Entering the Christmas Season...

We are definitely heading towards Christmas season here in Ljubljana. Whilst most days are grey and miserable, we do still get the occasional bright blue skies. On those days it still amazes me that I can look down the street and see mountains so close!

Things are getting busy as we prepare for our Christmas activities. One role I have taken on this year is that of Nativity Play co-ordinator. This is even more complicated than it would be under normal circumstances (which is probably why we haven't had a Nativity for a few years). In church we have a number of children who are English speaking. However, we are a Slovene speaking church. We therefore want to be able to produce a play where the children can understand what they're supposed to be doing, and it needs to be understandable for the congregation. The solution we have come up with is to have one of the Slovene teenagers act as a narrator and have all the children mime and act out what is happening, without having to say anything themselves. We had our first rehearsal on Sunday, with the aim of performing it twice, once on 21st December and once on Christmas Day itself. Whilst I'll be there for the Sunday performance, I will be back in the UK for Christmas. Fortunately I have several people willing to help out and to take over when I'm not there. Please pray for this event, and especially for the children. One boy in particular has the most to do and is quite nervous about his role.

Another aspect of Christmas prep is the music in church. In previous years one lovely lady has had all the responsibility of organising it all since no one else had the ability to lead. This year we are blessed by people who are able to play the piano and are willing and able to help out. I have been involved in choosing the songs for the next month and I will help with leading the singing in church.

Of course there are all the fun things that come with this season (of course I'm not implying that the things above aren't fun!) We will have a trip to the Christmas market in Salzburg, I'm involved in Christmas concerts with my choir, and of course the youth group will have a Christmas party!

As you can see, this next month will be full of extra activities on top of my normal ministries. Please be praying for all these events, and most of all, please pray that we wouldn't lose sight of the real meaning of Christmas - celebrating the birth of our Lord Jesus Christ!

It's A Bit Early For Snow...

I know it's been far too long since I last wrote, but if I'm completely, not a huge amount has happened in the last couple of months.

This morning I had a little bit of a surprise when I looked outside and there had been a sprinkling of snow overnight, it still feels too early for snow!

It's hard to believe that it's nearly the end of November and soon the run up to Christmas begins. In fact, it's already started. In my choir we've started practicing carols and I've started to prepare for a Nativity Play for our Sunday School to perform in church. This term is certainly passing by very quickly!

In youth group this term we have been looking at the book of Ephesians, which has been a great encouragement. I've continued meeting with two of the teenage girls one to one. Because of their other commitments (and constant tests in school) we can't meet every week, but we meet as often as possible. With one girl we have been working through a Bible Overview for the past year (with stops in Ruth and Esther) and this week we finally reached the New Testament! With the other girl we have been looking at the book of Romans. It is a great book but it is certainly challenging and so we've had good discussions about the great truths Paul teaches.

Since summer a small group of us involved in ministry have been meeting every two weeks to talk about ministry in Slovenia and what that looks like. We have been reading the Bible together as well as reading through some Christian books. I've realised that it is very easy to become blind to a lot of the things around us. It's been challenging but good to have new people come in and ask questions about why things are as they are. My church is definitely going through a time of transition and so it's helpful to think through a lot of the questions that are coming up. It's important to ask the question - is this Biblical or cultural - do things need to be changed, and if so why, and what to? Please be praying for the church as we work through these kinds of questions.

In other news, my arm is an ongoing saga. I am still seeing the physio regularly and still experience pain. I know I have some chronic issues, but I don't yet quite know whether this is just something I will have to live with, or whether it will actually recover. Please pray for me regarding this - it's draining to be in pain, and although it's not specifically affecting my work, it is affecting my everyday life and ability to do things I enjoy such as crochet and pilates. Of course I would love for God to take away the pain, but if that's not his will, please pray that I would have patience and to keep trusting God through the pain and frustration.

Starting a New Term...

I realise that a while has passed since I last wrote, and I apologise for that. Summer is always a weird time for me, and this year has been more so than usual. Summer is usually a time of extremes - I'm either incredibly busy, or it's incredibly quiet (whilst I recover!) This year has had the added complication of continued recovery from surgery.
After my surgery in early May I had to wear that large brace on my arm for 10 weeks 24/7 and then overnight for an additional 2 weeks. I've struggled most with my energy levels, but since it's been summer, thankfully this hasn't affected my work too much. I have also been seeing a physio twice a week for the past 6 weeks. My arm is now starting to look reasonably normal, and whilst it's still not completely pain free, it is definitely a lot better than it was. I am incredibly grateful to all the medical professionals who have been helping me over the past 9 months!

Despite the additional difficulties I've been facing, God has not stopped working here. Summer was a great time to build friendships and relationships with people. It was also a chance to explore some new parts of Slovenia I had never been to before. The picture is from Velika Planina, a beautiful shepherd's village in the mountains nearby.

Another joy of the summer was leading a small team to help with a Holiday Bible Club in Suffolk in the UK. This is the third time a team of us has gone, and it was a real joy and encouragement to rebuild relationships with the people there. For me it was a chance to remember how to work with 4 year olds - a little bit different to my normal work with teenagers. It was also great to see the Slovenes getting involved and helping out. There had been a few nerves on the journey there, but God answered our prayers and by the end of it, they didn't want to leave.

We're now starting what will sadly be the last year of our youth group. Three of the five teenagers will be graduating high school and so as it stands we don't have the numbers to continue. Please pray for me as I lead and make plans for the future. Please especially be praying for these young people as we study God's word together, that they would be growing in theit knowledge and faith, and that God would be glorified here in Slovenia.

Remembering Who Jesus Is...

Yesterday we got home after spending 4 days in this beautiful location on youth camp. As many of you will know, camp is my biggest event of the year, and work on it starts in January. This was my third year organising camp, and I feel like I've finally got into the rhythm of how it goes. My first year, I was so stressed trying to make every thing perfect, and then got upset when things didn't go to plan. Last year, I was in the sad situation of dealing with grief and a trip to the UK for two funerals directly before camp started. I didn't have the time or energy to micromanage everything, and so I was forced to let go and just trust that things would work out. In his great mercy, God blessed our time last year, and I learnt that I didn't need to hold on to things quite so tightly. I also faced additional challenges this year with the surgery on my elbow, but I learnt from last year, and worried about the things I could control, and didn't stress about the things I couldn't.

I am so thankful for all that God did at camp this year. We were looking at the I Am statements from John's gospel, and it was such a great reminder of what Jesus says about himself. It was such a great encouragement to me as I was preparing the Bible studies, to see what Jesus says, and how he proves it with his actions. It was also really encouraging to see the young people, listening and getting stuck into the Bible. In total 27 people went to camp, including 14 teenagers (aged 11-20), 3 languages, 6 nationalities and 3 churches. We had a couple of new teenagers come this year and they settled in really quickly. In a small country like Slovenia, these young people don't know many other Christian teenagers and so camp is a really good time for them to come together and encourage one another. Please pray for all the young people who came, that they would remember what they learnt and that they would keep looking Jesus - the bread of life; the light of the world; the gate; the good shepherd; the resurrection and the life; the way, the truth and the life; and the true vine.
 

Preparing for Camp...

This year has gone so quickly, it's hard to believe that school has finished, holidays have started and there's only a week until camp starts!

The end of the school year went well, although many of the young people had tests and exams, which of course was very stressful. The last couple of sessions were led by the church intern. When I first moved to Slovenia I was meeting her one to one every week. It's great to see how God has been working in her life and leading her into ministry, at least in the short term.

My recovery from my surgery seems to be progressing but it feels very slow. I still have to wear the robotic looking brace on my arm, and as the weather has been getting almost unbearably hot (30+ degrees every day!), it's been more and more uncomfortable. I should only have to wear it for another couple of weeks but then the physio and rehab will begin. Please pray that I would continue to have patience with this process, especially when it's painful and uncomfortable.

Once school ended, I took the opportunity to have a holiday with some of my family in Albania. It's a very beautiful but needy country. It was lovely to see my family and enjoy quality time with them. It was also really nice to have a break before the next few weeks of crazy busyness.

Now that I'm back from holiday I'm straight back into work and preparation for camp. We have 14 young people signed up and this year we will have people from six different countries (leaders included). These young people are from two different churches and are aged between 11 and 20. We will be looking at the I am statements from John's gospel. I have already prepared and translated four Bible studies and now I need to work on a talk. Please pray for me and for the other leaders as we finish our final preparations for camp. Please also pray for us at camp. We will be at a new location this year (and I personally have not been able to visit the site) so it will be interesting to see how it will all go. Please pray for our safety and for everyone to have a good time. Most of all, please pray that the young people would be learning more about God and wanting to have a personal relationship with him. It's been really encouraging for me as I've been digging deeper into these passages and seeing how Jesus' words completely line up with his actions. Please pray that we would all be encouraged as we see how Jesus is the Bread of Life, the Light of the World, the Gate, the Good Shepherd, the Resurrection and the Life, the Way, the Truth and the Life,  and the Vine.

Learning to Live with Limitations

Almost a month ago I had surgery on my elbow. As it was the second time I had torn the ligament in my elbow, this time they had to take a tendon from my knee and graft it in. A month later I am still, unsurprisingly, still dealing with the ramifications of this. I still get tired easily, I can't stand for too long or walk long distances, it's painful to use the stairs. And that's without the fact that the surgery was on my right elbow (I'm right-handed!). I have to wear this terminator looking like brace for at least another month, and yes, I have to sleep with it on!

Despite all of this, I have been so grateful for the prayers and support of so many people and it has been a good exercise in patience for me! There's so much to be thankful for, not least skilled and caring health care professionals and a loving and supportive church!

Last week I started slowly to get back to work. I am by no means at full capacity and I doubt I will be for a while. I am grateful that all this happened towards the end of term when things are starting to slow down for summer. However, I do have a lot of work to do to prepare for youth camp. It's actually happening a week later than it has been for the last few years, and I'm grateful for the extra time for preparation.

This year camp will be from 14th-17th July and once again we will be in a new location. We will be looking at the I Am statements of Jesus from John's gospel thinking about what Jesus claims for himself. Please be praying for all the preparations and for the young people who will come. Please also be praying for me and my continued recovery, that I would have wisdom how to use my time and that I would get everything done that I need to. Please also be praying for me as I write one talk and 4 Bible studies, that God would be glorified by all that we do and say as we seek to teach these young people more about him!

In God's Garden

The last few weeks have been fairly busy and stressful. In the middle of April I flew to Spain for the ECM Biennial, which had the theme of In God's Garden. We got to stay in this beautiful hotel right on the beach, we just had to be careful that we weren't blown away by the wind. As I was on the planning team for the Biennial, it was not exactly a restful holiday! It was great to see friends and spend time with people, but I did also spend a lot of my time on the info desk or running around making sure that everything related to the seminars was going to plan (which it didn't, but God was gracious and it all worked out anyway!) During my time there, I was reminded that this is God's world. We don't proclaim a message that Jesus is missing, but that Jesus has risen. When things seem hard, he is still Lord and has power over all. Despite the busyness and running around, I was really encouraged by the teaching through the week.

When I returned to Slovenia it was back to work for a week before the school holidays. I also had lots of communication with the hospital about having surgery on my elbow. I am due to have this surgery this week - 8th May, to repair a torn ligament. Since I will have to take time off work, I have been trying to get things as prepared as possible. I have also almost filled my freezer with meals since I don't know when I'll be able to cook for myself again.

It's been a very strange period of time for me - times of stress followed by times of rest and quiet. It's also been strange since my life hasn't been following its normal pattern for about a month due to my time away and then the holidays. I know that it will be quite some time before things feel normal again

I am very grateful for all the love, prayers and support I have received from so many different people at this time. Thank you to all of you who are, or will be praying for me this week. I know that the surgery is in God's hands and I know that I have many people here who are willing to look after me and help me. Please continue praying for the work that is being done here - for the weekly youth meeting and the start of preparation for camp. Please pray that I especially will remember that it is God's work and that even when I have to step back for a bit, God is still working here!

Who is This Man?

Recording Jesus calming the storm in lego

Last weekend we had a very exciting event. For a second year we had a youth away day and invited young people from different churches around the country to come join with us. This year we had 24 young people, from 4 different churches, aged between 11 and 20. (We also had 5 different nationalities when leaders were included). The theme of the day was Who is This Man? We looked at Mark's gospel and thought about how Jesus shows that he has power over every aspect of life.

The young people were split into 5 different groups, and each group were given stories from Mark, and they recreated them, using whichever medium they preferred. Amazingly each groups chose something different. We had lego, shadow puppets, a comic strip, playing cards and a traditional drama. Each group filmed their work and at the end of the day we all sat down and watched the full production. I then closed the day with a short talk reminding them that Jesus is the Son of God, the one with power to save us from our sins.

It was such an encouraging event. It was great to see the young people coming together and working on their different projects. Not one person knew everyone there so it was a good chance to meet new people and to encourage existing friendships. Of course I could not have organised this without the help of a great team of leaders, and of course, all credit should go to our great God and Saviour.

Thank you to all of you who were praying for this event. Praise God that we had so many young people there - I was starting to worry that we wouldn't actually fit in the building! Praise God that they were all engaged and listened well at the end of the day. Please pray for these young people, for those who do not yet know God, and for those that do, that they would all be growing in their relationship with him, and that they would continue to want to know more about him.

Now that we've had this away day, my focus has now shifted to the ECM Biennial which will be in Spain in 2 weeks time. Please pray for all the last minute arrangements and details that need to be sorted. Please also pray for safe travels for the 600 or so people who will be joining us there.

Thinking about the Shepherd-King...

Sheep blocking the road in north Wales

As you may be aware, since Christmas we've been studying the book of Zechariah in youth group. It's been a really encouraging series as they've been learning and thinking about how the Old Testament points towards the New Testament and to Jesus. This was very clear in the study we had tonight. We were looking at chapters 9-11 and it's amazing just how clearly it points forward to Jesus. There were audible moments of realisation when they started to understand the links, firstly between Jesus as the true shepherd - the leader who will care for his people in the right way, and secondly between Zechariah throwing 30 pieces of silver to the potter and Judas' blood money being returned to the priests and them using it to buy land from a potter.

Tonight was such an encouraging study. Sometimes youth work can feel like a lot of hard work. They're all really tired from long weeks at school and sometimes they just don't want to be in a Bible study. Tonight they were all really engaged and happy to read the Bible. After thinking about the fact that Jesus is the shepherd-king, we then thought about what it means for us. It was so great to see them thinking about what it meant for them personally. We all know that sheep can be stupid, can be led in the wrong direction, or can just be really stubborn. I'm not surpised that the Bible chooses this picture to talk about us. We need a leader who cares for us but who will lead us in the right way so that we can live in peace with him forever. This is the great picture that Zechariah gives us, and I'm just so encouraged that the young people understood this tonight!

Nex Saturday we will have our youth away day. We currently have 14 young people signed up aged from 12-19. Please pray for this day as we think about who Jesus is. Please pray for me as I finish the final preparations and practice my talk in Slovene. Most of all, please pray that the young people would grow in their relationships with God as they learn more about him.

Is that a potato temple?

You may be wondering why I chose to use a picture of potatoes in my blog. Well, if you can't tell, this is a potato model of the temple! Over the last few weeks we've been looking at the book of Zechariah in youth group. Last week we were thinking about the idea of the temple being rebuilt and God crowning a priest as king. I can't claim credit for either the idea or the execution of the potato temple (and also potato priestly clothes), but it's been great to see the young people start to get to grips with an unfamiliar part of the Bible, how it points forward to Jesus and how it affects their lives.

The last few weeks have been reasonably busy, but thankfully a bit quieter than January! The major piece of news for me this week is that I received my residency permit. This is a massive answer to prayer and means that I am now able to live and work in Slovenia until February 2027. Thank you all of you who have been praying about this. It didn't quite take the 6 months that was predicted, but the wait was still reasonably long.

Life here has been continuing pretty much as normal. We have started seriously thinking about and planning both our youth away day and our summer camp. Unfortunately for a variety of reasons we are unable to go back to the location we were at last year. This is a real shame as I really liked that centre, and I'd hoped we wouldn't have to do the search all over again. Fortunately we seem to have several options and it looks like we'll be able to go to one of our other favourite options from last year. We're hoping to book this next week so please pray that it will still be available and that the process will go smoothly. Please be praying for all of our plans in general. After last year, when many things happened that were out of my control, I have learnt to hold things loosely, and to remember that God is the one who is in control, not me. Please pray that I would continue to remember this!

 Next week is half term and I am looking forward to the break and the chance to rest. This half term has definitely had its ups and downs, its joys and its challenges. I know that the next few months will be increasingly busy with the youth day in March, the ECM Biennial in April and camp in July, alongside all of my weekly ministry responsibilities. Please pray for energy and as I've already said, that I would remember who really has it all under control!

A Busy Start to the Year...

 

Happy New Year everyone! OK, I know I'm very late with that. The weather in Ljubljana continues to be grey and cold but we do have occasional glimpses of sun/ light, for which I'm very grateful.

By the late nature of this post, you may be able to tell that I've had an incredibly busy start to the year. Firstly, I was in the UK for a lot longer than usual. This was a real blessing to be able to spend more time with my family and friends. I then travelled to the Growing Young Disciples conference in Staffordshire. I wasn't really sure what to expect from it, but it was such a blessing and encouragement. I had had a few difficult weeks in the run up to Christmas (and then managed to get ill over the New Year!) and this was such a time of refreshment and preparation to go back to Slovenia. It was amazing how many people I bumped into that I knew, including my dorm leader from camp 20 years ago!

In a slightly crazy move, my journey back to Slovenia included a 6am flight and youth group the same evening. I was present in body, I'm not so sure how much I was in mind! It's hard to believe that I've only been back for two weeks. I have been so busy with meetings and extra responsibilities that I'm almost ready for another holiday. Lots of this work has been related to ECM and especially with planning for our Biennial conference which is now only a few months away. Please be praying for us as we prepare and help to lead and serve those in our organisation from across Europe and the world.

After all the extra meetings I've had in the last two weeks, things should start to calm down a bit now, for which I'm very grateful. My normal work keeps on going and soon we will be starting to prepare for our youth away day in March and for our youth camp in July, as well as a possible trip to England to help with an HBC again in August.

Finally, please pray for my health as I currently have a couple of little niggles. Some of you will know that I needed to have surgery on my elbow 7 years ago. Well I managed to reinjure it over Christmas and it is still sore. Please pray for wisdom as to know what to do with it.

I also had a minor bike crash last night. I was in the cycle lane and someone walked right in front of me without looking and it was too late for me to do anything about it. I am very grateful that neither of us were seriously injured, but I am a bit sore today after the fall. Praise God that it wasn't serious, but please pray that I would ache less very soon!

Thank you as always for all your support and your prayers!

December and Christmas Activities...

I know everyone always says it, but I can't believe that it is Christmas next week!  Ljubljana is always beautiful at this time of year with all the lights, but somehow this year it feels more magical than usual. This week some of the ladies from the Bible study group went for a walk to see the lights around the centre and it really was lovely - both the company and the lights.

The last few weeks have been pretty busy. With my choir we've had two concerts this month and in each one we were singing for an hour. I'm glad I still have a voice left! I've also been fairly busy preparing for the youth group Christmas party which we had last night (20th). We joined again with the church from Domžale and had 15 young people. They were split into groups and had a series of activities to complete in as short a time as possible. We then had food together whilst the pastor of the chuch in Domžale gave his testimony. It's a pretty incredible story and goes to show that God can reach anybody and work miracles in their lives. We then played White Elephant Secret Santa so that everyone was able to go home with a gift. Please pray for the teenagers who came and heard how God worked in Goran's life. Please pray that God would be working in their lives too.

After a busy term, I am looking forward to having a break before the work starts again next year. Please pray for me and the work here as we seek to glorify God and to help young Slovenes learn more about Him.

I wish you all a Merry Christmas and a good time celebrating the birth of our Lord!

Well into Autumn...

 

Ok, so that's a photo from last year, but we have had a little bit of snow this year... I just didn't get a photo of it.

Things here in Ljubljana seem to have settled down into some sort of regular rhythm. It's definitely getting colder and greyer so everyone is looking forward to the holiday season. For most of the young people, this is a very stressful time of year. They tend to start having tests in all their subjects on everything they've learnt since the beginning of the year. This has affected my one to ones a little bit since they need more time to revise and prepare. Please pray for these teenagers as they face all this stress! They also have to go to school everyday until Christmas Eve - it's so different from the UK and I always feel so sorry for them when I remember what the Christmas season was like for me when I was in school.

Since half term we have been looking at the Solas from the Reformation in our weekly youth group. This has been a good opportunity to cement in the ideas of Scripture alone, Christ alone, by grace and through faith alone. Last week we had our second meeting in Domžale. It was a bit stressful to prepare for since we didn't know how many young people would turn up since we'd had 20 last time. This time it was definitely advertised as a Bible study rather than a social which we'd had last time. In the end we only had one extra girl. It was a little bit disappointing but I know that a few people cancelled last minute and some were affected by the snow. We have another Bible study there next month. Please pray for us as we prepare since once again we will have no idea how many people will come. Please pray for the young people in Domžale, that they would want to hear the gospel and learn more about God.

I continue to be kept busy with my work for ECM. Thankfully this should quieten down until next year. As you may be aware, I am leading the group that is organising the seminars for our conference next year. I am very grateful that we have now finalised the seminars and the speakers. Please pray for the continued planning and preparation for next year, that it would be a blessing to the people who will come and that it would be a good chance for fellowship and rest.

Thank you so much, as always, for your continued prayers and support for my work here in Slovenia!

Working Together...

Last Friday, 25th October, we had a very exciting event. It was our first joint youth meeting with the church in Domžale. On a usual Friday evening we get about 6 or 7 teenagers regularly coming to our youth group in Ljubljana. I was expecting that maybe we would have 3 or maybe 4 young people from Domžale come join us for a social evening. Amazingly we had 20(!) young people turn up, plus leaders. It was more than any of us had expected. We quickly ordered more pizza, bought more drinks and just enjoyed the time together. It was just a social evening and by no means do I expect all 20 of these young people to start attending our youth group, but it does show the need for something for the young people in Domžale. We used it more as an opportunity to hang out with them and to tell them about our regular meetings. Please pray that some, if not all, would be interested in coming and learning more about the gospel. Many of the people who came were non-Christians and so it was a good opportunity for our youth to spend time with other teenagers. Thank God for this amazing answer to prayer and how the young people responded. Please continue to pray for this opportunity, and especially for the next meeting in Domžale on 22nd November. This time it will be a Bible study so we'll see what difference that makes to the numbers.

This last week has been half term here in Slovenia. My parents came to visit for the first time in a couple of years, so it was lovely to spend time with them and to explore more of the country. We especially enjoyed the good weather and a trip to the coast. It's hard to believe, sometimes, that this is still Slovenia!

My normal activities start again next week. Things have felt very busy for me over the past month or so, please pray that I would have the energy and the brain space to do everything that I need to. Please continue to pray for the work here and for all the young people I work with. Please pray that God would be working in their lives and that his name would be glorified here in Slovenia.

 

They're Finally Here...

L-R Me, Terence, Bethany, Josh

It's taken a couple of years but my new Australian team have finally all arrived in Slovenia. They have all come with ECM and will all be based at my church, REC, for at least the next two years as they settle into life here and learn the language and culture.

After so much time planning and preparing, it's great to see how God has answered prayers and led them all here safely. It will be a new experience for me, having other ECM workers around and helping them as the navigate life and beuracracy here. Please pray for them all as they settle in, and for me as I help them to transition and that we would all be able to work well together.

Speaking of beuracracy, yesterday (7th) I once again had to start the application process for my residency permit. I was quite proud of myself since it was the first time that I went and applied totally by myself. It's always daunting since most of the time the officials refuse to speak in English. Fortunately the appointment went fairly smoothly and my application is now in. Unfortunately I was told that it could take six months to approve. Despite this, I understand that I should still be able to leave the country during this time and so my Christmas plans are unaffected. Please pray for this whole process, that it would go smoothly and that it would be a lot quicker than the estimated 6 months!

My workload has definitely increased this term. I now have three regular one to ones each week as well as the usual weekly youth group. In exciting news, we have now made the decision to trial working alongside a church in the nearby town of Domžale. Once a month we will hold our youth group in their church building in the hopes of making it more accessible to more young people. Our first joint meeting will be on 25th October. Please pray for this initiative, for all the people involved and especially for the young people. Please pray that God would be glorified by this and that more young people would be able to hear about Him and the great things He has done.

Thank you for your continued prayers and support, praise God for new workers who want to serve Slovenes, but please continue to pray for the work and for the people here.

Coming to the End of Summer...

The last few months have been quite strange ones for a variety of reasons. I took the opportunity during the summer break to travel a bit and to rest before the start of what I know will be a very busy period of time. I enjoyed a week back in the UK after travelling there by train and by bus (it took 39 hours if you were wondering). It was definitely an adventure despite the fact that all the border controls were required in the middle of the night!

The end of summer brought two exciting events. Firstly we, as a church, celebrated the baptism of two ladies. After church one (very hot) Sunday we travelled to a nearby lake (pictured). One lady has been coming to the church for a couple of years but has been facing opposition from her family. Please pray for her as she continues to witness to them. The other young lady is someone I have had the privilege of seeing grow up in the church and in her faith. Please be praying for her as she is about to start working as an apprentice this year with the church and with the local IFES group.

The other exciting event was the church weekend away. We were joined this year by a group from a
church in the UK and spent time looking at some Psalms of lament. We were reminded that these Psalms call us to Turn, Complain, Ask and Trust God when we are in times of difficulty. Despite the fact I was a bit ill with a cold, it was a great time of fellowship and encouragement.

Summer has now started to come to an end and the weather has started to cool down - frankly that's a relief! The young people have started back to school and so my normal termly activities will start again next week. This year I will be meeting with three teenage girls one to one - two I've already been meeting with regularly, the third has just started high school so I will be starting with a Bible Overview with her. All three have grown up in the church, please pray for them and me as we meet regularly and that they would be growing in their faith.

Finally there is one more big change in my work life that is about to occur. The three Australian missionaries who have been planning to come to Slovenia for the past year are finally arriving in the next couple of weeks. This will obviously be a massaive change for them when they actually get here. They will all spend the next couple of years in language school. Please pray for them as they transition and for all the paperwork to be sorted out smoothly. Please pray for me as I seek to help them settle in well and support them over the coming weeks and months. Thank God though that there are people willing to come and serve here, who want to help the people of Slovenia hear about God and learn more about him. Please continue to pray for the country of Slovenia and for all the work that is being done here.

Keep Trusting God...

The last month and a half have been very difficult ones for me and my family. The end result was that the day after the last youth group of the term, I had to fly back to the UK for two funerals. I then returned to Slovenia the Friday before camp started.

To be honest it's all been a bit of a whirlwind. I am so thankful to all the people who have been praying during this time. God has answered so many prayers during this time and I'm so grateful to Him for all He has done.

Camp this year seemed to have so many more challenges than usual. We had to find a new location, it was more expensive than previous years, we didn't have enough people apply, I obviously was not able to prepare in the way I had hoped, and to cap it all off, the car I was travelling in broke down 15 minutes away from the site. It's times like this when all you can do is to trust God! Despite all these difficulties, camp went really well! We had 12 young people aged between 12 and 21. The new location was so nice and just worked really well for us. It was a luxury compared to previous years - we had proper beds and food was prepared for us! This meant that we had more time to be able to hang out and build relationships with the young people. The staff at the site also seemed to be really happy with us as a group, which is obviously a great witness.

This year, the theme of the camp was living by faith from Hebrews 11. I had chosen this theme a year ago, actually the day before the previous camp started (I already have a plan for next year now as well!). I had no idea how much thinking about these things would help me as I have been dealing with the difficulties facing me and my family. It has been a great reminder that despite challenges, despite difficulties and sadness, God is still faithful and he always keeps his promises!

We had a great time, the young people seemed to enjoy it and most of all, God was glorified. Finally, the car was miraculously fixed in time for us to travel home yesterday. Such an answer to prayer!

For now, I need to settle back into life in Slovenia after the whirlwind of sadness, travel and camp. I think I need to sleep...

Remembering to Live By Faith...

Many of you will know that it has not been an easy time recently for my family. Sadly, things have only got worse over the past couple of weeks. Please be praying for me and my family, that we would be trusting in God and knowing that he has everything in his hands.

Despite these challenges, life and work continues here in Slovenia. The next big event for us is our summer camp in July. A few of us were able to go and visit the new site last week. This is a picture of the lake next to the centre we will be staying in (the water stays at a constant 8° so I'm not sure there will be much swimming!). I was so encouraged by this visit, and I'm so thankful to God that he answered our prayers to find a new suitable location. The staff were so friendly and welcoming and I have every confidence that it will be a great place for us.

The theme of the camp this year is "By Faith", looking at Hebrews 11 and how people through history have trusted God and how he has been faithful to them. If you know anything about this chapter, you'll remember that it mentions heros of the faith like Abraham, Moses, David, Daniel and many others. This week as part of my preparation I was listening to a talk by Rico Tice about the end of the chapter, the part that many people forget about because the list of people has ended. Through the chapter the author of Hebrews has shown how God miraculously saved and led people but Rico pointed out (quoting from J.I Packer), that if we stop reading at the end of verse 35, then our theology is hopelessly skewed. Verse 36 talks about others who faced hardships, who suffered, who were tortured and who died because of their faith. We often want to place ourselves in that great list of people, but often, we find ourselves included in with the "others". This might sound really depressing, but actually this was of great comfort to me this week. Life is not perfect, we all go through hard times, but this does not mean that we give up hope or faith. It doesn't mean that God has lost control, it just means that we need to keep turning to him. We need to keep living by faith and running the race that God has set before us, because we have a great hope and future waiting for us.

Some of our friends and family may reach it before us, but in the meantime, I will continue to look to God, to trust him despite the hardships, because I know that he has it all under control.

Refreshment in Serbia...

On Wednesday I travelled for about 6 hours to Serbia for a gathering of gospel workers from across the whole region. I've never been to Serbia before so it's been quite interesting seeing the differences with Slovenia. There are still signs of the war around, for example this communication tower is next to the hotel we're in. It was bombed by NATO in 1999 and it's estimated that 50 missiles hit it!

What's amazing to me is that this gathering is made up of people from Slovenia, Bosnia, Croatia and Serbia (plus a few from Northern Ireland and other countries). Not so long ago these people were on opposite sides of the war but they have been brought together by the gospel of Christ and the desire to make his name known in this part of the world. The world may try to divide us but the gospel unites us. 

It's been fascinating to me how much Serbian I'm able to understand. Yesterday I even found myself interpreting for a lady speaking Serbian in a small group conversation! It's been a good time of building relationships and hearing how God is working in many different contexts. 

Tomorrow I will be travelling back to Slovenia, another 6 hour journey plus a couple of border controls. Please pray for safe travels for us all. The next few weeks will be quite busy as I start to focus on preparing for our youth camp in the summer. Please be praying that God would be at work and would be giving me the words to say as I prepare talks and Bible studies. 

 

Nice Weather then Snow?!

Life in Ljubljana over the last couple of weeks has felt a little bit strange. This probably has a lot to do with the weather. Last week and weekend we had highs of 30 °C. It was so nice I was able to work outside and then suddenly on Tuesday it snowed! This has definitely been a bit unsettling. It has also been a strange and sad period as I've tried to be there for a friend who is going through a very difficult time. Despite all this, I have been reminded of the heavenly home that waits for us and the great hope we have in Christ.

Youth work has continued much as normal. It has been exciting to have a new teenager start to attend our weekly meetings, well, he's come twice. Please be praying that he continues to come and want to learn more about the gospel. Please be praying for these young people, that they would be speaking to their friends and inviting them to our youth events.

We have also started properly planning for our youth camp in the summer. Please be praying for those of us who are preparing talks and Bible studies. Please also be praying that lots of young people would want to come. As we are in a new location this year, and we're not camping, we've had to commit to pay for a certain number of people. Please pray that all of these spaces would get filled!

Thank you all for your prayers and your continued support!