Košice, Slovakia

Pronounced: Co-shee-zuh.

On Monday I returned from a week long excursion to Košice, Slovakia. Our Austria team had been transplanted all over Europe, 1 in Turkey, 4 in Poland, and 3 in Slovakia. It would be very hard to explain to you all of the details of the trip, so instead I'd like to go over the main highlights.

When most Americans think of Gypsies the picture that comes to mind is very romantic, adventurous, and beautiful, due to the media portrayal of these wandering nomads. In Europe, that is not the case. Simply the word Gypsy usually brings a slight cringe and disgusted look on the faces of most. The Roma (Gypsy) people are seen as a problem. They are dirty, smelly, dangerous, lazy, and alcoholics. To most, they are less than human and the world would be better off without them.

But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong.

There is a small body of believers growing among the large population of Gypsies in Košice, (this city has the largest "Gypsy Ghetto" in all of Europe). I was able to visit the Roma women's bible study on Tuesday and hear some of their testimonies. It was so powerful to hear their stories of loss, abuse, death, alcoholism, and fear INTO grace, peace, life, triumph and freedom. They are very aware of the depth from which they came, (the same depth from which we all came!) and are desperate for more of God.

On Sunday the entire Gypsy church came to the Slovakian service and put on a presentation. The Roma pastor preached and their band also lead worship. It was such a powerful time as Slovakians and Romas worshipped together under one roof, lifting up the name of the same God. The pastor's sermon was right on and exactly what needed to be heard. I left extremely challenged and touched. God is going to do amazing things in and through this potent, young, and hungry body of believers.

Ways you can pray!

• There is no written bible in the Gypsy language. Some people are working on translating it but it is a slow task. Pray that things come together quickly and efficiently so they can receive their own copy of the word of God.
  
• Alcoholism runs rampant among the Gypsy people. Pray against the believers returning to this addiction and for freedom for the ones who are yet ensnared.


• The pastor and his wife live very challenging lives in the ghetto. Money is tight and many businesses unfairly charge this family extra money since they are some of the only people paying their bills. They are the main leaders of the church and have a heavy load to carry. Not to mention having 4 kids and one on the way. Pray for peace and patient endurance.

Globetrottering

After our adventure to Bosnia we finished up our final week of German class. Many different emotions come up when thinking about the new season that is coming now that we've completed our course. Unsatisfaction of my progress, happy to move on to ministry, excited to learn more on my own, and just plain tired of "school," are some of the varrying emotions, to name a few. We'll see what God has in store for this transition. I'm giving it to Him.

Friday we celebrated the birthday of my teammate Jacob Paurus. The festivities were chosen by the birthday boy himself as the rest of us complied and joined in the fun. We left in the morning on a train to Bratislava, Slovakia with bikes and grins to accompany us. The weather was amazing and the city quite lovely. We cruised around, laid in the sun, checked out a castle, tested the cuisine and had lots of fun. I found out from a bag-pipe-playing Polish street performer that you can ride first class on the train if it's your birthday. We asked the conductor and he graciously allowed all of us to savor the glories of riding first class. We weren't exactly the classiest bunch, but we enjoyed every moment.

Tomorrow (Monday) morning our team will be heading off to different countries for a week. Four people will be going to Poland along with our supervisors to do some AIDS awareness conferences with the Polish youth. The other three on my team, including myself, will be trekking off to Slovakia to help out with some missionaries who work with the Roma Gypsies there. We will be doing a lot of practical work to bless them in any and every way they may need. I do know we're going to get to have tea with some of the Gypsy women on the first day. Please pray for me, that I would have Jesus as my vision during this trip, that I would work unto God and not unto men, and that I would be overflowing with thanksgiving.

Bosnia

On Thursday evening my team departed Vienna on a bus for a 14 hour trip to Bosnia. The reasons we went to Bosnia were;

• We needed to leave the EU to renew our next 90 day tourist visa term.
• To check out the OM team there and see what their ministry looked like.
• To explore and discover all of the rich history and current on-goings in Sarajevo, Bosnia.

It was really delightful to be in a culture that was so much warmer in comparison to Austria. Everyone, for the most part, that we came in contact with was so friendly and open. We immediately made friends on the bus and it was so encouraging to see people chatting with one another without having known them before. This is a stark contrast to Vienna where the underground subway and trains are always very silent. We arrived in Bosnia exhausted and sleepless, but ready to see what God had for us there.
Some highlights were:

• Some of us went to an evangelistic outreach where we BBQed and chatted with folks on the street. I've never in my life seen so much meat!
• Going to a "Tunel Museum" to learn more about the war that only 13 years ago ended without any closure at all. We witnessed the tunnels that the Bosnian troops and civilians went through to find refuge and retrieve supplys.
• Shopping around in the "old city" part of Sarajevo. The American dollar is better than their "Mark" and the Euro even twice as good. It was nice to find such neat hand made things for very cheap.
• Attending a Bosnian church service. The worship moved me immensely as these people truly came before their Savior and King. All of the pastors of the evangelical churches in Bosnia have been a Christian for under 10 years!

Another 14 hour bus ride and we found ourselves back in Austria. This weekend was so timely for all of us on the team. We enjoyed our time in Bosnia and each of us fell in love with the people and the country. Please pray for the people of this country as many do not know Jesus. There is still a lot of conflict going on and many believe the war could start again at any moment. There isn't peace, there's just a lack of violence. Here are some pictures from my time there.