PRIDE

My last 4 weeks in Slovakia passed so fast. Last update I had written, I was in Banska Bystrica about to do school promotions for Fusion camp, and those went well! We had about 8 class presentations about Fusion and camp this summer. One thing that is super interesting that you will never see in American schools, is the freedom to promote your faith or religious programs in classrooms. It's really cool opportunity for the ministries in these Eastern European countries that JV is in.  After spending the week in Banska and hanging out with the Fusion kids, I headed back to Bratislava to have Easter with the Chases. Easter was very different away from home... After 18 years of huge celebrations at a church of 1400 people, with choirs and orchestras, and everyone dressed up, it was strange to be in a more laid back, small celebration without family. But nonetheless, it was a great day of celebrating Christ's resurrection and I was once again so thankful to be surrounded by people...

How do I even begin to sum up the last two and a half weeks? SO much has happened that I feel like being asked to summarize these last two and half weeks is like being asked to summarize a year. I have been putting off writing this update simply because it seems like there will be too much to say, but there have been too many blessings for me to  not  share them with you all. So I will start from where my last note left off. We came back to Bratislava from the JV Women’s retreat and that Sunday, Darina, Mark, Amy, Gavin, Veronika, and I lead worship at their home church, Viera. That was a fun experience and encouraging for me! I always feel like it is a gift to be able to worship in multiple languages. That week we started band rehearsals for KPM, a big youth leadership conference in Slovakia. Also that week, I began a job that I never once considered (or desired haha)… I started teaching English to freshman in a bilingual high school in Bratislava...

It’s been four weeks now that I’ve been living among the Slovak… or one MONTH. Whoa! It seems like this time has gone by so incredibly fast and yet arriving here seems like ages ago. But there is no doubt that I am beyond grateful for the experiences that I am being given here in Slovakia.            The past two weeks have held a lot! Our workshops started, got to travel, met anotherFusion, visited with old friends… If there is one thing that I have been thankful for in these last two weeks, it has been being able to see the world through another set of eyes. Being able to see God moving in so many different directions and ways that no man or group of people could ever try to put together on their own!             I am teaching two workshops in Bratislava, acoustic guitar and bass guitar. I teach two girls in my acoustic workshop and one in my bass workshop. So I get an hour of time just me an...