James and Christina Clapham

J&C #198: Bridging the Viking Invasion

2011-11-04T14:05:00.000-07:00

We've had a bit of a name change within the last few weeks in regard to our church. The Slovak word for "bridge" is "most", and this was all fine and dandy, until a certain political party decided that it wanted the same name as well, without even bothering to consult us. The cheek! (Just kidding!) After that little incident occurred, our fearless leader Mark had to explain every time he met or was in contact with somebody new to us, that no, we're not affiliated with any political party, and no, we have no idea how that happened either.

Obviously, God wants us to be cooler.

So, we went with the youth-oriented decision that in Slovakia English names are more... interesting. After a fair amount of debate about a logo and whatnot, we finally advertised ourselves as a church, with the new, simple name change to "Bridge".

Ok, now that's out of the way...

This week in Sala we are hosting a group of young international students from a Danish Bible school (proper name to be added here once I can find the right symbols for the letters..!) and they bring with them a lot of talent in quite a few areas, including worship and drama. They'll be going into schools in and around the Sala area, and we'll be having a slap-up meal (translation for Canadians and other exotic species: multiple course dinner) on Sunday before church actually starts.

This evening's Friday was an overall success, with new friends being made and stories being shared. Invites had been sent out to schools to come and see them at the newly-renamed Bridge church. We also even had one come forward to give their life to Jesus, and as Mark pointed out, the angels are having a party because of that right now.

They'll be visiting more schools and sharing stories throughout the area next week too, so please pray for this group as they continue their invasion!

J&C #197: The Shopping Mall Story

2011-10-19T22:46:00.000-07:00

Shopping centres (or "malls" for those of Canadian, American and other exotic species) in Canada would really be called "small towns" in England due to their size and the fact that they can fit just about everybody and everything in. They are large, sprawling affairs where you can easily get turned around in, eat Indian food at, and get a small child so hyper-sensitized that he won't be sleeping for the next five hours or so (sorry, Joseph).

During our latest shopping trip, we came across, or more exactly Christina's eye came across since she's more drawn to this certain manufacturer than I am, an Apple bag sitting on its lonesome on a sofa. We took a sneak peek and there was an iPad 2 inside along with complimenting blue cover.

"Hallelujah! The Lord has provided!" we did not say.

Instead, we did the right thing, since faith and behaviour really do have to go together (shout out to our Catholic friends), and took it to the customer service desk to get it checked in. After that, we sat on the same sofa as we found the package and waited while Joseph had his type of filtered food. We also waited out of curiosity, to see if someone would come along sooner or later. Indeed, not too long after, a rather flustered young man came to ask if he had seen anything on the sofa in an Apple bag. We pointed him out to the customer service station, and in his mild panic went instead to a charity stall that was giving away a $48,000 Lincoln in a competition.

Since I don't like to see people struggle, I got up and directed him to the service desk. I think the guy said thankyou to us about fifteen times. And then said it again on his way back.

Warm fuzzies all round.

J&C #196: Re-taking Canada One Step At a Time

2011-10-18T23:18:00.000-07:00

Last time I (James) was in Canada in 2009, we were seeing so many people and so many places that it was completely overwhelming to me. We were seeing up to four different people every day in all sorts of places and restaurants. We were traveling somewhere every single day, if not around Edmonton, then somewhere in the next province or on the other side of Canada. We were in BC for family, Edmonton for family and work and Toronto for friends and work. But in all of this, Christina's friends were her friends. Christina's extended family was her family. I had some rest and some fun inbetween, as I was taken out a few times to different events, but in all it was too much and there wasn't enough rest, there wasn't enough time-outs for us as a new family. Somewhere along the line, we kind of lost focus on that, probably because our eyes were watering from exhaustion.

There were also a few points on the trip that made me see Canadians in a darker light, with the flagrant beggars, the way-too-close-to-the-bone "humour" that some have, the way a lot of them drive, the slices of racism that sometimes crop up, the amount of distance traveled to get anywhere and the way how a lot of social injustices are given a one-sided shrug... it didn't want to make me move there any time soon.

Before the death threats start coming in, let me remind you that this current trip we are on is a lot different. We are not going to restaurants, we are focusing on meeting in people's homes. We are not focusing on ourselves per se in raising funds, we are instead focusing on Slovakia and how people can help us raise funds so that we can help carry out much-needed work there in the first place. We are not traveling everywhere in the country, burning petrol and making Greenpeace knock on our door this time around. Instead, most of our time will be in the Edmonton area, with Christina and Joseph going to Calgary for a week later on, then BC after that.

This has, in all, made Canada a much more enjoyable experience where we can take our time at that dinner appointment without having to suddenly rush off somewhere. This makes it more laid back, for people to pass Joseph around a bit more, for Christina to regale stories, for me to insert rubbish jokes every now and then. I nervously gave my first ever sermon at Fort Saskatchewan Pentecostal Assembly, we had an on-stage interview by our friends at Bethel Community Church and Christina shared in class and Chapel at Vanguard College. Joseph has discovered the game Fetch, whereby he stares at us and then very slowly releases whatever toy is in his hand onto the floor, then gives us a big grin, knowing in his devious genius baby mind that we are nothing but pawns to his commanding will. Either that, or he just likes the noise of a dropped toy.

Best of all, after a three-week separation, we re-discovered ourselves as a family that is always on the go. We will always be moving forward, but we'll still have a rear-view mirror to see where we have been. Christina did an amazing job of traveling by herself with Joseph for the flight over and then with the battle with 'flu that put both of them in bed for a couple of days during their first weeks. It was certainly one of many items to give over to God, including the time on Saturday, when we drove Joseph to the hospital for another suspected fever, but after he got prodded and poked at, and then cooed over by most of the doctors and nurses (he is a handsome fella, after all), he was given the green light.

We still have a long way to go in our time here, but at least we'll be getting the rest that we all deserve. It even feels homely sometimes. Until someone else cuts you up on the road, that is...

J&C #195: Pancakes are a wonderful thing

2011-09-20T06:57:00.000-07:00

Christina and Joseph left on Sunday for Canada and arrived safe and sound by all accounts, leaving me with... well, just leaving me. *sniff* I have the bunnies, the house and the garden to look after, plus the occasional stray cat and babka to fend off. And for those out there who are wondering who is cooking for me, then I am going to give this answer: me. I am cooking for me. It might not be much, Gordon Ramsey will not turn up at my house to swear at me uncontrollably, I will win no awards through my cooking non-expertise. But I will survive. Just about.

Right now wifey and son are able to communicate (they have a phone!) and they are able to travel because a very nice, wonderful, awesome person has lent them a car to drive around for the time being. So far, so good. They'll be visiting family, friends and churches, and I should be joining them in October for a couple of weeks, hitting the ground running.

It's a busy time over there, but it's a busy one over here too, as we start on the new school year minus a few of our 'regular' students, since they've gone off to boarding school. Our new church building's landlord is putting in new windows so that we won't freeze during the winter time, Vilo has given his first sermon last Sunday, Mark and Liz will shortly be heading off to England and the amount of lessons I have as an English teacher has gone up. Teaching teens is... interesting... to say the least. The teaching methods here are a lot different to what we would deem as 'normal', in that the teacher speaks at the front, and the class regurgitates it later, without really thinking too much about it. Canada and the UK do things differently, encouraging the student to think and so it's just another thing that we take for granted. By asking what a teenager thinks about something, you'll get a response, but not when the same question is directed at a group. Discussion and arguing your case just doesn't fly here, so as a teacher there is a steep learning curve which also seems to include embarrassed silence. And there have been ones that refuse outright to do anything and talk happily away in L1.

Yeah, ESL teachers have lingo too.

It's difficult, but then, it wouldn't be fun if it was easy. That's kinda another reason why we're here too.

J&C #194: VIdeos of Joseph

2011-08-02T06:51:00.000-07:00

J&C #193: Canada Day Abroad

2011-07-01T13:09:00.000-07:00

Spending Canada Day abroad is an entirely different experience than spending it in country. In Canada, you get a day off work, fireworks, parades, pancake breakfasts, and a general feeling of camaraderie and patriotism. Abroad, it's a regular work day, and while you feel a little tingly inside, knowing that today is a special day, you usually don't have anyone to share this feeling with, and the nationals of the country you're in think you're a little strange.

Today is Canada Day, and I am in Slovakia. This marks the 6th time I've celebrated this holiday outside Canada. However, this Canada Day I actually had countrymen to share it with! My Dad is here visiting, we have a summer intern, Andrew from Edmonton, as well, Joseph is half-Canadian (although he doesn't have his citizenship yet), so he counts too!

I was insistent on having a BBQ, but the skies did not seem to want to allow me to do so. However, there was a window of opportunity! The rain stopped, the wind died down a bit and I was right out there lighting up the charcoal! Then, in the evening we had "fireworks". At Christmastime last year, as a gift exchange gift, I bought fire crackers, which we never exchanged because we didn't have the party as we had no power in the house! So, here we are, 2 Canadians outside (1.5 inside) throwing fire crackers in the front yard, giggling like school children. The neighbours were curious and poked their heads outside, and chuckled at us as I told them why we were doing what we were doing. One made a comment that I should have bought actual fireworks at New Year's and kept them for the occasion. Yes, in Slovakia, we do our own fireworks at New Year's. Well, maybe not me, they make me nervous. :)

I don't know how James felt about the whole event, but I know he enjoyed the hamburgers!

J&C #192: Our Friend, Domi

2011-06-27T07:13:00.000-07:00

Ok, when we said "bevy of posts in the next week" I really should have put a disclaimer at the end of that particular sentence. A new baby takes a lot more time away than one would at first expect, which is something that we're getting to grips with very quickly indeed.

Anyway, this blog post is once again not about us, but it's about another member of our church that has been with us from the start, and her name is Domi. She'll be majorly embarrassed about this posting, but that's tough luck to her, as we like to harp on about how certain people are awesome. And I mean that in the proper mind-blowing sense of "awesome", not the watered-down version that people like to use today (e.g. "Two hotdogs for a dollar? That's awesome!").

Domi has been accepted into Vanguard College in Edmonton, which is a place that is very close to our hearts. Not only is it Christina's alma mater, but a lot of the young men and women that have come over to help during our "I Love My City" projects have studied there, and some have gone on to study at that college as a result of our projects. This is a great thing, as we need more younger, dynamic people to look after Generation Y. Old fogies like us in Generation X can find them all a bit mystifying, so the more help the better. And this is also where Domi comes in, as she's not just great with the younger kids but can really hold her own with the older youth as well. There would be plenty of training opportunities in Slovakia if Domi was Catholic... but since she follows the Protestant Christian path, then those opportunities are very thin here. In all, Domi's moving to Canada would not just beneficial for her, but for us as well.

It took a lot of persistence on Domi's part in order to be able to go, and we sometimes had to apply a measure of poking as well when things seemed to get to be too much for her. First, she had to take an English test that would allow her to enter the college, which meant money that she didn't have. Once more as a church, we took the decision to believe in this young lady and so we helped her financially in taking that test. Unfortunately, the first time around she failed, but the second time around (and under harder conditions, such as a lot more noise in the room during the test) her marks were accepted by Vanguard. This means a couple of things. First, she has to be supported financially for the year, for books, food and whatnot. Accommodation isn't an issue, as she'll be staying with the head of the college (that's just how great she is), but she'll have to prepare for the -40C cold that Edmonton likes to have on a frequent basis. Domi will probably be able to work a part-time job there like most students do, but the more financial backing from us, the better. If you're able to give towards her day-to-day living, don't hesitate to visit our PAOC website and hit the "donate" button, with the funds tagged "for Domi". For the day-to-day tuition, contact Vanguard College at info@vanguardcollege.com.

In finding out that she was accepted, Domi shared her testimony. She went up to the lectern with two pages in hand, but ended up talking enough about her life that it would probably fill a novella. She's come through a lot, as her parents had a lot of problems with debt and general anger at the world and at some points, violently with each other. Her mother didn't handle money very well, and it wasn't helped with her dad's gambling and abusive behaviour, where he would threaten Domi's mum in front of her.

Domi sharing at our church, The Bridge

Her perseverance with her family and her crying out to God for protection and strength has brought her to this point, and that is to follow her dream in going to Canada and receiving the education she needs in order to keep on doing what she does best, working with young kids and youth. To us, she'll be a great loss to our church for the duration that she's away, but she'll be an even greater asset when she returns.

J&C #191: Our Friend, Viliam

2011-05-31T13:15:00.000-07:00

Vilo (short for Viliam, the Slovak equivalent of William) and Monika, are a Slovak couple that are the most enthusiastic and the most accommodating within our church. Their apartment was where our leadership met before we started the church plant in the Free Time Centre in Sala, and we were there every Sunday for a good few months. Mark (Holdcroft) preached while we ate amazing food given by Monika, and all the while we were impressed and surprised by Vilo's commitment.

After opening up their home to us, Vilo wanted to be even more involved in the possibility of leading worship. He had a old nylon-string guitar that he had replaced with metal strings, basically due to not knowing what he was doing, as all guitars must be the same, right? The neck bent like Rolf Harris's wobble board, and so instead he borrowed Mark's guitar every now and again, learning songs and playing simply in the key of G. As both he and we as a church progressed, it got to the point where he felt, after some prodding, that he could lead worship. Although he had the case of the jitters all the way through, we were impressed with his ability and for the love that he showed just to play for God.

The family as a whole has done so much for us. Monika leads a prayer group, and her daughter is a regular within our youth group. But what is even more extraordinary is that Vilo was once a 'patient' at the TeenChallenge Centre near to Sala. For a large part of his life before he started his walk with Christ, he was addicted to drugs, so much so that even after he quit all those years ago, they were still affecting him by the time we met him. During his addiction, his body was ravaged from the lack of nutrition, as it had by then decided to take as much as it could from other parts of the body, and for a while that meant his eyes and teeth. After we got to know him for a little while, he was able to get a replacement set of teeth, and I remember how we all just sat and stared at this newer, younger-looking version of Vilo.

Recently, we as a church decided to give into his care his own guitar. They are in a lot of debt due to his past use of drugs and other family problems, which have long since been and gone. At this time, they're really getting back on track and with their mature handling of their debt, and they should be free from it within the next year and a half. A black guitar was Vilo's dream, and for the good of the church and wanting to show our gratitude for the past year and a half, we decided that it would be a great thing to do this one thing for him for his birthday, after he and his family had done so much for us. Within our church, we want people, especially new Christians, to dare to dream. So, please excuse the wobbly camera footage, but here's Vilo on his new guitar for the first time:

J&C #190: Enter Joseph

2011-05-30T01:49:00.000-07:00

Yes, seriously. There's been 190 posts since this blog started and it looks like there's going to be plenty more to come, even though we have been pretty quiet for the last couple of months. In fact, we have a veritable bevy of posts lined up for the next week or so, to help everybody catch up. But, third thing first, and that's the news that the latest addition to the Clapham family has finally come. 'Spontaneously' is apparently the appropriate word to be used here, but since James is writing this post, he has little knowledge about such terminology except for this one: "well chuffed".

On Wednesday 18th May, at 10:10 am in Slovakia, a 52 cm long, 4.3 kg baby boy was born to us, with the moniker of Joseph James Clapham. After the first week or so now, we're getting used to each other, and Christina and myself are working together as a team whenever anything goes awry at 3am, with lil' JJ screaming at the top of his little lungs, which is baby language for being fed/changed/to have some attention. We both get up if this happens, and although it may be tiring for me, it's especially tiring for Christina at this stage. It's something we have to get used to, as well as organising our life around him. Our flexibility has to be toned down in that we cannot just decide to go out somewhere for the weekend, or even just go out to the cinema on a whim. Instead, we have to plan where the best place to go is for the child as well, etc., etc., and I'm sure that there are a lot of parents out there that are already reading this and nodding to themselves, knowing that we practically have no idea what's to come next.

I do know, however, that just because we have a child, doesn't mean that we're going to get an MPV/minivan. We do have some pride, after all. We love him very muchly, and although our little bundle of joy is a blessing, we do have to remind ourselves of that when he's filled his nappy for the umpteenth time while we're trying to feed him.

Anyway. Here's a piccy of the little kiddywinkle:

More news to come tomorrow!

March News!

2011-03-30T02:06:00.001-07:00

March

Feb News

2011-03-07T02:43:00.001-08:00

Feb2

All Fun and Games

2011-02-20T13:24:00.000-08:00

Youth Group in Slovakia isn't so different to Youth Group in Canada. We brought out Let's Dance on the Wii this past Thurs night... why don't you check it out?

Once More Unto The Breach...

2011-01-20T10:46:00.000-08:00

James:

After a meeting with my managers at work, my current employers are no longer going to be my employers after January, once my term of contract has ran out. The upside to this is that I no longer have to do a three-shift system, where at some points (especially when the car had broken down), I was getting up at 0330 in the morning in order to go in there for 0600, and of course there was the night shift. It's a three-hour bus ride when I decide not to use the car because of tiredness. Usually it would take me 30 minutes by car to get from our village to work. It was a crazy working life, with very little time left over for much of anything else during those periods, and I had to be reminded what was going on during the week, as well as what day of the week it was. On the downside, of course, is that I don't get paid a standard wage anymore, and with my Slovak language skills still a bit thin on the ground, I have to look to other options.

Happily, our church Most is becoming very active within our town, with Christina being the Community Outreach 'arm' of the church. We're hosting Christian rock band The Circle Ends for their European tour during this time, and we'll be glad to share more experiences and stories with them. Later on in Spring/Summer, we're going to have some level of involvement with another youth outreach project hosted by our friends in the Bratislava church, with Bluetree performing. During this time we'll be sharpening our skills in language (well, me at least since Christina is pretty darn good at it already), musical skills and for me once again, writing and even teaching English.

In February, we're going to be taking a week trip to the UK to see family and friends, and hopefully we'll meet a few church leaders to share stories in our course of staying there. Especially when some of my friends have decided that they've had enough of the Christmas blues and are taking short breaks in hotter countries. After living in Britain for all those years, I can't say I blame them. Roll on Spring in Slovakia, 20C sunny weather and above!

A Year in Pictures: 2010

2011-01-08T04:15:00.001-08:00

New Years

The First Reverend in Our Family

2010-11-08T12:51:00.000-08:00

Neither James nor I come from families with long Christian heritages. James is the only one (currently) in his family, and I am a second generation-er. So, 5 years ago, I broke the Chaput-mould and became the first missionary our family has known. But, because I revel in being different, I decided that I would become also the first Reverend in Clapham and Chaput history (to my knowledge, perhaps my great-Aunty June could correct me!)

It was an honour and a privilege for me to be ordained with my ministerial family at the PAOC Eurasia Regional Retreat, which this year just so happened to take place in Jerusalem, Israel. Jesus and I share something in common, we were both confirmed for ministry in the same country. :)

Please take a couple minutes, and watch the video. Share the moment with us.

Thank you for journeying together with us.

A New Clapham

2010-10-18T14:22:00.000-07:00

One year and one day after the day we tied the knot and said our "I Do's", James and I found out that we were expecting! I am now in my tenth week of pregnancy, with Baby Clapham to make his big debut in the middle of May 2011. Needless to say, we are excited and blown away by the enormity of this life change. So, as we prepare to move at the end of this month, we are also trying to plan a nursery! I mean, if we're going to paint, let's paint!

Here is a glimpse into the inner sanctum of Baby Clapham:

Car troubles: Part 27

2010-10-06T09:21:00.000-07:00

We are thankful for our car. It's a diesel, which means we are saving on fuel and it has a bit of go in it, but most importantly it is an estate (translation for Canadians and other exotic creatures: 'station wagon' or 'combi'), which also means that it has pretty much taken everything that we could throw into it. Our luggage for holiday? Easy! The Price's life in luggage and including the young couple themselves? Done! Nitra's entire sound equipment and monitors for our recently hosted [dweeb] concert? In a flash!

However.

When the car breaks down, we are limited to what our ministry can provide, in the same way as everyone else when it obstructs them from going to work, to get groceries, to get the kids from school, etc., etc. When the car breaks down, you hope, pray and need it to be a small repair. But since it's us, it never is a small repair, it can only be a massively and stupidly huge repair that will leave you going 'well, what now?', a bit like how I felt when I was stranded between Nitra and Sala back in July. This time around, there is a set of five 'thingies' (as Mrs. C called them over the phone to me) that combine the wheels to the frame. Three of those are apparently in need of replacement and it makes the car unsafe to drive, unless you really like the sudden thrill of the body chassis separating at 130 km/h.

So far this year we have had this, the alternator repair and the master cylinder replacement (plus replacement of all four disc brakes) that left me stranded. This is a total of around 1800 euros of our personal funds that we have thrown into the deep dark murky pit labelled 'car'. Except for the normal services, I think that this will be the last of the major repairs for a while and a service will be needed at some point to change the belts and water pump. Repairs and garage time is always a risk when choosing an older car and I have owned and rented a fair few but this has been the worst by far, and it is fair to say that enough is enough.

But I'm still not buying a French car. :-p

National Conference: Hope

2010-10-04T03:39:00.000-07:00

This past weekend we were very honoured and thrilled to attend the National Conference here in Slovakia. It was so encouraging to see people from every corner of the country come together to worship God and to pray for this country. On a more selfish note, I am glad to see my friends who I don't get to see very often, and all in one place! :)

The theme for the conference was Hope. Hope for our lives, hope for our cities, hope for our country, hope for our generation. Stephen Hertzog, Vanguard College President, Edmonton, was one of the main speakers, and it is always a pleasure to have Steve. His dynamic self is always welcome!

I Love My City 2010 (MMM) Video

2010-08-30T09:59:00.000-07:00

I Love My City 2010 (MMM)

2010-08-29T10:35:00.000-07:00

This year was year #2 for the I Love My City Campaign. Last year we rejuvenated a struggling Community Centre and ran a kids camp. This year we upped the ante! We returned to that Community Centre to run not only a kids camp, but a youth camp, an English camp and a Sports Camp! We also spruced up the community centre by cutting back the bushes, mowing the lawn, and painting a wall in their main hall. We also took the Love to a nearby playground where we sanded, stained and painted the playground. While that was happening, we also painted kids faces and did crafts with them and also played some soccer with the boys. We also held a few concert outreaches as well!

Over all the week was a great sucess; God held back the rain and brought in the kids and teens. We now have enough momentum to start youth ministry in Nitra. Youth Alpha will be starting up in September, and while we personally won't be involved, I (Christina) am giving a bit of guidance to the team in Nitra based on our experience here in Sala.

I have to say that I was thoroughly inspired this year by the outreach and I have many more ideas for the work here in Sala. We were also very encouraged by the Canadian teams that came from both Bethel Christian Reformed Church (Edmonton) and Broadway Pentecostal Church (Vancouver). We loved sharing life and mission with them over this last week.

God is so faithful to us, and it is so awesome to see Him at work in the lives of those around us. We are pleased to report that 8 kids came to Christ at the Kids Camp and many of the teens who were at camp came also to church on Sunday! Pray that God would continue to work in all of these lives.

Please also pray for Sisa, she is a girl who received Christ during the Sala Youth Camp, but is coming under a lot of opposition from her family, who fear she has joined a cult. We are believing that God will work in their hearts, and draw them to Himself by witnessing the change in Sisa!

More about Na Hrane Camp

2010-08-07T04:00:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was our last day of camp. Sigh. All good things must end, eventually!

It started out with the launching of the rockets we had built all week long, and all were successful! Some of them flew further than others, some flew higher than others, but they all travelled at least some distance! I (Christina) made a rocket with a young guy and I was inwardly terrified that we would come dead last. But, my fears were for naught, as ours made it to the half way mark! Not a grand victory, but for me, it was something.

Then Bageta, the youth group/team from Nove Zamky took over. They led worship, did a drama, a few games, some testimonies, one guy even rapped a couple songs he had written about Christ, and Boris shared the Gospel. It was a powerful time. Many kids recommitted their lives to Christ, which was great to see!

For us as the Sala team, we really wanted to reconnect with the teens and build up the relationships we had with them. Which was a good goal to set and it was achieved! Moreover, the kids had a great time.

Thank you for your prayers!

Please keep in prayer Tono and Maria, they are 2 kids that we have good relationships with, their brother drowned just about a month ago. Since then, their family has moved away and we have lost contact with them. Please pray for their family as they grieve, but also that they would remember what we taught them about Jesus. Tono was one of the kids who came forward at the end of Youth Alpha to become a follower of Christ.

Na Hrane Teen Camp

2010-08-04T05:13:00.000-07:00

Yesterday we kicked off our Teen Camp, Na Hrane!

This is for kids 11-15 yrs old, from 4:30pm to 7:30pm! Yesterday we had as many as 32 kids, which is a great start for the week, and we know that number will grow as the week goes on!

Yesterday we engaged them in games, like a water relay

Parachute games

and seeing how fast they could drink a can of Pepsi through a 3" long straw!

We also started our week long craft of building rockets, which will be launched on Friday. Prizes for the furthest travelled and for the best looking rocket.

We were looking forward to this camp for the opportunities to reconnect with the teens, as well as to build new relationships and to tell the kids about Christ.

Please continue to pray for us this week.

Meanwhile, After Being Asked to Leave the Fort...

2010-07-24T17:12:00.000-07:00

So, our landlady came over today and told us one rather important thing - that we were to leave the flat by the end of this year. To put it into perspective, there were some personal problems between the landlady and her partner, resulting in them splitting up and deciding that they needed to sell the flat. On any other given day this would have been a shock, but since Christina has been back we have both felt that it was time to move to another location anyway - somewhere we can really call home and as Mrs. C says, 'somewhere where I can hang a picture without asking for permission first'. Maybe this 'sense' was God preparing us in some way.

In any case, our decision to buy a home here in Slovakia is another one of those 'progressing with life' decisions. There are some properties available here that look nice, but please pray for us as we step into uncharted waters. Buying a house and all the things that come with it, like the mortgage, maintenance, land rights and so on, is one of the most important, scary and exciting steps of a married couple.

We shall keep you updated in our endeavours...

In Transit.

2010-07-19T17:16:00.000-07:00

Right now I am sitting in the Montreal airport, eagerly awaiting my flight, only 1hr and 40min wait left! So, I thought I would take this opportunity to reflect on the last 5 weeks.

I have been in Canada for the last 5 weeks, and this has given me the opportunity to see family and friends, as well to do some much needed fundraising. As you may have already heard from me, we're in a bit of a pickle financially. We are still not fully funded over here, as well, we are carrying a debt to PAOC National office for not being fully funded from the past year. This has gotten to a very critical level. So, on this trip, I really tried to focus on meeting with new pastors and people, in order to widen our support base. For, while we love our current supporters, the fact of the matter is that it is just not enough. To be very open and honest with all of you, readers, this is a very heavy burden to carry. While I trust God to provide for us, we are limited in what we can do because of money, and, to be frank, that is an awful reason to be hindered!

If you are not already supporting us financially, as I assume, if you are reading this, you already pray for us, would you prayerfully consider joining us? We cannot be here without you. Your finances will help us in the following ways: Personal (Rent, food, utilities, health care) and Ministry (Church Rent, Church utilities, Youth Events). If you would like to help us, please visit www.paoc.org/donate

In other news, here are some of my Canadian trip 2010 highlights(in no particular order):
1. Going horseback riding with my sister
2. Celebrating my brother, Scott's birthday - my first family celebration since coming to Slovakia (excepting our wedding)
3. Attending my friend, Trudy's wedding.
4. Spending time with my mom and brother
5. Seeing my best friend from Bible School, Ian Rowley with his wife, Tiffanie and other friends from school
6. Having 4 successful auction dinners! People satisfied their hunger and got to experience Slovak culture - as much as one can without travelling overseas!
7. My road trip - from Edmonton to Chauvin, Medicine Hat, Calgary and back over only a 2 day period!
8. Not getting charged for my additional bag from Montreal.
9. Finally getting my Mom onto Skype
10. Going home to see James!

Meanwhile, Back In The Fort...

2010-07-18T03:17:00.000-07:00

My term has nearly finished here as a ~~bachelor~~ married-man-living-by-himself (otherwise known as a 'MMLBH') and I must say that there have been a couple of eye-opening situations. First, the experience of being a pseudo-singleton by myself for a lengthy period of time in a foreign land and secondly, my reaction to this.

As an introvert and considering the fact that even loners think that I should get out more, I'm continually surprised and touched by the amount of support, dinners, bbq's, fresh veg and cake that I have been given/invited to (delete as appropriate) since the beginning of the Christina Famine. Those that have contributed are well thought of and chocolate may be involved somewhere down the line. For myself, it felt like a bit of a re-adjustment, plus the knowledge that some of the jobs that I am doing around the flat at the moment may well be transferred back to Mrs C, or not, depending on our family life together in the future.

It has been a busy five weeks, mostly involving how to survive with basic Slovak language skills and harbouring a penchant for the Subway kiosk in Nitra. This last week has been especially fruitful in 'interestingness', as I badly hurt one of my fingers in a sports accident at a work's bbq celebration thing. After being hassled by Mrs. C over Skype to go to a hospital, I relented. With translation help from our friend Eva, I found out that the finger was actually broken and from then on in I've been wearing a bandage/cast combo that enables me at least to do the 'live long and prosper' Mr. Spock sign.

During the same week, the exceedingly-helpful-car (EHC) broke down on the way to work, halfway between Nitra and Sala in the middle of nowhere. I made it to the Slovenaft petrol station (just), where the guy at the counter came screaming out due to the amount of smoke coming from inside the front wheel's brake. After asking me to move the car around the corner since it was currently sitting next to a bunch of gas cylinders (good point), we waited for the Opel garage to open to see if they could fix it. Opel mechanic said yes, the Opel reception desk guy said no. So, it was eventually towed away to another garage, where they looked and fixed it the same day to the tune of €200, replacing all the brake pads and discs.

Well, they thought they fixed it.

I took it back the next day since it still did not feel right. The garage mechanic had another look at it and sure enough, there was a bigger problem. One part within the car was broken, letting water into the brake fluid, which meant that the front brakes were on all the time. The total cost for this extra fix would be around €500 (around $680 Canadian). Throwing well-earned money at a car is not what we are here for and I pray that after this rather large problem, the car will only have to go through the routine checks.

This week is looking more hopeful. I should be getting a new cast on Monday, Mrs. C is returning on Tuesday (hurrah!) and the car should be returned by Thursday. Whether we have any money left to actually eat something after that is another matter. Throughout all this, I feel pressured but I'm not letting it get me down. A positive outlook on life is an act of will... and I can rely on God's strength with that.