April Newsletter - Kristen in Slovakia

April Newsletter

April Happenings

The warmer spring weather in April brought about some more weekend trips and the opportunity to visit some different cities in Slovakia as well as the usual work here. Some of the different cities that I was able to see were: Kosice, Michalovce, Secovce, Tatranska Lomnica, Presov, Levoca, and the mountain peak of Lomnicky Stit.

The first weekend in April, the four female American volunteers in Slovakia decided to meet and visit Mary’s placement which is in Secovce. First we all gathered together and explored the city of Kosice, which is the second largest city in Slovakia. Later that evening, we went to Mary’s pastor’s house where we were able to stay the night and enjoy the small excitements in life like homemade pizza, girl scout cookies, and tortilla chips with salsa – the things that you don’t realize you miss until you taste them again. On Saturday we were able to see more of her home village and meet her host family and went into the nearby city of Michalovce to explore the city and meet the pastor and her daughter for coffee in the afternoon. In the evening, her host family let us use the grill to make dinner (I learned the Slovak word for “to grill” is “grillovat,” no joke!) and we had a good time with that once we finally got the fire started. Then, Sunday we were able to go back into Kosice in the morning and go to an English service that is held there (there are several American teaching volunteers there as well as some families whose husbands work in the US Steel industry there). I enjoy the Slovak worship services here a lot but it was wonderful to be able to have a service where we used the LBW (Lutheran Book of Worship) and everything was said in English, including the sermon. Definitely an exciting weekend with a taste of things from America in it.

The next weekend we had a nice surprise when the mother of Zuzka, the woman who lives next door to us, invited Jessie, Pali, and I to accompany her to the village of Tatranska Lomnica and then up to the second highest mountain peak in the Tatras Mountains, Lomnicky Stit. We headed off on a gorgeous morning and arrived to find that we were too late to get the tickets to head up the mountain peak so we ended up walking around and enjoying the spring weather in the village. We took a walk up and around this nice pond with tons and tons of frogs, the historical church, a really fancy hotel, and then back through the village, and ended in a café where we enjoyed coffee and cake before heading back. Zuzka’s mother bought the tickets for two weekends in advance and we made plans to return then.

When we did return, we had another gorgeous day where the weather was very clear and we were able to make it up to the top. To get up the mountain you have to take cable cars up to the top, much like the ones you find in an amusement park except they are going up the steep side of a mountain and move much faster. The view from the top was amazing, although very cold with a lot of snow still left, and well worth the trip up.

Our friend Linda, one of the German volunteers here with our program, also made a trip out to visit Jessie and I here in Velky Slavkov. We enjoyed some hiking in the Tatras, shopping in Poprad, and visiting the historical city of Levoce. Also, while she was here, Monday night for Bible study we had a nice change of pace and had a bonfire outside. We gathered together and cooked sausages, had some guitar playing, and just enjoyed spending time together.

Last weekend, we had the opportunity to visit yet another city, Presov, the fifth largest city in Slovakia. Every year the children’s homes in the area put on a free concert and Jessie and I were asked if we wanted to go with the boys to see it. Of course we said yes if there was room for us, and the boys were really excited for us to go with them. The concert was an interesting mix of programs – everything from traditional songs and dance with costumes, to hip-hop and break dancing, to singing pop songs (in Slovak and even one in English). It was a really enjoyable experience and afterwards Marek, the weekend volunteer here, asked if Jessie and I wanted to go to Mladez, the youth group at his church while the boys went to the dance party that was held after the concert. We said yes so he took us there, found someone who speaks English to translate, and told us to have fun. We played an ice breaker type game outside with the group and then went upstairs. There was a wonderful video presentation which one of the guys in the group put together, where there was a video made up of pictures and video clips that illustrated how his life had changed now that he has become a Christian. It was really powerful and moving. Then we had a Bible study which was translated for us and finally, we wrote down prayer requests and exchanged them with others and had some time for prayer. It was a great opportunity to experience a different church and youth group.

Everything else here in the placement is still going really well too. Bible studies, English class, working in the kitchen, and teaching swimming are all still fun and a good way to continue to grow in my relationships with people. I am very thankful to all of you for all of the emails, letters, and prayers. I hope that everyone is doing well at home!
God’s blessings,
Kristen