Recent Happenings

The PRESIDENT!

I met the President of Slovakia last week. Well, I didn't meet him so much as see him... He came on a visitation to Nove Zamky while I was there, and he held a public meeting. So I went! He looks like a nice man, but... don't they always? :)

Baptisms. We had a baptismal service in Nove Zamky last Sunday where 5 people declared their desire to follow hard after God. Praise the Lord!

Yeah for Other People's Neighbours

I am now no longer car-less! Yeah! My car has been successfully fixed by our Pastor, Miro's neighbour. And he charged me... NOTHING for the repair. It was nothing serious, and apparently easy to fix, but I never expected that he wouldn't charge me anything for it!

Warfare... I have declared war on my neighbours. I mentioned previously that my neighbours don't like me very much, screaming and yelling for no apparent reason... Anyway, when I came home last week to find a lock on the car gate to get to my garage, that was the last straw. He has no right to place a lock on the gate, it doesn't belong to him! How dare he keep me out of it. So, I decided to take matters into my own hands. I went inside my house and I baked two pies. Two cherry pies from cherries I picked myself and i delivered it to them. One of them wasn't home, so I left it with a note outside their door. (I tried twice but they weren't there and I was leaving in the morning for the weekend) Revenge, the Kingdom way! :) Needless to say, my neighbours are much nicer now, and they actually say hi to me on the street now. But the lock is still on the gate...

Connections... I have a translator in Nove Zamky that I use to translate all my official documents and things. Well, through my whole legal ordeal, we got to see each other quite often. So often, that we might be considered almost friends. Anyway, one day in her office, she told me that in the past she has helped people open businesses and how interesting she found that. I, since I want to open a business, stored that away in my brain to access later. Well, that later was last week. I called her, made an appointment and saw her on Monday. She told me that she doesn't know too much about NGOs and the like, but she put me in touch with her friend that did. Her friend is a person who has actually written part of the law. Not just a lawyer, but a lawmaker. Oh my! I met with her today to find out about what options are available to us to open a cafe under an NGO. Now, I know we are miles away from actually establishing an NGO and further yet from opening the cafe. But I am trying to get as much information as possible to give to the proper people who have the power to deny or approve this project as far as PAOC is concerned. Also to prepare myself for what lies ahead, what I will need to do, what I need to learn and am I ready to do these things? It was a very exciting meeting, as she told me that she is going to start putting together some research so that we can make an informed decision. But also, she teaches law at the University in Bratislava and said that she would involve some interested students in this legal process to help me on cost. It would be for free. All the legal workings and processes, which are many.... for free. That's just incredible! This just really shows me that God wants this cafe to happen even more than I do! And I really want it! Thank you Lord!

More Car Experiences

Oi vay... The red angel has bitten the dust... again... temporarily. Yesterday I went to Banska Bystrica to officially buy my car. While I paid the money to buy the car, I could not register it in my name because I didn't have my legal paperwork completed. Until now! But, there is another snag, the official owner, Bohunka Brenkusova is in India with her husband, Jozef, as missionaries. But Bohunka gave her sister in law, Lubka power of attorney to manage her affairs in her absence. But for some odd reason, the police decided not to accept this paper because it did not specifically mention the sale of a car on the legal declaration. So, I am back where I started. Still not owning the vehicle on paper, and having to wait.

That was yesterday day, yesterday night I was driving a couple girls from small group back home when my clutch decided it was going to protest, at 10 o'clock at night. You might remember that just a couple months ago I got a whole new clutch system, and now I think the pedal got jealous because everything else was redone but him! :) No, I don't know what the problem is, I just know that the pedal isn't connected to something because I don't think it is supposed to wobble back and forth when you hit it! So, it is sitting on the side of the road waiting to be taken to my friends neighbours house, where he might be able to fix it in his spare time.

I have been encouraged to trade in this 11 yr old Seat Ibiza for a newer car, especially if the cost to fix this car will be significant. But that brings us to dilemma number one.... how can I sell a car I don't officially own. If I had the money I would buy a newer car and put this one in the garage until I was able to sell it, but that kind of cash does not avail itself too easily for me. But, the Lord knows I need a vehicle, and the Lord will provide for me. Whether that means by sustaining my car, or by providing me with a new one.

Oh, adventures!

Czech Me Out!

This was the logo on a T Shirt that I saw on a recent trip to the Czech Republic. I spent the last weekend up there. Why you ask? Well, as unqualified as I felt, I was asked to help translate for a Canadian missionary couple to Hungary. They have family up there and were interested in finding out more about where they came from and why. This was my first experience translating from Czech, and my first experience translating into Slovak. It was a growing experience, but a very good one! The family was so warm and friendly, even though I wasn't family I felt like I could have been! We also got to take a trip into Prague just for fun! It was nice being able to hang out with this couple's kids, which are about my age, and one of their friends. It was nice to be able to be sarcastic for awhile and actually be understood!