slovakia, part 13: denis

Denis showed up on day one. I don't remember anything about him from that day. I was busy with the other kids, especially one or two of the troublesome boys. however, he made his presence known on Tuesday, and every day after that.

it was quite interesting having a troublesome boy in my group. not interesting because I disliked him, but interesting because we didn't speak the same language. it made it difficult for me to get anything across to him. tone of voice didn't usually work with him either. he was a bit of a problem. he would run away in between classes and wouldn't come back. I would have to get Filip or one of the David's to bring him to our classroom. they usually would have to just grab him and force him back into class. we were always lucky if he stayed in the first time. usually it took two or three tries.

he came every morning, wearing a black hat. he wouldn't let anyone else touch that hat. if you tried, he got mad. (I speak from personal experience here). he had jet-black hair and a cute, lop-sided grin.

somehow, as much trouble as he was, I couldn't be mad at him. yeah, he irritated me at times, but I loved that kid. he biked to camp every morning, and his grandmother would come in the afternoon and they would walk or bike away from school. He looked just like his grandmother, her hair as jet black as his and with the same smile. I don't know if his parents were around, but I never saw them.

he caused a whole lot of trouble in class. it didn't matter who he was sitting beside, he would cause some sort of ruckus. I tried everything, having Michaela fuss at him in Slovak, putting him at a table with the girls, taking away his stuff, but nothing worked. it wasn't until the last day that he didn't cause me any trouble. he sat himself on the floor of the classroom and didn't say anything. he listened to the lesson and didn't bother the other kids. it was a miracle.

Denis was the only one of my kiddos who made it a point to tell me goodbye after camp each day. he would try to tell me goodbye, but it never worked out because of the language barrier, but he would make it clear that he was leaving. usually I walked outside with him and watched him climb on his bike as his grandmother stood by his side. he would turn around and wave and then be off.

truth is, I miss Denis. I miss his grin. I even miss having to chase him down in the hallway. I pray for Denis a lot, too. hopefully, I'll see that kid next summer.

slovakia, part 12: to the pool we will go

hi friends! so we're back for part 12 of the great Slovakia recap of 2013. (hopefully, I will finish this recap before 2014. ha!)

wednesday! it was July 3rd and we were embarking on an adventure. camp started out that morning as usual, with lots of chasing my boys through the hallways; gratefully accepting assistance from Filip, David C. and David M; lessons, translating and then lunch time. after lunch we all piled gathered outside and started walking. we walked and tried to keep the kids from getting run over and then we finally reached our destination, with every kid in camp. 62 kids.

now, let me just take a moment to discuss the seating arrangements in Slovakia. I only wore a seatbelt one time the entire time I was there. partly because, most of the time, there wasn't a seat belt in the seat I was in. partly because we just didn't wear them. so anyway...moving on...

we arrived at the pool and everyone changed into their swimsuits and applied sunblock. I miraculously didn't get burned that day.

there were three pools. and there were hundreds of people in those three pools. (that's not an exaggeration, I swear). and we had to at least attempt to keep an eye on our kids. make sure no one drowned or died or killed anyone. haha!

there was a really big, deep pool. a small, not as deep pool and then a heated pool. the heated pool was by far my favorite. it felt so so good. plus, if you got in either of the other pools, the kids immediately tried to drown you. they liked to dunk, and then not let you back up. not my favorite past time.

we were there for about 3 hours. then we managed to gather all our kids up and head back to the school. we arrived back at school with 62 kids, and they were the same 62 kids we left with! we dismissed and then all went back to "the ranch" to prep for a church service that night.

church that night was so refreshing. made us all ready for a few more days of camp. and that was our Wednesday!

I'll be back soon with a post about a certain little boy who was an absolute nightmare, and one of my favorites.

slovakia, part 11: the gypsy camp

we went there on Tuesday, July 2nd. its a night that will stick out in my mind for a long time. way longer than I probably want it to. it was one of the hardest nights of the whole trip for me, mentally, spiritually, emotionally.

 Mr. Hayward came and stood behind me at dinner and told me that I would be sharing my testimony in front of the gypsies. I momentarily freaked out internally but put a pleasant smile on my face and said, "you got it." I had less than an hour to prepare. and so I just didn't prepare. I knew that Pica would be sharing as well, and figured that if I failed, he would redeem me.

I didn't really think about it again, until we got there. I had never seen anything like that in my life. the living conditions...the clothes...the people themselves...it was like no one cared, which, to be honest, no one really did. these people are outsiders. no one cares about them and they care about no one. they live in poverty and somehow make it work. the kids were running around with little to no clothes on, the women were all wearing long skirts and the men sat around with their beer bottles. it was devastating.

I helped Pica, Mr. Lou and the two David's do some singing, and then I shared my testimony. to be completely and totally honest, I have zero recollection of what I said that night. everyone said I did a good job, but I have no clue if it was good or not. I spoke for 3-5 minutes and sat back down. the people clapped for me. Pica stood up and shared and I really don't remember anything he said either. my mind wasn't processing anything that anyone was saying.

we finished our time, and the adults spread out to talk to the gypsies and pray for them. I was standing in between Pica and David, trying to understand and comprehend what was going on around me. Samuel came up and said that a woman wanted me to pray for her. she was an old woman, wrinkled and small. she had a disease in her stomach and couldn't understand why God was making her suffer. she believed that he existed, she just didn't understand the fact that he was allowing her to be in pain. I couldn't speak, I could barely breathe.

I finally found some words and prayed for the woman as she held my hand. I felt Mr. Hayward's hand on my back as we stood under a tree, lifting up that woman's pain to Jesus. I finished my prayer and she kissed my cheek.
we walked away, and I climbed into the car and we went to get ice cream. just like that. but my heart was heavy.

it hurt me to know that people lived that way. hurt that most of them didn't know Jesus. it hurt that that woman was in pain and was questioning God's love for her because of it. it hurt that I couldn't do anything to fix it.

I was reminded that night that there is pain and suffering in this world. we, as Americans, pretend there isn't. we live in our nice houses, drink our cold drinks, live in the air conditioning during the summer, buy new clothes regularly...and we act like that's the way it is for everyone. but it just isn't.

there's a line in a song and it says: "Father, break my heart for what breaks Yours." God has a heart for the people in this world like those gypsies. and His heart is breaking for them, because a lot of them don't know Him. He broke my heart for them. He opened my eyes to see that the world isn't really all about me, that people do hurt and suffer. but He also showed me that there is some good in this world, and its worth fighting for.

slovakia, part 10: pictures!!

just sharing some pictures today as I didn't get my post finished last night. i'll be back soon with more details!!

slovakia, part 9: our mission-relationships and camp

well hey there, friends! welcome back. I hope everyone had a lovely weekend.

so today I want to share some details with you about what we were DOING while in Slovakia. our main goal, purpose, mission....all those good words.

primarily, from the beginning, the goal was to build relationships. Mr. Hayward laid the relationships out this way:

-a relationship between us (individually) and God
-a relationship between us and the other team mates
-a relationship between us and the kids

one of my favorite parts was that we ate together every night

one morning I got up at 5:30 to have my Jesus time and sat in the window seat. it was so peaceful

me, Hutch, Emily and Paul studied James 1 together with Mr. Lou and Mrs. Sue

I would say we accomplished the relationship goal.

our next mission was the VBS/English camp. so I'll talk about that now....

every morning we got to the school around 8:00 a.m, sometimes a little earlier, sometimes a little later...it all depended on who you rode with! we all gathered in the "Hawaii" room to prepare for the day. we would have a devotional, led by Mr. Hayward, Pica and Mr. Lou and then we would pray, write out our kids' name tags, drink Kofola, and just chat. then we would proceed out into the hallways to greet the kids as they arrived.

we would all eventually make our way into the "Slovakia" room. we all assembled there every morning. we sang songs, maybe played a game, prayed and then we would split up into our individual groups.

there was a morning rotation and an afternoon rotation. throughout the morning my group of kids went to three different classrooms: crafts, Bible, then English. they ate a snack in between crafts and Bible, then had a fifteen minute break in between Bible and English. they usually used the break to try and run away from me and cause as much trouble as possible.

so that's how morning rotation worked. then at 12:15 we all went downstairs and ate lunch in the cafeteria. yep, 62 Slovak children eating in the same room with all the leaders. it was loud, to say the very least. but it was always a good time of the day. I had to sit at the table with my kiddos while they ate their lunch and Zsolt and Brian would take turns feeding me bites of their lunch until I could get my own plate. sweet, evil boys...

and then afternoon rotation would start. it involved inside relays, outside activities and crafts. I kind of floated during this time. a couple of days I helped Gabby lead the youngest kids around, one day I worked in crafts, one day I helped in relays. it all depended on where I was most needed. the afternoons always seemed longer than the mornings. finally, 3:15 would roll round and we would all meet back up in the Slovakia room for closing. we would sing, play a game, and then the kids all ran downstairs. this was the hardest part of the day. 

we were each in charge of making sure that our children were delivered to their aunt, grandpa, mom, dad, sister, whoever...and not letting them escape. I DON'T SPEAK SLOVAK. my children didn't cut me any slack here either, because they were all very ready to go home. it was a stressful process, but none of my kids ever got kidnapped, so it all turned out alright.

and then all of the leaders would go to the Hawaii room and eat some sort of  snack and drink Kofola and talk over the day. we would discuss what had gone well and what hadn't, and if anything could be changed for the next day. it was really so nice and relaxing to just sit for a while.

and those were two of the reasons we went...but you'll have to come back to hear more...

slovakia, part 8: mirko

{hi friends! I'm going to be back soon with more in-depth posts about my time in Slovakia, but for now, I'm just sharing some "journal entry" type posts of some individuals. hope you enjoy!!}

he was my hero the entire week of camp. he didn't say much of anything the first day, just smiled and was agreeable. I knew he would be a favorite, because he was just so good. he didn't give me a minutes trouble.

Tuesday came and he walked through the double doors of the school and called, "good morning, Jennifer!" I looked at Filip and said, "does he speak English???" Filip nodded and said, "a little. just enough." I freaked out. I stood up and walked over to him and said, "Mirko, I had no idea you spoke English!" he smiled, a little sheepishly. "very little," he muttered. "well that is great! now you can help me out in class, yes?" he nodded, smiling.

Mirko and Nika

from that moment on, he was my translator. if I had a problem in class, it was, "Mirko, ask Denis to put his chair on the floor, please," and he would translate for me. the kids would want to tell me something and he would translate to the best of his ability. sometimes he would get confused and be speaking in English and ramble off into Slovak, seemingly without even realizing it.

he was quiet. he would speak up in class sometimes, offering his two cents worth to the lesson and answering questions. in general, he was just a really good kid. if I had a problem, he would try and help fix it. he would get confused sometimes, trying to say something in English and failing, but it was okay. at least he tried. and at least I had someone in my group that spoke some English.

he was absent-minded. he would walk out into the hallway to check his mailbox, but would end up wandering the hallways, without even realizing it. I would walk out and there would be Mirko, just walking, with this far-away look in his eyes. I would call his name and he would grin and come walking back to class.

we never really got to say goodbye. just a quick hug and smile in the hallway when the ceremony was over on Saturday. I saw him leaving with his mom later that afternoon, but didn't make it to him in time to really say goodbye. but I knew Mirko would understand. he always understood.

slovakia, part 7: brian

day one of camp. he walked through the doors, wearing a bright blue t-shirt and the most mischievous grin I had ever seen. I thought to myself, "he is so cute, and he's gonna be nothing but trouble." I was right.

that day he didn't put up much of a fuss. kept his distance and watched me. he was 12 years old. his name was Brian, and he scrutinized me. I caught him just watching me more than once that day. Julia asked him at lunch if I was his group leader and he said, completely serious, "nah, she's my girlfriend." someone forgot to tell me. but very quickly, he took possession of me. walking by me in the hallway, slipping an arm around my waist while we were standing in the lunch line. giving me a bite of his snack. offering me water. trying to help me out when I couldn't understand what one of the other kids was saying. he would turn around in class just to smile at me. he was very touchy-feely.

it was obvious to everyone. that kid needed to be loved on.

so I loved on him.

brian and another one of my kids: frederic

its funny how you can have jokes with, laugh with and be sarcastic with someone who doesn't even speak the same language as you. I could only understand a few of the words Brian said to me, and he understand yes and no, and that was all. but we were able to communicate perfectly. sometimes he would get so frustrated, trying to tell me something, and would go grab Filip and have him translate our conversation for us. it all worked.

Brian wasn't a bad kid. but he did what it took to get attention. if that meant causing a little ruckus, he would totally do it. I learned that on day one. over the course of the week, if I wasn't giving him my full attention, he would stir things up a little bit in class. even getting fussed at seemed to make him happy. unfortunately he wasn't the only boy like that in my class. out of my 6 boys, 4 of them wanted my attention all the time.I tried to divide myself evenly among them.

the last day of camp came. it wasn't even really a camp day, just a day for the kids and their parents to come and hang out. I don't think Brian's parents were there...he seemed to be alone except for a friend that he brought with him.  the day ended and I was saying goodbye to my kids and watching the guys dismantle the bouncy houses. all of a sudden there was an arm wrapped around my waist. I knew who it was without even looking. he was wet from playing with the water hose, and sweaty from running around, but I didn't really mind. I put an arm around his shoulders. we just stayed like that. we walked around that way, talked to other people that way, and sometimes just stood there. we didn't say anything.

after a while, his friend came up and said something to him in Slovak. Brian protested, but the kid was insistent. Brian shrugged his shoulders and shifted his position so that we were in a full hug. he was squeezing the life out of me. he wouldn't let go either, so I just kept hugging him. we stood there, outside under a darkening sky, just hugging. we stood there for a long time. people walked past, kids ran home, parents called their goodbyes in Slovak and in English. the guys got all the bouncy houses put away. and Brian and I still stood there.

finally, he loosened his grip slightly. he looked up at me. he had blue eyes that usually had some impish plan in them, but today, they were sad instead. he was close to tears. my heart broke. I pulled him into a tighter hug before letting him go. "goodbye," he said, speaking the first English I had heard from him all week. "bye, Brian. see you next summer," I said, rubbing his shoulder. he nodded, understanding.

I watched him walk away with his friend. he glanced back at me one time, smiled and waved. he pulled his shoulders back and walked off, standing tall. I smiled and waved back.

slovakia, part 6: peter

I met him at the center for drug addicted people. he was 22 years old. his head was shaved. he had huge arms, and was wearing a tshirt and jeans. he sat in a chair out in the crowd, but his eyes kept meeting mine. maybe it was the pain in them that made them feel like a magnet. you could read the sorrow and regret in them just by giving him a quick glance. he gave me a half-smile when we locked eyes for the first time. I was sitting on a platform with Pica, Emily and David Cekov. we had been singing. it was so nice out, almost cold since I was wearing shorts and a tank top. the breeze was blowing as Hutch and Mr. Frederic shared their testimonies and Pavle shared the gospel with the people gathered around him. 

he had a presence about him, Pavle did. I don't know how anyone could hear him share the gospel and not want to do something about it. he was so passionate about everything he did and said. hearing him share never got old, and I don't think it ever could get old. 

when he got done, I saw the guy I couldn't stop watching repeating the prayer after Pavle in Slovak. my heart did a somersault and I knew I had to talk to him. I tried rehearsing something clever in my head, but my thoughts got jumbled and I could tell I was close to hyperventilating. what if I said something stupid? what if he didn't speak english? maybe someone could translate for me... 

Pavle finished his prayer, and asked that we talk to the people. I couldn't move. it was like I was glued to my chair. David Cekov stood up and handed me his guitar and pick, telling me I could play if I wanted. I took it, not knowing exactly what I would do with it. then I knew. 

I grabbed a stool and headed towards the guy. Mr. Lou was already talking to him...both of them sitting in chairs. I sat down, and began to lightly strum. if I could just keep playing, my words would come. the music freed me. his name was Peter. I will never forget the look in his eyes. I'll never forget the way the tears trickled down his rough cheeks. I remember clearly that his arm was bleeding because he had been scratching his mosquito bites. He didn't understand Jesus' unconditional love. 

I looked around as Mr. Lou talked to Peter, never stopping my strumming. the other teammates were spread out. I watched David Cekov and Pica praying for a guy who looked to be about Peter's age with tattoos up his arms. I could see the brokenness in his eyes as well, as he watched David's face as he prayed over him. I watched David's lips moving, not knowing what he was saying, but sensing his passion even from a distance. 

sometimes, words just aren't enough. sometimes, no matter what good things you can think of to say, they just aren't enough. Mr. Lou got up eventually, and went to get a pen to write down his contact information for Peter. I just sat there, kept strumming the same chords over and over again. I couldn't think of anything to say. I had said a few words about God not looking at his past anymore, and only seeing Jesus, but other than that, Mr. Lou had carried the conversation. 

we sat there, in the coolness of the evening. he just looked at me, and I looked back at him. he had some of the bluest eyes I had ever seen. neither of us said anything for a few minutes. finally he cleared his throat and said, "why? I don't understand. I don't understand why you came here. why do you care?" I half-laughed. "Peter, we came because we do care. I care." he shook his head, still obviously confused as to why we came. 

I took a quick breath. "you know, when I was 14, I was really angry at God. my great-grandmother died and I was angry that He took her away from me. I really loved her. but God gave me another chance. He kept chasing after me, kept loving me. He always gives another chance. Peter, I want you to have that chance. I want you to have the chance to be loved." I ran out of words. really, there was nothing else to say. he tried to be a man, but his eyes were full of tears, and one ran down his cheek. 

Pavle called that it was time for us to go. Mr. Lou came and shook Peter's hand, the hand that was stained by the blood he had wiped off of his arm. I looked into his eyes and said, "I'm gonna be praying for you, Peter." he gave me that half-smile again and said, "ďakujem" which is thank you in Slovak. I walked away, stuck David's guitar and his pick in the case and put it on my back, carrying it to the van. as I walked away, I turned around and looked back at Peter. he still sat in the chair, his head in his hands.

slovakia, part 5: church, host homes and school decorating

Sunday morning came bright and early. (every morning in Slovakia came bright and early!!) we got up and ate breakfast and got ready for church. I was super excited about my first "Slovakia church experience."

Michaela translating for Pavle

clockwise starting with red and white stripes: Paul, Hutch, Pica, Mr. Lou, David, Emily, me, David and Samuel

the service that morning was absolutely wonderful. I can't even describe it. people singing in English, Slovak and Romanian. prayers prayed in different languages. testimony sharing. singing duets. Mr. Hayward sharing some stories. team introductions. it was wonderful.

after church, Emily and I went to a host home for lunch. our family was absolutely AHHHMAZINGGGGG! yeah, folks. they rocked. Stefan and Katarina and their little daughter, Deborah. she was an absolute sweetheart. they were all just the greatest.

Stefan shared stories with us. he told us about his past and how God worked in his life. he told us about how he proposed to Katarina. showed us his wedding picture album, and pictures of Deborah. it was the greatest thing. I didn't want to leave.

after that, we went to the school to decorate. I have zero pictures of this process....but LUCKY FOR Y'ALL....some of the team was better about picture taking than I was.

this is what the rooms started out like

and then this is what the AMERICA room looked like after 

assembly room 

the assembly room again 

and that's the general idea of the decorating.

(I fell off of a chair that day. I hit the floor so hard that my vision seemed black for a minute and my ears were ringing...but it didn't hurt me. everyone freaked out. Pica said I was "very strong" because he thought I would be very hurt...but I had slammed my tail bone...and let me tell you, a few days later I was very hurt. painful it was...)

and then we went to the center for drug addicted people, but that story won't be told until tomorrow.

slovakia, part four: van rides, translators and Banska Stiavnica

hey there! I'm back for part four of my Slovakia recap!!

so. Saturday came. we were going to be spending the day with the Slovak team and our two Romanians. it was our day to bond as a team. I woke up bright and early and threw on my favorite chambray shirt and pink skinny jeans (cause honestly, is there anything better?) and we headed out.

we were heading to Banska Stiavnica. its totally fine if you can't pronounce it. it took me try after try after try. it rolls right off my tongue now, though. so there's hope! :) it was about a two hour drive from Nove Zamky and we were riding in a van, me in the very back seat with Emily and Hutch.

now, I get extremely car sick at times. I need air coming out of the vents, pointing right at my face, or be able to see out of the front, or something. and...I always get deathly ill when driving in the mountains, and the place we were headed was very hilly and twisty-turny and I got deathly ill. I thought I was going to die and was about to ask them to let me out, when we pulled over because Mrs. Sue wasn't feeling well either. we both got some fresh air and arrived at our destination shortly afterward.

the Cerrillo family: Mrs. Sue, Mr. Lou and Paul

I officially met most of the Slovak team throughout the day. Marcel. Gabika. Filip and his sister, Nika. Eva. they were fantastic, y'all. we all just clicked. we had jokes. we made fun of each other. we were like siblings. Eva and I teased each other mercilessly, but we knew that we each cared about the other. she joked that she was gonna throw me in a river, and I brought her cups of Kofola when she was outside with the kids. really, honestly. this team was the greatest mission team ever.

Mrs. Donna, Pica and Mrs. Nancy

that day was spent touring, looking at wood work, I got to check out a castle with an extraordinary view, the kids (meaning Paul, Emily, Hutch and David M). went through a mirror maze, we ate good food and drank Kofola and got to walk through another castle. it was a great day. now I'll shut up and show you some more pictures.

Peter and Michaela and their two little girls 

clockwise: me, Emily, David and Hutch

clockwise: Mr. Lou, Paul, Mrs. Donna, Mrs. Dee and Mrs. Deb

Emily, Hutch, David and Paul

22 of our 26 teammates while we were in Slovakia

I rode home in Filip's car with him, Nika, Emily and Mr. Frederic. but guess what? I slept most of it. sleeping was better than getting sick again! we got back and then went to supper. as usual, it was delicious. (it always was delicious).

when we got back, the "worship team" practiced for Sunday morning, and that was fun. it was me, Emily, Pica, David M., David C. and Mr. Lou. we sounded good together, too. it was my favorite part of the trip, singing with them.

me, Emily, then Pica and David, and then David....yeah...its confusing. :)

 And then we all went to bed...trying to get a good night sleep in preparation for Sunday...