Posts Tagged ‘Slovakia’

Journal Entry for July 12

Monday, July 13th, 2009
Roma (gypsy) church in Lunik IX

Roma (gypsy) church in Lunik IX

We woke in Kosice, Slovakia this morning. Had breakfast with IM missionaries Brad and Karla Thiessen – enjoyed their company as always – and then Brad took us to Lunik IX. This is the name of the largest gypsy ghetto in Eastern Europe. We visited there in September 2007, when I had the privilege of interviewing the pastor for a Power for Living article.

Lunik IX is a collection of perhaps a half dozen Communist-era apartment blocks, housing approximately six or seven thousand people. Windows are smashed out, garbage is heaped anywhere anyone feels like throwing it. There isn’t a single playground toy to be seen. The ground is parched. And yet, there stands a little church. Surrounded by two chicken-wire fences to prevent vandalism, it invites those who are spiritually thirsty to come, drink, and be filled.

This morning a group of 35-40 believers met to worship. The pastor, himself a converted gypsy, is a songwriter who has recorded his music digitally. He pressed a button and the first song began. I wish you could have heard the congregation sing! And wow – do they have a sense of rhythm!

The pastor and his wife

The pastor and his wife

Each time I have an opportunity to worship with believers of other races and languages, I catch a wee glimpse of heaven. Someday people from every tongue and tribe and skin color will stand before God and worship Him in song. And for these brothers and sisters in the gypsy ghetto, and for the Romanian young adults infected with HIV/AIDS discrimination will no longer exist. They are the poor, crying out for justice on earth, questioning why God put them on earth if only to suffer. And yet someday, they will reign with Jesus in His heavenly kingdom. Surely they have a hope.

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Journal Entry for July 11

Monday, July 13th, 2009

Our Romanian team has dwindled over the past day or so. Two flew out of Timisoara, one remained at River of Life to donate his maintenance skills for three weeks. Six of us traveled by van to Budapest where three boarded a British Airways jet bound for Vancouver. And the last three – Gene, Kim, and myself – headed for Slovakia by train today.

Before doing that, however, we took a 3-hour tour of Budapest. 

Welcome to Budapest!

Welcome to Budapest!

 It was wonderful to finally see something other than the airport and train station. Then we met Mike and Nancy Elwood for dinner. They serve with Greater Europe Mission, and Nancy also helped found SHARE, a ministry to help equip missionary parents in the context of their kid’s education. I first met Nancy when she came to an IM conference to provide information and educational testing services for our staff. She later invited me to teach a couple of workshops at a SHARE conference in Hungary in 2008 – that’s where I was when I received word of my dad’s passing. It was good to touch base with them again.

We had a divine appointment on the train to Slovakia. We sat with a college-age fellow who, we learned, could speak English. John told us that he was traveling home to visit his mom, a widow. “She always worries too much about me,” he said. “That’s not good for her. She gets headaches and stomach aches and she can’t sleep at night.” Then he added, “Fear must run in the family, for I do the same thing.”

His speaking the word fear was like throwing a bone to a dog. “I happened to write a book about overcoming fear,” I said. “Did you know the Bible addresses it 366 times?” I mentioned that God’s presence in our lives is the secret to overcoming it. That’s when he said he plans to study theology in Romania after he completes his law studies. The conversation went on to other things, but minutes later he said something completely random: “I read a novel recently. It was about two brothers. The one with a family committed a crime and was sentenced to death. The other, without a family, took his death penalty. He sacrificed himself for the sake of his brother.”

 

I looked at Gene and he looked at me. We read each other’s minds. Without a doubt, God is seeking John. His words provided an easy and automatic lead into a brief chat about what Jesus did for us, how He sacrificed Himself when He paid our death penalty for sin. John listened and nodded. He said, “Many people don’t understand what Jesus did.” I agreed. Then I offered him my NT in the New Living Translation and explained that it told the entire story. He said, “Thank you for your offer. I will consider it and let you know before our journey ends.”

 

Sure enough. Minutes before we reached his destination, he said, “I will accept your offer for the Bible.” Yahoo!! I jumped from my seat and dug through my suitcase until I found it. With sheer joy I handed it to him. Now I’m praying for God to continue drawing John to His heart.

 

“Thank You, God, for divine appointments and for Your great love for mankind.”

 

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Manmade Monuments

Wednesday, April 22nd, 2009

Imagine the disciples standing outside the Temple and discussing its architectural beauty. “Wow – would ya look at those columns?” said one. The others followed his gaze and nodded. “This rock work is amazing, simply amazing,” said another. “These construction workers were masters in their field.” And so the conversation went…until Jesus entered the picture and grasped this teachable moment with His followers.

Here’s what the Scripture says about this scene: “Some of his disciples began talking about the beautiful stonework of the Temple and the memorial decorations on the walls. But Jesus said, ‘The time is coming when all these things will be so completely demolished that not one stone will be left on top of another’” (Luke 21:5,6).

As I travel through Eastern Europe, I see massive stone cathedrals. They’re incredible works of art, designed and built by people with creative imaginations and skill beyond my comprehension. These structures are magnificent to behold. Some are hundreds of years old. They’ve endured centuries of sun, rain, wind, and snow. Some have even suffered bombings and undergone reconstruction as a result. They’ve done well, but their days of glory are coming to an end. When Jesus returns, all manmade monuments will crumble and fall.

Cathedral in Kosice, Slovakia

Cathedral in Kosice, Slovakia

Herein lies a teachable moment for us. What manmade monuments might be captivating us? Money? Reputation? Our physical appearance? Earthly possessions? Ministry success?  Sadly, for some churches today, a physical building becomes an object of worship rather than a tool for worship. We must be careful to remember that the tangible, and sometimes intangible, things we find so appealing now will someday perish. Jesus Himself says: “The time is coming when all these things will be so completely demolished that not one stone will be left on top of another.”

Let’s be sure to keep our focus not on what’s temporal and will be demolished someday, but on what’s eternal!

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Journal Entry for Monday, March 23

Monday, March 23rd, 2009

Here we are, back in Krakow, staying at the Mosquito Hostel. Definitely not a business name that someone from, say, Alberta or Manitoba would choose. It’s a nice facility, though. You’d never know it from its street appearance.

  (more…)

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Getting Ready for Another Trip

Thursday, March 12th, 2009

Hello, my friends! I finally got caught up on the blogs from our recent trip to Eastern Europe, and now it’s time to travel again. It’s true — we’ll leave on Wednesday.

Once again, I’ll try my best to post blogs as we go. We ought to have internet access about every third day as we travel through Poland, Slovakia, and Hungary, and then back to Poland. Sometimes it’s just dial-up as opposed to high-speed, so that makes posting pictures difficult, but I’ll do my best. I also intend to go back to posting my devotional thoughts on a regular basis.

BTW, I was in Toronto for a day of taping at “100 Huntley Street” recently. I did an interview about International Messengers with Ann and Ron Mainse, and then did 14 devotional segments for “Truth to Go.” I don’t know when these will air, but hopefully it will be later this spring.

Grace with Ann and Ron Mainse on the set of "100 Huntley Street"

Grace with Ann and Ron Mainse on the set of "100 Huntley Street"

Blessings on you! I pray for you regularly.

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Eastern Europe Adventure Begins

Tuesday, March 3rd, 2009
Sweet dreams in the Vienna airport

Sweet dreams in the Vienna airport

Journal entry for Tuesday, February 3, 2009

After catching a couple hours of sleep last night, we boarded a flight from Vancouver to Toronto to Vienna (for yet another infamous 5-hour layover), and finally to Kosice, Slovakia. I must have been more tired than I realized in Vienna, for I stretched out on a padded bench in a public waiting room and promptly fell asleep for an hour. That’s the first time in my life I’ve slept in transit!

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