The Entertainment at Dinner

The dinner entertainment

Our Final Team Dinner in Budapest, July 21, 3012

Our Final Blog of 2012

     After our emotional day yesterday, saying good bye to our students, and the staff at school we began our first leg of the journey home.  We left Martin about 8:00 a.m. and arrived in Budapest around 1:30 pm.  Most of us went out into the city for last minute shopping or sight seeing.  Our team enjoyed a lovely dinner together at a wonderful restaurant where the food was delicious and the entertainment was excellent.

     All of us are still trying to digest all the sights, sounds, love, and experiences that we have had over the past three weeks.  The cultural experiences are almost more that we can absorb.  The generousity and kindness of these wonderful people is overwhelming.

    We are all thankful to God for this experience and the enriching of our lives that this trip has brought.  Our students told us over and over again how much they learned and enjoyed their classes, at all levels.  We can hardly wait to share all of this with all of you at home in a few days. 

Friday last day, good day, fast day

Today marks the end of two weeks of English as a spoken language. It was hard to focus on what curriculum we did have planned. We, students and teachers alike, were too occupied with the pleasure of eachother's company to make the day as productive as we'd like. We did manage to study hard, prepare for skits/songs, and plot out lunch activities. Many of the classes went out for lunch with students and filled their tummies with delicious pizza, halusky, sausage, soup, cake and kofola (including Jennifer, Brenda, myself-Andrew & our class w/ Susan, Janey & their class). After our swift return to the great hall we found the seats filled with the other classes and New Heights teams with their classes. All enjoyed a time of skits, game shows, songs, stories and gangster raps. It was a proud day and a heart breaking day because by the end of the all too fast day it was time to say goodbye. Hugs, pictures, gifts, e-mails, facebook pages, and love were exchanged. Friendships were built, hearts inspired and souls enriched by the shared experience of EFL (English as a Foreign Language). Many thanks to the Bible School staff! Love to all. Keep in touch! :)

The Center for Christian Education

Racing Towards the Finale!

     Today was filled with classes, laughter and practice for tomorrow's programs.  It has been a fulfilling two weeks with our students making steady progress with their English.  Our team is feeling pride in their progress so far, but also sadness at the thought of leaving our students and friends that we will be leaving behind once again,.  Many of us have been asked by our students if we will be coming back next year.  It is a difficult question to answer when you are tired, emotional about leaving and trying to do so many things at the same time.  Each of us will have to pray for guidance from God as to what path he will ask us to follow.  One of our team members, Marikay, gave a very moving devotional yesterday morning talking about the different paths that one can take for their lifes journey.  It has been a wonderful experience to share the many different messages that the team members have carried in their hearts to Slovakia to share with each other.  On a personal note, this is my second time to teach here in Slovakia and once again I feel that I have gained so much more than I have given.  Thanks be to God.  

Day 8! July 18th, 2012

Today was a wonderful day of lessons, class pictures and "Courageous".  At about 10:30 we headed out to the playground behind the classrooms/dorms for class pictures, that I've given you a sneak preview of above.  It was a pleasant time of chit-chat, bonding with friends and other class mates (in English! Mostly).  After we returned to class we finished our lessons and each headed our separate ways.  My mother, Brenda and myself were treated to dinner with one of our students, David, and his mother (an x-student from a few years ago).  We enjoyed looking at pictures, playing bad-mitten, and enjoying some sweet and tasty desserts.  On our way back, a little bit before 7:00, we wore our blue California Team Slovakia shirts and met in the great hall for a great movie - Courageous.  The turn out for the movie was very good, many students, friends, family, and also friends from the Vancouver Team.  After a short clip about the history and future of the bible school/pre-school the movie began and we enjoyed the tense parts, the laughs, and even the cries together.  Then at 9:30, for some 10 or 10:30pm, we headed to bed.  Looking forward to tomorrow! Live courageously!

Team meeting in Randy & Patty's room

Day 7 - July 17th, 2012

     All of the classrooms are buzzing this week!  We have our lessons, plus getting the students ready for the final program on Friday.  In addition, the teachers have had discussions within our team about our closing presentation that we will do for the students, so it is a very busy time.

     Today our theme was Food and Fashion.  We discussed the different traditional foods, family traditions and favorite kinds of ethnic food.  The students also spent time discussing what would be appropriate attire for a job interview and for casual wear when they are at home or with friends.  I believe that all classes are beginning the preparations for their presentations on Friday afternoon.  This will be a hectic, fun, happy and sad week, all at the same time as we prepare to wrap up our work here in Martin.

     This afternoon both teams from CA and WA went by train to a city named Banska Bystrica.  Other than a very heavy rain storm while we were there, we all enjoyed this beautiful place, and the fellowship shared by the two groups.  Tomorrow evening is "Movie Night" for the whole community of Martin!  More on that tomorrow.

Monday, July 16th

Today was the first day of the second week and it's already going along smoothly. Many of us focused the day on preparations for this Friday's presentations and also focused the lessons on the topic of communication. After class around 4:00 the California and New Heights teams met in the great hall for an exciting and educational presentation from our favorite Bohdan :) along with the announcement of the coming release of the book (much of which surrounds the arrival of the bible school and recent surge of Christianity) of this country's history and future. That combined with tomorrow's curriculum and soon to be had fun are what's on our teams minds tonight. Looking forward to tomorrow :)

The Wooden Church at Svaty Kriz

Sunday's Happenings

     Today the majority of the team went on a bus trip to visit and worship at the wooden church in Svaty kriz.  It was a wonderful service, mostly in Slovakian, but translated for us by Katka.  We took communion at the altar which is placed in the middle of this ancient wooden structure.  This church was first built around 1700.  Because a dam was going to be built and several villages were going to be flooded, the church was dismantled and moved to it's current location.  This process took 8 years.  It was rededicated in 1982.  The original bells of the church were melted down during World War 1, and new bells were put into place in 1922.  The three bells, that sound amazing, are named Belief, Hope and Love.  It was indeed an honor to worship in such a historic place with these wonderful loving fellow Christians.

     The rest of the team worshiped at the Lutheran Church in Martin.  A wonderful day was had by all.  We are all looking forward to another exciting, successful week with our students.

Spice Boys

Spice Girls

Spectacular Spicy Saturday!

Today we had a wonderful day of goulash, games, shops and live music. Two teams of men and women from the bible school competed with 80 teams of goulash chefs. The teams are in the pictures above. The women's team or "Spice Girls" earned themselves 12th place!! Well deserved ladies :) The men's team or "Spice Boys" were named 5th place!!! Hooray! The New Heights and California team were eccstatic to hear that their friends had the 5th best goulash out of 80! Go team! There was little rain until later in the afternoon when a few live bands like Vidiek took the stage. There was fun to be had for all, as well as goulash, can't ask for more. Thank you God for a spectacularly spicy Saturday!

The View From The Ski Lodge

               Joyce, Slavka, and Jennifer at Cool Camp

Friday-School's Half Over!

     It has been a rewarding, enjoyable, exhausting and fun first week.  The CA team can hardly believe that we are already half way through the English course.  A few of our students left us today and we will have a few new ones joining the groups on Monday.  It is so hard to say goodbye to these wonderful students who work so hard to master our difficult language.  The movie Courageous continues to be the basis for many discussions about morals, family life and our Christian faith.  The songs that we sing with the students in the morning, and at the end of the day, also show our students how much our faith is the center of our lives. 

     Last evening we were invited out to the "Cool Camp" where students from the school have been doing a summer camp with the help of the younger members of the team from WA.  They had a BBQ with Slovakian sausages for our meal, we all sang together and it was a nice time of fellowship in a beautiful mountain setting.

     There are many plans for the week end, stay tuned for the activities here in Martin!

End of the day activity :)

Today marks our fourth day of English as a spoken language. Students and teachers alike looked forward to today's lessons and discussions. Our theme of the day related to life at work and school. After some practice writing, reading and speaking we took our lunch at noon. Teachers and many students enjoyed the chicken and rice served at the cafeteria along with pleasurable conversation. After lunch we viewed our daily clip of the film Courageous followed by reflection and discussion. It seems that the cute young girl Emily is one of the favorite characters and her tragic death was emotional. As seen in the picture above we are performing our final activity in a double circle shaking hands, speaking laughing, learning and then rotating to another person. Our final question at the end of the day asked "Who came to class from the furthest away?" and we had ourselves three winners! All three who had come from about 250km away and earned themselves a prize each. What will tomorrow's question be?? Tune in tomorrow and find out! Goodnight and good blogging! Until tomorrow :) 

Wednesday, July 11th, 2012 in Martin

Today was our first day of being on a regular schedule.  The students and teachers all seem to be settling into their routines, and enjoying their lessons and fellowship.  We started out the day with a hearty rendition of the song Father Abraham, and doing the Hokey Pokey.  Lessons filled the morning.  Immediately after lunch, all classes watched the first four segments of the movie Courageous together.  These clips were used for discussion within our class groups regarding the values and morals portrayed in the movie.  This is going to be a powerful tool for deep discussion with our students using our English language skills.

The beautiful upper square and church in Zilina, from our trip yesterday.

Day 2! Hooray!

Today was our second day of class! After our 730am breakfast and inspiring devotions (by Brenda), we started the day with the film Courageous. Students, as well as teachers, were glued to their seats during all the heart pounding action, emotionally draining drama, and hilarious dialogue. After the two hour movie experience students moved to their classes for some English education. Thirty minutes or so later we had a tastey lunch consisting of mashed potatoes, schnitzel patties, and very satisfying soup. Eating with students as well as many of the members from the New Heights group made for pleasurable company (and the juice was yummy as usual!). We made our way back to our classes a bit before 1pm and had just about an hour to go over the work for the day. We ended class early at 2pm so 24 of the new heights team,11 from our team (California :) and others from the bible school like the lovely ladies Katka, Hedwi, Monica, and Sisa (Fino too!) traveled to Zilina. There we did shopping, walking, eating, drinking, chatting, and just having fun! As tired as we are I think we will sleep well tonight. Until tomorrow! Love to all!

First Day of School! Yay.

     Our first day of school was hectic (as usual) in the morning as all of the students were evaluated so that they could be placed into the correct classes.  Two teams from the New Heights Church in Vancouver, WA and one team from CA screened and scored all of the students, and by 10:45 am we were ready to take our students to their class rooms.  As a general rule, the classes seem a bit larger this year, which means that the program is growing.  There were many friendships renewed with returning students and many new relationships started today!  With God's guidance and help we will have a wonderful two weeks with these incredible people of Martin, Slovakia. The photo's above show the students playing a game in the morning, and the teachers (still smiling) at the end of the day.

First Day in Martin

     Today was our first full day in Martin for this year.  We had a beautiful service, highlighted by the Vacation Bible School children singing for the congregation.  As always, the staff, the congregation and the community made us feel at home.  Both Pastor Randy and Susan Nielsen participated in the service.  After church, there was a community festival with goulash (yum!), live music, animals for the children to pet, and bounce houses.  A wonderful time of fellowship was had by all!  Even the weather cooperated, it was perhaps 85 degrees, but we all sat in the shade with a beautiful breeze and it was such a feeling of fellowship.  Late this afternoon we all met for orientation for school's opening tomorrow morning.  I know all of us are a bit aprehensive, but God is walking this journey with us and we will be fine!

Martin Sunday July 8th, 2012

Spectacular Slovakia

Our journey to Martin was hot but safe and we were accompanied by the ever generous Bible School staff of Martin and Hedwi. They made the four hour trip a smooth ride through the scenic country side of northern Hungary and southern Slovakia.  Our arrival and first night spent here was comfortable.  It was such a great pleasure to greet old and new friends.  This morning we join the congregation at their annual open air worship service, followed by the "Lutheran Festival" of some 300 members, children, the Vancouver Team and the California Team (us). The church members were busy peeling potatoes, cutting vegetables, meats and spices for their wonderful goulash! Children will have pony rides and a bounce house.  Our prayers go out to all those loved ones back home and to those who are making our stay here so very comfortable as we make our final preparations for these two weeks of Conversational English as taught by "native speakers" (that is how they advertise us).  Goodbye for now!

Goodbye Budapest, Hellooo Martin!

Today we bid our farewells to Budapest and prepare for our trip to Martin, Slovakia.  Many of us spent our last night here on the Danube River.  Some on the hour long boat ride tour where you can view the beautiful architecture from a distance and the others at a restaurant called Spoon for some fine Danube dining on a docked vessel.  Our hearts go out to our friends and family back at the states.  As for us we are eager to share friendship and ministry with those awaiting our arrival in Martin.  Peace to all!

Slovakia Mission Team 2012

Hungary! What a country!

Hello readers! It's been difficult to get internet access here in Budapest but our team of 12 have made it safe to our hotel.  We've been on a pleasurable bus tour with a wonderful tour guide, Agnes (a devout Christian), victim to the relentless heat (but that didn't stop us from enjoying beautiful sunlit sights), caught in the dramatic 9:30pm lightning and thunderstorm which left us drenched and laughing all the way home, and devotions every morning with God by our side every step of the way.  We've viewed Hungarian Parliament, Saint Istvan Basilica, The Fisherman's Bastion, Coronation Church (formally the Matyas Church), and walked through the Central Market Hall.  One of the highlights was visiting the Heroes Squares and admiring the century old statues of the kings of old, especially Saint Istvan who became a Christian and brought Christ to the Hungarians in about 1000 A.D.  We are very much looking forward to traveling to Martin, Slovakia tomorrow afternoon.  More adventures today; so long for now friends and families!  We thank you for your prayers and care.

2012 Team prepares for travel!

Hello to all! The 2012 Slovakia Mission team is flying out tomorrow (July 3rd).  For those who don't know this year's team is as follows: Joyce Bauer, Janey Dale, Merikay Guhring, Sharron Jackman, Carol Johnson, Jennifer Jordan, Brenda Knudsen, Susan Nielson, Randy & Patty Ouimette, Kerry Wood, and myself Andrew Wood.  We couldn't be more excited about giving to the Martin community.  A few of us will be returning for a second, third or even fourth time, while others this will be their first time to Slovakia.  Our first three nights will be spent in Budapest, Hungary where we'll do some sight seeing and walking tours.  By July 8th we'll be making our way to Martin, Slovakia!  Where we're all looking forward to starting our first day at the Lutheran Bible School.  (Tomorrow I'll do my best to have an updated picture of the 2012 team up for all to see)  Prayers and love to all!