Coping with the Coronavirus Threat in Slovenia...

 Today is a miserable wet day here in Ljubljana. This morning I was sat in my room reflecting on the first few verses of Psalm 37 which say: ¹ Do not fret because of those who are evil or be envious of those who do wrong; ² for like the grass they will soon wither like green plants they will soon die away. ³ Trust in the Lord and do good; dwell in the land and enjoy safe pasture. ⁴ Take delight in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart.

Now I know that a pandemic is not a person but I think the principle remains the same. We shouldn't fret because this time will pass. Instead, we should be trusting God and he will give us a hope and a future. It was at that moment that I looked up out of my window and saw that amongst all the greyness and the bare tree branches, one tree is in full blossom. To me this was a great picture and reminder that although the world around us may be falling apart, God always keeps his promises that these days will pass. His promises of hope and blessing are the anchor that we should be holding on to. We can trust him because he always has and always will do everything that he has promised.

It's in that perspective that I want to explain what the situation here is like. Since Slovenia is a such a small country it's not making any news headlines, but in case you have forgotten, we border Italy. Until a couple of days ago there was still a lot of cross border movement! The situation here has changed a lot and very quickly within the last week or so. The first case was confirmed on 4th March and as of today (13th March) the number is 141 with thankfully no deaths. Now in absolute numbers this doesn't seem too high but that's 67.8 cases per million. In context, China is currently on 56.1 and the UK is on 12. 

This isn't all my food...

Whilst the likelihood of me catching it is still quite low, I am feeling the effects of it. Some of my friends and family in the UK have had to self isolate (although as far as I know none of them have it) and our flat had our own mini panic earlier in the week although it turned out to be a false alarm. We haven't been panic buying (although one of my housemates did insist that we have enough toilet paper (!)) but we've tried to make sure that we are stocked up and prepared for the almost inevitable lockdown. 
Lots of restrictions have now been put in place. Gatherings of more than 100 people are banned which meant that a youth conference due to happen tomorrow has had to be postponed until October. All schools and universities have been closed and it looks like further measures will soon be introduced. Yesterday I got the news that all church activities have been cancelled at least for 2 weeks and that we should be restricting meetings with other people. Well, that's pretty much my entire job. Thankfully we live in the age of easy contact via the internet and I have arranged lots of Skype meetings, including my language lessons. That's the benefit of having a private tutor! I'm also very glad I have housemates, I think I may have started to go a bit mad if I was stuck in a flat by myself for 2 weeks! Don't get me wrong, we still have freedom of movement for the time being but I don't think much will happen. Everyone is very afraid of catching it and giving it to someone they love who may get very ill from it. There's definitely a sense of worry and guilt here.

My situation is not the same as those in Italy by any means but it feels like we're on the edge of that. To make things worse, Slovenia doesn't actually have a government at the moment. Please be praying for the leaders here that they will have wisdom in how to deal with the situation and that the health system would be able to cope with the massive pressure it will be put under. Most of all, please pray that we would remember not to fret but to trust God and in his promises!

Let it Snow, Let it Snow, Let it Snow...

Ok that might be a bit dramatic, we haven't had that much snow but this last week it's definitely felt like winter again. The weather here has been pretty mild and I thought that maybe spring was coming early. Not yet, at any rate! These last two weeks have been quite quiet but still very enjoyable for me. Last week was a school holiday so many of my regular meetings were cancelled. It was very encouraging though that the teenage girls all still wanted to meet up to read the Bible together despite them being on holiday and could easily have wanted to stay at home.

This last week has been a really good week for me too as my sister and her husband came to Slovenia, partly to spend time snowboarding, partly to spend time with me. I spent a great day up the mountain on Saturday, seeing a new side of Slovenia as I have never skied or s
nowboarded before (I still haven't as I spent the whole day in the cafe!) Our time together, however, was shortened a bit after they had adventures driving up a mountain and decided not to risk it again. This meant that although I couldn't see them every day, it gave me time to finish all the work that I needed to before we took a mini break to Lake Bled on Wednesday and Thursday. That was when the snow really came and gave a fairytale quality to the mountainous region we were visiting. It really was very beautiful.

Although the last couple of weeks have been a bit easier for me, it was nice to have a little break. I also met with the other leaders of the youth group and we were able to plan what we will be doing this next semester and to start to think about plans for a spring camp as well as one in summer and the possibility of taking a group of our teenagers to the concert in Hungary I was talking about in my last post. It all looks very exciting. I'm also quite excited about the topic we will be studying this term. Some of you may well have heard of the book God's Big Picture by Vaughan Roberts. It has now been turned into a video course complete with a Bible study which is available for free online. We're planning to translate the questions into Slovene but will have to cope with the videos themselves in English for the time being. Please be praying for this and for the teenagers as they look at the overall story of the Bible.

Thank you all again for your continued prayers and other support. I really couldn't do it without you all. I'm still in the position where I need to raise financial support, especially for next year but also for my long term ministry but I can't yet confirm what my plans are. I'm sorry for continuing to be vague but I would be very grateful if you would be able to help me in this way. If you feel that you would be able to help support me in this way you can either email me at s.re.deacon@gmail.com or click the donate button on my ECM worker page: https://www.ecmi.org/en/worker-detailpage/01441085-2cdb-4671-88d5-488b3c3c7ef1
Thank you all again for all the ways that you continue to support me, whatever they look like.

This is the Day 2020...

This last week in Slovenia we had a very exciting event. Last Sunday night (9th February) there was a big concert/ worship session in the middle of Ljubljana with some quite famous names in the world of Christian music. Martin Smith, of the band Delirious? and Noel Richards along with some more local musicians played in one of the large concert venues in the city. This was the first ever event of its kind in the country and 1,100 people packed in to listen and to sing praises to our God. Let me put that into context for you. There are approximately 2,000 evangelical Christians in the entire country! 

The event was put on in collaboration with a Catholic group (although the event itself wasn't Catholic) which helps to account for the large number but still this was a great opportunity to praise God and many people I knew, or was somehow connected with, were able to attend. One girl I was stood with said to me afterwards that she couldn't believe that we'd been able to have such an event in Slovenia and why couldn't it happen every night!

The reason this event even happened in Slovenia needs a bit of background information. Apparently for the last 20 years or so, there has been an event in held in Hungary called Ez Az A Nap or This is the Day. Lots of different Christian artists have been part of this event and this year is no different. In July they are hoping to fill a 70,000 seater stadium in Budapest. As part of the efforts to encourage people to come to this main event, they are playing concerts in the surrounding countries. In Slovenia they only had 3 weeks notice! I still can't believe how they managed to pull it off and that so many people came.

My view of the stage

I'm trying not to make this into a concert review but it really was such an encouraging evening. One of the highlights of the night for me was when Martin Smith started singing one of his songs in Slovene (he did really well too!). As I've said many times, the language here is such an important part of the culture which is one reason why I'm trying so hard to learn it and to communicate with people in their own tongue. Seeing and hearing Martin putting in the effort to praise God in the Slovene language really made a big impact on the people in the room. I had the opportunity to speak with him briefly after the concert (I happened to be in the right place at the right time, I wasn't stood there waiting for him or anything!) and thanked him for making that effort. Overall it was great seeing so many Slovenes come together to hear about God and praise him together.

I'm hoping that we will be able to talk about possibly taking some of our young people to the main concert in July so please be praying that we will be able to sort out the logistics if possible.

Apart from this event, my weeks continue as usual with my many Bible studies and one-to-ones. Although not as dramatic as a big event, these meetings continue to encourage me as I see the people I work with wrestling with big questions and wanting to know God better. Topics and questions this week included the Trinity and the Doctrine of Election, so only small topics then! Please continue praying for the people and the church here as they seek to faithfully serve God in their different circumstances.

Please also keep praying for me and for my future plans. If you feel that you are able to support me financially please take a look at my worker page on the ECM website: https://www.ecmi.org/en/worker-detailpage/01441085-2cdb-4671-88d5-488b3c3c7ef1
or email me: s.re.deacon@gmail.com. Thank you all for all your prayers, love and support!

Finally Back in Slovenia

I can't believe we're already a month into the New Year! January seems to have flown by. I feel like I've literally been flying everywhere. As you probably know, I returned to Slovenia on 1st January and after only 2 weeks, flew back to the UK for a conference. Some of you might remember that I went to a Women in Ministry conference run by the Proclamation Trust last year. Last time I went with the Australian missionary from my church but as that family returned to Australia in the summer, this year, I went by myself.

It was a great time of fellowship and teaching but also just feeling like I understood everything that was going on around me. We were looking at Old Testament Narrative, what we can learn from it and how we can teach it to the people we work with. I learnt that a massive 52% of the Bible is narrative but people often neglect teaching it as it is seen as more difficult than the gospels or the letters for example. If we ignore it, though, that's a huge part of the Bible that we are ignoring. I learnt a lot and really appreciated talking with many women who have much wisdom to impart. I was also able to catch up with people I had met last year and talk through how things have been going both for me and for them in the past year. It was a great time of refreshment and a reminder of how big and good our God is.

During my time in the UK I also appreciated having a few days with my parents. Although I had a good time with them at Christmas, it was nice to have a more relaxed time without worrying about getting a million things done.

I arrived back in Slovenia late on Monday night and it's taken a few days to feel like I've got back into the swing and routine of my life here. As much as I had a really good time in England, I'm grateful that I can now focus fully on my work without the disruption that travel brings. Unless an emergency happens, I'm not expecting to go back to the UK again until I move back at the end of August. I will be having visits from my sisters and my parents at different times over the next few months which will be a good break from my routine but I won't be the one needing to travel!

Once again I want to thank you all for your continued support and prayers. I appreciate every single one of you. Although I am still unable to reveal my plans for the future, I will need to raise financial support both for this next year and hopefully the future. If you feel like you would be able to support me in this way please take a look at my ECM worker page: https://www.ecmi.org/en/worker-detailpage/01441085-2cdb-4671-88d5-488b3c3c7ef1. Also if any of you would like to receive my bi-monthly prayer letter, please email me at s.re.deacon@gmail.com.

Into the New Year...

Slovenia from the air

So far 2020 has been very busy, hence why I haven't written a post in a while. I had a great time in England spending time with all of my family. Thankfully I had safe journeys and all the travelling went well. As much as I enjoyed my time back in the UK, it has been good to get back into the swing of work. Last week I started a new one-to-one with a French girl who became a Christian just before Christmas. The first session was very encouraging and positive and I look forward to being able to meet with her regularly. We've started off by using the Uncover series of books. We're studying Uncover Mark and amazingly I was able to get access to a copy in French for her to use. This has added to my work load but I really enjoy it and obviously it's a really important part of my work here. Please be praying for her as she starts to tell her family and friends and shares the gospel with them too. It was also encouraging that she brought her four year old son to church with her on Sunday.

Next week I will be attending a conference for women in ministry. It is strange to be going back to the UK so soon after Christmas. I went last year and was annoyed about the timing but I felt like I benefited a lot from the teaching and fellowship with other women in a similar position to my own. This year we will be looking at Old Testament narrative and I need to prepare the basics of a Bible Study on 1 Samuel 1. I look forward to getting to grips with the passage and to thinking more about this large part of scripture.

Today has been tinged with a little bit of sadness. I've booked my flight back to the UK in August when I will be leaving Slovenia (The prices were too good to pass up). It's still 8 months away but I'm sad thinking about leaving. Things are not yet confirmed as to what I will be doing next year but obviously I will let you all know as soon as I do. Sufficed to say I'm hoping to return to Slovenia long term. The truth is, God is in control, and I plan to go where he leads me.

Christmas Events...

I know I'm fairly late in writing this tonight (if you've even noticed) but I wanted to wait until I came home from the youth group Christmas party which was tonight. I was in charge of organising it all and I think it was fairly successful. Activities ranged from making antlers from balloons and tights to making a trailer for a Christmas film. We also had a talk on why we celebrate Christmas and we ended the evening with a Secret Santa type game. Although it was a lot of work to organise it all, I had great fun doing it and I hope the teenagers also had fun.

The last two weeks have been fairly busy for me in the run up to Christmas. Just after I wrote my last blog we had a Ladies Christmas Craft Evening where we sewed these lovely tree decorations. I also gave my first talk entirely in Slovene. Granted I had to read it from a piece of paper but I still think it's a step in the right direction. We sang carols together and generally had a good time of fellowship.

In Ljubljana we've also had our first snow of the season. It came down very heavily for two days but didn't last too long. Strangely enough, two days later it was 15 degrees and the snow pretty much disappeared. It's been too warm since then for any more. I can't say I'm too disappointed. Whilst I like the idea of snow and it all looks very pretty, the reality is that it is cold and wet and get absolutely everywhere when you have to get on with your normal life. Unlike in Britain where a small dusting means that schools are closed and the trains all stop working, people here are prepared for winter and just carry on.


Well I'm nearly at the end of my year's work. I just have a few more things to do on Sunday, including meeting up with a French girl who only became a Christian a few weeks ago! After that I'm on holiday and back in the UK for 10 days. I think I'm managing to meet up with most people and all my family. I will be in Swindon for the whole day on 29th December so I'm hoping I'll be able to see many of you then.

This will be my last post of the year so I would like to take the opportunity to thank all of you for your continued support and prayers for me during this time in Slovenia. I hope I will soon be able to announce what my plans are for the next year. In the meantime, please be praying for safe travels and a good and fruitful time when I'm back in England.

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year everyone!

Decorating for Christmas...

Lights in the centre of Ljubljana

I am so thankful that the month of November is finally behind me and I can look forward to all the excitement that this time of year brings. Yes I admit it, I love Christmas. Not quite so much as my sister though. I'm going to embarrass her here by mentioning that she texted me very excitedly to let me know she'd found a Home Alone t-shirt in a charity shop and that she was going to wear it whilst we watch the film together (this is something we do every year). When I told her I wasn't going to do the same - mainly because I don't want to, but also because it would be pretty much impossible for me to find one here - she told me that I just wasn't committed enough.

That being said, the flat was decorated as soon as I possibly could after the 1st December. This, however, has led to a series of harmless pranks between myself and my housemates. It started because 2 of us were doing the decorating and the 3rd was out. We didn't quite know what to do with the last few pieces of tinsel so we decorated the 3rd girl's door... She then got her own back... I'm sorry for the quality of the photo, I hadn't even realised the tinsel was there until I switched the TV on. My other housemate then moved it back to the door and then mysteriously it disappeared until I came home this morning to find it in my doorway. Now magically it has moved to the other housemate's door. I don't know how it could have got there... (she's not actually home yet so I'm hoping she doesn't read this before she sees it!)
It may only be a small thing but I suspect that this moving tinsel will keep us all amused for the rest of the month!

I also enjoyed going to see the lights being turned on in the centre of Ljubljana last week. It makes such a difference to the atmosphere here. I have been told that the month of December is when Slovenes will make the effort to be happy and enjoy themselves. It is very easy to be affected by the winter months here. It's been so grey for the last month that I was genuinely surprised to see mountains when it became clear again this week. I had actually forgotten that they were there and usually visible from my road.

I am thankful to God that many of the trials that I was facing last month have started fading away. For those of you who were wondering, my thumb is slowly getting better with very little help from the doctors. Feel free to ask me if you want to hear the end of the saga. My new(ish) bike is working well and although I used it last night, when I came back to it there was a layer of frost on the saddle so I think it is now time to put it to bed for winter!
Not everything is perfect and not everything has a simple solution but I am thankful for those of you who have bee remembering me in prayer.

To finish, I have some very exciting news. God has been working in such a great way in Slovenia over the last few weeks. 5 people have accepted Christ as their Saviour within the space of two weeks. This is almost unheard of here. Firstly, praise God for the work he is doing! Please also be praying for these new believers and the people around them, that they would be growing and would be supported in their faith. It would also be great if God continued to work in the same way and more people came to know him. Thank you for your prayers, please keep praying for the people and country of Slovenia. For all the fun I have here, my main reason for being here is to help people get to know God better. Please pray for my work but also the work of all the churches and missionaries here.