Christmas is Coming... the Fish is Getting Fat!!

Yes, you read that correctly! In Slovakia, we eat fish for Christmas! I am at my friend Mirka s house, spending Christmas with her family. I just got here today, but I already know it s going to be a great time!

Yesterday I had a Canadian Christmas lunch, where I made a 9kg turkey, gravy, mashed potatoes, perogies, pumpkin pie... the works! I had to get up at 5am to put the turkey in on time... oi vay! But everyone had a good time, all the food is gone and so I can call it a grand success!

Merry Christmas!!!

Too many Cars... to many decisions

Well, I am still kicking around the idea of trading in my car for another one... here are the sites of possibilities... thoughts?
http://www.autovia.sk/auto_nissan-almera-1.4-gx-exclusive_199189.htm
http://www.autovia.sk/auto_nissan-almera-1.4-invitation_277661.htm
http://www.autovia.sk/auto_peugeot-306-1.9-xrdt_280717.htm
http://www.autovia.sk/auto_peugeot-306-break-1.6-xr_272869.htm
http://www.autovia.sk/auto_renault-mégane-1.6-rn_281326.htm

What do you mean I have to scrape???

Yes, it's true. Today, for the first time this year I had to scrape my car windows. Now, for all of you out there in Alberta, you'll want to shoot me since you've been having to scrape for some time now. But for me, it was quite the shock! I don't even have a scraper. To be honest, I don't want to buy one here because they're all so wimpy looking. I haven't found a decent scraper yet, and I can't bring myself to buy one of the wimpy ones. I keep hoping to find a better one, but to no avail. Today I came to the chilling realisation that I might actually have to suck it up and get one. Alas... unless someone wanted to send me one by post?! I wouldn't get it till July, but hey! Could you imagine the customs slip on that? Contents: scraper. :)

Turkey Scoop

I figured I'd debreif you all a little bit on what actually transpired in Turkey... It was a wonderful time of connection, I got to meet other people who have the same heart and passions as I do, serving in the same relative area of the world. It was absolutely great to become a part of the missionary family, and it felt just like that. One observation that someone made was about how we greeted each other the first day we all arrived. They said that you would never see such exuberant and joyful meetings at a district conference! Loving embraces and tearful goodbyes... it really did feel like family. Of course we discussed all the nitty gritty areas of budgets, strategic planning and so forth, which is to be expected. But my highlights were the conversations over coffee, or sitting on the terrace. Playing Settler's of Catan till all hours of the night, and of course, eating 3 meals a day! And believe it or not, I think I actually LOST weight while I was there. I think I would be the ONLY ONE! I'm looking forward to next year already!

Weapons of Mass Destruction

New Video

This is a video that I made as a tool to let you all know what's going on in my end of the world. If you would like me to send you the DVD version if you want to share it at church, or your small group, or for whatever other purposes you could imagine, just send me an email and I'll fire one off to you!

Quite Well in Turkey

I know many of you have been watching the news, and have noticed the upset-ness in Turkey. But I thought that I would take this opportunity to let you know that there are no riots anywhere near me, and that I am perfectly safe and having a great time!

I have been at this awesome retreat since Friday and I have been having a great time! It's been a good time of connecting with other people in the region, making new friendships and strengthening existing relationships. I have to say that I have been challenged to dream bigger, and I have been quite inspired by those around me. Having a great time! Wish you could be here!

Clutch

Alas, the problem with my car was more than just a gasket... I have to have the whole clutch system replaced. 15,000 SK!!! (it sounds more dramatic than $500) But it should be done on Thurs. Woo!

Youth group

I'm actually sitting on a train right now on the way home from nove zamky. My car broke down, don't worry nothing serious(i hope!)Just a gasket.
Anyway! I preached last night in nove zamky at youth group. My second sermon in slovak! I was preaching on sin, what it is and what we do with i also showed a clip from the Passion film. I got a really good response. Altar calls aren't really that effective here, but i could tell that it hit a chord. The presence of the Lord was so rich, and it was beautiful to see people crying out to the Lord afresh. Wish You could have been there!

Hair Cut

Thoughts???

October newsletter

Download October.pdf

Here is my October Update. Since emailing this is obviously not working, let's hope that this will! :)

God bless!

to Sell or Not to Sell?

I'm thinking of selling my car and buying a newer one, and one with 4 doors! Since I use my car to teach in another city, where I travel with at least 3 other teachers, 4 doors is a definite plus, if not a necessity. So, pray for me that I can find a buyer and a good deal on a 2nd hand car!

Wed Night's

Photo Sharing - Upload Video - Video Sharing - Share Photos


Photo Sharing - Upload Video - Video Sharing - Share Photos

On the Way to Turkey!

In about 2 weeks time, I have the really awesome priviledge of flying to Turkey for the PAOC Eurasia Retreat. It's going to be a great time of strategizing, team building, networking, relaxing, seeking the Lord and having fun! I am so exited to see my good friends who I haven't seen since Jan... I am leaving on Nov 24 and coming back on Dec 3. I'm so excited! But pray for me because I have to take a taxi alone from the airport to the hotel... :S

Church Plant update

I wanted to introduce you to a part of our church plant... the kids and the rest of us. Yesterday we had a small group meeting which comprised of more english speakers than Slovaks! That was because we had an american couple who came to share, me, and then Mark and Liz the British couple. Some people were sick, and so this isn't everyone, but just so you have a picture of who we all are. We are the active Christians in Slovakia, primarily Nitra, building the kingdom of God here. :)

Chilling in Budapest

Thank the Lord for Catholic holidays! :) Because of All Saints Day, we had a holiday on Wed and the schools are out on Thurs and Fri as well. So, I decided I would maximize on this opportunity to visit some friends in Budapest. So here am I, writing from my girlfriend's dorm room! I'm going here soon to visit some Alliance missionaries that I met eons ago and absolutely love! It was snowing here this morning... oh dreadful snow... why dost thou hatest me so?? :)

First Sunday in Nitra

Well this past Sunday we had out first Sunday evening service in my living room! We had 5 families present, myself included. I am my own family unit! We had a good time of sharing a part of our journey's and had a really cool time in prayer. We prayed for each unit separately and each time someone recieved a prophetic word or a vision for that family. The picture that was recieved about me was: There is a stream that is flowing all around, just a little stream. And here I am with my hoe hacking at the ground making a path for the stream to go. That I would find someone, see their need, and make a path for part of the stream to flow to that person. And on I would go... and when you look at the stream from above, all you can see is blue veins all over the place. But it's going to happen one at a time... Cool, eh?

Also, if you could pray for Miška. She is my colleague from the language school, I had the coolest experience with her the other day, sharing the Gospel with her. She was totally engaged and interested in knowing all about it. She kept asking all these questions or making the best comments. For example, we were talking about how we are born with sin, and our inability to fulfill the requirements of the law, she said, "That's not fair! There's no way I, or anyone could ever do that!" "You;re right," I said, and continued to talk about Jesus... it was great. She didn't make a decision at that moment, but boy, you can tell she's hungry! Please pray for her!

Only in Europe

I was travelling to Bratislava the other day to go to Ikea and buy a coffee table. On the highways, the speed limit is 130km/hr. I was going 150km/hr in the fast lane, and not feeling like I was going very fast at all. When up comes behind me a Mercedes, flashing his lights wanting me to pull into the other lane. He goes shooting past me, and I thought... only in Europe! I mean, I have NEVER gone that fast on the highway in Canada! And I was like a slow moving tractor to Mr.Mercedes! Funny. In Canada I feel like a pretty fast driver, here I feel about normal. Ahh... a country made for me! The only time I feel like I'm going fast is when I'm alone on the smaller roads going 120 km/hr...

A Closer Look at the Apartment

I Lied...

Well, after that lovely post about IKEA being expensive... I went out and bought a bunch of stuff there anyway! I found that it WAS expensive, but the alternative wasn't that nice, or wasn't that much cheaper... and Ikea was just so convienient! I could buy almost everything I neeeded in one place! How can you argue with that?? So, I stocked up my car full of various things and I have just finished putting it all together! I need to clean a bit, and then I'll send you more pictures. Also, my beds just got delivered the day b4 yesterday! No more sleeping on the floor! We have a team here from Oregon, and they helped me assemble them. I'm glad they were here because I couldn't have done it without their help.

Still waiting around for classes to start... I'll be teaching in the firms, and they haven't gotten back to us when they want to start. So, we're just waiting around for their call. Trying to take advantage of the time I have while I have it. To do stuff like find a TV and internet service for my house! :)

Working Girl

Yeah! I have a job! I had an interview on Monday, and they'll take me! They're want me to teach Businesss English (woo), and perhaps also, get this, Slovak for Foreigners! What a hoot! It'd be fun though. School starts in October, and they're also going to help me out with my TESOL hours - bonus!

The Apartment

Here's the pad! I'm hoping to move in maybe on Sunday or Monday of this coming week. I've been furniture hunting in the mean time, but you know, IKEA is not cheap here. It's crazy expensive! There was one couch that I had my eye on, it's beautiful! But it costs $1280! That's half my budget for furniture! And I can get a similiar one for less than half that cost! Yah, so very little will be bought at IKEA unfortunately!

Church in Nove Zamky

This is a snidbit of church in Nove Zamky. This was actually my first sunday back, but I just figured out how to add video!

The Red Angel

This is the Red Angel... my new vehicle! It's a SEAT (pronounced say-aww-t... kinda like at the doctor) I just got it this morning! Seems to drive alright, and I am slowly but surely getting used to driving a) a standard and b) in Europe! But actually, the standard part isn't as bad as I remember from my youth. No bunny hopping... a little screeching of the tires though. But then people just think I'm obnoxious and they don't suspect that I am just learning again! At least, I don't think they know... :)

I also have a contract to sign a contract for a lease of an apartment. It's absolutely massive. I seriously don't know what I will do with all that space! It's a big house that was made into 4 apartments. So I only have 3 neighbours. We have a fenced in yard with a gate, the other 3 people have a little garden plot, but on my little plot, they built a garage. So no problem parking for me! the apartment has 3 big bedrooms (one will be the living room/church location), a kitchen with a dischwasher and a decent freezer, a pantry, a storage room, an area for an office, a hallway, a big bathroom.... you get the drift. I should be able to move in on the 15th or so. It won't be furnished apart from what I've already mentioned, so I will have to buy... everything! But yes, there is an Ikea in the country... the only one is in Bratislava... not too far away! I'll send pictures once I have them!

God Doesn't Exist in Canada...????

I heard that comment a few years ago from a girl who went to Canada to study from abroad. She had been having a hard time entering into worship in Canada, and for the first little bit, she was uncertain if God was in Canada. Of course, this was not said in all seriousness, as this girl knew very well the omnipresence of God. This weekend, I finally understood how she felt.

I went to a Concert of Prayer and Praise in Bratislava this weekend. There were a couple hundred people there from all churches all over the city and the region, who had all come for one reason: to worship God. It was incredible. We stood there in this hall, praising the Lord together with one voice, and His presence was so heavy in that place. I felt as if my heart would burst. In a good way! :) Such presence like that I haven't felt so rich in a long time, and it consumed me. For that reason, I have come to Slovakia. We were many, but how many more have yet to come? That is the day I long for.

Present!!!

Yea! I am finally back in Slovakia! I arrived Thursday afternoon, and it was interesting... My pastor never got the email with my flight info on it, so he wasn't there! Good thing for me, I had sent the same email to my friend who lives in Budapest, and she came to the airport. She helped me to get to the train station with all my stuff!

I am buying the car of Jojo Brenkus - he and his wife are leaving as the first Slovak missionaries ever, heading to India. There are some legal issues though, so please pray for me.

Also pray for an apartment for me. The one I was really interested in turned out not to be furnished, not that nice and way too expensive. So, starting again from scratch. Beautiful.

Zuzka's wedding was absolutely beautiful. Everything was perfect. I cried. :)

If anyone ever wants to call me, my number is 011-421-915-851-492

Countdown...

Well, the countdown is on... I have 3 more sleeps till I leave for Toronto, 5 more sleeps till I am on the plane headed to Budapest and ultimately, Slovakia. 5 days and I will be crawling into my lumpy bed, blowing off the dust from the shelves of my apartment, and planning to move to a new city.

The past couple days have been uneventful, since I packed a week ago... there isn't much I have left to do. Pack up the stuff I use everyday, and the stuff I am not taking with me. Today was a great day... I went to the church and helped them set up and paint for our elementary VBS next week. I'll miss it. Shucks... I'm really heartbroken over it! :) Later tonight I'll join some good friends for dinner, and then Big Brother at Vanessa's house! I have to admit, I have become hooked on Big Brother. Condensed anthropology in a contained enviroment. It's like a anthropology course in fast forward!

Flight Info

If anyone is wanting to come to the airport, I am leaving on WestJet flight to Toronto at 16:00 (or 4pm if you don't know 24 hr clock!) So that means I am at the airport at 14:30, going through the gate at 15:00. I want to make sure I have a lot of time to check in and get my bags on the plane. With all this foolishness going on in the world.... and you can never be too early to check in! Hope to see you all before I get on that plane!

It's About Time!

Guess who has a departure date??? Oh yes! That would be me!!! I just got work from HQ today that I am good to go on Aug 20. I will stay in Toronto for 3 days for a conference on partnership development and then off to Slovakia I go on the 23rd! So, 16 days and counting!! I am very excited. But continue to pray as I am still short on funds. We're hoping that funds will continue to come in after I have left. Yeah! I am so excited!

Farewell Dessert Night

YOU'RE INVITED!

To my Farewell Dessert Night!

It's at the Park Pentecostal Church
1 Brouwer Rd., Sherwood Park

Sunday, July 30 at 6pm

Please let me know if you're coming before July 28, or I can't guarentee any cake for you! :)

Good News!

Well, if you've seen me around lately, you may have noticed that I have a couple new "toys"... they are ministry tools! I had an unfortunate car accident 2 yrs ago, and I just recieved my settlement back. That settlement has enabled me to buy some much needed tools. I have new glasses, new orthotics, new digital camera and I am now the proud owner of a laptop (it's a Mac- no viruses)! Wow! Now, when i return to Slovakia, I can avoid those Internet cafe's! As nice as it was having to transfer everything back and forth from disks, and trudging around to cafe's.... I can now do it from home! So, you might hear from me more often! (Or not... :)

Also, we have a bit of an update as far as my departure is concerned. The middle of Aug is looking good, but I have yet to recieve the green flag from head office. I am so excited, I am vibrating! No more purgatory for me! I know when I can return! I haven't told Slovakia yet, I like suprises, so if you know any Slovaks, or are a Slovak yourself... please don't tell anyone! I'd really like to just come to church one Sunday and shock everyone! :)

Thanks for all your prayers to make this happen, and please continue to pray as I journey through the process!

Golf Adventure

Today was my first day EVER of golfing. I mean, I've been mini golfing and to the pitch and putt, but never a real game of golf. I was invited to speak out at Seniour's Camp at Sunnyside Camp, and I was driving down with our women's pastor, Debbie Fawcett. Debbie enjoys golfing, and it was her idea to get in 9 holes before doing the missions tea at camp. So, onto the course we strutted. Debbie a bit more confidently than I.... They started us out on the 5th hole because they were a little busier than we thought. But that was just fine by me, what difference did I know? Well, it was a learning experience! Oh the patience Debbie has! Watching me as I swing and miss, chew up chunks of the fairway, I even hit a tree and inadvertently, nearly beheaded some unfortunate people walking by! I had a lot of fun though, and as hard as it may be to believe, I did get a couple good shots in. A couple. Like two. :) But it was a fun way to start the day, and Debbie and I had a good time together. Like she says, "it's all about just being outside on days like today, the golf is just secondary. It's a good excuse to be outside." (paraphrase, sorry Debbie, I can't remember your exact quote!)

So, if anyone needs an ego boost and wants to go golfing, give me a call!

Oh, and didn't Debbie take a fantastic picture of me making a drive? :)

Ft Mac

Well, I had a nice little visit up North in Ft Mac. I got to visit some friends from Bible College (Meagan Hicks, Lesley Peckford and Trina Rideout) It was great to see them again and spend some time. I also got to speak to a pastor while I was up there, so please, pray that they will want to join hands with me in Slovakia. My trip wasn't as productive as I had originally hoped, but then I was pleasantly suprised by the quality of time I had with people up there.

Meagan and her family were so incredibly generous and hospitable to me. I was really glad I could spend that time with them.

And at Lesley's house, we had some nice bonding time over Settlers and Fries and Gravy Chips. We strolled down memory lane, sharing stories of China and breaking out the home videos! Let me tell ya, I had forgotten how LITTLE talent for film making we had! But, those were the days! It was incredibly funny to see them, I miss times like that.

Trina and I had a nice coffee together. I was only able to get in contact with her the day before I left, so I was very thankful that she was able to meet with me. She woke up on her only morning off, and we went for Tim Hortons. :)

I love friends. They are such a blessing.

Complexities of English Lingo

Just last week I thought that I'd have a mini BBQ. A friend was coming over, and I found a couple small steaks in the deep freeze, so I thought that it was a good time to have them! So, with my friend on the way, I throw these steaks onto the BBQ, and everything seems to be going fine, until I flipped them. It seemed like the steaks were unravelling. Thinking this was odd, I poked at it. The longer it was cooking and the more I prodded, it eventually peeled apart into a couple very thin peices. Now being very curious, I looked again at the wrapper... "minute steak". I had read mi-nute (as in small), not minute (as in 60 sec).

So, I may not be the sharpest tool in the shed, but people still love me. Right??? :)

Financial Standing

When I am asked about my departure date, my answer has been, "Lord willing, funds pending...." So I thought I would include you all in how I am doing, and how much I have already committed. As you can see, I am raising $45,000. Yes, this is a monstrous amount of money, but a lot of that is going towards the national church and the start up of ministries that will be reaching the lost for Jesus in an area of the country where the Gospel has not penetrated.

Believe you me, it is daunting, but with the Lord and all of your help, I can get there! :) This will be updated as I recieve word from Head Office that a donation has been made.

Thank you to those of you who helped make this possible!

God bless you all!

Round Up from Oklahoma!

Well I just returned from the very warm state of Oklahoma! I had an absolute blast catching up with Amy, meeting her husband, Will, and just having a good time! I think one of my highlights was driving through the Oklahoman countryside, singing along to the Oklahoma the Musical, soundtrack. And then hearing Amy rap. Priceless. We did a bunch of fun activities, but I think my favourite times were just when we'd sit over coffee or a meal and just share together. Then, after these touching moments, we'd watch Fraggle Rock on DVD, play Mr. Mouth or Hungry Hippos, go garage-selling, jump in the shadow box, look at tanks, hang out at the Food Bank, experience the Earthquake room, or have our nails done by a self admitted red neck. I've got some good memories from my time in Oklahoma. No tornadoes though, sigh, perhaps next time.

Unfortunately, my fun was slightly overshadowed by some news from my family that my grandmother was extremely ill, and would not be with us much longer. So, instead of staying to itinerate in Calgary, I decided to come up to Edmonton and spend time with my family. Please pray for my family.

So you know...

Well, I am nearly completed my course at Vanguard. Only 4 more days of classes, and then I am free... well, sort of. I will still have to complete a practicum, but the actual time in class with be finished. Praise the Lord! But I am still alive! I am making it! :) I am very excited for next week, as my Slovak pastor, his family and a few other Slovak pastors are coming to Edmonton! I will only be able to see them for just a couple of days because I am headed off to Oklahoma! A friend of mine, who I met in Bible School in Germany, and her husband have offered to fly me down for a visit. It has been 6 years since I have seen Amy, and I am quite thrilled to be able to see her again. I am so blessed!

TESOL

As I am sure many of you know, I am attending a course at Vanguard College (my alma matter). Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages. This is a brutal and grueling course, but I have to keep my focus straight. I have to keep reminding myself that this will help open doors in Slovakia - that is my goal. If I want to teach in Slovakia, then I have to have this tool. It's been hard to stay motivated, but I'm trusting in God to get me through! Pray for me! :)

Return date????

I am frequently asked when I am going "home" to Slovakia. Personally, I think everyone is just trying to get rid of me, but that's Ok, I'll go for counselling later! :) My return date keeps changing, so it is hard to say definitively until I actually buy the plane ticket. I am taking a course now in May (Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages) at Vanguard College. This course will secure my position teaching Canadian Studies at the University in Nitra, Slovakia.

After that, I am hoping to return to Slovakia by the middle of July. But, speaking honestly here, it all depends on my finances. If God provides for me, then I will go in July. There is a summer camp outreach in the nothern part of Slovakia that I would very much like to be apart of, which takes place in the end of July. So that's what I am praying for, so please, join with me!

Officially In!

I have just been appointed officially as the first PAOC (Pentecostal Assemblies of Canada) Missionary to Slovakia! Yeah! After two years of talking with them, I am now in! So you can check me out on the PAOC website at portal.paoc.org - Missionaries and then find my name!

Welcome

Hello and welcome to my first blog! This will hopefully be a better way of keeping in contact with you all, and keep you updated on what is happening in Slovakia. Providing I remember to post on here....

Thanks for stopping by and hope to hear from you soon!