Jarka is a young woman living in east Slovakia. I first met her through a mutual friend who attended university with her. She was working as a high school teacher for many years after graduation,  until this fall. Now she is full time with Campus Crusade for Christ. We had time for coffee together during the conference. Sitting and listening to her passion for young students was inspiring! Here is just one of her amazing stories:

I felt like I needed to spend a day just praying for the needs of this one project. It is a lot of work. There is still much to translate, and we are out of money. So I spent the day Tuesday praying. On Wednesday, I got a call on my mobile from the US Embassy. They invited me to a lunch hosted in my city for the US Ambassador. I was surprised to be 1 of 4 Slovak people invited to this lunch and agreed I would come (the next day). At this lunch, I was seated next to the Ambassador and for the next 2 hours he questioned me about my work. I was able to tell him all about my ministry to students with Campus Crusade and to tell about the current project of a Christian curriculum in the public school. I told him of the needs of translation, money and permission to get it incorporated into the school system in Slovakia. He asked a lot of questions and offered his help for my cause!

If you could know this young woman, I am certain you would have left as inspired as me. She is so humble, so genuine, so meek, so committed. It was a real blessing for me to hear her testimony. Thank you Lord for this beautiful young woman you have called to serve you in Slovakia. Continue to use her to change lives in the East of Slovakia. Give her strength and wisdom and continue to encourage her in this job you have called her to do. Continue to prove to her what a BIG God you are, who answers prayers and cares about the lives of students in Kosice.

And then there was Janka on the last day of the conference. At first, I did not recognize her and then she commented that probably I didn’t remember her. At that very moment, I had pictures in my head of this very young girl who was my translator during my first trip to Slovakia 15 years ago! I could not believe this was the woman in front of me now! Her face was the same, but everything else had changed.

How wonderful it was for me to spend time with her over lunch hearing how she is doing. To say that she is still walking with the Lord is just not enough. This young woman is such a strong, strong light in her community, her job and in her church. As a single woman, she is not just living her life for Him and standing for Him in her secular workplace, but is heavily involved in the ministry of a new church plant for the international community in Bratislava (Slovakia’s capital city). I could have listened to her all day.

Thank you Lord for Janka. Thank you for the incredible mind you have given her. Continue to use her in her workplace and give her boldness to speak your truths to her co workers. I ask for your blessings on this new church. Use her to save lives and change hearts, hearts that will love you and desire to serve you. Multiply Janka and Jarka over and over in our country.

Of course there were so many other things going on during these 4 days, these are simply my highlights! Emili and Gwyneth would of course tell a different

story, as well as Zac. Here is a link to the Face Book page of the photographer who was there capturing each event. Maybe it will give you a feeling of what it was like to be here those 4 days. I think he did an awesome job capturing it all.  Probably the closest thing to being here yourself! Thanks Lubo!