St. John's Missionaries in Slovakia

One Hundred and Fifty Years!

2011-06-17T05:30:00.000-07:00

If you have been here in Martin, Slovakia, one of the first bits of history that you learn is about the Memorandum. This was when some Slovaks, including many pastors, met with some Hungarian officials. The meeting was basically about allowing the Slovaks to be Slovaks. By this, they wanted the Slovakian language to be an official language; they wanted to be recognized as a unique area in the Hungarian Empire, recognized for its Slovak roots. They especially wished to have some schools established, that would have the students learning in their first language. That incident is what this big metal casting represents.

Well it has been a hundred and fifty years since that event happened right here at the Bible School. In fact, when everyone convened, it was raining so the representatives asked if they could meet inside the church. The church doors were opened and that is where the memorandum was debated, written, read, changed etc.

The week before 05-06-2011, it had rained most of the week. However, on Sunday, it was sunny and chairs were set outside the church, between the Bible School and the building that has the plaque. This is where we celebrated the writing of the Memorandum. The area was filled with as many chairs as they could put out. By my counting, multiplying and estimating, over four hundred people attended this worship service. This included an official each of the Roman Catholic and the Greek Catholic churches. The Bishop of all Slovakia was there to give the sermon and the mayor was there to dedicate a wreath to celebrate the occasion. The church’s choir sang and there was a choral group, The Continental Singers. They were all Slovaks, but they sang praise songs in English.

First, there was the church service with the Evanjelicka Bishop giving the sermon. Next came the presenting of the wreath and the talks that came with that. I will say that the mayor mentioned that a good many of the Slovaks who helped write the Memorandum were pastors. He also gave mention of the necessity of our religious values. All this from a politician, the elected mayor of Martin.

Pastor Milan and the Bishop are both wearing a hat that is worn only for special occasions like this (and funerals, we were told.)

After the wreath and speeches, we had about an hour before the first singing group gave a concert. This was The Continental Singers. I will try to up load a short video clip for this.After this group, there was another band.

Then at 17,00 (5:00 PM) we went into the church to see an reenactment written to remind people of this big event. Most of the players (actors) were from the Martin church. However, there were about four professional actors, also. Gary and I were blessed to have Donna sit with us and tell us the main events of the play. Donna is a language instructor at the Medical University. We first met here in 2006 when she took us to her home and hosted us for a wonderful afternoon of dinner and conversation. At the end of the play, Donna shared that she felt as if she had been right at that meeting that took place in 1861. There was one more band that played after the reenactment. This was truly a city-wide event. More people came to the church service than usually attend. And other people just came to the Bible School Square, sat down and enjoyed the music, and then went their way. Unfortunately, our computer caught a virus and was at the “hospital” for a while. I thought I had more photos than I can find. But we wanted to share these.

Slovak Art

2011-05-30T07:36:00.000-07:00

Friday was a beautiful day. Why not see some specialized Slovak art? We get on the train early in the morning. We were delighted to meet a young man with whom we could speak, comfortably in English. He was an engineering student at the University in Žilina. In school he had studied German. He speaks English because he watched many movies in English. Michael also shared about belonging to the Pentecostal Church in Slovakia. We shared happenings at the Evanjelicka Bible School. It was a wonderful beginning of the day.

Since 2004 when we found some beautiful baskets woven in intricate designs, we had been wishing to see an exhibit in Žilina about wireworks in Slovakia. Originally it was at an outlying castle, but had been moved to a museum, on a main square. That was our first stop.

What we learned about this craft was fascinating. It began early in the 1700’s as a way to supplement the income of poor people living in the mountainous parts of northern and north western Slovakia. The first “tinkers” would repair or strengthen damaged clay pots by weaving wire “nets” around the damaged pot. Then they began to weave sifters for farmers, as well as window nets for out-buildings on the farms.

It became a new lifestyle. The Tinker traveled throughout the countryside, carrying his tools and materials (wire and metal sheets). These tools of the trade distinguished the tinkers from people of a “vagrant” lifestyle. Often the tinker was accompanied by an apprentice, a young man 10 to 14 years old. They traveled through the whole of the Austrian Hungarian territory. There became so much competition that they crossed borders, and eventually carried their craft throughout the world. The title of the photograph is “Over the World.”

Their craft expanded as the tinkers would adapt what they made according to the individual need. Their works were lightweight, a specialized spatial puzzle, multipurpose, utilitarian and decorative. Thanks to entirely manual work, tinker-art was a craft of creative individuals. Although it was spread throughout the world, it remained a Slovak craft. The table and chairs above are toys for a child.

It became a form of artistic creation in the early 1940’s. The form of a man in Slovak dress was about the height of Jeannine. The detail is so intricate; it is phenomenal.
It was beautiful art as the picture below illustrates.

After we had seen the exhibit, we needed to get to the intercity bus stop to travel to our next stop. Just to be sure where we were we asked the receptionist, expecting her to point the direction we should walk. She could not tell us in English, so she said something to the other receptionist, and led us out the door. She walked with us the whole 5 blocks with many turns. When we got there, she showed us how to find where to catch the bus (out of 30 bus locations). God has provided angels such as this, to show us the way.
No, we would not have found it without her help.

The ride up the valley to the village named Rajec Lesná was through some beautiful countryside. Everything is green, the hills, the fields; the trees are a beautiful shade of green. We are here to see a large wood carving that is called Slovensky Betlehem.

We had planned to see Betlehem before we caught the bus to the next place on our agenda. However, we forgot that some places in Slovakia close for lunch. It is closed from 11:30 until 1:00 PM. Another place to see in this village is The Stations of the Cross.

On our way there, we passed by this café and thought having lunch during the lunch hour would be a good idea. There was a young waiter who spoke English fairly well. We had two wonderful dishes. Gary’s was pieces of pork cooked in a spicy sauce along with some “chips”….French fries, and a fresh vegetable garnish. My selection was a mixture of pork and chicken pieces cooked in another sauce and served between two potato pancakes, and those fresh vegetables.

After lunch, we head up the hill towards Kalvaria. Our waiter had told us that around the time of the First World War, a group of people from this area immigrated to the USA. Some were happy and successful in the USA, and some wished to return home. One of these groups donated the money for these Stations of the Cross. Gary and I had a different opinion of which group it was that donated the money, but that’s irrelevant.

Each station was inside one of these chapels. People could not enter them, but had a good view of the station through the glass in the door. I thought there would be twelve of the stations. Actually, there were fifteen, plus a larger chapel that could be entered at certain times during the year.

While we are on the hillside, the lightening on one side of the valley talks to the lightening on the other side. It was a quite visual and audio show. Then it got wet. We used the larger chapel doorway to shelter us during the heaviest rain. Then we went down the hillside in a light shower.

The Betlehem exhibit should be opened now. The sign said it opened at 1 but the lights were not turned on until we walked in at 1:40. WOW! It is a wood carving that took us the whole side of the room.

As you can see, there are several layers.
The nativity scene is at the lower center.
Each figure is detailed in wood.
A line of people come from a mountain.
They turn face the infant Jesus.
Then they turn to go to another mountain.

The carving is a representation of Slovakia.
It has different castles and cathedrals.
There are different scenes from nineteenth century life.
There’s a black smith’s shop with someone working the bellows.
Someone is shoeing a horse.
Another person is spinning flax.
There’s a weaver.
A farmer and a boy are chasing a bear that has a lamb in its paws.
Many of the scenes are moving.
It is just fantastic.

There are more carvings, pieces of art to hang on the wall.
There are black and white photos of life in Slovakia in the late nineteenth and twentieth centuries.

At the end of this day, it was still raining.
We were off schedule because of lunch.
The bus didn’t come when we expected it,
So we decided to see the village of Čičmany next week.

Tuesday afternoon was a beautiful day, so we decided
to go to Čičmany. When our friend Marek helped us plan our trip Saturday,
he had take a bus to get to Martin on a different route than the one we took to Rajec Lesná . So Jeannine has the bright idea to go to Čičmany the way Marek was having us get home. We had not taken that bus because we did not get to Čičmany.

We did not pay attention to the word in the schedule that meant intersection.
The bus let us off at an intersection with a sign that pointed up the intersecting road and said 7 km. Yes, we had seven kilometers to get to Čičmany.
It was a beautiful walk and Gary wanted to take a picture of each different kind of flower on the route. (Jeannine took some pictures, too.)

Between the photos and our slow speed, it took us two hours to get to Čičmany.
Yes, we were there at 5:00 PM.
I was well worth the walk. The dark brown houses are individually with white designs. Here are just a few of the 175 pictures we took:

After looking at the beautiful homes, we got instructions to get to
the bus stop. Guess what. There will not be a bus coming out of
Čičmany until 9:40 PM. We can walk back to the intersection….
We really don’t have the energy for that.

As we were trying to decide our next move, a gentleman who has been
riding a bicycle through the town, asks us if we need help. We get verification
from him that the other buses have gone. However, he has a friend who is
coming Žilina and will be happy to take us back. Can you believe this?

It will be an hour and forty five minutes. We get directions to a restaurant
and go have our dinner. Again, we try some favorite dishes from the area.
They are delicious. As we as we wait for our meal, we notice a bus across
the street. Yes, that’s the bus that will be leaving Čičmany at 9:40.

We are enjoying our meal when three young men who rode in on motorcycles
arrive to have some Kofola (a Slovak cola drink) and dinner. There is also a
couple from The Netherlands. We talk to them as they are looking at a map
and a tour book. It seems that they are on their way back from Istanbul, Turkey.
We shared what we liked about the area. However, I believe they will begin
early in the morning and get to their home that night. You never know who we
will meet.

It’s time to go back to where we may get a ride out of town. The person who asked his friend to take us back said he would not be there. He did tell us where to come.
We see an older man, a woman and two young men unloading wood from a cart.
One comes over and begins a conversation with us. He asks if we are the ones who
need a ride. Then he wants to know why in the world did we pick Slovakia to come to.
We have an interesting conversation for a good fifteen to twenty minutes. His friend
comes over and introduces himself.

After a while, we meet the friend’s mother and all five of us get into their car. The mother is the reason that the first man can speak English so well. She has been encouraging him to study English.

The mother asks where we need to go. The answer has Martin in it.
We say “No,” we only need to get back to Žilina, and from there we’ll get a bus or train.
The friend gets out his phone and calls someone.

They tell us that one thing they want to stop a special spring to get some water.
When the phone rings again the friend answers and then speaks to his mother.
He had called to see when the next train to Martin leaves Žilina. When they discovered
the time, they abandoned their plans to get the spring water in order to get us to the station in time! When we got there, we all got out of the car and said thank you, thank you. The mother gets into the trunk and gives us a bottle of their spring water!

We are so blessed!

Our Croatian Experience

2011-05-06T01:23:00.000-07:00

We had a week off beginning the Wednesday before Easter. On Thursday, at o'dark thirty in the morning (4:55 AM), we caught the bus for Bratislava. We caught another bus in Bratislava for the Vienna Airport. Then we took a one hour flight to Split, Croatia. We spent five nights there and soaked up as much warmth and sun as we could.

On our way to the hotel, we saw MANY short, rock walls. Most were assembled before World War II to prevent erosion and divide the fields. We thought of all the work that went into building that many walls from all those rocks. WOW!

We saw many historical places. Split is a city that was established more than 1700 years ago by the Greeks. Its big sight (besides the beautiful Adriatic Sea and the sunshine) is the Dalmatian Palace. This palace was built by The Roman Emperor Diocletian, and was finished in 305 AD in time for his voluntary retirement. He was the first (and probably the only) Roman Emperor to step down voluntarily from that office. He was originally from this part of Croatia. I believe that if I were originally from this beautiful area, I would run away from Rome, also.

The Dalmatian Palace Walls were laid in 300 AD.

A Roman tiled floor

In Split we saw the cathedral there, walked around the palace (which is now full of shops, restaurants and handicraft street vendors), walked around the beautiful turquoise blue Adriatic coastline, and caught a bus to our hotel (about one hour and 45 minutes ride). We figured we come back some other day. This was on Good Friday.

On Saturday, we rode a bus (15 minutes) to the town of Šibenik. Here we mainly walked uphill, because we were heading for the large castle of SV Michal. On the way we encountered a group with an English-speaking tour guide. We tagged along until we arrived at the Cathedral of SV Jakova (James). Its claim to fame is that it is the only cathedral built only with stone. By that, I mean no mortar between the bricks. That includes the arched roof. Although it was Saturday of Easter Week (Big Saturday in Slovakia) there were many shops and restaurants open.

We continued walking up the steps towards the castle. (By definition, the castles are at the highest point around to sight unwelcomed visitors.) This castle was disappointing in comparison to Slovakian castles. It had only the gigantic walls.

Unfortunately, we did not find an English service on Easter. The hotel complex we were at had a special Easter breakfast at a "village" on the property. I was especially interested in the "traditional" music, so we began our Easter there. It was quite enjoyable and VERY filling. Then we caught the bus to Šibenik to catch another bus to Trogir. This was very enjoyable, because the old town had cobblestone streets (or alleys) about the width that three persons can walk abreast. The cathedral was delightful as well. Then we had a marvelous Adriatic seafood dinner in a small cafe.

We knew when the last bus to Šibenik would leave, but we had the wrong location to pick it up. (It was different schedule because it was Easter.) So there we are about an hour ride (by bus) away from Šibenik and then another fifteen minutes (by bus) to our hotel. What to do? A taxi let off its passenger and we asked the price to get us to our hotel. The price was more than we had and the driver did not look as if he wanted to drive for 2 more hours. We said we would get the money from an ATM and he would be back in 20 minutes. As we are going toward the ATM we met a man who would take us there for less than half of the original price. (He had a "cheap" taxi).

On the way back to the hotel, he built a trust level of sorts. He also found out that we wanted to go to the southern most city in Croatia, Dubrovnik. We had canceled the idea, because by bus it was six hours to Dubrovnik. However, Damir, the driver, said he could get us there in four hours from our motel. He would show us places to visit. He would do this for the same price another driver quoted upon arrival at the Split Airport. So we made a deal to leave the next day, after we had the fantastic breakfast buffet that we had paid for.

Dubrovnik is an experience unequaled experience. Its castle was really the wall that surrounded the city. It is difficult to show the immensity of the castle with only two dimensions. During medieval times, Dubrovnik was and independent city that rivaled Venice. It had been destroyed in a great earthquake in the 1640's and then rebuilt. Then, much was destroyed again on December 6, 1991 by shelling by Montenegro and Serb fighters in that war. The walls and most of the buildings inside the walls have been rebuilt. Many people live inside the walls.

Climbing to the wall, to walk around the old town, was quite an exercise. The experience was spectacular. It had been cloudy earlier in the day, so it was not too hot. Yet as we encircled the city, the sun was out and the Sea was a beautiful blue. It took us (with our slower walking and photo-taking) a good two hours to go all around the wall.

To get to Dubrovnik one has to drive through about five kilometers of Bosnia. So for lunch in Dubrovnik we stopped at a place that served Bosnian food. We treated our driver to dinner and enjoyed it immensely. We saw a few other sights of the old town, but the churches were all closed by the time we wanted to visit them

Tuesday was our day to travel back. We had to check out at ten in the morning. Then we sat in the lobby for a couple of hours until "our" driver, Damir, picked us up to take us to the airport. We had two hours to wait for the plane to Vienna. From Vienna we took a bus to Bratislava. There was a good train connection to Žilina. But we were not at the train station. So when we were approached by a taxi driver, we took the taxi to the RR station.

The train was fairly fast and we were in Žilina in two and a half hours. We caught another train to Vrutky where we had planned to catch a taxi. Yes, at 11:15 PM, we found a taxi. However, he did not know where the Bible School was. We finally guided him (our very little Slovak and his very little English) to the Bible School. And that was how we ended our "Croatian Adventure."

A Week in Spring

2011-04-18T10:03:00.000-07:00

Sunday, after church, we had lunch with the Builders’ Group from ND, MN, IL, and TX. Tomaš and some band members came and entertained us. The fellowship was wonderful.

Sunday evening we had our regular choir practice. We practiced for Palm Sunday in the church. We also practiced for a program with all the choirs in the local "Synod." We then practiced for Good Friday and Easter. We talked about our trip to Prague. This will be on the weekend following Easter.

Adriana is serving Gary. She is the youth minister’s wife.
They live in the flat below us.

Monday, after teaching in the two second grade classes, I got my work clothes on and helped the Builders Group paint some radiators. Gary was going to do a little more pruning, but someone had put up the ladder he needed for the big trees. He decided he was finished pruning because that was the third time the ladder had been put away. So he came to help paint the radiators. We had worked on cleaning them the Friday before. The ENGLISH conversation was wonderful.

Please notice Jeannine and her radiant personality. (It's the best Gary could do on short notice.)

Tuesday night was a Good-Bye party for the Builders’ Group, complete with a gypsy band. The food was scrumptious, the music quite lively and the company superb. All of the families of the workers at the Christian Center for Education (CCE) were there. Everyone had a good time. There was singing of Slovak folk songs and dancing to the music.

Wednesday, we were invited to Mirka’s house for some authentic Slovak food, homemade halušky. She had done the difficult work of grating the potatoes. Then she mixed in just enough flour and a little bit of salt. She showed me how to cut little chunks into the water that she kept just below the boiling point. (When I had made halušky with Lenka, I had used a special strainer to push the dough through into the water to cook.) The dough sinks to the bottom of the water. When it rises to the top, it is ready to take out of the water. After it is all cooked, the Bryndza (sheep cheese) is stirred into the noodles. Meanwhile, Gary cuts up the Slovak bacon and it has been cooking. It is added on top of the halusky. We had a marvelous meal, complete with sour milk.

Then we talked and talked. Mirka’s mother’s house is on the edge of a forest. We learned how women were used to plant new pine trees to replace the ones that have been harvested. In doing this, the wild raspberries were cleared away from the trees to give the young trees room and plenty of sunshine. Consequently, the wild raspberries are few.

Thursday evening, Zuzana, who is now teaching first grade at the elementary school at the CCE, came for dinner. She also wanted some ideas of using the Content & Language Integrated Learning (CLIL) in her classroom. That is the method used in the elementary schools for teaching English. Basically, a subject that has been taught in Slovak is taught in English. So the students use the English and are learning the language as they are using it.

The Lord has a good sense of humor. I only learned about CLIL when I started teaching here in September. Now I’m giving her ideas. We also had a wonderful dinner and conversation with her.

Friday was Bible study at the Fasts. It was also the 15th of April. Do you know what happens on that day? Throughout Slovakia on that day, a collection is made for combating cancer. The way it is done is that you are asked by someone if you would like to contribute. If you do put money in their official box, they pin a daffodil on your coat. When others who are collecting see the flower on you, they do not bother you. Practically everyone I passed was wearing a daffodil.

Saturday we invited Pastor Milan, is wife Zuzana and their 2 daughters and son over to the Gymnasium for dinner. As it happened, it was little Milan’s naptime. So Zuzana (the daughter) and Gabriela took turns staying with him while he slept. Zuzana brought some homemade split-pea soup. It was delicious. Then we had made a taco casserole and sopapillas. We all enjoyed the food and the conversation. It was a wonderful time.

That evening, Luboš came to the Gymnasium (where we live) to show us how to get
to his flat. Luboš has been like a mentor for me, not to mention the driving us to Žilina all the times necessary for our VISAs. He and his wife Katka had invited us for dinner at their place. I would guess that we walked about two miles to get to his flat. For those of you who know Martin, it is in the housing that is across the highway from Tesco. The evening was beautiful.

At their place we had enjoyable conversation and another delicious meal. This time the soup had small dumplings. Then Katka had fixed us some steamed bread and a goulash. Luboš told us this recipe was a Hungarian recipe. It was so good. We so enjoyed speaking with them and watching their little 27 month old daughter.
On Sunday, the choir sang in church. The service is different from ours. In the service, the Passion Story is read by two people this week. (Part of it the story was read last Sunday.) The choir sang during the service.

Sunday afternoon, the choirs from all the Evanjelicka churches in their Synod-like area, gathered at a church in a little village Krpel’any. I believe there were 18 choirs and each choir sang two songs. The church was packed. The music was joyful and our hearts blessed. The collection was taken and will be used towards finishing the church. They began building it in 1999. The inside is nice and has an open feeling. The tower and the outside of the church still needs to be finished.

It was a week full of enjoyable experiences! (Oh, we did do some English Conversation classes, too.)

A Weekend in March

2011-04-08T06:29:00.000-07:00

I laugh when I remember that one of the reasons I began this blog was to give me something to do on the days in which I had nothing to do in this small apartment without TV and only with a few books. Most of the time I am late at posting something because we are so busy.

The Friday after meeting the ambassador (end of last post,) Gary and I got on a train to visit Oravsky Hrad. This is the castle I enjoyed back in November when Gary was in Brno, in the Czech Republic.
We rode to Kral’ovany. There we boarded a small, “doodlebug” train. The doodlebug term is ours. It is like the one in the photo, except it only had two cars. This went up the little valley in which is Oravsky Hrad. These little trains travel all over this country and are the reason a person is able to get to so many places by train. The train was full most of the ride. It was a beautiful ride, following the river at times.

When we arrived in Oravsky Podzámok, the first view of the castle gave us a clear understanding of the fact that this castle was never conquered or destroyed by outside armed forces.

When we bought our tickets, it was a steep walk up to the castle gate.

Inside the walls, you get an idea of how high this castle is. When I took the picture that is below, I was two levels (or stories) below the first set of windows that you see. Counting those two levels, I count at least twelve levels up to the highest. The higher four levels were closed. Two will be opened later in the year. And the very highest levels are never open to the public because of “static,” which I understood was probably the danger of lightning.

We took so many pictures that I cannot even begin to show you. However, I like this picture because you can see the size of the walls and windows, as well as the swords they used. The sword on the far right weighs 7.5 kilograms (about 15 pounds.)

The shield shown is ten kilograms or about 22.5 pounds.

This was a castle complete with a picturesque tower and chairs that looked like they were made for the Knights of the Round Table.

Have to relate an incident of God specifically providing for a need:
Jeannine began the day with a meeting with a first grade teacher about what to teach the following Monday. The subject matter is animals from the forests or in the wild. What does Jeannine know about the animals that live in the wild in Slovakia? I thought about visiting the nature museum in Martin, across from the post office, but that is closed for “re-construction.”

Well, one of the places we visited in the castle was a museum. And in the museum were examples of different animals living in Slovakia, such as the roe and stork, pictured below.

GOD IS SO GOOD!

In the tour, the stairs were many and the views spectacular.

In the background, behind the flag, is the highway, filled with trucks, in stop and go traffic. This leads us to the Jenks’ Adventure for this trip. In the morning when we approached Oravsky Podzámok, we had seen that the highway was bumper-to-bumper with large vehicles. They appeared to be stopped.

Six hours later, when we are riding a bus to Kral’ovany, we find ourselves on narrow roads, riding through small villages. At first this was not surprising, because that’s where the buses travel. However, we began notice the heavy traffic on these narrow roads. This is not normal.

Apparently, road-work or a very bad accident has moved most of the traffic, (except the large trucks) off of the highway. There was much stopping and waiting our turn on the narrow road. This led to us getting to Kral’ovany an hour and a half late. We not only missed the train we had expected to take, but we had missed the last bus to Martin.

So we waited almost two hours for the next train to Martin. Kral’ovany is a very small town, with homes of people who live there and the train station. Nothing to do. So we ate our sandwiches, Jeannine knitted and Gary toured Kral’ovany.

We did get home about 7:20, but without enough energy to make it to the Bible study.

In telling of our Adventure, I skipped over our wonderful mid-day meal that we had in a little restaurant at the beginning of the walk up to the castle. Gary had pork with gravy and dumplings. Jeannine had pastries filled with sheep cheese. These were served on traditional Slovak dishes.

Speaking of Slovak dinners, Saturday, Janka, a Slovak teacher of English who lives in the Gymnasium, invited us to dinner in her flat. She, her visiting sister and Emily had been cooking all day. It was delicious.

Sunday after church, we hosted a potluck dinner for our Bible study. We had it in the Gymnasium café. Two Scandinavians, four Slovaks and the five Americans were there. We made the taco soup, Brenda made the cornbread, and others brought their “pots.” It was a wonderful way to spend a Sunday afternoon.

That was all in one weekend.

Special People

2011-03-30T04:38:00.000-07:00

One day, Katka comes to our apartment with a beautiful young woman whom she introduces as Andrea Hybevoa. Yes this is the young woman who is coming (as if I’m there already) to the Central Coast of CA and be a part of St. John’s in Arroyo Grande and Bethel in Santa Maria this summer. It turns out that she was in one of the classes that Gary taught in Žilina before Christmas.

Andrea wanted us to tell her about the churches, first. We described them both as very loving and friendly brothers and sisters in Christ. We told her about some of the activities of the churches (mostly about St John’s because we know its activities best.) Then she wanted to know a little about the area. We also told her not to expect extremely hot weather and to bring a light wrap. And we showed her some of the photos we had on our computer. It was a delightful afternoon speaking with this delightful young lady.

On Sunday, Michal took Katka’s grandmother and us toward their cabin, east of Martin. Before we got there, we stopped to buy some sheep cheese. It is a touristy place because people (who come to the Tatras to ski) know this is a good place to buy cheese. You can see Gary and I next to one of the witches there. (No, I do not know why they had several witches.)

The last real snow storm was in January, but they had a large pile of what used to be snow, but looked more like ice. Yes there was a wooden witch guarding it. We stood in line for about 25 minutes before we could buy the cheese we wanted. They gave each person special service so we were not unhappy with the wait. Then we drove

We drove through the town in which Michal grew up, as well as the one in which Katka’s mother lives.

Then we were in the country again, where their cabin is. It is quite a large cabin that has places for many people to sleep. As you can see, they have beautiful views from their windows. This one looks towards the creek, but you have to walk partially downhill before you see the creek.

We went on a walk, up the road from the canyon. We could see the Tatras with snow on them. It was not a good day for pictures in the distance, because the sky was a very light blue, almost grey. But we did get our pictures of the Tatras in winter.

Fridays are sometimes lazy days for us because we have no commitments. Emily knocked on our door in mid-morning to tell us that the United States Ambassador would be here this afternoon. He was coming to see the Center for Christian Education because he had heard so much about their English program in the elementary school.

So we were there to see him. All five Americans were there, as well as twenty-five to thirty students (who had stayed after school on a Friday afternoon to greet him.) Being the diplomat that he is, Ambassador Theodore Sedgwick went over and began speaking with the students. The younger ones had pictures that they had drawn (and framed) for him. Then the older students sang a song (in English, of course).

After that, he met the Americans and asked how we like teaching English over here. It seems that the Slovak government has made a law that all students would begin having English classes by third grade (CCE’s elementary school starts students in the first year). To help Slovakia with this, the Ambassador is wondering about a program in the States in which people could be encouraged to come to Slovakia to teach English.

We definitely stated that this was an unforgettable experience. We also stated that it was not only for young teachers, but also for retired people (four of the five Americans here now, are retired.) Yet Bohdan Hroboň told the Ambassador that this works here because we are here for the Lord’s work, not for the salaries.

Then it was over before we knew it and he was out the door.

I thought this was a good candid shot taken after the Ambassador had left. You can see Gary, Mihal, Jozef, Bohdan and Emily, holding her birthday flowers. (Yes, the Ambassador came to sing Happy Birthday for her.)

A Week of Adventures

2011-03-19T04:33:00.000-07:00

This week has been filled with many experiences. The first Saturday in March we had the Michal and Katka Valčo, plus Marek and Magdalena over for dinner. Because our flat only has a small table, we ate in the little café that is on the ground floor of the gymnasium (dormitory.) Katka had taught for seven and a half hours that day and the children were tired because they had spent the day at their cabin. So it was not a late night, but very enjoyable.

Later in the week, Michal took his children, his grandmother, Gary and I to see the new house they are building. It is in a little village south of Martin. The Valčo’s house is on the left and the Bodon Hrobon’s house is on the left. The Kacian family has begun their house also in the area.

Later that week, Jeannine got script for the first time (as part of her benefits for teaching.) There are 15 coupons that are valued at three Euros apiece (about $4.20). For that, at lunch time, you get a large bowl of soup and a complete dinner: protein, vegetables and potatoes or pasta. That day we went out to have lunch.

We met Maria from the school office and invited her to eat with us. The bowl of soup was full and delicious; the chicken, rice and fresh veggies were very good.

We have been trying to find a source for a clock mechanism for a clock we had bought in Toledo, Spain. It is a beautiful twenty four hour clock, but has not been working for years. We had brought the mechanism with us this time to find someone who could order a replacement. Gary found a clock/watch shop, but was told that the company went out of business the year we had bought it (1996). But the man took a look at it and said he could fix it. We got it fixed for about 4.50 Euros. I had also lost the stem of my Timex™ watch. That was fixed at the same place for about $2.25. Here is the good man at his shop.

Sunday was the first day of a Family Service for the Evanjelička Church here in Martin. It is family-friendly, and was held in Bible School Building instead of the Church building. We had guitar/drum-led songs with the words on the screen. A youth choir led us.

There was an animated lesson shown on the screen, child-friendly. Pastor Milan had a short message and there was a spot for the young children to play on the floor.

Later that week, Gary and I did some exploring and found the University Medical School and some residences for students. We found the oldest building which was built in 1925 in which to care for the ill and train the caregivers. But there are some modern buildings, also.

We also found the Slovak National Library. The Trelsteds and Jeannine had seen in 2004. Every book that is published in Slovakia has seven copies here at the National Library. This is much like the Library of Congress in the United States.

Gary has been working with Pastor Milan on his English, once a week. On this week Milan invited both Gary and I to have coffee with him and his wife Zuzana. They showed us a new place to have coffee and we had a very good time conversing.

The next day Gary went back to the Medical School, this time with Zuzana K. Zuzana teaches English and Slovak to the medical students. The two of them put announcements for the first AA Meeting here in Martin as well as announcements that The Evanjelička Church has its services translated to English. Gary learned some more about the buildings from Zuzana.

Then we had Zuzana over for dinner that night. She has a very deep faith in Our Lord and is now engaged to a man with a very deep faith. It is such a blessing to be able to share our faith with her. Zuzana comes to our Friday night Bible Study when her time allows.

Then on Saturday, we decided to spend the day at Stary Hrad, which is an old castle between Martin and Žilina. Before the train came, we decided to see what is in the Literary Museum which is very close to the Bible School. We were amazed at all the exhibits we saw. We only saw the majority of one level in the hour before our train came.

When we arrived in Stečna, we began our walk to Stary Hrad. Oh the Slovakians and their love of color:
We passed this fence and log splitter. Nothing commercial, just something useful. Did I say they like color?

We had been told it is an easier climb to get to Stary than get to Štečno Hrad. We passed the place we had disenbarked from the raft in 2009 and Strečno Harad.
And we passed by the castle in Štečno and marched on to the old castle (Stary Hrad).

We walked and walked; asked if we were on the correct road. Then we walked and walked. We passed three or four newly built houses. We kept looking ahead. We still could not see it.

We saw the bridges where the trains cross the Vah River and decided we would see if we could catch up with the couple in front of us. They looked as if they knew where they were going. When we crossed under the bridges, we did not see the castle. But the couple told us it was just ahead. So we kept walking; we went around the corner and there it was.

We were told, "It’s only a kilometer more." So we discover that only one kilometer is the same as “it’s only a twenty minute walk.” I did not have my pedometer with me, but I know it was more than a kilometer. In fact, we got to a point that we could not see it anymore.

WELL, WE WERE GOING TO GET THERE. We had already missed the train we had planned to come back on. We reached a very steep hill on one side of us and a creek on the other side.

We could not see the castle. Gary sat down on a rock and had a sandwich half, while I kept walking. I finally made out what I thought might be the castle, but we would not be able to climb that steep hill. So we kept walking on the path. We finally did come to a sign that pointed the way to the castle. At this point we walked up the crest of the hill to the castle.

WE MADE IT!

What happened to January and February?

2011-02-26T04:25:00.000-08:00

I’ve been falling down on the job of posting on our blog.
Sorry.

In January, the Roman Catholic Church San Martin and the Evangelical (Lutheran) Church, here in Martin,
had an ecumenical service one Sunday evening. Last year the service was at the Evanjelika church. This year, the service was held in the Church of San Martin, which was built in the thirteenth century. This year the choir from the Evanjelika Church sang and the Pastors from the Evangelical Church spoke. Members from San Martin read the lessons and the priests spoke.

Emily, Jeannine and Brenda are in the front row. Larry is the tallest man in the back. (Gary is behind the camera.)

It did snow once in January. Jeannine went Žilina to get her VISA. This is a picture of the Roman Catholic Church in Žilina.

The statue is representing the Russians who “liberated” Slovakia from Germany. There are not many of these memorandums left in the country. The date on the statue was 30 IV 1945.

Then I caught the train to Martin. Unfortunately, I did not get the message that I needed to change trains at the town of Vrutky. I did not realize this until I was east of Vrutky. So I got off the train at the next stop in a town of Kraľovany. It is a very small village. Here in Slovakia, the small villages are very much alive. The trains and buses stop there. Many people that work in larger towns, like Vrutky and Martin, live and renovate the houses in such villages.

The smoke and steam coming from the houses show that these villages are alive. The turquoise house is built next to a building made of logs. You can see the church and parsonage are well-kept. I did catch the next west-bound train and did get to Martin with no problem. We call these unplanned events “adventures.”

Well-kept church

Everything is so beautiful in the snow. It has not snowed enough to stay on the ground since the January snow, and we miss it now.

There were five young women, students from Augustan University in South Dakota, who came to the Elementary School for experience in teaching English to non-English speaking students. Gary and I invited three of them for dinner one week and the other two the next week. On their last night here, they invited all of the Americans at the Center for Christian Education (CCE) and Adrian and Natália Kacian to a potluck dinner. It was through Adrian and Natália that Hannah came last year. She was the one who brought the other four students with her this year.

Here are Carrie, Christine, Liz, Emily, and Hannah with Emily, a teacher at the elementary school.
Emily, on the right, is from Minnesota and this is her second year in Martin.

Gary was having some discomfort with one of his teeth. So Natalia’s brother, Martin, took him to the dentist. The dentist had just has a cancellation, so Gary got to see the dentist that day! The dentist said Gary’s teeth were in good condition and she cleaned them for him. He made an appointment for Jeannine and the first one available was in the middle of April!

One day this past week, Jeannine found every third grader in costume when she was teaching. When asked about the costumes, I found out that there would be a carnival in the school building that afternoon. I wondered about it, being in the middle of the week, but I forgot about it when I returned to our flat. Then a teacher, that Gary tutors, said something about a carnival at the middle school at which she teaches. That school is in another town. So I asked why there were carnivals today.

We learned about fašiang. It is the time of the year between Epiphany (January 6th) and Ash Wednesday. Another person told us it was from Epiphany to February 28th. This is the time to have fun, before Lent. One person told us this was the time for many weddings. We guess it is similar to Marti Gras. Why so many schools had carnivals this day, I cannot tell you. I am mad that I did not go to the carnival of the Evanjelika Elementary School and take pictures. But Katka Valčova did have us come to the preschool where her five year old daughter attends, the Friday before. The children were all dressed in costumes. We missed their little “program” of singing and dancing. But we did get to see them have the treats and play with bubbles and balloons. So this is their fašiang.

I will end with an “answer to pray” story. In October, Gary and I traveled to Banska Bystitca to spend the weekend with a student Gary taught in 2004. We got to meet Zuzana’s family and we had a great time. We ended the weekend by inviting her and her mother back to Martin to spend the weekend with us some time.

Two weekends ago she came and we had a wonderful time together. The Wednesday before, at our CCE staff breakfast, when we were speaking of prayer requests someone spoke of the need for prayer fir Jozef (the principal of the Elementary School. He had three women who had to stop teaching because of pregnancy. So we prayed about that.

We asked about the grades that Zuzana was teaching. She said she had been teaching first and fourth grade classes. However some of the fourth grade special education students were no longer going to her school. She only had seven or eight first grader students, and next year there would only three first graders. In fact, she did not know if she would have job next year.

We suggested that she apply for the jobs at the Evangelical Elementary School. We got on the web and found the notice for the jobs that had been posted in November. Zuzana applied, was interviewed and got the job! She will be starting March 1st.

Zuzana and Gary in front of the fountain in Banska Bystrica.

Differences

2011-01-16T07:16:00.000-08:00

There are several differences in shopping in Martin, from the shopping done in the California. First, we must remember to bring our own bags. The stores do not pack your purchases. Some stores have bags, but they usually charge for them. Most people just bring their own bags. Here you see Gary ready to shop. Jeannine has her backpack also.

When you get to the grocery store, you will find that a Euro is needed to release the basket. At first, we thought “Wow! They’re going to charge us to use their baskets!

Actually, the Euro is just a deposit. For the return of the Euro, you return the basket and use the chain to release the Euro. Low and behold, there are absolutely NO baskets out in the parking lot.

In the produce section, there is a good selection of both fruits and vegetables. The quality is not quite as good as it is in CA, but you can say that about many locations in the U.S. We are just so blessed with fresh, good quality produce in Arroyo Grande. A difference is that you bag your produce, put it on the scales, touch the identification of that item (pictures and words) and the scales gives a tag with the price that is put on the produce bag. It is read by the machine at check-out.

Eggs come in packages of ten, fifteen or a half dozen. Almost all eggs are brown. There is a tremendous selection of different kinds of cheeses, but the chunks that the cheese is sold by are smaller. Soups come in packs of dry soup instead of cans. (I’m thankful for this as I carry the groceries as I walk home.) There are very few items that come in glass or cans.

The Slovaks love their bread. There are so many different kinds to choose from. The majority of the breads are sold by the uncut loaf. Most of their bread is not in a wrapper. The customer uses a plastic glove to make her choice of bread. Then she puts it in a plastic bag.

When you’ve gotten the items on your list, you go to the check-stand. The first thing I noticed at the stand was that all of the checkers were sitting. Actually, they have a choice to stand or to sit, but most of them are sitting. This is in most stores, not just grocery stores.

After the item has been charged, you grab it and put it back in the basket. When you’ve paid, received your change and receipt, you take the basket to a place to put the items in your bags. Then you’re ready to leave, after you return the basket and get back your deposit.

We have been amazed at how many of the people (both men and women) take the babies, toddlers and children out in the square for some fresh air. When they are babies, they ride in a “baby-buggy,” then they graduate to a stroller. Sometimes you see a baby carried, but very few baby-backpacks or front carriers.

When it rains…..

And when it snows…….

Holiday in Italy

2011-01-10T06:08:00.000-08:00

On New Year’s Eve, we began in Cita Alta we saw the inside of two beautiful churches. The marble exterior walls, paintings on the ceiling, the gigantic columns, and beautiful carvings of statues just made us oooo and ahhhhhh. The craftsmen and artists put so much into their work, all for the glory of God.

Then we boarded a train for Milan. This is the second largest city in Italy. It is the industrial center of the country. But there are many beautiful masterpieces and works of art here in this town. On New Year’s Day, we found ourselves in the main square of Milan. The majestic gothic cathedral is unbelievable in its size and intricacies of carving.

This picture was taken by a couple that we met on the square. They were from Brazil and love to travel. They were in Italy with their two children, about 8 and 4 years old. We had such a wonderful conversation with these people. God puts wonderful people in our pathways, everywhere we go.

I believe we were told this is the largest gothic cathedral and only the second in size to the cathedral in Vatican City. We were able to go into the cathedral, but it was very dark, so my pictures just do not do it justice. As we were in this masterpiece, there was a mass being said. Anyone could go into that area and participate in the mass. We will probably never get to Rome, but do not believe we could be more moved than we were here.

The next day found us at the Sforza Castello of Milan. This is another gigantic monument. In the picture, you can see how large the front entrance is. Actually, at this distance, I did not get the very top of this tower; I missed the top two levels. Now think of the size of a common brick, about 10” x 4.5” x 3”. That is what this whole castle is made of. On the two front corners of the castello, there are very large, round towers. The courtyard was enormous.

But it is the art found inside this castle that impressed us. This is one of the many painted ceilings found in the living compartments of the nobility. Some of the ceilings were even painted by Michelangelo. There was carved marble, doorways of carved marble, different suits of armor, all made by hand. It is wonderful to be able to see these pieces of art and articles from life in the 13th and 14th centuries.

Then we took a 2 ½ hour train ride to Venice. This is the place, in Italy, that Gary really wanted to see. I thought the canals would be full of dirty, smelly water and could not imagine a city with canals for the streets. I was so wrong, and I am glad Gary suggested that we go here. The water was not smelly or dirty.

There are canals throughout the town of old Venice. The locations that had an entrance from the canal also had a “back door” on a calle (or small road.) We stayed in a wonderful “guesthouse” off the main calle from the train station. When we first turned into the calle, it was no wider than four feet. It gradually widened as we passed by three or four guesthouses (hotels) and three restaurants.

The buildings in Venice had their own style. There were many arches as one would expect in a city in the same country where arches were developed (in Rome.) But the windows often had a type of Arab looking shape. The buildings were many different colors.

The canals had many different types of boats. Some were large motorboats for delivery (a reason for the high prices on everything.) There were larger boats that carried many people and were called “waterbuses.” There were “water taxis,” small private motorboats and the gondolas.

The first sight we explored was the Doge Palace. This is where the head of the government, the Doge, lived and where the legal decisions were made. The outside was mosaic brick of pink and white. The Doge was elected.
The merchants were part of the government. There were two councils, similar to our House of Representatives and Senate. Then there was council comprised of nine or ten people appointed by the Doge. This palace was another work of art, like this marble staircase.

The other magnificent wonder in Venice is the Cathedral of San Marcos. At first, the patron saint of Venice was San Theodore who was credited with killing a dragon. Later, as Alexandria, Egypt was on its downfall, someone from Venice stole the body of San Marcos and took it to Venice. This was to complete a prophecy that supposedly San Marcos was given about him having his final resting place in Venice.

We cannot fully describe the inside of this cathedral. Besides the huge columns, fantastic sculptures, detailed mosaic floors and beautiful altars, the ceilings were a wonder in themselves. They were mosaics of different colored tiles creating pictures of different saints and people of strong faith. We were asked not to take pictures inside the cathedral, so I only have ones that I took outside.

This was taken on the balcony towards the top of the cathedral. The next picture shows a close-up detail of this picture. Each tile was about 1 centimeter square. The ceiling throughout the church was made up of mosaic pictures made of 1 cm square tiles!

This was truly a trip of a lifetime.

St. Nicholas Day and Christmas

2010-12-28T09:23:00.000-08:00

St. Nicholas Day is December 6th. The night before, the children left their shoes out, in hopes for goodies to eat (and not coal or a stick.) Many students gave me a treat that day.

It was a school day and Gary was still in the hospital,for tests. So these pictures were taken on the way to and from the hospital where I visited him. On the way there, the square was filled with children and their parents. Joy was on their faces.

There were several people dressed as St. Nicholas (who was a bishop) and they carried bags. They would stop young people and dig into their bag for a small booklet and I believe some other gift. The young lady at the far right of the first picture is in a fourth grade class that I am in twice a week.

On the way back (about 4:30 PM) the square is still filled with people. Most of the time as we walk through the square, mothers and dads are pushing their babies and toddlers in baby buggies or strollers. This evening, the square had several inches of snow covering it. There were many small sleds with toddlers that are being pulled through the square. I almost missed this one with three little ones riding.

The square has been decorated with beautiful lights. There is also a two horse open sleigh, carrying people around for a fun ride. This is St. Nicholas Day.

There are several church services for Christmas. The first was on Christmas Eve at 3:30 PM. I walked in with the choir at 3:15 and wondered if I could get to front of the church where we were to sit. The church was packed. There were two rows of chairs down the aisle, and each was occupied. The side aisles were filled with people who were standing. The balcony was packed. And the two sets of pews at the front of the church on either side of the altar are filled with part of the choir. Many families with young children attend this service.

The second service was almost as packed. It was filled with more of the regular church members. This service also had both singing groups. One difference was that Pastor Jon gave the message for the first service and the second service was Pastor Milan’s message. Although the Gospel reading was the same, each pastor chose a different reading on which to base his sermon.

The American couple who are from Vancouver, WA are in Germany visiting with friends during Christmas week, and Emily flew back to MN for Christmas with her family. This is the second Christmas for these people. We had planned to stay here, in Martin, for Christmas, so we did. We were invited by two families to have Christmas Eve dinner with them. We had dinner with Pastor Milan and his wife Zuzana and family.

After dinner, it was time for presents. Apparently, this is the time that the children get to open their gifts. The girls had gifts for their parents, also. Unfortunately, Gary had been fighting a cold and by this time he had been up, long enough. So we had to leave early. It was a wonderful Christmas Eve.

The next day, Christmas, had an 8:30 and a 10:00 Christmas service at the church. The first was more traditional, with no choir. In the second service, the choir had two different songs to sing. Also, the children in the parish had part of this service with many memorized passages and a couple of songs.

Brrrr, it's cold out here!

The next day was Sunday, and there was only one service. The choir did not sing at this service. There will be a service on New Year’s Eve and one on New Year’s Day, two on Sunday and another on Epiphany, January 6th. The choir will sing at these services.

Yes, Christmas time is a time for worship at the Evanjelica Church in Martin, Slovakia.

Tuesday, 28 of December, 2010, was sunny all day.

Wednesday, it snowed all day. It looks like we received 4 to 5 inches of snow. It is beautiful.

Merry Christmas to all.

Advent Sundays

2010-12-20T04:40:00.000-08:00

On the second Sunday in Advent, the emphasis was the young people of the church. Two young women had requested that on this Sunday they be confirmed. The young people around the altar are the witnesses to this event. Later in the service these young adults sang some praise songs, which were appreciated by all in attendance.

Unfortunately, Gary was in the hospital, so he missed the young people Sunday. He also missed some beautiful snow. I took pictures for him to appreciate in his hospital room. (Laptop computers are a wonderful source to have.

Each Sunday the church is decorated a little more. The third Sunday in Advent was the day of the church’s choir’s Koncert. It began at 4:30 in the afternoon. The music was beautiful. Three of the five Americans at the Community for Christian Education (CCE) were in the choir. Jeannine came down with a very bad case of bronchitis and was in the audience with Gary.

The church’s youth choir sang with the adult choir for several songs.

By this time Gary is home from the hospital and is enjoying the sight of the snow in Žilina, where he teaches two classes of Conversational English.

The fourth Sunday in Advent is a very special celebration. The children come in with the Advent lanterns as they have each Advent Sunday. I noticed more “toddlers” with their mothers this time. The same young lady reads about this Advent Sunday as the candles are lit. The painting above the altar has been changed with a picture of the Baby Jesus in a manger.

All of the children go to the altar railing and are blessed by the pastor.
A young girl recites a poem. Then the CCE musical staff member,
Tomás, leads the young people in a couple of songs, complete with hand motions.

After the sermon, Eucharist was served to everyone in the church. This is mentioned because the Eucharist is not part of most services here. If one wants to share the Lord’s Supper, it is done after most people leave the church. Last Sunday, it had been announced that Eucharist would be part of this service.

Usually, the Eucharist is served at the altar railing. This Sunday, there were two stations on the steps below the altar railing. First, the pastor distributing the bread, puts a hand on the one being served the Eucharist and blesses that person with the assurance that their sins are forgiven in the name of Christ Jesus. The bread is served. Next the person moves to another ordained pastor who serves the wine.

The celebration of Advent was so joyous, now we anxiously wait the celebration of birth of Jesus.

Thanksgiving and Advent Beginning

2010-12-04T00:59:00.000-08:00

Larry and Brenda invited everyone from our weekly Bible study group to a Thanksgiving dinner before we had our study. They were having two young women from the States, who were studying in Florence, Italy. They wanted to celebrate Thanksgiving so Larry and Brenda invited them to come to Martin for a Thanksgiving feast.

The Fasts had found a person that raises turkey snot far from Martin. The turkey they got was about 8 kilograms! There was only one oven in any of the buildings that could handle a bird of that size. So they cooked it in the oven downstairs in the kitchen in the Gymnasium. Brenda made two kinds of dressing, cornbread and a regular bread recipe. Jeannine and Gary fixed the sweet potatoes and Jeannine did the cinnamon and pocketbook rolls. People brought desserts, salad, green bean dish. We had no trouble feeding the twelve people there.

We had quite an international group. Four are Norwegian medical students, two Slovakians, a student of the Center for Christian Education (CCE) and a teacher at the Elementary School, and seven Americans. It was quite an experience for all non-Americans.

Then on Sunday, we had a wonderful first Sunday in Advent. The children (who usually attend church school at this time) came in the church. Two were carrying small lanterns.

The two children put the lanterns on the altar, and later the Pastor elevated them for all to see. A young girl began reading about the Advent Season. Unfortunately, our interpreter was not set up as she read, so we do not know exactly what she said. However, the rest of service (except part of the liturgy, which we have in the bulletin) and the hymns are now translated for us. This is something new for the people who stay one or more years.

After Church, we had our regular “after-church” coffee at one of two places that is open Sunday, on the Square. This week it was just the two American couples. As always, it is wonderful Fellowship.

After leaving the restaurant, Gary and Jeannine decided to walk to the Museum on Slovak Culture. The weather forecast includes snow for the rest of the week. We did not know if it would be open or not, and wanted to see the hours that the museum is opened.

It was opened, so we decided to go through it. As we are there, Jeannine’s ear picks up some Spanish being spoken. She strikes up a conversation and discovered that a Slovak, whose parents live in Martin, is telling his two friends (from Peru) about the exhibits. All three work in a Peruvian café in Bratislava. The Slovak has meet Emily and talked to her about her work as an English teacher here in Martin. He is planning to go to Venezuela in January 2011, to teach English there.

Jim and Paulo with Jeannine and Gary
Another example of how “small” this world is becoming.

That night it snowed. We woke up to 3 or 4 inches of snow on our windows and the ground.

Thanks to the Women’s Group at Saint John’s, we have some nice winter clothes to keep us warm. We thank you so much. Gary bought a coat with a warm hood, some wool socks and a scarf. Jeannine bought a coat that looks good with dresses, several scarves and some warm tights.

The children here are like other children, snow is fun:

There is so much to be thankful for!

A Different Lifestyle

2010-11-12T00:57:00.000-08:00

A Different Life Style

Thanks to Pastor Randy’s suggestion I have read The Good and Beautiful God and I am in the middle of The Good and Beautiful Life. Both of these books are written by James Bryan Smith. The goal of the first book is to make known God as Jesus knew Him, so that we may fall in love with Him. The goal of the second book is putting on the character of Christ.

The part of the books that has affected me the most are the exercises of spiritual disciplines. I am amazed that I am reading them here in Slovakia where these exercises have fit in so well with the life style here.

One of the disciplines is that of “Silence and the Awareness of Creation”. Here where I do not know the language I do not have the radio or TV on, so when I am alone in the flat, I am able to experience silence. In this different climate I find myself paying more attention to God’s creation and enjoying it.

The autumn changes in the square.

Then there is the discipline of putting margins or times without commitment in one’s life to replace “hurry sickness.” This makes room to enjoy life and to communicate with God in the middle of life’s business. Although people here say they haven’t done something because they are too busy, I see them making time in their days to eat dinner with their families, listen to a friend who needs some support and play with their children. They are making margins in their lives.

In the chapter about anger, the author speaks of the causes of anger, such as unmet expectations, not having control, and fear. I know that I am NOT in control of all the events in my life. I am only in control of my reactions to these events. A case in point is the fact that I have not been given the necessary VISA. What will happen? I know that at this point, I have no control over my VISA. What is going to happen? I don’t know. But I do know who is in control. I believe this is a discipline for me to give God the problem and leave it in His hands. Even if I am sent away from this beautiful country, I thank God for the blessings we have had here so far.

The spiritual discipline to help with anger is “Keeping the Sabbath.” Keeping the Sabbath is to trust in God and letting go of control of this part of life. As I read the details, I think that this is a wonderful place to try this discipline. On Saturdays, between 11:00 AM and noon, the stores close for the weekend. I don’t mean that some of them, I mean ALL of the stores and shops on the square close. There are only two restaurants open and the grocery store at the end of the square stays open until 4 or 5 PM, but everything else is closed. Here, the weekends are for families. Sunday’s meal is definitely a family affair.

This is the Martin Square at noon on Sunday.

We thank you, Heavenly Father, for leading us to this beautiful country, full of these beautiful, gracious people. Help us to grow where you would have us grow.
Continue to help us enjoy this country and the experiences we have here.

Reformation Day and All Saints' Day

2010-11-06T08:40:00.000-07:00

The last school day in October was on Thursday,
the 28th of October. One of the fourth grades
that I work with was finishing their plant
project. They grew grass from seeds.
They had kept certain conditions (such as
water or light) from their seeds and
recorded how their seeds grew.

The other fourth grade had a day off from the
English. Their teacher had divided the class into
groups. Each group was to make its own scarecrow.
I wish that I had room to show all of the scarecrows.
It was a great project for working together and being
original.

The last period of the day was spent in a special
church service for the students. The subject was
Reformation Day. A choir sang some songs, including
“Lord I Lift Your Name on High, complete with hand
motions. Then the children had a holiday
Friday, Monday and Tuesday for All Saints Day.

During the Sunday church service,
the seventh grade class had a great original
play about Martin Luther’s nailing the 95
thesis’s on the church door. I cannot think
of a better way to teach about the beginning
of the Reformation than having the students act it out.

And then there was All Saints’ Day,
Monday, 1st of November. This is a state holiday.
The whole weekend is a time for families
to gather at their grandparents or parents’ graves.
It is in some ways similar to the Day of the Dead.
For weeks, flowers and candles have been sold.

This is the day that families go to the cemeteries.
They weed and clean up around the grave of
their loved one(s). They take the old flowers,
arrangements and candles away. These are
replaced with new arrangements and candles are lit.

Practically every grave in the newer part of
the cemetery had flowers on it.
The flowers were as far as the eye could see.

After you take care of your family graves, they you go to the graves of persons special to you. This is the grave of Pastor Jan Bohdon Hrobon, the father of Pastor Jan Hrobon of the Evangelical Church in Martin, and Bohdon Hrobon, the founder of the Bible School.

Besides the candles on the graves, there were
a couple of locations in the cemetery that
more candles were lit. My guess is that these
are lit in memory of loved ones who are
buried elsewhere.

On the Second of November, Gary and I went to a small town of Ružomberok.
(That is another story.) On the way back, we passed by a couple of cemeteries.
It was after dark and the candles were still lit and they were spectacular.

An interesting side note for me is that this is a holiday that the Communist
Regime would allow. For some reason, they did not associate it with the
Church.

Reconnecting in Banska Bytrica

2010-10-19T23:24:00.000-07:00

We were invited to spend the weekend in Banska Bystrica by one of Gary’s students, Zuzana, from 2004. We went Saturday morning because we did not want to miss The Truth Project that we were watching and discussing in our Friday night Bible Study.

The train ride was foggy at first, but when we reached the hills, it was sunny and the hills were full of fall colors. The train station had some beautiful stain glass windows, representing towns from the areas around Banska Bystrica.

Zuzana and her family live in a two story house that used to be in a village, but is now in Banska Bystrica. There is a creek running on the opposite side of the road from the house.

Zuzana’s mother had a wonderful dinner waiting for us when we got there. Her mother does not speak English, but she had worked several years in Italy. With her Italian and Jeannine’s Spanish, they were able to visit some.

When we got to the center of town, on Saturday afternoon, the town was closed, except for the churches (for weddings), restaurants and some museums. Unfortunately, the museum Zuzana wanted to show us was closed. So we walked through the square towards what used to be a castle. Now it is a restaurant. Then we passed two large Roman Catholic churches. One was for the Germans and the other was for the Slovaks. We passed a large tower, which used to be one of the watchtowers for the town. Around it was a cemetery.

From there, we went to an ice cream stand with the “best ice cream in Slovakia.” The stand was at the edge of a large city park, which was by the river. We could see the beautiful hills surrounding the town.

We wanted to visit the museum that looks like a Slovak hat cut n half. (Or a mushroom with its top sliced off.) I remember seeing the building in 2004, but I mainly remembered graffiti on its sides. It does not have graffiti now. It is in memoriam of the 1944 Slovak rebellion against the Germans. It was not successful, but is something Zuzana’s countrymen are proud of. I believe the museum also has exhibits of the Communist era. It was going to be closed in a half hour, so we saw the artillery and tanks that were used in WWII and the rebellion. They were outside in an open air museum.

We went to church with Zuzana, even though she would be teaching Sunday School and would not be there to interpret for us. That was fine with us, since we go to church on all Sundays without an interpreter in Martin. Before we went into the sanctuary, we met a woman who began speaking to us in English, when she found out we spoke English. When she had to stop to think of a word, she mentioned she had to think of it in Spanish, first, then English. She had spent three years in Peru, doing missionary work. So she and Jeannine spoke some more in Spanish.

The church service was similar to the ones here in Martin. But after the sermon, the prayers of the people and the blessings, the young people from Sunday School came in and sang to us. They did not just sing one song; they sang for about ten minutes. The joy of the Lord shown on their faces. When they finished, the praise-band stayed in front of the church. We were told that they sing for about an hour after the service. We do enjoy singing, so we stayed in the church. (The pastor came in when he had changed out of his official robes and really got into the praise singing, also. When Zuzana came, she wondered if we were wanted to leave. We answered that we wanted to do what she wanted to do. Well, maybe one song. We stayed for almost the whole second hour.

Zuzana tried to show us another museum, but it was closed for lunch. So we went home to another wonderful dinner with duck and cabbage and an apple cake. We did get to see the museum in the center of town; it had been closed on Saturday. Then we caught the train and were back in Martin in an hour.

Although we did not see many museums, we so enjoyed just visiting with Zuzana and her mother. We have invited Zuzana to Martin for a weekend of “English practice.”

Teaching at Evanjelicka Základna Skola

2010-10-06T07:37:00.000-07:00

I teach English in lessons following the Content Language Integrated Lessons (CLIL) format. This is method that is used all over Europe where teaching a new language. In CLIL lessons the content is more important than the language taught. The content may be geography, math or science. It is to be “real subjects applicable to real life.”

The day begins at 7:40. There is sharing time, followed by prayer time. This prayer time is mainly the students praying, with a small addition to the prayers by the teacher. Then each class has 45 minute classes followed by 10 minute breaks. In the breaks, the students can eat, have a drink, play one in the classroom, read, use the WC (water closet). The students get loud and rowdy in some classes, but there seems to be enough of a break that the students keep their attention on the following slesson. There seems to be no outside recess in the mornings.

In the second grade, I have been teaching the names of different fruit and vegetables. I began o with real fruit and vegetables. I introduce pictures and then names to be paired with the “real” examples. Then they get to color their paper with examples. We make our own Bingo cards and
Play Bingo. I like to have the students draw the fruit so they can have practice saying the names.
Here is a picture of some of the second graders on their break.

In the third grade we have been working in math. Specifically, we have worked on odd and even numbers, greater than and less than, and rounding up and down. We have practiced ordering numbers, saying if their number is greater than or less than their neighbor’s number and deciding how we “round numbers.” An interesting game we have played is to have a number put on their backs and they have to ask questions (that can be answered with yes or no) to see if they can discover their number.
This is the inside of a third grade classroom.
I like the idea of having nets on the wall to display work or decorations in place of using bulletin boards.

In the fourth grade we have been working with compass directions and maps. The classroom teacher teaches the students about Slovak geography, using maps. I taught about geography in California. We read a map of part of California, finding cities by following instructions that include compass directions. We made a map of California, with mountains, lakes, rivers, bay, ocean and cities. Then the students played a similar game with California locations on their back and they ask yes and no questions. I like this game because it gets the students to use the language rather than just hear it. The final activity with maps was to have a student tell three items about a location in CA and the others try to guess that location.

Fourth graders playing the “Yes-No Game”

As always, when I’m in a class with the students, I feel at home.

Harvest Festival

2010-09-25T08:42:00.000-07:00

Looking at the calendar, I see it is the last weekend in September. We will be missing the Arroyo Grande Harvest Festival.

Today, Gary and I need to go to the farmers' market to buy fruit and house slippers. As soon as we get to the Centrum in the center of the square, we can hear music and see a group of older Fiats in the center of the square. Something out of the ordinary is definitely happening.

Yes, this is the Martin, Slovakia Harvest Festival.

When we get to one of the statues on the square we see a trampoline and gigantic slide for kids.

Then came the booths with handicrafts. Brightly colored, and homemade. Rugs that are handwoven, paintings, glass candle holders and angels, baskets and delicately decorated gingerbread cookies....pieces of art.

Then we got to the area in front of the Roman Catholic Church and encountered the FOOD! There is chicken, sausages, kabobs, and homemade tortilla-like bread. Then there is cotton candy, decorated cookies, candy, candy, candy.

The street between the church and the farmers' market is closed to auto and bus traffic. The street is full of booths with clothes, tablecloths, shoes, etc. Behind the market is the carnival.

And this is the Harvest Festival in Martin, Slovakia.

A Week in Martin

2010-09-17T05:21:00.000-07:00

As I wake up this morning, hearing the gentle rain, I wonder how many rainy days we had this past week and begin thinking of all the things Gary and I have done this past week:

Last Friday night we had Larry and Brenda (from Vancouver, OR on their 2nd year here) for dinner. It had been raining most of the day.

Saturday: It’s still raining, so we have a rather lazy day with Gary working on chicken for broth and a chicken noodle soup. Brenda came by to retrieve her passport. Emily hears us talking and comes to ask if we wanted to get to and do needlecraft. That develops into a “happening.” We begin at our place with chicken noodle soup, homemade pita bread and chicken with the dumplings Brenda’s grandmother made from Brenda and Larry and a raspberry/apple pie freshly made by Emily. After dinner, Gary and Larry go to Larry’s flat to watch a DVD on the Bethlehem Star. Brenda does some cross stitch while Emily and I crochet.

Sunday: Early in the morning I hear it raining again. It is not raining when we go to church with Daniel. Daniel is a Scandinavian who is here for the med school. After church we go with him to have some coffee. On the way, we meet a friend of Daniel’s who is also from Sweden. He and Daniel have some “catching up” to do so he is naturally invited to accompany us for some coffee. His parents are from Iran and we learned some things about Iran and the different kinds of people living there.

When Daniel’s friend leaves, we go to the only restaurant open for a good Sunday dinner. Here he tells us that he is going back home because the he was not able to get the money for his med school. He is a firm Christian believer and feels that this is just not the time for him to study medicine. His plans are now to return to Sweden and study German for three years. (He had studied German before.) Then he believes he can go to Vienna to study medicine in German. Because the classes will be in the local language, there will be no tuition.

We walk around after that and then go to our flat to look at some maps. Daniel shows us where he has lived with his Norwegian parents in Sweden. Then he shows us some good places to visit, if we are able to go to Norway. He tells us that Christopherson is not a common name and that they were boat builders. Boat building was done outside Oslo so we may be able to find something there about Gary’s mother’s paternal family.
.

At 16,00 we go back to the church for a small band concert. There were five people: one played many stringed instruments including a banjo, one played alto and soprano saxophone, one got marvelous percussion sounds from a bongo-like drum and the wooden box he was sitting on. I thought he had a recording of brushes on a snare drum, but it all came from his “box.” The leader of the group played a guitar, but he also used his mouth as an instrument and could make two different notes at the same time! The fifth person of the group recited poetry. We could not tell if she was speaking Slovak or Hungarian, but the sound of her poetry and the music was very pleasant to the ear. They also included Tomaš, playing his harmonica a very interesting concert.

I ended up the day trying my voice in the church’s choir. It is led by Maria, Pastor Jan’s wife. Maybe 20 people were there, including both pastors.

Monday: The class day is made up of a ten minute opening that includes prayer. Then there are five 45 minute classes, separated by 10 minute breaks. The first period, I meet with a fourth grade teacher to plan what will be taught this week. Second period is with a second grade class. We practice introductions. Then I have two periods off in which I can work on fourth grade plans. Fifth period is the other second grade. I return to the flat to have lunch and at 13,00 I’m back to work with the third grade teachers. The rest of the day is free.

Tuesday: I begin with a third period class. I get there a little early and I am invited to the circle and to say a prayer. In the third grade we are comparing numbers. At 10,40 and 11,35 I teach geography in the fourth grade classes. That afternoon, I get my hair fixed at a salon. On the way back, I meet Bohdon who is with his young son. He casually mentions that the next day is a holiday, St Mary’s Day he believes. It is a national holiday. Is it a school day? He does not think so, but he really does not know. Luckily, as I come to the gymnasium, I meet three other teachers and ask them. Yes tomorrow is a free day.

Wednesday: When I tell Gary about the free day, he thinks we should go somewhere outside Martin and explore. We decide on Ružomberok. We could get to it by bus, maybe an hour with the other stops. We need to catch it at 9,45. However, when we get there, we discover that it was not the bus stop across from the train station, but the one across from the farmers market. So we cross the street and see where the train will take us. We decide on Trenčin. It is where the castle is that we saw as we were going from Bratislava and we stopped for a break in 2009

We walked through a very nice park, under a main road and find ourselves in the “old town.” It is just below the castle. It was steep walking to get to the castle, but well worth it. Unfortunately, we don’t walk as fast as the Slovaks do and we missed the guided tour through the palace. So we took our time going down, taking pictures as we went. We then looked to see what was opened for a bite to eat and found very little opened. We passed a couple of churches and found ourselves in another square with a running fountain and a synagogue. We knew it was no longer a place of worship, but an art gallery. It is closed today, being a national holiday. We did find a place with good pizza and another museum. Then we caught the train to It was a good day. (We rode through some rain, but did not get any on us the whole day.)

Thursday: Thursdays begin with two third grade number lessons. The next two periods are in the fourth grade with geography lessons. I go back to the flat to help Gary get ready for the weekend in Drienca, Sk. near the Tatras. So I buy some more time on our phones and finish the laundry, while he has a meeting with the school psychologist and a medical dr. who is interested in starting a group for alcoholics here at the school. (Interestingly this doctor wants nothing to do with God or a Higher power. We’ll see how it goes.) His friend is here at 16,00 and off they go.

So goes a week here in Martin, Slovakia for Gary and Jeannine.

Poprod Adventure

2010-09-05T06:14:00.000-07:00

When we got off the train in Poprad, we did not know where to go so we just picked a direction and went. With a little help from a person at a hotel desk, we found our way to an information office. Before we follow the directions to the “our” pension, we find a museum. It had some interesting exhibits including some of a Neanderthal camp discovered in the area. Very little in English so we did not take as long as we usually do in a museum.

On the way to the pension, we passed by a large mural that was done in small tile. It was commemorating the Russian “liberation” from the Germans at the end of World War II. From what our tour book says, it is one of the few about this event, which are still standing in Slovakia. You never know when and where you will find a piece of art like this.

That afternoon we found the bus to Spissky to see the castle there. This is one of the five largest castles in Europe. You can see it for miles. It is a long walk up to the castle, but well worth it. We were able to get an audio tour of the castle, including legends, in English. They each cost 10€, which was returned to us after we returned them.

The castle’s first walls were built in the twelfth century. From that time through the fourteenth century, owners kept adding to it. It is truly one of our favorite places that we have visited. This is definitely an example of pictures far exceeding words.

Sunday is a day when few places of businesses are opened. Luckily a few food places are.
That was the morning we had gyros for breakfast. As we were eating, we noticed that we could see the tips of the Tatras. I thought Gary got a relatively good picture of them.

The one other place we wished to see was “Old Town Poprod.” We had a couple of people help us get there. When we got there, we were able to get into the old church, (something we were not able to do with the other two churches in Poprod that were in our tour book.) The guide did not speak English, but had a good description of the inside. The rest of the town which we walked through had many picturesque houses that are dwellings.

Before getting on the train to return home, we visited an interesting building that had displays of art. The building, for us, was very interesting, much more than the modern art that was in it. One of the last pictures we took was in a construction area that was fenced off from the public, but it sure looked like a wagon of possibly some nomad Roma family.

God Weaves Us Together

2010-08-27T12:35:00.000-07:00

This last eight days has been incredible in the ways God has brought people in our lives to help us.

Thursday night, 19 August, Gary and Jeannine decide to go somewhere on the train (in Slovakia), get reservations for a pension (hotel) and return. We select Poprad, a town east of here by 1 ½ hours by car, just under 2 hours by train. We get to the train station in time to buy our tickets. Buying the tickets was relatively easy because we had printed out the train schedule and just showed which one we wanted.

As we wait for the train, Jeannine notices a student of hers from last year, Helena. We begin talking and it turns out that she is going to Prague, in the Czech Republic, to visit her daughter. So we get on the train with her and get off to change trains after a 7 minute ride. We changed trains; the train from went onto Prague with no changes.

In Vrutky we change trains and find a very nice car with tables between the seats. When the person who checks the tickets comes by, she points to our tickets and says, “Nie, nie, nie.” Oh dear, are we on the wrong train? She finally gets us to understand that we are on the correct train, just the wrong car. She keeps pointing to the number 2 on our ticket. So we go looking for car #2. The next is numbered 2, but it’s a dining car. We are directed to keep going in the same direction. We finally found a car with seats for us, and discovered that the 2 was for second class.

We are asked if we are Americans by a woman in the cabin with us. She is a naturalized American citizen with a little four year old boy who was born in the states. We have only a short time to visit with her because she is getting off at the next stop.

Another passenger in the same cabin begins to speak with us. He lives in Bratislava, and is a philosophy professor at the university in Bratislava. We chat with him until we get to Poprod. He is on his way back to the home village of his family for a wedding. He will get off at the stop after Poprod and ride his bike to that village. Before we depart, He gives us his phone number and invites us to his place in Bratislava and perhaps he will take us to Italy.

We saw many wonderful things in and around Poprod which I will describe on another blog. We did want to go to a rather large castle at the town of Spissky. It costs us less than five Euros for both of us to ride the bus to Spissky. We are watching the map and road signs naming the villages as we pass through, so we will know when to get off. After we get through the last town before Spissky, the bus stops and lets someone out. Jeannine panics and asks if this is the stop to get to the Hrad (castle). She is assured that this is not the stop.

When we get to Spissky, we are told to get off and a couple of people insist that we follow them. They are going to show us the way to the castle. We walked for about a ½ mile as they show us where to go to get to the path towards the castle. These people went out of their way to keep us from getting lost.

Back in Martin, Jeannine received a letter that says the work on her VISA is being delayed until the background clearance comes, but there is less than 60 days to get everything done. (For those who do not know, Jeannine’s fingerprints have been taken twice and rejected twice as not having characteristics with the necessary quality as determined by the FBI’s Automated Fingerprint Identification System.) She cannot get somebody to speak to on the phone numbers given, just recordings. Yet she does see on the FBI’s Website that she can send in more than one set of prints at a time (w/$18 per set.)

Lubos has helped Gary and Jeannine every step of the process. He calls up early today (7:30 AM) and says he can take her to the local police station. A father of a student at the Elementary School works on the police department and has arranged for their fingerprint expert will do this for us. Lubos explains the problem and that expert spends a good forty minutes taking my fingerprints. One of the things that is different is that after the hands are washed, she is given grease out of a tube to rub on them for several minutes before she wipes them off. Those were the best prints taken. The question now is, “How can we get them to the FBI in WV the fastest way.

They get back to the Bible School to see a small group from Pennsylvania, packing the car to go to Vienna before they fly home on Sunday. We ask if they would take the prints and put them in the mail when they get home. Sally says she will do that. Yes, we believe they were here this week for this reason (besides painting the two classrooms.)

We keep being amazed at the angels that God puts along our walk in this beautiful country.

Tomorrow Gary and Jeannine will board the train to Prague, that they know about from their encounter with Helena. Bohdon’s uncle lives outside Prague and has invited them to spend some time in that beautiful city. I suspect that will be another story.

Sutovy Waterfalls

2010-08-27T08:06:00.000-07:00

Sutovy Waterfalls

After two days of tremendous rains, we decided to make the walk to some waterfalls just outside a small town, Sutovy. We took a bus to this little town l.30 € for each of us. It was about forty minute to Sutovy. We stopped at several towns along the way.

At Sutovy, we start walking in the direction of the sign pointing the way. We leave the town, pass some beautiful green hills, and come to another sign that points to a paved road into the woods. At a parking lot, we read a sign about this being on of the Slovak National Parks.

So now we start our walk, which is not too strenuous, but should take us 1 ½ hours to get to the falls. It takes Gary and Jeannine about 2 ½ hours to get there. About two thirds the way there, the path is not paved. Furthermore, the ground is saturated and the path is running water. Not too bad, but definitely wet and we try to walk out of the water. I think that is one of the reasons that we are so slow. However, many people pass us and they have children with them.

We do make it to the falls and they are well worth the walk. After some pictures we decide that we better head down to Sutovy to make the last bus of the day back to Martin. All day it has been cloud and sometimes threatened to rain. Yet we never got more than a few drops.

We made it in time to get a drink buy some water, and just barely caught the bus. As we’re counting our change, to pay for the ride home, the bus driver must turn on the windshield wipers, because it is now raining.

We had a day full of happenings and blessings.

Getting Settled

2010-08-27T07:20:00.000-07:00

The team left 8 days ago. We have one more week before the teachers of the elementary school begin work for the upcoming school year. So what have Gary and Jeannine been doing?

Mainly we’ve been settling down in our third story flat. We had to buy comforter covers and pillow cases, towels, stock our kitchen and find places for everything that we brought. Most of the Center for Christian Education staff is away from the school, either on holiday trips or working on their houses.

We are not alone. Monday morning Larry and Brenda Fast knocked on our door and wanted to know if we wanted to go to Tesco with them. We grabbed our list, our shopping bags and the backpack and were on our way. It is roughly a 3 mile round trip walking to Tesco.

Larry and Brenda have volunteered for two years and came in October 2009. They taught conversational and beginning English to the workers of the City of Martin. This coming they will be teaching workers of the Water Company for Martin. They invited us to their flat that evening for a delicious dinner of cornbread, beans and rice. The next day, Larry took us to the train station to get a senior rail pass, which will save us 50% on train tickets.

All total, we made 4 trips to Tesco, two trips to the Martin center and one to the farmers’ market. It has been interesting to shop with little or no language shared, but people are very patient with us and try their best to figure out what we’re shopping for. This is a definite reason for learning more Slovak.

For us, today’s weather was unbelievable. Last night there was so much lightning that Gary could see clear across the room. This morning the rain came in a deluge, the lightning still flashed and the thunder was quite loud on the top floor. Good thing the front door to the church is just steps away. We keep remembering the beautiful countryside that God is watering.

Except for the restaurants and cafes, the town closes between 17:30 and 18:00 on weekdays and at noon on Saturdays. With our internet services down a good deal of the time, sometimes it feels as if there is nothing to do, yet God knows what we need, even if we don’t. After two and a half months of a hectic move out of our house and packing, we
are enjoying this time.

Having trouble putting more than one picture at a time so we'll end here.

Gary and Jeannine Jenks

Viewing Slovak Houses and Dances

2010-08-16T06:01:00.000-07:00

After we said good-bye to most of the team, Ivan & Estella, Leon & Joann, Larry & Brenda and Gary and Jeannine decided to go to the outdoor museum. As we passed on the town square, we saw some people in dressed in native Slovak clothes and remembered that there would be some dances this evening. We stayed to watch a couple of dances on the square.

Ivan and Estella decided to go to the Slovak Culture Museum while the rest of us decided on the outdoor museum. First, we had to find the bus that would get us the closest to the Outdoor Museum. After that, we had about three quarters of a mile walk up a hill with a gradual incline. This museum has many different types of houses that have been built in this area.

We saw so many interesting things in the exhibits, but we wanted to be back to Martin by 16:00 so we could see the dancing, so we left before we had seen everything.

When we arrived at the outdoor auditorium, the sun was hot and all of the vacant seats of the auditorium, were in the sun, so we decided to sit in the shade. Ivan and Estella found us within five minutes of us settling down. We were listening to an orchestra, and viewing a hawk which was being held quite near us.

We waited and waited. The program began at four as scheduled, but it was a politician speaking, then some singing, then another polotician....for an hour. Leon & Joann decided return to the dorm, and Larry & Brenda went with them. We decided to get closer to the stage, which was now mostly in the shade. As we were moving, the Slovak National Anthem was played. After that, the hawk was let loose to fly above the audience. Then the dances began. It was quite evident that this was a professional group and the dances were great.

Saying Goodbye

2010-08-14T08:05:00.000-07:00

Saturday, 7 August 2010 most of the CA Team got on the bus, their mission accomplished. They will be sharing how the LORD has blessed them during these last two weeks. Many people showed up to say goodbye. Bohdan, Michal & Katka, Adrian, three girls from the kitchen,
KJ from MN as well as the 2 year missionaries from WA, Larry & Brenda.

Marsha, I so enjoyed working with you.

The six members of the team who are staying, Leon & Joann, Ivan & Estella, and Gary & Jeannine are there to wave farewell, also.

Getting Settled

2010-08-01T13:17:00.001-07:00

Katka surprised us with news that we could get into our apartment as everyone else moved into their dorm rooms.

The rooms are much bigger than we expected. The bedroom has enough beds for five or six people. Gary and I are only going to use the double bed.

There are not many drawers, but does have a three section closet. The other room has an area with a large couch, a little space that has a desk and wiring for a computer, and a small kitchen area with a small table with four chairs for meals. The best part of the apartment is its brightness. We have seven roof-top windows which makes the whole apartment full of light.

Krakow

2010-08-01T13:09:00.000-07:00

The next day we went by bus to Krakow, Poland. It took about 6 hours to get there. We had a wonderful two and a half days there. The city was beautiful and so was the weather.

On Saturday, Katka arrived with a full-sized bus. It took four and a half hours to get to Martin.

Location of the Slovak Republic

2010-06-30T13:55:00.000-07:00

While Slovakia was under the thumb of communist U.S.S.R., it was known as Eastern Europe. However, the Slovak Republic is in the center of Europe. It is also at the same latitude as Fargo, North Dakota. People from Minnesota say that winters in Slovakia are not too bad. I don't know about person from the Central Coast of California.

What country?

2010-06-30T13:45:00.000-07:00

On the first of January in 1993 Czechoslovakia separated into the Czech Republic and the Slovak Republic. The separation was called "The Velvet Revolution" because it was a peaceful agreement between the two areas.

Location of Martin

2010-06-30T13:15:00.000-07:00

The Centre for Christian Education is located in Martin, Slovakia. Martin is in the northwest part of the country. It is also a Slovak culture center. Many Slovak leaders in the history of Slovakia are buried in the cemetary in Martin. At the Centre for Christian Education there is a bronze plaque comemorating a debate between the Slovak leaders and the Hungarian leaders (during the time of Hungarian occupation of Slovakia) about the language of instructions for Slovak students.