Officially Starting...

I worked out this week that it has been 5 years since I was accepted as a candidate with ECM. As most of you probably know, I applied to come to Slovenia initially for 1 year with a possible extension to 2. Despite that, I actually went through the process for a long term applicant rather than short term. 5 years later I can now say that I am officially working full time, long term in ministry here in Ljubljana. Of course much has changed over the past 5 years and I'm not sure I really knew what I was getting myself into. That being said, God has led and guided me through the whole process and I have been so blessed by it all. Of course there have been challenges but He has upheld me through it all.

I felt like I started my ministry at the beginning of summer when all my studies ended. Of course I managed to get many things done in that time but it's only in the last 2 weeks that I have actually been able to get into any kind of new routine. When I tell people all that I'm doing, it sounds like a lot but I actually find that I have quite a good work/ rest balance. So what does my ministry look like at the moment? 

I currently have 2 one-to-ones each week with some of the teenage girls in the church. One is new and one I used to meet with before. There are a couple of other people I might be meeting with regularly but this hasn't been organised yet. 

Every week we have our youth group. I have made a few slight changes to this including splitting the group into 2 each week, which means that both leaders need to prepare for the Bible study. I'm there every week whilst all the other teachers are on a rota (I've always gone every week so that's nothing new for me). 

Every other week we have a Ladies' Bible Study which I host at my flat. We're now on a rota as to who leads the study each week so I will take my turn in that. I'm also going to be putting my studies into practice and giving a talk (in Slovene) on 1 Timothy every 2 months. 

I haven't completely stopped my language studies either. I'm having lessons once a week with the private teacher I used to meet with a couple of years ago.

I'm in the process of trying to start a new group for children in English each week. We have a venue, I just need to confirm some leaders and then start to advertise. I hope that this will be an outreach opportunity both for expats who want something in English for their kids but also possibly for Slovenes who want their children to improve their English. Please be praying for this that the final things will fall into place and that we actually have children who want to come along each week.

Finally, I'm also getting slightly more involved in ECM and their work in Slovenia as a whole as well as more generally.

I'm really enjoying the varied work and the chance to get to spend time with people in all my different roles. Please keep praying that God would be working in me and through me and that his name would be glorified here in Slovenia.

5 years ago I was only dreaming of what my life would look like in Slovenia. I'm so grateful for all God has done to lead me here now.

 

God saved the Queen, God save the King...

Yesterday afternoon the world once again changed irrevocably. The Queen, ruler of the United Kingdom and the Commonwealth, beloved by the world, entered her final rest and has now been welcomed home by her Heavenly Father. Like many other people yesterday I had the BBC news channel on in the background listening and waiting for the latest news. I had literally just started an online game of Settlers of Catan when Huw Edwards made the announcement. This meant that I was left to share my initial reaction with 3 online strangers but somehow it brought us together for that short time. As I was listening to Huw Edwards and Nicholas Witchell discuss their initial thoughts, two words kept coming up again and again - humble servant. In a world where we are beset with over the top, loud, charismatic leaders who tell us that they alone have the answers and can solve all the questions, the Queen was humble. The death of this humble servant has brought an outcrying of grief from across the world. As the President of Slovenia, Borut Pahor, said "(She) ruled the United Kingdom, but belonged to the world." It's hard to imagine this level of grief for any other world leader, and yet, she was a humble servant. She humbly served her God, her people and the world.

My life is very different to that of Elizabeth Regina but we have one main thing in common. We serve a great God. I may not rule millions of people, but God has placed me in my role in this place, to serve him as a humble servant. I don't expect outpourings of grief from around the world when I finally die, but it is my prayer that I will be welcomed home by my Heavenly Father saying "Well done, good and faithful servant."

My induction at church

I am just starting in my role - my induction at church was on Sunday. I am now officially in charge of the youth work at the church here. I pray that God will use me in my work here, that he will be glorified and that the young people will grow in their relationships with him.

This morning as I woke up and once again realised that it is unlikely that there will be another Queen in my lifetime, the hymn Lord for the Years played around in my head. The words of the third and fourth verses seemed most poignant: 

Lord, for our land in this our generation,
spirits oppressed by pleasure, wealth and care:
for young and old, for commonwealth and nation,
Lord of our land, be pleased to hear our prayer.

Lord, for our world where men disown and doubt you,
loveless in strength, and comfortless in pain,
hungry and helpless, lost indeed without you:
Lord of the world, we pray that Christ may reign.

We now have a King. God alone knows what sort of ruler he will be. God alone knows if King Charles III serves Him. The Bible calls for us to pray for our leaders. I pray for King Charles and for all the Royal Family at this time of grief. Most of all I pray that God would be glorified and that people would turn to him at this uncertain time.