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!

Exploring Slovenia...

View near Lake Bled

I realise that I didn't put up a blog post last week when I was due to so sorry about that. Firstly I just plain forgot that I was supposed to be writing last week, and secondly, last week my parents were here visiting which meant that I took a bit of a break from my work.

It was half term here in Slovenia last week as well as in England which worked out very well for me. It meant that I got a break from both language school and Cornhill, my Bible handling course. (It also happened to be my birthday but that's just an aside!) These first few weeks have felt hectic at times trying to get everything done so it was good to be able to spend time with my parents and to show them parts of Slovenia they had never been to before. One of the highlights for me was visiting the arboretum. It was just amazing in the autumn colours and really made me grateful for God's wonderful creation. We also took the opportunity to go visit Lake Bled and the nearby gorge. Again, the weather was amazing and we had great views across the whole landscape.

Autumn in the Arboretum

Before my break two big things happened. Firstly, my language teacher had to withdraw from teaching the course because she needs back surgery. We now have two teachers on alternate days of the week. Whilst my new teachers are great, I do feel that we had all built a good rapport with the first one. It takes time to build that with new teachers especially when we only see them half the time each. At first I was a bit worried that it was going to be quite disjointed but having had them for 2 weeks now (1 each side of half term) I feel that we are starting to get into a good rhythm.

The other big thing for me was that I had to give my first talk of the year for Cornhill. For those of you who don't know, I have to prepare and give 6 talks this year, each on a different passage. Last year we stayed in the book of Colossians and worked on maybe 1 or 2 verses for each talk. By the end our talks had to last 10 minutes. This year we are working with larger passages and each talk is from a different genre of literature in the Bible. My first talk was from 1 Peter whilst my next one will be from the Gospel of Mark. Our talks also now have to last 12-15 minutes. It really does feel like a step up but I guess that's the point. I'm very grateful that I got positive feedback on my talk but I get the impression that my next passage will be a bit harder to work on. Please be praying for me in all these studies.

Finally, some of you may be wondering about the situation here in Ljubljana. The last two weeks have definitely felt a lot calmer than previous weeks. I'm sure there are still people protesting but it's nothing like it was the last time I wrote. That being said, cases are still rising here and numbers of vaccinated people is not increasing at any great rate. Praise God that the situation is calmer but please continue to pray for the Covid situation here as well as across the world!

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!