Yep We're Still At Home...

Life moves very slowly when you're stuck inside doesn't it? To be honest, as I sit to write this post there's not much new to say. We're all doing our best to keep healthy and protect the most vulnerable people in society. Here in Slovenia it feels like we're almost coming to the end of the lockdown. More shops have started to open and many more restrictions will be lifted on 4th May.

Many of you will know that I was quite worried for Slovenia as a country at the beginning of the outbreak - we neighbour Italy and lots of people were travelling back and forth across the border. We can praise God that a big outbreak never materialised. The most new infections in one day was 70 which happened a few weeks ago. Since then the numbers have been kept very low. Of course there is always the worry that we'll get a second wave but I'm trusting God with whatever happens. 

I'm definitely grateful for the internet and the way that I'm still able to connect with people during this time. I've been keeping busy with preparing and leading studies each week with some of the teenagers in the church. I also made a video last week about my life in lockdown so email me at s.re.deacon@gmail.com if you would like the link for that.

I think what I've appreciated most about this time has been the ability to spend time with and getting to know my housemates better. We definitely all have our quirks but I have to say that I'm the only one in the flat who didn't want to be involved in making an advert for our mop... (Yep, there is a video out there about the joys of using our mop!) We've all had our ups and downs during this period but it's been great knowing that they understand and that we can support each other through the frustrations of this period.

I have to say I'm really looking forward to just being able to see a different part of the city! When this lockdown ends I'm planning on enjoying the country as much as I can before I leave for the UK at the end of August. Who knows what type of country I'll be returning to...

Reflections on Good Friday During a Pandemic...

We're all living in a strange time, a time that we could never have imagined even two months ago. When tragedy comes, and this is a tragedy, it is important to stop, think and reflect. This period has given some people more free time, more time to spend catching up with family and loved ones, time to do those little things they never were able to do before. For others, this time is frantic, scary and full of stress. For those of you who are key workers, I join with many others to say thank you for the hard work you are doing at this time.
Despite the busyness and stress many may be facing today, it is still important to stop and think, even if only for a moment, about what today means. Two thousand years ago a group of unremarkable people also had their world turned upside down. They were scared, devastated and just seen their whole world changed. They were so scared that they too locked themselves away to protect them from the the outside world. They had just seen their leader killed and they themselves feared facing death. It sounds very familiar doesn't it?

One can't help but notice that if the disciples had just listened a little bit harder to what Jesus had told them whilst he was still alive, they would have realised that this was not the end of the story and that God was working through the cross to defeat sin and death. If they'd listened to Jesus, they wouldn't have been so afraid of what was to come. I think the same is true for us today but with one major difference - Jesus has already defeated sin and death, we know the end of the story.

This pandemic is making many people think about their own mortality, think about what the world will be like when all is said and done. We can all see the problems in this world and whilst we are seeing a lot of good in people, we are also seeing the bad - the selfishness, the greed, the self interest and the lack of care for others. Good Friday reminds us that this is what Jesus came to deal with. He came to sort out a broken world and broken people.

Trusting God and asking for forgiveness is not a desperate act. It's not about being frightened into doing something no logical person would choose. It's about looking at the world around us, looking at ourselves and acknowledging that this is not right, we are not right and that only God can fix it all.

We may still be concerned about what the future brings and when we will be allowed our freedoms again but if we just stop, think and listen to what Jesus said then we can be reassured that God is still in control and if we trust in him, we have a certain hope and a future waiting for us.

Coronavirus, Snow and Good News Within the Darkness...

We're now nearly three weeks into our almost lockdown here in Slovenia. It's amazing how people adapt to the new normal. I don't know how many other people have experienced the sensation of watching TV that was obviously filmed ages ago and felt nervous that so many people were standing in such close contact! I'd like to welcome people in the UK to the lockdown party, I'm not sure it's a party I want to be in but I'm going to reiterate what many, many people are saying: STAY AT HOME! It's for your own good as well as for the good of everyone else around you!
This week I braved going to the supermarket. You can see that here we're quite good at the social distancing thing. It took 20 minutes to get inside and before we were allowed in we had to have our hands sprayed and everyone was given a pre wiped down trolley. It was a bit of a surreal experience.
From what I've seen, people in Slovenia are better at keeping the rules than those in the UK. At the moment we seem to be keeping the situation under control. Yes people are still getting sick and dying but it's a completely different situation compared to that just over the border in Italy. I'm sure many people are joining together in praying that this will all end soon.

As I already worked from home, my life hasn't changed too much. I'm able to conduct most of my work over the internet and most of the church groups are now happening online too. Until this last week the weather was nice enough that people were able to go for exercise outside. I live very close to the river and so I've been trying to get fresh air there, of course following all social distancing guidelines. What no one expected (ok I guess meteorologists may have done) was that it would snow this week! Last week we had temperatures of 20 degrees celsius which suddenly dropped to 2! Anyway, this has meant that more people are staying inside and that's probably helping things in all reality.
For me, I'm staying in good spirits although occasionally, within the last two days, I've started seeing signs that I may need to get outside for my own sanity. Yesterday I honestly had the thought "fish must be really fit since they have to keep swimming all the time..." One of my housemates and I have also been playing the game 'hide the balloons in the other's room.' We've had to get quite creative since we're both inside most of the time. Last night, however, I dreamt that she put them in my bed with me whilst I slept! Thankfully it wasn't real (I hope I haven't given her ideas!) but it is a sign of what's uppermost in my mind. I've also taken to building a work nest on my sofa. Everything I could possibly need is right there within reach!
Again, I'm praying that this all ends soon.

Despite these hard times, God is still in control and has not forgotten us. He is still working in the lives of the people I work with and I continue to be encouraged by the young people I meet with every week.
I've also seen God working in my own life, smoothing the path for when I return to the UK at the end of August. I have been accepted into the Cornhill Bible Training Course in London starting in September. I will also have a placement at my sending church in Swindon and so I will be moving back there for the next year. I know that many of you support me in prayer for which I am very grateful and without which I couldn't do the work God has given me. I do, however, need to raise financial support both for this next year in the UK and for the future when I hope to return to Slovenia. God has already been answering many of these prayers, making all of this possible but if you feel that you would be able to help me in this please either let me know by email: s.re.deacon@gmail.com or by visiting my ECM worker page: https://www.ecmi.org/en/worker-detailpage/01441085-2cdb-4671-88d5-488b3c3c7ef1
Many thanks to those of you who already give or support me in various ways, it is really appreciated and once again I couldn't do this without all of you behind me.

Just to finish off, since I feel it is my civic duty to do so: STAY AT HOME (unless you're a key worker, are getting groceries or are doing your daily exercise)!

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.