Hitting the ground running...

Police and tear gas in the centre of Ljubljana

So much has happened in the last two weeks that it's hard to know where to start. As I wrote last time there have been protests in Ljubljana every week for the past month. On Tuesday last week different EU leaders arrived in Slovenia for a summit to discuss the entry of Balkan countries into the EU. The protestors decided to take advantage of the media spotlight on Slovenia. I won't go into the details but sufficed to say the police used tear gas and water cannons again. Unfortunately for me, I happened to be in the centre of Ljubljana that night for a choir practice. As we cycled together to practice, my friend said to me "are your eyes stinging?" The tear gas the police were using spread throughout the entire centre and permeated the building we were in. It was an interesting rehearsal with the sound of the police helicopter reverberating around and our throats and eyes being affected by the gas. None of us knew exactly what situation we would be going out into when we left. Fortunately the streets had quietened down at that point and although there were lots of police officers around I got home easily. There was another protest this week on Wednesday but it was quieter and much more contained than the previous couple. I expect these protests to continue so please keep praying for the country and the political situation here. 

As for me the last two weeks have been non-stop. I started my language course and I'm really enjoying it. I'm in the top group and there are only 4 of us in the class in total. It's hard work but I feel like much of what I had learnt previously is coming back to me. With my language classes, homework and Cornhill work I certainly have enough to keep me busy but I'm enjoying everything I'm doing and I feel like I'm learning lots. This next Wednesday I need to give my first talk for Cornhill this year. It's on 1 Peter 4: 1-11 if you're interested. Please be praying for my preparation and that I would be learning from the feedback I receive. 

On top of all this I'm still dealing with all the practical issues of moving to a new country. I've had fun organising the shipping of boxes and they've mostly arrived in one piece! Last Friday I attended an interview at the town hall to file my application for residency. It was a bit more complicated and stressful than I was expecting but the application is now in and so I just have to trust God and the process. I have a very official letter that says I'm not allowed to leave the country until I get an answer as to whether my application has been accepted or not. This shouldn't be a problem although I am praying that it will be organised sooner rather than later as I would like to be able to go to the UK for Christmas. I have been told that it will take at least a month but I'm hoping it won't be much more than that. 

It's hard to believe that I've been back in Slovenia for a month now. The time has gone so quickly and yet God has blessed me so much through his provision of accommodation and friendship and fellowship at church. Last night I hosted the Ladies' Bible Study (and will continue to host every other week). It was so nice to be able to meet in person and to be able to share what God has given me. Please continue to pray for me. Give thanks for all that God has given me but please be praying for me as I continue to settle in and deal with all my new responsibilities and workload.

Living in the New Normal...

Sunset from my balcony

Since I last wrote 2 weeks ago, things have gone a bit crazy here in Slovenia. I'm not going to try and give an opinion on anything that's happening only try and explain as best as I understand recent events. Slovenia currently has one of the highest Covid rates in Europe and as such has been put on Europe's dark red list (this is a different list to the UK one). As a result of high rates of cases and low take up of the vaccine, the government introduced new measures 2 weeks ago. Here it's called PCT (preboleli, cepljeni, testirani) and it essentially means that to use most services one has to prove that they have been vaccinated, have tested negative in the past 48 hours or have recently recovered from Covid. This affects everything from sitting inside in restaurants, to going to most shops to even meeting together as a church. As you can imagine there are a lot of people who are not happy with these new measures. Every Wednesday since they were introduced there have been protests and demonstrations in the centre of Ljubljana. The first one descended into a mini riot with police using water cannons and tear gas. The protest this week seemed to be even worse and lasted around 7 hours. They marched to different parts of the city but eventually they moved back to the centre. Some journalists were attacked and again police used water cannons and tear gas. I'm not sure how long it would have continued if that evening Ljubljana hadn't experienced one of the biggest storms for many years. According to Slovene news, more rain fell in a short period of time than had fallen in the previous 2 months combined. It was pretty impressive to watch! Anyway, this seemed to discourage the protestors and they eventually dispersed. I'm close enough to the centre that I heard some sirens and the helicopter flying around but it didn't affect me otherwise.

For me, the PCT conditions are more of an annoyance than anything. My NHS pass is valid here and most places just glance at it and it's all ok. However I'm never quite sure how the different security guards will react to it, especially if they try and scan the QR code, which won't work because it's not an EU pass. This led to me having an argument with one security guard. Eventually he let me in, mainly because he couldn't speak English, my Slovene was bad and I think he got bored!

Coffee on the hob

Apart from getting used to these conditions, I am feeling very at home back here in Ljubljana. I have been welcomed back by the church with open arms and it's been great getting to spend time with friends here again. I'm also getting to know new people and I have joined a choir. I'm looking forward to the opportunity to do something musical outside church and to get to spend time with non Christians. I continue to feel blessed by the flat I've been given and have been working to make it feel like home. I even bought a Slovene coffee pot so I can make it on the hob.

This week I started Cornhill online. It felt a little bit strange just watching videos and not interacting with people but I'm looking forward to getting stuck in. I also had a placement test for my language course which starts next week. I found out today that I've been placed in the upper intermediate class which I think is a fair reflection of my abilities. Please be praying for me as I start these courses, that I will be learning what God wants to teach me and that I would be a blessing to the people around me.

Overall, please be praying for the country of Slovenia. It's feeling very disunited and there are obviously strong feelings on all sides of the debate. No solution will ever please everyone but I really pray that God would be working in the hearts of people and that they would be able to come together peacefully to discuss the issues.

Arriving Back...

My new home

 I do realise that it's been about a year since I last wrote here on my blog and what a year it's been for all of us. I've spent the last year studying online in Swindon and working part time for my church there. It's been a good year in many ways despite all the restrictions. I really appreciated the opportunity to get to know new people in the church and to rebuild relationships with friends. Most of all I enjoyed spending what time I could with my family. It was a year of change for many of them as well. My parents moved out of the home I grew up in and bought a new house on the other side of the country to be nearer my sister. We also all welcomed a new baby (my nephew) to the family. This has really been a year of growth, learning and rebuilding relationships. Of course most things were affected by the Covid situation and it wasn't always easy but it's been great to see how God works even through the tough times.

As you probably already know, I have now moved back to Slovenia permanently. I arrived on Friday evening and some lovely friends collected me from the airport and took me to my new flat. I have really been blessed by this flat and I can definitely see God's hand at work in the process. I had been searching the internet every day since July to see what was available and what would be suitable. In my mind I didn't think I was asking for a lot. I wanted somewhere that wasn't too far out of the centre of Ljubljana, near good transport links, that had a separate bedroom, a place to work and an oven (amazingly many places I saw only had a hot plate). It would have been nice to have a balcony, air conditioning and a dish washer but none of those were essential. Most importantly it needed to be affordable. A friend of mine looked at a few flats but for various reasons none worked out.

I even get a balcony!

In the second week of August I still hadn't found anything and I went on beach mission so I was a bit distracted from my search. That week I got an email from a different friend who had heard that I was looking for somewhere. His former landlord had a flat just come available in the building he used to live in with his family. In fact another family from church still live in the building. Through this God answered all my prayers. That flat is now mine (if anyone wants the address then please message me) and it is better than I expected. It has everything on my essential and desirable list and it is exactly in the location I'd hoped to live.

My first few days back in Slovenia have been going well and it almost feels like I never left. I have started all the official procedures I need to do so please be praying for me as I try to navigate the system. It was lovely to go to church on Sunday and see everyone again. I truly felt very welcome and I look forward to settling down properly here. Now I just need to do something about this language learning...

Settling Back in the UK...

It's hard to believe that it's been a month and a half since I last posted and nearly a month since I arrived back in the UK. Many of you will know that the end of my time in Slovenia didn't exactly go to plan. Just under two weeks before I was due to fly my housemates came into potential contact with the virus. They immediately quarantined themsleves for two weeks and I was left in the difficult situation of trying to work out what was the best way for me to act. In the end I made the decision not to go on the church weekend away. I was very upset at the time as that was due to be the place where I said all my goodbyes. Fortunately I'd been able to spend time with people before we locked ourselves down so it wasn't as bad as it could have been. I also paid to get a test because I needed to know for certain whether I could fly or not. Thank God it was negative and so I was able to travel as planned. 

I spent the first week with my parents which was lovely. I was absoutely exhausted and drained from all the emotions of leaving Slovenia. Who knew that reverse culture shock can include tiredness above and beyond jet lag! I also spent the time dealing with all the practicalities of moving country and getting all my possessions organised. 

I have now been in Swindon for about 2 and a half weeks and I feel like I'm starting to get some sense of normality and routine. I'm sorry I have no pretty pictures this week. Swindon just doesn't compare to Slovenia. I've started my Bible course which is being held once a week over Zoom. It's been really interesting and helpful in the 3 sessions I've had but it's a long day on Zoom. 

Please keep praying for me as I still settle down into life and my new role here in the UK. Pray that I would be able to focus and study and rebuild relationships with people here. As the plan is for me to return to Slovenia next September, please also pray that I will be keeping up relationships with people there and the language I've learnt. Pray also that I would be able to raise the finances that I need but most of all that I would keep trusting God in all things!

Slowly Preparing to Leave...

Primož Trubar in Laško

It's been a few weeks since I last posted, I realise. After camp I needed a bit of time to recover and then last week I enjoyed a short holiday in a town not too far from Ljubljana called Celje. It's probably my favourite town in Slovenia and so it was great to be able to spend a few days there relaxing. I also took the train one day to a nearby smaller town and came across a statue of Primož Trubar, the Slovene reformer who wrote the first books in the Slovene language, To be honest it was the last place I was expecting to find a memorial to him...

The last few weeks have been a mixture of busyness and rest. It's all a bit strange really because everything is winding down. I feel like I should be working but actually most of my work has now finished. Next week I have my last language lesson, my last Bible study with one of the teenagers and last weekly meeting with a different girl. We then have our church weekend away and that will be the last big thing I am part of. This means that this Sunday will be my last time at church. Whilst I am very sad to be leaving, I'm trying to focus on all the good things that I will be going back to in the UK, not least being surrounded by people who speak English all the time!

I was talking with a friend today about I the practicalities and unknowns I face as I return. I have plans, contingency plans and contingency plans for the contingency plans! For those of you who don't know, my (second) flight back to the UK was cancelled and so I have now had to book a flight from Venice as there are no longer any direct flights from Ljubljana to London. This means that I have to fulfill the requirements to pass through Italy (which I only found out by chance yesterday!) as well as making sure I have the right forms for the UK. As it stands I will not have to quarantine when I enter the UK as both Italy and Slovenia are on the safe list but I can't take anything for granted. It seems that things change on a weekly basis and so I just need to prepare as best as I can and trust God that it will all go ok. As I was talking with my friend about this, I said well it's almost like moving to a new country where I don't speak the language and I'm not entirely sure what the plan is once I get there! At least with this cross cultural move I should be able to understand more of what's going on around me.

Even on a wet day Celje is still very pretty!

This will probably be my last post for a while as in two weeks time I will hopefully be sat in Marco Polo airport, Venice, as I wait for my flight. I probably won't post as often when I'm back in the UK but I will try and keep people updated. Please continue to pray for me as I leave and return to an uncertain situation, that I will keep trusting God for all things. Please also keep praying for Slovenia and for the church and work that is being done here. It is slow work but it is great to see how God has been working in the lives of the people I have met here over the past two years. It's been a great adventure but as I was reminded by my Bible study yesterday, the best is still yet to come. I may not know exactly what the next year in the UK holds for me and if and when I will be able to return to Slovenia but I know that God holds the future in his hands and He has promised a great hope and a future for those who trust in him!

Youth Camp, Getting Wet and Selling My Bike...

The campsite forgot we were coming...

I'm a little bit late with my post this time, there have been cries of "Shame!" but I think I've had a valid excuse. Last week we had our youth camp and to be honest I'm only just feeling recovered now.

There had been concerns that we wouldn't be able to go ahead with our plans but thank God, all went well and we had another successful year. We were camping next to the River Kolpa on the border with Croatia with 17 young people and 5 adults. It didn't start out particularly well since the camp site had forgotten we were coming and the area we usually use was filled with boats, cars and a digger! Fortunately it was all moved quickly and we were able to set up as usual. 

This time we were studying the book of Colossians and looking at how we can be rooted in Christ, keep growing in him and then showing the fruits of our faith. In the evenings we had talks by Peter, our pastor and in the mornings the kids all went off for Bible studies. I had worked with two of the older teenagers to write the studies and they did such a great job of preparing and then leading their groups. It was great to see how God is working in them and in the lives of the other young people there. It was also encouraging because we had two teenage boys from another part of Slovenia who are not from church backgrounds. They had come to camp in the past because they were good friends with the Australian missionary family who left Slovenia last year. It was great to see these boys come back even though the Australian family wasn't here.

Altogether we had a really great time together, playing games, swimming in the river, singing and of

It got a little bit wet and muddy!

course learning more about God. That was, of course, until the last night/ morning. We knew that rain was forecast and so we prepared accordingly. I was sleeping in my hammock again but I had not been informed by my more experienced co-leader that I needed to attach rope to my hammock ropes so that the rain would drip off that to the ground. Instead, I woke up at about 6am with a soaked back! At least my tarp worked and so I wasn't wet from above as well! I had also had a moment of stupidity the night before and left my waterproof shoes on the floor next to my hammock. Because they are gore-tex, the rain didn't just soak them, it left pools of water in each shoe! Sufficed to say everyone was a little bit cold, wet and miserable that last morning. It did eventually stop raining but I think everyone was looking forward to clean, warm beds.

Despite the weather it was a great camp and I know that I'm really going to miss all of these people here. The time is ticking ever closer. I have just over a month left here in Slovenia, that is if my flight isn't cancelled! I'm having to start organising my things and preparing to leave. Yesterday I had a bit of a stressful morning when I discovered that my bike had a puncture and I still needed to get to my language lesson. I got there eventually but decided today that I didn't want to deal with the hassle of fixing my bike when I was planning to sell it so soon. Therefore, today, I wheeled it to a bike shop and sold it. Part of me is happy that it's one less thing to deal with but another part of me is sad because it's another step towards leaving the place that has become my home.

My co-leader woke up to a pool of water on her tarp!

I know that it is the right thing to do, and also I don't really have a lot of choice in the matter, but it's hard to say goodbye even if it is only (hopefully) temporary.

I will lift my eyes to the Lord and keep my eyes fixed on him. I will keep on trusting in him and I know that wherever he leads it is for my good!

Finishing the School Year (and a Mini Rant About the British Foreign Office)...

This last two weeks have really been ones of closure and goodbyes. I've already had to say goodbye to two American families from the church. One family has moved back to the US permanently whilst the other is just there over the summer but they will return to Slovenia after I've already (hopefully!) returned to the UK. Many weekly meetings have also finished for the summer. These included the weekly Bible study, my ministry training sessions and the youth group. For our last youth group of the school year we had a Masterchef competition. We split them into three groups, older girls, older boys and a younger group. Each group had to make chocolate mousse and then the hard task of judging them fell to the leaders. Surprisingly, and with no favouritism or biased voting, the younger group won. They had expected to be in last place so it was very gratifying to see the excitement on their faces when they realised that they had won! We had great fun together but it was a bit bittersweet for me as this was the last one I will attend and be a leader of.

That being said, I am in full planning mode for our youth camp which starts on 14th July and lasts until 17th (I will probably be late with my next blog post due to exhaustion!). We will be studying the book of Colossians and looking at how we stay rooted in Christ, grow and show fruit in our lives. I have been working with two of the teenagers who will be leading the groups to help them prepare and write studies on each section we will be studying. Please be praying for this time together, that we will have fun and safety on camp but mostly that each young person would learn more about God and grow in their relationship with him.

Here I need to put in a warning that I am about to have a mini rant against the British Foreign Office. I try very hard to keep my posts on social media politically neutral but since this decision affects me personally and makes very little sense I am sharing it so you can continue to pray for me and for the situation. As I'm sure you're all aware I am moving back to the UK at the end of August. This has meant that I've had to follow the news very carefully to work out my travel plans and what will be required of me. Last week I had to deal with the news that my flight on 26th August from Ljubljana had been cancelled. I've managed to book a new flight with a different airline on 28th August so I'm praying that this one doesn't get cancelled as well.

Today the government published the list of countries that are exempt from quarantine from 10th July. Slovenia is not on it! This is despite the fact that we have lower rates of infections than our neighbours and they are all on the exempt list. Serbia and Croatia are currently the countries from which we are getting most of our imported cases. Yesterday Slovenia added more restrictions to non Slovenes crossing the border from Croatia. Yet both countries are on the list. I just don't understand! I can understand the need to be in quarantine especially if I was coming from a country with a high rate, but I'm not. If anyone has any ideas then please send all answers on a postcard. I'm genuinely confused and obviously a little bit upset with the situation. Please be praying for this situation. I will quarantine, obviously, if it's required but I'm hoping that it will change before the end of August. If I need to quarantine, then this will also restrict my parents to the house as well. It just adds another level of difficulty to my move from Slovenia to St. Albans and then on to Swindon. I just need to keep reminding myself that God has it all in hand and he knows exactly what is the best thing for me. If this means quarantine, then into quarantine I will go...