Travels in Europe

It has been far too long since I posted here. I have been meaning to post my journal from the Slovakia trip. Here it is! I hope it captures for you some of the emotional investment that was made in our two weeks abroad. I love these students, these leaders and this ministry. These entries were usually quick jottings at the end of extremely busy days (for a longer recap of the last day there, check my previous post). A few quick "glossary" terms:

Zilina: the city where we held our basic training before breaking off into individual cities for camp
TC Kompas: the training center through which all Josiah Venture's camps are organized
Presov: the city where our students are from, and where we spent the last couple of days of our visit
KECY: conversational English camps; this is the reason we go - to lend an American presence at these camps
Fusion: a new project from Josiah Venture; these camps are similar to KECY camps, but focus on music instead of English lessons
E-night: "Environment night"; these are essentially themed parties or group activities, done in the evening after our long day of lessons, sports and an evening message.
halusky: one of the "national dishes" of Slovakia. Just Google it; it's delicious.

For your enjoyment...Slovakia 2012:

Wednesday, June 27 – The first day. Always I find myself excited, but this morning I woke up with a strange feeling. Not foreboding, or anxiety, more of a realization of the current state of things. That when I next put my head to a pillow, it will be in a hostel in Prague, rather than the comfort of my own home.

Breakfast with the parents. Last-minute errands. Catching a few final sets of Wimbledon, before I essentially break off communication with the outside world. Once again, I learn the painful lesson of my reliance on technology, my need for connectedness, and how much I resist a similar reliance and connectedness with my Creator.

We meet at the church, and the pleasant chaotic dance ensues. Hugs goodbye, frantic final packing, instructions and advice shouted one more time for emphasis. Then piling into vans for the drive to the airport.

Not much else to tell today, just some final bonding opportunities, laughter and people-watching in the international terminal. And now, almost like a musical chord hanging across the day, I hear the resolution of my feelings from my waking moments: a complete peace, a full awareness and embracing of the journey at hand, a trust and joy that God has ordained the number for this journey, has tasked and gifted us accordingly, and has begun to prepare and stir the hearts of students in Slovakia. May we find boldness and confidence in the coming days, that we may obey the Great Commission and bring honor to His name. – DH

Thursday, June 28 – Today I woke up on a plane over the Atlantic. This was to be our primary travel day: a brief layover at Heathrow, a connection to Prague, and an afternoon to relax before a full day of seeing Prague on Friday. This plan was soon to dissolve, and in one of those ways that make it clear that God bestows His blessings in His own time, in His own way.

Our problems began as we approached London. We noticed the plane beginning to bank repeatedly, in the tell-tale sign of a holding pattern. We landed twenty minutes late or so, but hadn’t counted on Heathrow’s complex, spacious and – most importantly – time-consuming methods of connecting passengers. Long story short – we missed our flight to Prague! In those moments, it was difficult to see the “good” in this situation. All of us were thinking about luggage, how long we might be in the airport, and how many separate flights it would take to get us to our destination.

After about an hour at customer service, the news was a little better: Austin and Bryan would go ahead to Prague, while the rest of us would catch a flight early Friday morning. So, all of a sudden, we had a bonus on our trip: an afternoon in London! Anyone who knows me should be aware that I’ve always wanted to visit England. And while we’d lose some time in Prague, the trade-off was well worth it.

We visited Parliament, Westminster Abbey and Trafalgar Square. The busses, the accents, the streets and architecture – put me in this city anytime. London was amazing! Add it to the list of places I’d live in a heartbeat. Tomorrow: Prague, and a reunion with Bryan and Austin. – DH

Friday, June 29 – Today we took an early flight to Prague, then headed straight to our hostel to check in. Prague is a great city, beautiful and ancient. First of all, the town square and the castle in Prague are amazing. They say that Prague avoided much of the devastation of World War II, and also has never experienced a major fire. In short, all its old buildings remain intact. I literally gasped on a couple of occasions. The Church of St. Vitus must be seen to be truly appreciated. The rest of the day was spent wandering the city. – DH

Saturday, June 30 – What a day! God is so faithful. We had a quick breakfast in Prague, then made our way (via tram and subway) to the train station. We even had 11 whole minutes to spare! The train ride was mostly uneventful (though hot). I did get a chance to talk with Brad about a few specific things that we felt could be changed for future trips. Brad, Birch, Jeremy and I had a nice prayer session right in our seats, and immediately felt better about things. I like to encourage by nature, so I was ready to get back to that.

After we reached Zilina, we had a nice dinner and caught up with old friends (Mike, Jany, Eva, plus the interns). After dinner, a brief training session and, of course, a trip out for zmrzlina (ice cream)! The highlight of the night was meeting Duraj coming back from the train station. Love that kid!

There was a team of Norwegians also at TC Kompas tonight, helping with Fusion, so we headed to a local hotel. Talk about weird! The front desk guy was suspicious, the rooms were threadbare, and to top it off, the circus was in town and camped next door. Elephants and giraffes in Slovakia!

Best thing, though, was getting to chat with Bryan. We stayed up until 2am, just like old times. We discussed our plans, weaknesses, and tons of other things. We even prayed for each other. I felt the best I’ve felt since Day 1. Bryan and I needed a reconnect. Tomorrow: We get to see Anka and the whole Presov team.  – DH

Sunday, July 1 – Ugh! A day of sweat. First, our training sessions at Kompas. These were almost identical to last year. With a warm room thrown in, it was nearly impossible to stay awake. I nodded a couple of times. After lunch, it was another brisk walk to the train station – where we again got to wait about 45 minutes for our train! Finally we boarded, and the heat was on – again.

So the thing about today was that we hiked to the station – then cooled off. Changed trains for another train ride – then cooled off. And took a bus for another hour. The sweat was caked on me, and I’m sure I looked (and smelled!) as bad as I felt. Still, nothing compares to the moment of reunion.

David and Milos were two of the first to reach us at the car. They hugged me like I was the driest, freshest-smelling thing there was. So great to be with people who truly love who you are. After I thought I’d greeted everyone, I heard screams from the top of the stairs. I turn to see my little sisters, Andrea and Monika, barreling towards me. They both hugged me so tight at once. Katie said it was the sweetest thing she’d ever seen (but she might say that a lot).

After a quick dinner, we had a devotional and some great worship time, and lots of prayer. We had a lot of prep left before the kids arrived, but the excitement and expectations were high. Time for a shower! – DH

Monday, July 2 – I feel like I’ll combine a lot into these next few days, or at least keep each entry much shorter. Not because there was less going on, but frankly, because I haven’t had free time to touch a pen since our students arrived. There are a lot of them (nearly 70!) and they’re amazing.

Today we did an intro circle video with everyone, and I was the cameraman. I’m no Nathan, but it seemed to go well. Then I was asked to help assess the English level for each student, along with Bryan, Tracy and Jeremy. At the time, I was so nervous about doing this well (although since I’m writing this after the fact, I can tell you that we actually got it pretty accurate). – DH

Tuesday, July 3 – Our first full day with students. English went really well, even though my kids spoke a LOT of Slovak (I’ve got the beginners again). One of my “students” is 23 and coaches volleyball; another is the tiniest 13-year-old girl I’ve ever seen. Could be interesting.

Tonight we celebrated 10 years of KECY. A birthday party was the E-night theme. Fun, lots of dancing, and I’m soaked through again. It’s going to be a gross week! P.S. Mike brought Ryan over from Kosice to give us an extra English teacher. – DH

Wednesday, July 4 – With Ryan in camp, Katie is rolling. Hannah is right in her element, and the rest of the team are veterans, so it’s all good. Plus Mike and Chris are here, so everything just feels like it’s running smoothly. 

Tonight was American Night, which meant doing my play. Everyone did SO great. I was so proud that people embraced it, made the parts their own, and really seemed to like it. I’m so arrogant about stuff like that, but I have to be honest: between the play and the English lessons (with Tracy), I really feel I contributed a lot this year in the planning. – DH

Thursday, July 5 – ALL-DAY HIKE!! I’ve been excited but nervous about this for two years, mostly because I’m so out of shape. And parts of it were definitely tough. But there were stations and activities throughout the hike, and it wasn’t so bad. Tiring, but healthy. And even better: my team clicked! Oh, it was like magic. Today, they all started trusting each other and me. Over the course of the day, I spoke one-on-one with Lutia, Maja, Miro, Alzbeta, Vika, Ivka and David. David had NO English background, so it’s really hard with him. But man – everyone wants to talk now! What a pleasant breakthrough day. Other notes: Natalka arrived from Japan (love her!). And E-night was blah (Roman theme). – DH

Friday, July 6 – Not a lot to report from English and sports today, other than my group being vibrant and connected. We are the “Smurfs” (from our assigned team color of blue), and we do an amazing team chant which includes the Smurfs’ song! We have also created an invisible pet dog named Sarik and an invisible “water pig” named Pixy. (No, no one knows what a “water pig” is: translation error!)

Tonight, Maruska shared the gospel. We had the “Labyrinth” set up for students to walk through and think about things, then come in to pray with us. I was again fortunate to be included in the prayer room (though many would end up praying outside with Hannah and others). I was fortunate to pray with two students: Thomas and Jozef. Thomas had a lot to say. Jozef just had questions, lots of them, and no Bible to look for the answers. (quick note: he had one before we left!) All in all, a tremendous night! – DH

Saturday, July 7 – Last day of English. We hit it hard, lots of vocab and talking about it. I really feel like I’ve never had a small group like this one. I’m going to miss them like crazy. Miro and Maja, who were the two most on my heart, both went into the prayer room last night, as did Lutia. This was also my night to give testimony, along with Bryan’s talk. I think I did okay, although it’s weird when you don’t have a “dynamic” testimony. Afterward it was “boat night” – fruity drinks and dancing. I ended up lying in a circle with Ivka, Addy, Mims, Dominika, and Zuzka, singing until almost 2am. It was peaceful, touching, and beautiful. Unforgettable last night of camp.  – DH

Sunday, July 8 – Last day in camp. One morning “big group” meeting, then it was picture time and packing. But this year, we actually took the busses back to town with the students. And knowing that we’d see most of them at the farewell party made it much easier.

Tracy and I stayed with Duraj and Vika, who live with their mother and grandparents. What a nice family! They fed us wonderfully (brinze halusky!) and toasted us with champagne. Then we took a little walk through their village (Zdenov). Jany Simocko and Daniel Harcar are both from there as well. We watched storm clouds roll in across the huge green hills and we had to cut our walk short. Not a moment too soon. As soon as we got back home, the heavens opened. Wind, rain, lightning – this was one of the more intense storms I’d ever seen. As we headed into town, there were dozens of downed trees, and the power was out. Vika told us this kind of weather is extremely rare here.

We spent a fun evening with several of the students at McDonald’s (I could actually eat this year!), just relaxing and talking. We got back to the village at a decent hour, then drank Coke by candlelight and stayed up a while longer, talking and laughing. An early bedtime was a welcome change, and needed for the busy and painful day ahead. – DH 

Broken Words and Broken Hearts

On Tuesday, I returned from my second mission trip to Slovakia. While my trip last year was amazing and eye-opening in its own way, this year's trip was simply incredible. I am having trouble completely processing it. I'm not sure I will ever completely process it. This writing is merely a first attempt, a leap off a cliff with an uncertain landing. I'll be putting my journal from the trip into electronic form and posting it somewhere here,  but for now, I wanted to give more of an overview of what God did and continues to do through our time in eastern Europe.

First of all, the synergy between the Slovak leaders and our American team was palpable this year. In our first sessions together in Zilina, we had some worship time together that was simply unforgettable. The burden of God's call on my life was never felt so strongly, and I didn't find out until later how many others in our group were in tears, just as I was. Surely there is no worship so true as when your context fades around you, and you are simply before the throne. The stage had been set, and we were ready for a week of making God's great name known.

Once we arrived at the camp, I was greeted by all the leaders I had worked with last year. It was so encouraging, and put me in a great frame of mind for the students to arrive. That evening and the next morning, we made final preparations for the students to arrive. I'll say it here to save saying it later: the level of preparedness from both teams was off the charts this year. I know many people will talk about not boxing in the Holy Spirit and being flexible, but there is a lot to be said for having the little things all taken care of. I like to think of it this way: we're clearing off the dance floor so the Spirit can move freely!

The next day, the students arrived. I hardly have words for our students this year. We had nearly 70 kids, and it was a much younger group than last time around. But from the beginning, they seemed ready to open up to us. By the first night, one student had already shared with me about his tortured relationship with his father. My English group connected within a couple of days, and began having meals together and sitting together at any group events. I’ve grown close with individual kids at camps plenty of times, but I don’t think I have ever had a small group feel like a family this way. Perhaps most moving was David, a 23-year-old in my group (and an exception to the youthfulness of most of the camp) who had never taken an English class in his life. It turns out he was already a believer, and he helped to galvanize our group with his energy and his enthusiasm for both our lessons and our team activities. It caught me unaware and melted my heart when, on the last day of camp, he told me, with some effort, “God bless you.”

That is perhaps the best way to segue to the end of the camp. The emotions I’m working through this year are even stronger than last summer. Knowing how many of these kids have made a decision to follow Christ, or to rededicate themselves to him, it’s extremely difficult to then leave them behind. While the Slovak leaders in Presov are an amazing group, many of these students bond in a special way with the American team, and for me, I could hardly fault them for feeling a sense of abandonment. All we can do is continue to point them back to Christ, encourage them to join small groups in the city, and lift them up and stay in contact via Facebook. Above all, I am painfully aware of the need for believers to have a strong support structure.

Still, my connection with Slovakia has grown infinitely stronger. The last night, we had to wait until after 2am for our bus to arrive. Many of the students stayed with us for as long as they could, and it seemed like every 15 minutes, one of my kids had to head home. Each farewell was like tearing open the same wound, with no time to heal in between. Julo…Janka…David…Kamila…part of me wanted it to just end, while deep down, I knew I wanted to spend every waking moment with as many of these kids and leaders as possible. When our bus finally came, the final separation was like nothing I’ve ever had to deal with. Monika…Milos…Andrea…Marianna…I found it almost impossible to pull away. In that moment, nothing felt as much like home as that little café in Slovakia. Marianna’s pleas for me not to cry were most certainly futile; on the bus, the floodgates opened as if they could never be closed again. Only sleep brought any peace, and I am only now beginning to revisit these feelings, to embrace them.

For what else can I do? While God showed me many things this week and challenged me in exciting new ways, perhaps the most visible lesson was learned in those last few moments, tearfully drawing my dear friends – nay, family – to my chest, next to a quiet street in the stillness of a Slovak night. That our emotions, while they should not rule us, are a gift from God, and something to experience as part of our very humanity. And that by their very nature, they are fleeting and not to be missed:

“…weeping may stay for the night, but rejoicing comes in the morning.” – Psalms 30:5

So while I will never be able to escape my attempts to be rational in my approach to my faith, I am learning to tap into the pure joy of living in Him. As Dominika told us at the farewell party, God paints us a new sunset every evening. Surely a God who knows even when a sparrow falls in the field cares infinitely for His children. May the joy of trusting and resting in Him show through in my actions and my words, in life and on this page.

My love and God’s blessings to you all, until our next meeting.

The Eternal Moment

Just the other day, I had what I call an "eternity moment." This isn't as deep or symbolic as it might sound. It's simply what happens to me when I stop to consider, more than just as a passing thought, what the concept of eternity really means. As a teenager, I used to lie awake at night contemplating how anything could have no end. Even something as unimaginably huge as the universe has an edge, an end point, a boundary. The more I struggled to envision what eternity must look like, the more I felt the vastness of it pressing down on me, right into my bedroom, a kind of mental paralysis setting in as I realized I was never quite going to get it. Lots of late nights staring at the ceiling. But we'll get back to that

I recently finished the book Radical by David Platt. I'd heard the book recommended repeatedly by friends and members of my church, and I can say that they were all justified. It is a truly impactful and refreshing approach to the modern church and its proper role in the world. But while that is certainly a worthy topic for a book, I'd take a different approach than some of my friends: I would not recommend it to just anyone. This is a book for someone who is looking for the people of Christ to represent something more, something greater, something  that looks more like...well, Christ. There are a lot of believers out there who frankly aren't ready for that message yet. And there are plenty of non-Christians who would probably receive it more readily than their church-going counterparts, as it paints the picture of a church that doesn't abuse them, lie to them, judge them or embody hypocrisy in their community. In short, it's a challenging message, a wake-up call to what the Bible actually calls his church to do. So be careful about sharing this book with just anyone, or at least be very upfront with them about what they're about to read. Perhaps a better word than careful would be intentional; have a purpose behind your recommendation.

So let's get back to my original story, and tie these two tales together. The teenage me would not have been a good candidate to read Radical. Because, as you could probably tell from my description earlier, for teenage me, the idea of eternity inspired fear. I am a truly logical person (though my friends might dispute this!), and something too big for me to wrap my mind around was something that deserved skepticism and caution. As the years have gone by, my faith has grown, and while I still can't get my brain to process the eternal, it now fills me rather with hope than doubt. But I also no longer doubt that eternity is a very real thing, not just a theory or an abstract concept. And Radical reminded me that a church that believes in eternity must be in the business of the eternal.

In just over a week, I am fortunate enough to have the opportunity to return to Slovakia to teach English to high school students there, and to share with them the love of Jesus. It is this type of work that the church is called to do, and I am honored to be a part of it. I am praying confidently that this trip will have an impact that carries into eternity. For you the reader, I pray that you might begin to consider similar opportunities for yourselves.

For those of you who haven't heard my story from last summer, or have heard it but never read my recounting of it, you can read about it here.  I intend to journal and notate much more frequently this time around, and should have much to share in a few weeks when I return.

Until then, be blessed!

David

Of Pedestals and Heavy Hearts

Man, what a crazy weekend. On Friday night, I was asking friends to pray for me to have an outlet to begin writing and blogging again. By Sunday afternoon, I had enough topics to last a year. I'll be treading lightly with today's post, but felt like I needed to get my "voice" back. Consider this a throat-clearing.

I am a sports fan. I am a sports fan to my own detriment. I watch, listen to and keep up with more sports than I should. I'll wake up early on Saturday morning to watch an English soccer match, then stay up late that night to watch a west-coast baseball game - even if I'm not rooting for either team! And boy, do I admire athletes. Fred Lynn (not sure why). Will Clark. Jerry Rice. Barry Sanders. Greg Maddux. Reggie Miller. And as you root for athletes, you begin to ascribe to them a certain infallibility. Heroic exploits on the field translate to heroic status off the field as well.

But the problem is that none of this is true. The ability to hit a baseball or run really fast has no bearing on one's ability to live a good life. And sooner or later, these individuals all failed to live up to the standards I had set for them in my mind. By the time I reached high school, I had already developed a healthy skepticism about professional athletes. I was essentially ready for them to let me down.

I tell you all of that to tell you this: a lifetime spent being cured of hero worship was good practice for the Sunday I just experienced. It was then that I learned that a man whose teachings I respect, and who served as a spiritual leader to many, had fallen into one of these same pitfalls. And while the news was unexpected, sudden and disheartening, I felt my old sports hero defenses kicking in: don't put people on a pedestal, you'll just get burned. But having to deal with it on a personal level like this, I was struck by something else:

He is just another me.

A buddy put it so beautifully to me yesterday afternoon: "In a way, we are all falling." We are all sinners. Just like the athletes, the businessmen, the teachers and the ministers we see every day. But more pointedly, just like our families, our friends...and ourselves.We are all burdened with the human condition of sinfulness. And while it is proper and biblical that we should hold our spiritual leaders to a higher standard (1 Timothy 3:1-7), it is important also to use this time to reflect on our own shortcomings. While we may never have our failings visible on great stages to be seen by all, our stumbles can easily rob us of all we hold dear - our relationships, our finances, our health. Now more than ever, it is crucial for us to heed the Bible's instruction not to attempt to resist sin, but to flee from it (2 Timothy 2:22, 1 Corinthians 6:18).

The coming days I know will be difficult. Many dear friends of mine are hurting, angry and questioning. There is much work to be done. Yet we praise God even in these circumstances, trusting that:

"6 In all this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. 7 These have come so that the proven genuineness of your faith—of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire —may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed." (1 Peter 1:6-7)

My hope is that this space can be used as a place of encouragement in the coming days and months. May the topics I choose and the words I write bring honor to Him who is alone worthy of honor. I love you all.

In His hands,
David