My God is so big, so strong and so mighty, there's nothing that He cannot do...

Mountains in Slovenia (taken 5 years ago)

Today I have been thinking about what I'm preparing for Sunday School this week. This will be my first time leading here but since all the children in the group are American I will be able to lead the session in English. One of the songs we will be singing is My God is so big. I've had the the song in my head all day but it's only as I'm sitting here writing this that the words of it have struck me afresh. Only this morning I was reading of atrocities in Ukraine but our great God is bigger than that, there's nothing he cannot do. The mountains are his. If the weather is clear I can see mountains from my street. Even from miles away they look huge but God created them. The stars are his handiwork too. Just like in Genesis 1 where there is the throwaway line that God created the stars too, I am reminded that the whole universe belongs to God. It is all under his control. We may live in troubling times but that means that we should be turning to our big, strong God who can do all things.

The past few weeks have both felt busy but also quiet. At the beginning of March I gave a talk on Ecclesiastes 3 which was quite daunting. I was then asked to translate it and give it to the Ladies' Bible Study group. You may remember that I was asked to do this for my last talk in Exodus, so this was my second talk in Slovene. Again I had help from Google translate but again it was well worth the effort. It was so encouraging to see the ladies thinking about these things and discussing what the passage meant. My next talk is due at the end of April and it is on 1 Samuel 2. I don't yet know if I will be asked to translate this one as well.

We're now in the run up to Easter so things will start to slow down a bit although I will be leading youth group next week (hopefully in Slovene!) I'm also planning to take a short trip to visit a friend in Ptuj, a town in the north of the country, over Easter. This week will be a little bit different as well. ECM are having their biennial which once again will be held online. I look forward to catching up with different people and hearing how God is using them in different parts of Europe.

Facebook has also reminded me this week that it is exactly 5 years since I first visited the church here in Ljubljana to see if this was where God was calling me to work. A lot has happened in those 5 years but I am so grateful for the way the church here has welcomed me and looked after me in all the highs and lows of life. I know I am in the place that God wants me to be, doing the work He wants me to do and I am just so blessed to serve here alongside His people in Ljubljana.

Jumping back in...

The world seems to have changed once more since I last wrote. This morning I was writing my language homework and was given the question: what would I do if I could change the world. To be honest, in the face of everything that's happening, it just seemed a bit too flippant a question to ask. Instead I decided to point out that there are many problems in the world. The world is broken, I can't change it, I can't do anything but Jesus can. He came to this broken, hurting world offering us a hope and a future when all things will be made new.

Of course this doesn't mean that we sit back and watch as the world falls apart around us. We should be helping if we can. On Monday afternoon I had a bit of spare time and so volunteered for a couple of hours at a centre that was collecting supplies to send to Ukraine. It was amazing to see people from the whole community coming together to help where we could. There were so many people with English, Slovenian and Ukrainian all intermingling. I took this photo as I was leaving and this was only a fraction of what had been given. I know some of it was definitely being sent into Ukraine itself but I suspect some was being sent for refugees at the border.

I know some people are being careful about how they support the need and want to make sure that their money goes to the right place. If anyone is interested, my organisation, ECM, has set up its own fundraising campaign to help their workers who are based in Western Ukraine and are helping people travelling through. Here is the link for their crisis fund: https://www.ecmi.org/en/project-detailpage/9d8fca04-2b9a-4ad0-9ff9-27bda4cbf01e

At the beginning of this post I alluded to my language homework. I started back at language school this week. I was expecting this time to be incredibly busy with 4 lessons a week. As it has turned out, I will only be having lessons twice a week. There are only 2 other people in my group and so they are running a reduced course for us instead. In some ways I was quite disappointed by this but since I've had so many other things to do this week I think it may well turn out to be for the best. There are a couple of things happening in the next few days for which I would value prayer. Tomorrow my neighbour (who goes to my church) and I are organising an afternoon tea party for some of the teenage girls from the church. One of the girls will be organising some discussion questions and I'm hoping that it will be a time when we can talk about the Bible together and some of the difficulties they are facing. (I'm also praying that my baking doesn't poison anyone!)

On top of that I am also in the middle of preparing my next talk for Cornhill which I am due to give on Wednesday. I thought my last talk on Exodus was hard, well this one is on Ecclesiastes! Please pray that God would give me the words to say and that I would teach his word faithfully. I have also been asked to give this talk to the ladies' Bible study group in Slovene in 2 weeks time. This means that it is no longer just an academic exercise but a talk that I will be giving to real people.

So I'm sitting here with the sun streaming through my window thinking about everything I have to do but to be honest I'm just incredibly grateful that I have all these opportunities to share the gospel in so many different settings. Please keep praying for God to be working here in Slovenia and that he would make a difference in the lives of the people here.

Rest, refreshment, encouragement and sledding...

View from the top of a mountain

Despite the fact that I'm still on a break from language school, my weeks seem to have filled up quickly. I have really appreciated the chance to spend good time catching up with lots of people. When busy with language school my relationships with people really did get pushed to one side so it's been really refreshing to have the time to spend with lots of different people. It's also been an opportunity to learn more about the culture and country of Slovenia. This last week I visited the ethnographic museum, which, although I don't think I would choose to go to again, was interesting to see what questions are being asked about society and how Slovenes view themselves and other cultures. 

Slovenes are also big fans of winter sports. I'm consoling my
self with the fact that although Team GB currently have no medals at the Winter Olympics, Slovenia has 5, including 2 golds from ski jumping. I got a chance to go to a ski resort a couple of weeks ago to try night sledding. To be honest, the best part for me was seeing the view and the sunset across this beautiful country. The sledding itself wasn't bad, I just think I'm much happier looking at views and drinking coffee!

View from the Ethnographic Museum

The most encouraging thing that has happened in the last couple of weeks though was at the Ladies' Bible Study. I was encouraged last minute to offer to give my latest Cornhill talk on Exodus 22:1-17. I literally had a morning to translate it (Google translate is my friend!) and prepare some discussion questions. It seemed to go really well and we had some interesting discussions after the talk. People were still talking to me about it for the next few days so I guess that's a good sign. Anyway, this isn't really about me, my ability to give talks or my ability to translate. All the glory should be going to our great God. I really struggled writing the talk in the first place and I know that it's only because of Him that I was able to produce it. For me it was a great reminder of why I wanted to come to Slovenia in the first place but it also showed me that all Scripture is useful for teaching. You may have no idea what this passage is all about (hint: it's about restitution), it seems that very few people preach on it and it's a part that most people skip or only glance over. My challenge to you, and to myself, is to take the time to look at the Law more carefully because there is so much richness there and we will be the losers if we ignore it.

These next two weeks will be the last of my break but they will also be quieter as it's half term and I will have a break from Cornhill. I really need to get to my pile of books I wanted to finish - I have finished 1 so only another 3 to go! I also want to focus more on my vocab before I start at language again. Please pray for me as I manage my time that I will be faithful and doing what I need to do but also as I start to prepare to go back to an incredibly busy timetable!

Life has calmed down a bit...

View from my flat - we still have some snow

Last time I wrote I mentioned that my language school was ending and my Bible course at Cornhill would be starting once more. It has definitely been very different these last couple of weeks and a lot calmer. To be honest I've enjoyed having more time to rest and to meet up with people. When I was doing both courses at once I only really had time to meet one person a week. Now I feel like I have the luxury of time to arrange multiple meetings in a week!

Two big things (well for me) have happened in the last couple of weeks. Firstly I managed to open a bank account! I know that may not seem like a big deal but those of you who have ever lived abroad will appreciate what a milestone it is. You may well be asking why it has taken so long. Well the main reason is that I was rejected from one bank before Christmas because I didn't have residency and they didn't think I had a valid reason to need an account here(?!) That meant that I needed to wait until after Christmas especially now I've had the time to deal with it all. It was also an accomplishment for me because the advisor didn't speak English and I was forced to use my Slovene. It was not made easier because of my employment status. Basically, I just didn't fit any of their boxes and they didn't quite know what to do with me. In the end though my application was successful and I can now say that I used my Slovene in a complicated official circumstance!

The other big thing for me this week was giving my latest talk for Cornhill. Some of you may know that I was quite apprehensive about it as it was on a difficult part of Scripture and to be honest I had no real idea what I was doing or where I was going with it. Thankfully we have a God who answers prayer and I'm certain that it was only with his help that I was able to get to grips with the passage (Exodus 22:1-17 if you're interested). I even got good feedback for it which was a real answer to prayer. Whilst that passage may have seemed daunting, I'm even more terrified by my next passage which is on Ecclesiastes 3! In all seriousness I do feel like I am learning dependence on God and his ability to reveal meaning of Scripture. I know that I can't do it alone or in my own strength!

Whilst the next few weeks are still looking quite quiet I am really appreciating the chance to have fellowship with friends and people from church. Now that my latest Cornhill talk is done I want to spend this extra time focussing on learning vocabulary and practicing what I have learnt. I have arranged to have conversation practice once a week with my old teacher and I am finding that very helpful. I also want to spend this time catching up on my pile of Christian books that I have started but not finished. I currently have 4 on the go, all on different topics. My plan is to finish all 4 before I start back at language school. Feel free to check in and ask how that's going!

Anyway, please still keep praying for me, especially for my language learning. It would be very easy for me to get out of practice in this period and lose momentum but I know that this is what I am here for this year. Please pray that I would use this extra time wisely and in a way that glorifies God.

Christmas, New Year and Return to Slovenia...

 

Lights in Ljubljana

It's been a few weeks since I last wrote and a few things have happened since then. I've had many adventures with Covid tests and getting all my paperwork together so that I could fly back to the UK for Christmas. I also had made the decision to fly via Venice directly to Bristol but this meant that I also had to contend with Italian rules which kept changing. Thankfully I made it back safely but then had to wait for the results of my PCR test. They arrived at 7.15pm on Christmas Eve! Contingency plans were well underway at this point but I am very grateful that I was able to have a normal(ish) Christmas with my family. Unfortunately at some point that weekend I caught norovirus. This led to a quick trip to A&E as I was so dehydrated. In the end I was fine, it just took a few days to recover and wasn't really the Christmas I had envisioned! Despite it all, I was really blessed by my time with my family and friends. I especially enjoyed being able to go to Swindon and go to my sending church. It really was an encouragement to be able to share what I have been doing and to hear preaching on the church's text for the year - 1 Corinthians 15:57. It was good to be reminded that it is in Christ we have the victory.

Sharing with my church in Swindon

I have now been back in Slovenia for a week and a half and it was back to reality with a bump. Despite not getting home until 11.30pm, I was back at language school bright and early the next morning. My language classes have now finished for this semester and so I have a break from them for 6 weeks. I really feel like I have learnt a lot in this time and that I have grown in confidence. My teachers have been very encouraging about my progress and it helped that I got 85% on my end of semester test (although of course I felt that I should have done better!) In the meantime Cornhill starts again next week and so I will be kept busy preparing my next talk. Please pray for me as I have to give a talk on a passage from Exodus 22 which is quite daunting. I have also arranged to have language lessons once a week with my old teacher. It will be good to spend time with her and hopefully I won't lose any momentum with my language.

The Covid situation here seems to get worse daily. Many people in my church have been affected by it, either by illness or by quarantine. This means that youth group has been cancelled tonight and church on Sunday will be online once more. Please pray for my church at this time, that we would still be able to encourage one another and that we would keep trusting in God alone for our help and strength. In conclusion, I have been reading the book of Daniel recently and something in the Bible notes struck me. Daniel and his friends, living in exile faced so many trials and challenges that could have led to their deaths yet they kept trusting and obeying God. God in his mercy chose to save them in extraordinary ways, not because they deserved it or to show that he will always save his people from danger, but to show that he can, that he is in control of all things. I may not know why God doesn't save us from this pandemic but that doesn't mean he is unable to. He is still in control, he has given us the victory through Jesus Christ his son!

I've finally gained residency...

Snow in Kamnik where
I collected my residency card

Today has been a momentous day for me. I officially picked up my residency card and so completed the process for this year. Yes I will have to redo the arduous task again next year but it should not be as complicated as this time. The results of this are that firstly I'm legally allowed to live and work in Slovenia until November next year so this is a massive answer to prayer. It also means that I'm legally allowed to leave the country which I hadn't been able to do for the last 2 months. This is important because obviously I'd like to get back to the UK for Christmas. Despite the raft of new restrictions the UK has brought in, everything is booked and planned. I'm praying that I will get the results of my Day 2 PCR test before Christmas Day. For those of you in Swindon, I'm planning to be at church in both the morning and the evening on 2nd January before I fly back to Slovenia on 3rd.

Apart from today's excitement, the last 3 weeks have been quite interesting. I was due to write last week but put it off because I was waiting for some news. 2 weeks ago I fell off my bike during very wet weather and badly bruised my leg. It was so bad that on Tuesday I had to go for an X-Ray just to double check that I hadn't broken it. Technically I haven't had the results but having seen the pictures myself and after asking the technician what he thought, I'm pretty sure it's not broken. I was starting to get visions of a cast and travelling through an airport in a wheelchair but although it's still painful, it is a lot better than it was even 2 days ago.

Language school has still been going well but the subjects and demands are getting harder. Yesterday I had to write a blog post about the importance of bees and what we should do to protect them. Today I had to write a 5 minute talk about Emmeline Pankhurst. Both these subjects took a lot of thought and effort but I think it's good that I'm being stretched in this way.

Cornhill is also going well. Last week I gave my second talk of the year. I also found this a demanding talk to write as it was on a passage about divorce. This is obviously a difficult topic and I wanted to make sure that I spoke about the passage faithfully but also to deal with it sensitively.

Christmas decorations in my flat - I think I need some more!

So here I am sat in my Christmas decorated flat, listening to Christmas music, looking at the mounds of snow outside and planning my Christmas holidays, thankful to God that I have survived this first term back in Slovenia.

This will be my last post before Christmas and the New Year so I wish you all joy and blessing as we remember our Saviour who came into this world for our sake!

I will be writing my 2 monthly prayer letter next week. If there is anyone who doesn't receive it but who would like to, please email me at s.re.deacon@gmail.com

Dramatic Happenings...

Almost as soon as I published my post 2 weeks ago, the government introduced slightly stricter measures here in Slovenia. For me it's only had a small impact, the biggest of which is that we're no longer supposed to have private gatherings. This has meant that my choir has been cancelled for the time being and the Ladies' Bible Study that had been happening in my flat has gone back to zoom. There are several other new rules but nothing too drastic unlike our neighbours to the north (Austria). Despite this I think it may just be a matter of time until some sort of lockdown is introduced if cases continue to rise in the same way.

The other dramatic event also happened almost 2 weeks ago now. My neighbour's house caught fire! No one was hurt and I understand the building is still habitable as most of the fire was in the attics. I live down quite a small road and I have often looked at this house from my window (it's almost directly opposite but just slightly down another street) and admired it. It was quite a surprise therefore to hear lots of sirens and to see the street filled with fire engines. I think I counted about 7 of them! I am very thankful that no one was hurt, it definitely could have been a lot worse. It was difficult though to watch it all unfold (I had little choice since it was right outside my window and the noise was really loud) and to know there was nothing I could do to help. It's good in these times to know that there is One who can help and can comfort those strangers in a way that we can't.

Other than these things, life has gone on pretty much as normal for me. Today I went with my language school to visit a cave in Slovenia. Slovenia has many caves, about 14,000, and lots of them are open to tourists. It always amazes me that God chose to even make difficult places, underground places, beautiful. This cave, Županova jama (The Mayor's Cave), was discovered in the 1920s and has 6 large chambers open to the public. It was good exercise, my friend described it as her leg day, but it was also beautiful to see God's creation 35m below the surface.

There's a concept I learnt about at university called Uniformitarianism. It's the theory that the earth and its geology was formed by long, slow processes and that what has happened in the past will continue to happen in the future. When I looked at these caves today I was reminded that despite everything that's going on around us, God continues the same. God is the ultimate example of uniformitarianism. He was good in the past, he is good in the present, and he will continue to be good in the future. The world may be chaotic and dramatic around me but I have hope because I know that God will continue to be in control of all things. His creation shows us that!