Hello from Hermanovce, Slovakia!
The team of nine (Ed, Brant, Jon H., Paul, Jade, Liz, Amy, Heather, and Bethany) has arrived safely! We had no trouble along the way, and all were able to get some rest at some point. This really helped with jet lag, as it seems the team is handling the 7-hour time change well.
Thank you for your prayer support! We certainly have seen the Lord at work during our trip. From the safe travel to the ministry that has occurred since our arrival, we have many shouts of praise to God for the work He is doing...
Tuesday morning started off with a tour of the church, Camp Opal, Hermanovce (the town where Camp Opal sits), and some nearby woods. It was awesome to see what Camp Opal looks like, as we have discussed the land, resources, and ministry for quite some time back at Timber-lee.
On Tuesday evening Brant had the opportunity to preach the message to one of the nearby churches. In addition, Amy shared her testimony with the people. It was great to jump right in and see the ministry that is already in place.
On Wednesday morning we drove to the nearby town of Hlenne. Two of our translators, Maya and Pierre, are actively involved in leading a children's ministry here. Liz gave a message on David and Goliath. While the kids were working on a craft after the message, each one of us was able to interact with the children. It was so much fun! We learned how to say "How do you say ... ?" in Slovak, and that got many of us engaged with the kids, even though the language barrier can be tough at times. Quicky funny story...So I was grabbing random objects around the room and asking the kids, "How do you say ...?" (whatever I was holding). Eventually we got to working on how to say the numbers 1 through 10 in Slovak. After several tries to say the numbers correctly, one girl finally said in very plain and clear English, "ONE, TWO THREE, FOUR, FIVE, SIX, SEVEN, EIGHT, NINE, TEN!" She made me smile.:) The children are very sweet. Afterwards, Jade led some games outside.
This afternoon we had a similar type of program with some young teens. Jon Hill shared a message about trust. We were very thaknful to have twice the number of kids show up than what we were expecting! Ed led some games outside for this session. It was neat to begin building relationships with the teens, as we will have the opportunity to meet with them again later in the trip.
Please keep us in your prayers! We are planning for more ministry with children in the coming days. Please pray that we would have the eyes to see how we can best connect with the kids. Tomorrow the church is hosting several neighborhood kids for the day. If all goes well, we will lead snow games in the afternoon, then go on a hike to a nearby rock face for some climbing. We brought along some climbing gear from Timber-lee and are hoping to put it to good use. If that doesn't work, we'll gather around a campfire to eat s'mores and share testimonies.
Thank you all again for your support! Things are going well, and we are praising God.
Outdoors for Christ!
Bethany (for the team)
Wednesday, February 25, 2009
Tuesday, February 24, 2009
Arrival!!!
The group arrived at Hermanovce, Slovakia. I recieved an email from Brant this morning at 9:36am Slovakia time letting me know that they've made it safe and sound and they are planning to relax for most of the day. They will be visiting a church tonight at 6pm Slovakia time (which is 11am CST) to share a testimony and a message on the Parable of the Sower (Mark 4:1-20).
Please continue to check this blog as the team hopes to update with photos and stories of how the Lord's work is being carried out through their experiences in Slovakia.
Na zdravie
-Andy Hodges
LCM Assistant Director
Please continue to check this blog as the team hopes to update with photos and stories of how the Lord's work is being carried out through their experiences in Slovakia.
Na zdravie
-Andy Hodges
LCM Assistant Director
Saturday, February 21, 2009
Departure!!!
Hello!
I will speak for a very excited group of 9 looking forward to departure to Slovakia in just a few hours! We are looking forward to partnering with the ministry already going on at Camp Opal in Slovakia and seeing what God has in store. Please keep us in your prayers!
The plan is to depart from Timber-lee tomorrow (Sunday) afternoon, drive to Chicago, fly to Germany, then fly to Hungary, then go on a 4-hour train ride to Slovakia. From the time we leave Timber-lee to the time we arrive at our final destination, if all goes as planned, we'll have travelled 30 hours. Please pray for a safe trip and for the team to recover quickly from jet lag so we can have an effective ministry. We'll return to Timber-lee on March 10th.
The plan for the missions trip is to run a children's program and a program for young adults. In addition, we'll be helping to lead a seminar for summer staff training, and we have the opportunity to share our faith through Bible lessons and giving our testimony to the church.
Please keep the team (Ed, Jade, Amy, Heather, Liz, Bethany, Paul, Brant, and Jon H.) in your prayers. We'll do our best to keep our blog readers informed as to how the trip is going. Thank you for your financial and prayer support!
Outdoors for Christ!
Bethany (for the team)
I will speak for a very excited group of 9 looking forward to departure to Slovakia in just a few hours! We are looking forward to partnering with the ministry already going on at Camp Opal in Slovakia and seeing what God has in store. Please keep us in your prayers!
The plan is to depart from Timber-lee tomorrow (Sunday) afternoon, drive to Chicago, fly to Germany, then fly to Hungary, then go on a 4-hour train ride to Slovakia. From the time we leave Timber-lee to the time we arrive at our final destination, if all goes as planned, we'll have travelled 30 hours. Please pray for a safe trip and for the team to recover quickly from jet lag so we can have an effective ministry. We'll return to Timber-lee on March 10th.
The plan for the missions trip is to run a children's program and a program for young adults. In addition, we'll be helping to lead a seminar for summer staff training, and we have the opportunity to share our faith through Bible lessons and giving our testimony to the church.
Please keep the team (Ed, Jade, Amy, Heather, Liz, Bethany, Paul, Brant, and Jon H.) in your prayers. We'll do our best to keep our blog readers informed as to how the trip is going. Thank you for your financial and prayer support!
Outdoors for Christ!
Bethany (for the team)
Saturday, February 7, 2009
Camp Opal and LCM Fundraiser
Hello from Timber-lee Christian Center!
It's hard to believe that in just two weeks from Sunday we'll be flying to Slovakia! The team is getting very excited about the upcoming trip. From travel plans to ministry plans, we have been hard at work preparing the details of the journey. The LCMs have been split into 4 teams to cover each area of ministry we will be encountering on our trip. The itinerary includes plans for running a children's camp, a youth camp, and helping with summer staff training. Please keep us in your prayers as we pull together the final details.
I thought our blog readers would appreciate reading a short excerpt from a Timber-lee Christian Center 2007 Newsletter. It will give you insight into "Camp Opal," where we'll be assisting in Hermanovce, Slovakia...
Question: Is Camp Opal already an established camp?
Answer: Just a few years ago the Christians in Slovakia were meeting in homes. When the Velvet Revolution ended Communism, the Christians set out to build their church, specifically the Hermanovce church, Cirkev Bratska. They acquired land at the end of the town, near open land. When they went to the architect for drawings, he said, “You have enough property to build a retreat place, as well.”
Question: So, Camp Opal was built?
Answer: Not exactly. The church built its masonry-constructed church with an adjoining parsonage, a full kitchen, wing of bedrooms, and bathroom. But, in their thinking the church members were also aware that larger surrounding countries were pulling their young people away to better jobs. The church knew it must have a program that attracted, evangelized, and trained youth in the Word; and it needed jobs to keep them in the country.
In addition to making plans for the trip itself, we are about to embark upon a fundraiser. The plan is to sell a well-known local company's pies and breads to members of the community. Please pray that people would understand our mission and be willing to support the team. Besides, who doesn't love a good apple pie?!:)
Thank you all again for your prayer and financial support. We would appreciate your continued prayers during the next month. We'll be flying out on February 22nd.
Outdoors for Christ!
Bethany for the Slovakia team
It's hard to believe that in just two weeks from Sunday we'll be flying to Slovakia! The team is getting very excited about the upcoming trip. From travel plans to ministry plans, we have been hard at work preparing the details of the journey. The LCMs have been split into 4 teams to cover each area of ministry we will be encountering on our trip. The itinerary includes plans for running a children's camp, a youth camp, and helping with summer staff training. Please keep us in your prayers as we pull together the final details.
I thought our blog readers would appreciate reading a short excerpt from a Timber-lee Christian Center 2007 Newsletter. It will give you insight into "Camp Opal," where we'll be assisting in Hermanovce, Slovakia...
Question: Is Camp Opal already an established camp?
Answer: Just a few years ago the Christians in Slovakia were meeting in homes. When the Velvet Revolution ended Communism, the Christians set out to build their church, specifically the Hermanovce church, Cirkev Bratska. They acquired land at the end of the town, near open land. When they went to the architect for drawings, he said, “You have enough property to build a retreat place, as well.”
Question: So, Camp Opal was built?
Answer: Not exactly. The church built its masonry-constructed church with an adjoining parsonage, a full kitchen, wing of bedrooms, and bathroom. But, in their thinking the church members were also aware that larger surrounding countries were pulling their young people away to better jobs. The church knew it must have a program that attracted, evangelized, and trained youth in the Word; and it needed jobs to keep them in the country.
In addition to making plans for the trip itself, we are about to embark upon a fundraiser. The plan is to sell a well-known local company's pies and breads to members of the community. Please pray that people would understand our mission and be willing to support the team. Besides, who doesn't love a good apple pie?!:)
Thank you all again for your prayer and financial support. We would appreciate your continued prayers during the next month. We'll be flying out on February 22nd.
Outdoors for Christ!
Bethany for the Slovakia team
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