Month: January 2014 (Page 4 of 11)

I wake up with an idea about the summer pretty often. I pray mainly for the English camps I will participate in. I will be a counselor in the first one (with youth from Kosice) and I will lead the second one.

We will do the camp with my own local church after 6 years again. My daughter Michaela (15) will serve with me in the church team. I am looking forward to that a lot. To serve her classmates and many other high school students will be a great honor for me. This summer in our camping program, we will have to use a lot of improvisation. Three U.S. churches cancelled their participation in the summer camp program and the fourth one cannot come for the work project we planned to do in May to support the English camp recruitment campaign. Please pray for us that we would not need to cancel any camp of the 7 planned ones. We feel like it would not be good if the Slovak non-churched students would fail to hear and see the Gospel this summer.

The college student’s ministry clubs we organize at Zilina’s dorm is attended regularly by more than 15 students. The program is focused mainly on non-church students.

We formed a new team of leaders this school year (Mato, Ivka, Evka and Tana) and it looks like we will have to divide the group soon. But this will be the task for the next semester probably.

I have just finished with my seasonal hobby, ice hockey.

I enjoy the new people I meet there and the relationships with my non-church team members. It is great sport and it helps me to relax a lot…

The all story originally was that like follows. We wanted to go to the Pust (desert) cabin for our local church/TCK English camp. Unfortunately it was reserved. Then we tried to find other good place for the camp. We visited few cabins and did a lot of phone calls. The result was that after 3 weeks we found the place, named Ostre cabin. It was not the totally best one, but the price was good and it was close to our city.

In May, two months before the camp (after we spread out all our camp advertisement /web, posters, applications…) we got a phone call that the Ostre cabin bankrupted and they cannot provide their services any more (accommodation neither the food) for our camp.

It was pretty strong input for us to pray for the new location (it is not easy to find good cabin for the camp with good price in the middle of May if the event is in July). After many brothers and sisters prayed, Eva M. (our camp teammate) have got a phone call from Pust cabin, that looked somehow like this:

“We assume that you do not need a cabin now- in May, any more… But still we felt like it is good to call you and to ask. For our customer cancelled the order for the week you were interested…”

What a surprise, the original plan came back to us.

“Actually, it is a good news, we need a cabin, for the owner of one we booked, bankrupted”, Eva answered. “But there is a problem, our price has been already agreed for certain amount…”

“No problem, we agree with your price…” the Pust cabin owner answered.

Well, He has His own plans and the ways, He provided good price and He tested our faith. But the story continues…

Gen. 40:8b
First week of May, we took place at the annual JV Spring Family Conference, where our 2nd and 3rd culture staff came together to focus on living out our God-given dreams through the story of Joseph. This conference provided great time to ponder and to spend time in His presence.

In April 2009, the TCK team held the 16th Annual KPM- Youth Leadership Conference. Almost 600 leaders and their teams participated. I was encouraged to see the next generation of youth leaders organize this conference in a relevant and inspiring way. It was a joy to be part of the program as well as to lead “From the boy – the man” – “How to” seminar for the boys…

Here is one message from a youth leader:
“Thank you for everything… mainly for your interest and care for our spiritual growth. Basically, it is obvious that you mind what ordinary youth leaders from the small villages are living. A want to add that you ministry to us is meaningful.

On May 27, 60 interns landed and began their three-day JV Amazing Race from Vienna, Austria, via Bratislava, Slovakia, via Budapest, Hungary, via Hotel Malenovice, Czech Republic. From there they spent a week in training for their summer preparations. In the morning, we reviewed the talk series, God Story, spent mid-day preparing them in their various roles, rested in the afternoon, and in the evening, dived into scriptures to prepare their hearts, minds and souls.

They are now in their perspective countries with 10 of them serving with us in Slovakia! We are very thankful to God for providing us with these amazing, talented and gifted college students who have given up their summer to serve alongside our ministry.

In June they were in their host cities walking alongside the Slovak youth groups, and promoting camps in high schools.
Will you join us in praying for:
Their health- we are all fighting colds and would ask that you please pray for strength and good health.
Overcoming fears and obstacles – Satan does not want us to be doing this, and is attacking our minds with fears, doubts and insecurities. Please pray for protection and that we will walk boldly in Christ wearing our armor to fight off the spiritual warfare.
Slovak students – pray that after interns visit in the classrooms, student’s hearts would be soften and that they would sign up to participate in KECY this summer.
Youth Groups – pray for the Slovak youth groups as they prepare for the upcoming camps.

I cannot thank you enough for standing with us during this summer with your thoughts, prayers and encouragement!

Ed, Wendi and their children are in the preparation/support raising proces to move to Slovakia and join our TCK ministry team. They will serve in town Bardejov (Eastern Slovakia).

We are thankful for God’s calling and their obedience. Please pray for their preparation and smooth moving proces (hopefuly someties at the end of this year).

Now I am at Kosice English camp. Kosice team does it the second time and the difference is obvious.

Last year we had 22 students at the camp, this year 37. Six (last year camp) students are here again. The camp team is more mature and I enjoy the most the support of the camp prayer group. Daily we read and discuss the God’s story. I am encouraged to see the openes of the students to ponder about God and His story.

We have two new staff (not at the picture) since the new school year in TCK. Maruska serves as the lector and mentor in the School of leaders and does youth ministry work in the Eastern part of Slovakia.

Villi is our Training conference and English camps assistant. Also our friend Ryan (from USA) will join our team in March 2008 as the missionary in East Slovakia. We are looking for another person who would work as the EXIT 316 project manager. Could you pray for this needed staff with us please?