, AIDS, Relationships, Drugs and Smoking Prevention, English, etc.  Zac is leading one of the lectures this week.

The key element for EXIT Tour is cooperation among local youth organizations that follow up with students at so called EXIT clubs.

I talked to Zac yesterday and he was very excited to have the opportunity, on this first day, to share personally his faith in Jesus with 2 students who stayed after his seminar.  Please pray for the TCKompas team as they conduct this incredible week of ministry with the local churches in Banska Bystrica.

If you would like to read more detailed information about Exit Tour you can find it here!

This week we are happy to have a bit of a “slower” week. Normal teaching for me, normal school for the kids, and “normal” office hours for Zac. It’s nice to be normal once in a while!

Last Friday we  had another meeting for our “middle-school” group, eMKo, here at our house. We are so thankful to have dedicated leaders, Dusko and Anicka, as well as a commited group of students that come. We continue to pray this will be the time they hear something new that changes their life forever.

Also last week, the girls’ loft bed was finished and finally installed! I really have to commend them on their patience through the whole process. It has been almost 4 months since we have been back in Slovakia and nearly 2 months in our new house. It looks even better than we imagined it and it gives them so much more space.  We continue to unpack boxes and “accessorize” our house week by week

I continue to pray for the Kids’ school. Classes are more and more difficult, It’s not 1st grade any more! I’m impressed to see their commitment to studying,  preparing for  classes and for the extra hours of tutoring. I was encouraged when Emili came home last week and said, “I wrote my first essay in Slovak language”; pretty impressive. I was equally impressed when she told me Monday morning before she left for school that she arranged to have an extra tutor session on that day (Monday) to prepare for an upcoming test. Responsible. Fourteen. I’m impressed!

Her sister isn’t far behind her in impressing me however, Gwyneth doesn’t seem to have to study nearly as much (isn’t it like that in most families). Her brother also seems to give little effort in obtaining good marks. His battle comes in the form of attention span and focusing.

All in all, I couldn’t be more proud of my little bi-lingual family. I am proud they know Slovak so well (much better than their mom).  I am proud when people see how happy and content they are to live here in Slovakia. I am proud when we are considered  by Slovaks to be “normal”.  Sometimes normal is good.

I researched a bit and found this great “simple seder” or ritual meal (http://www.chrysaliscafe.com/2007/03/practical-life-easy-christian-seder.html) that I prepared on Thursday in remembrance of the last supper. It had simple foods all that were very symbolic of the Jews in Egypt and the Passover, Christ’s death and resurrection. It was basically 6 things:

Unleaven bread- This symbolizes the bread that the Israelites took with them from Egypt. In their hasty exit, they did not have time to let it rise. The bread that Jesus broke at the Last Supper was without yeast or unleavened. Yeast stands for sin. Jesus said the bread represents his body. He was without sin. His body was broken for us.

Haroset (apples, honey, cinnamin, nuts)-The Haroset is eaten as a symbol of hope. Jesus is the hope of the world. He is sweeter than the honey in the honeycomb.

Fresh horseradish- This is a reminder of the bitterness the Israelites experienced while they were slaves in Egypt. We remember how bitter our lives are when we are slaves to sin.

Wine/grape juice- Jesus said this cup of wine was a sign of his blood poured out for us on the cross. Whenever we drink it, we should drink it to remember Him.

Dip Parsley into Salt Water - This reminds us of the tears that were shed in Egypt. The parsley is a symbol of new life. We are reminded of the sorrow we feel when we think of Jesus dying on the cross. But the green reminds us of the new life that we have in Him.

Lamb- The Lamb was killed so that the blood could mark the doorposts of the houses of the Israelites. When the angel of death saw the blood on the doorpost he would pass over that house and not kill the first born child. Jesus is our Lamb of God who was killed so that judgement would pass over us now.

The kids really enjoyed hearing all the meaning to the foods and didn’t mind trying new things. They really LOVED the haroset. In addition, I made hummus since it was a combination of the fresh herbs and food that was probably eaten during Jesus’ day.

The next day we watched the Visual Bible’s “John”. It was a great account and like it says, a visual way to read the account of Jesus’ life, death and resurrection. In the past, we have watched the same series, but instead, “Matthew”. Our “Matthew” version is VHS and didn’t survive the last house move. So this year we opted for the DVD of “John”. It is for sure a differrent account and got these kids a little roused at some of the things he “left out”. We really liked the actor who played Jesus in the Matthew series, so it was a transition to see a
“different” Jesus. Overall, it is was a very good DVD that I would recommend.

Hampton was sitting next to me when it was close to the part about Jesus’ death. I heard him repeating, “Jesus had to die, Jesus had to die. He had to die so that everyone else can live”. As you can imagine, I sat there in awe, beside him, contemplating Jesus’ words: “childlike faith”. There was no greater example of that sitting next to me. He was definitely nervous about what was about to happen in the movie, and yet he was comforting himself with the truth. Jesus had to die, so that everyone else could live. AMAZING! Thank you God for revealing such truths even to the little children.

We went to bed early so that we could get up at sunrise and visit the “tomb” we had made in our garden. It was a first for our family (a sunrise service). The boys popped right up, whereas the girls were a dragging a bit (but not too much behind the boys). It was snowing, so we all bundled up in our coats and blankets and visited the “empty” tomb, thanked our God for his life and took communion as a family. It couldn’t have been more meaningful.

It didn’t stop there however. Our church family all came over for an Easter celebration here in our home and garden. We showed a portion of the “John” video, individually went to the “tomb” for communion, and Zac gave a very good Easter meaning reminder as well as the gospel, for a few non-believers who were present. In all, there were more than 30 people here for Easter, which included a meal.

Thank you God for this house you have given to us. Thank you that it is large enough for many people, for the beautiful garden, for the new kitchen to feed people.

Today I worship and glorify you for your GREATNESS, for you POWER. Thank you that you OWN everything and give us not just what we NEED, but so much MORE. You are an AWESOME God, WORTHY of our praise.

KPM, which in Slovak stands for Conference for youth workers, is Central Europe’s largest youth workers conference. Each year the numbers grow more and more. Last year it topped 700 people! This year is no different. In fact, I heard that the registration had to be closed since it was pushing the limits the building would hold! Praise God!

This year’s theme is “Jump On”. The idea is that the bike is being driven by God and we need to jump on with Him as He leads our ministries and life. In addition to main sessions (in the morning and evening) and seminars, the next few days will run four tracks where students can choose one of the following…

1. Moving people from being a Fan to an Cyclist – Evangelism- Come/Repent/Believe
2. Moving people from a Cyclist to a Follower – Building – Follow me
3. Becoming a Trainer – Equipping – I will make you Fishers of Men
4. Becoming an Olympic Cyclist – Multiplication – I am Sending You

Please pray for our team as we pour our hearts and souls into caring for, training, inspiring and equipping this generation of youth leaders to reach young people in their towns and villages.

In addition to heading up the team that created the atmosphere for this year’s conference, Zac will be teaching the 2nd track.

The kids and I are helping any way we can. I am hosting several guests in our home, Emili and Gwyneth are volunteers in the cafe, while Sam and Hampton are loving being in the middle of everything!

Last night’s opening had so much energy! We are so privileged to be apart of what God is doing in Slovakia!

Friday is Gwyneth’s first singing competition since we returned to Slovakia. Her teacher asked me to drive them to the competition, but with only 1 car, its just not possible for me to be gone all day (6,30 am until 5 pm). So, I said I could not drive. My head is full of thoughts: Will her teacher be mad at me? Is Gwyneth disappointed that I cannot go? Should I go anyway (by bus)?

Saturday is Emili’s birthday and we will celebrate with a party for her on Saturday morning. I am trying to complete all the necessary tasks to make that happen BEFORE the welcome party begins on Saturday afternoon for the new family that has just arrived in Slovakia from the US.

The weekend also signals the start of final preparations for the annual KPM conference. We will be heavily involved in the setup and production and also house many guests during this time.  All of this busyness gives littler preparation for EASTER the following weekend!

We are still waiting on several things to be finished in the house: shower door attached (to make the shower functional), girls’ room loft bed installed and mattress made for emili’s bed, new fuses put in the electrical box so I can use more than 1 appliance at a time, not to mention all the boxes needing to be unpacked and finding homes for the contents

These are just lists of things that threaten to distract me and keep my focus from what is important. That is way I must pray for peace, without anxiety. God is teaching me to do this, I believe. I can feel His presence keeping me calm. I love the verse sam wrote and is hanging on his wall: “I have calmed and quieted myself” Psalm 131:2. I am praying this often these days!

I hesitate to even write all these things, I dont’ want to give the wrong impressions. I don’t want any sympathy, I’m not looking for pity, I am not any kind of superwoman. I just want to communicate what life is like for me right now and how you can help me pray through these next several weeks. I am not down, I don’t feel defeated or weak. I rejoice in the place God has me know. I rejoice with all the unpacked boxes. I rejoice with the shower having no door. I rejoice with no finished bed for the girls with guests coming. I rejoice when the oven goes off during cooking (really? can I say that?) I rejoice with a birthday party to plan.  I do, I rejoice in it all. I can really honestly say that. . . .today. I can say it today. Tomorrow may be different

and just a few notes to keep up with the family:

Emili: made a 3 (C) on her Slovak test this week, which is an improvement from a 5 (F). Still she is discouraged at times. We had a GREAT talk a few nights ago about how the devil is like a lion lurking about seeking to devour. I told her i thought he was preying on her that night! She was so down. We prayed it out.

Gwyneth: her concert was AMAZING. I have been trying to upload video, but without success (i have to get it small enough-the sever isn’t accepting the size)

Sam: I just smile when I think of him. He is so easy, no complaints; has an incredible laugh. I love to hear it And I do, often!

Hampton: This was our conversation yesterday at school, Mom: Hampton, how was school? H: “boring. I’m not ever going to school again.”  No tears, just complaints. In the afternoon later that same day,  H: “why did you pick me up from school so early, i’m so bored here at home.” Tomorrow is Friday and I do not teach.  So I think I will keep him home with me. Let’s see what a 4 day week will do for his disposition!

Kim and Zac: had our first Slovak class on Saturday for 8 hours! It was a sacrifice to go (with all the house work in front of us). It was good! Got to share our faith with 2 people! Can’t complain with that; again we rejoice!

I don’t consider mine one of those blogs! I could really use some blog lessons on this art of writing.  Because I really don’t think I have it! In fact, I am even nervous to share my blog with other friends who have really great blogs! It’s so intimidating to share these writings! I mean, I like to write and tell about our life here in Slovakia and I have so many words in my head of ways I could tell it. But it really is an art to get it out just the way I envision it. In the end, I find myself satisfied just to pass along the information and not fuss with the art or cleverness of it all!

Emili- It still continues to be a roller coaster with her and her studies. She got a 5 (F) this week in Slovak language.  That was very discouraging to her. Her math teacher is helping her outside of class and that makes 3 tutors she has each week. It’s a lot. I really do choose to thank God for this difficulty. It has given her the opportunity to express her thoughts to me about all of this and enabled me to see some of her thinking (good and bad). She has 2 tests tomorrow, math and Slovak language.

Gwyneth has a concert on Thursday. She was taken out of her last concert at the last minute since she was on the verge of sickness. We talked yesterday and she feels good about it and doesn’t seem to be nervous. In addition, she has a competition next Friday!  I was also very proud of her when her school teacher announced to me in the teacher’s room, that Gwyneth made a 1 (the highest) on her Slovak language test! Yea, Gwyneth!

Samuel is a young man of few words! So when he does talk, I take note! After a few times in the past weeks with some American families, he has expressed to me how he misses those friendships (in English). It is hard for me to hear the hurt in his voice. Again, I find myself thanking God for another opportunity to hear the thoughts inside my child’s head; good and bad. At least he’s getting them out and entrusting them to me. I pray with him specifically and ask God to give him peace. After a hard night of talks (and prayers) last night, he was up with a smiling face this morning. Thank you God.

Hampton is on the roller coaster with Emili. Except it seems that his has been only going up for a very long time. He still is very verbal about NOT liking or wanting to go to kindergarten . Yesterday, when i picked him up, I could see it on his face. He looked like he would break into pieces if I looked at him. My heart ached! I don’t know how well you are at getting information out of a 4 year old, but for me it’s very hard (and inconsistent). It was however, very apparent that he had had a very hard day. Zac and I talked about how it doesn’t seem to be getting better and what actions we should take. Should we take him out and get a baby sitter for when i teach? Should I quit teaching? We didn’t decide anything yet. And then today, I picked him up and he said the words, “today was the BEST day at school”!  Ok, so i guess he’s finally coming down! Thank you God!

As expected, the Women’s conference was amazing. The focus this year was prayer and worship. I personally found Austria (near to Salzburg) an incredible setting for this and recommend it to everyone! It was a retreat center owned by Calvary Chapel right on a lake nestled in the mountains and an incredible drive the whole way from Slovakia.  God personally taught me more about how to worship Him and prepare myself for worshiping him. Everyday we had 3 hours of personal prayer time. At the first thought, i couldn’t imagine how I would be able to last that long  However, I quickly realized how fast the time went. As usual, I returned home both encouraged and exhausted from a week with 40 women!

This Friday night is EMKo and we are looking forward to continue the discussion with the group of young students. We are asking God to reveal Himself and change lives. Zac will tell the Bible story, Duski will prepare games and Anicka and I will have some food for them. For the first time we have asked the parents to stay for a short meeting when they come for pick up. We plan to talk to them about possible community projects. We anticipate questions and ask God to give us the right words to explain in the best way the purpose of our group.