January Update from Vrbovce!!! - Mark in Slovakia

Ahoj and Greetings from Slovakia.

Can you Believe it's 2008? It is hard to believe I've been in Slovak for
almost 5 months a lot has
happened. This January has been rather busy.
And as usual I have been writing some other updates on my Blog for those
of you who are
Internet savvy.
The address is http://www.moltron.net/blog/
I also have
many more pictures
available at http://flickr.com/photos/themoltron

In my last newsletter I talked about my New Years experience in Geneva,
which was awesome. I
after I arrived in my Village I was there for only a week before I
headed of Wisla, Poland (a little
skiing town near the Czech Republic). In Wisla, I had the opportunity to
meet the other
volunteers in Slovakia and well as Volunteers from Poland and the Czech
Republic. We all got to
tell our stories of where we are living and the things we are doing.
Everyone has their own unique
experience and it is fun to hear about it. It has
also been great to share the many similar
experiences of culture. Even though we live
sometimes several hours away from each other
we can laugh about the way Slovak's do certain
things. One thing in Slovakia that is rather funny
is that families always ask what you think of
Slovak women or men and then proceed to
encourage to find and marry one immediately.
Being a Guy I don't get as often as some of the
girls. My trip to Wisla was fun and nice break to
reflect and laugh on this strange and interesting
culture I've been thrown into.
When I returned to my Village is was back to normal (or Slovak normal I
should say). Right
when I got back I started to feel a little homesick. At about 5 months
all the initial excitement is
starting to wear off and I just can't help but question what makes this
culture so alien to me
sometimes. Like when you drink coffee with the grounds in the cup. Why
is that no one knows
how to use a coffee machine with a filter? Is just one of many question
I have. And when
anything is rather out of place. I just say "Typical Slovakia". Even
when it might not be true. I
can only hope I don't become a total cynic.
The youth group or Mlady Skupina has been a struggle for me to get kids
to come and plan
activities that are fun but, also allow me to be involved in
conversation. So far Oli, Flo (the other
volunteers here) and I have a small group of kids who have been coming
regularly.
One very sad event occurred about 2 or 3 weeks ago when a young boy (16)
committed suicide in
the village near the beginning of the week. I didn't know the boy but it
effected me. It affected
everyone. While I was delivering lunches to the old ladies, instead the
usual smiles, I saw only
sad and somewhat shocked faces. I kept asking myself is there anything I
could have done. I
didn't attend the funeral but when the funeral procession was at the
church I stood, watched and
prayed has almost the whole village march up the street with flowers and
mournful faces. I talked
to the Pastor about it and he said the boy wrote a note to the effect
"No ones loves me, life is not
worth living". It makes me said that he lost all hope. It also gives me
a desire to see Christian live
and love the hope that Christ promises.
Later that week we tried to plan our youth group around the theme of
death so that the youth
could find comfort and peace from the situation. We chose 2 texts, Jesus
on the Road to Emmaus
(Luke 24:13-32) and Jesus and Lazarus (John 11). These to stories
reflect for me what it means to
follow Christ, that Christ fulfilled his promise and is alive and that
he cares for all those who die
or mourn. As much as we tried to have a discussion they were typical
kids and didn't say much. I
pray that they maybe heard a spark of hope during this difficult time.
Although there was this rather sad event, this month has
been full of many fun and exciting thing as well. We have
celebrated the birthdays of the triplets, Monika, Dominika,
and Veronika, who help us with Slovak once a week. We
made them an awesome card with some picture we drew of
all things we have done together.
We were also invited to attend a celebration at the
village school. It is has been 10 years since they moved
the school into the larger facility. They had dancing and
excellent food prepared by the most amazing lunch
ladies ever. They also had a raffle for door prizes. The
kids prepared some traditional dances. It was great
seeing the little kids in costume and dancing. We didn't
we anything but, celebration was nice and I felt like we
were appreciated for the teaching we do even if it is only
once a week.
That's all I really have for now. Before I go I would that you pray for
some of these specific
concerns.
- That the village would seek Christ in the midst of this suicide
- That The Lord would give me wisdom and strength for the rest of the year
- That I would not become a total cynic in regards to the culture I'm
living in
- That Christ's love and the church would grow in Eastern Europe
God's Blessings and Peace be with you,
Christ’s Servant in Slovakia
Mark