I wanted to give you an unfortunate financial update. Because of the consistent plummet of the American dollar against the strong Slovak Koruna, my budget requirements have risen and I lost about 3% of what I had due to the rise.

I did some research and noticed that not even 5 years ago, $1 U.S.D. was worth approximately ~40 Slovak Koruna, while today it is worth approximately ~21 Slovak Koruna. (Correct me if I'm wrong). I wouldn't be surprised if my required budget continues to grow as the dollar drops.

God is surely providing despite hard times. I would appreciate your prayers in this matter, and that the Lord would swiftly provide the remainder of this support!

This weekend I'll be flying up to Pennsylvania for a little over a week to attend a round robin Missions Conference with about 8 or 9 smaller churches. I'll be getting a rental car when I get there and driving to about 6 different churches, some ranging up to a few hours away from eachother.

Please pray that my nerves won't be shaken, and that I can effectively communicate what God's been doing with me--both confidently and comfortably. Also please pray for my safety while traveling. The last time I was up in that area in February, I ended up breaking down and selling my car!

We're still at 41% or so today. An overwhelming number of people have offered to help in some way or another in the past few weeks though, so I'm trying to have a positive outlook on my support status.

For example, last night I spoke to a group of 10 who are in a bible study group. Our time went very well and I am so appreciative of them allowing me to come and speak! Special thanks to Tony and Ina Diana!

I hope to also have an informational session at my church in Mebane as soon as possible. Please pray that this would happen swiftly.

So many of you have asked to meet with me personally to find out more about the ministry in Slovakia and where I fit in. My schedule revolves around you! Please don't hesitate to call or e-mail me and we'll set up an appointment. I'd love to buy you some coffee!

That's it for now. Thanks everyone!

Getting a Head Start

I finally finished the first installment of my language study flash cards tonight. There are approximately 650-700 cards that I've made by hand...they were made by cutting up blank 3x5 index cards into thirds, then punching a hole in one end, writing English on one side and Slovak on the back, putting a rip cord through a stack of 25-75 (depending on difficulty), then using a caribeaner to keep it all together. It probably cost less than $5.00 for the entire set. I won't lie, it took an incredible amount of time to do this, but I think it'll be well worth it.

Ever since I returned from Slovakia I've been trying to remember words and phrases here and there, but since the new year I've been trying to focus on finding methods to learn the language (especially since I've been living in NC with extra time to dedicate to this). Now that I've finally completed the flash cards I can start studying more efficiently.

That uneasy face I'm wearing is because of the difficulty I've already experienced in learning and remembering words and grammar rules. So even though I don't expect to have any reasonable knowledge of Slovak by the time I get to Slovakia *(whenever that may be)*, I do hope to at least get a head start in learning vocabulary and essential phrases.

Anyone have any other suggestions for learning a language? Or even Slovak?

Staying Patient

I'm sitting here reading the first few chapters of Romans and saw a few verses that made me smile...

- (Abraham) He didn't tiptoe around God's promise asking cautiously skeptical questions. He plunged into the promise and came up strong, ready for God, sure that God would make good on what he had said.....but it's not just Abraham, it's also us! The same thing gets said about us when we embrace and believe the One who brought Jesus to life when the conditions were equally hopeless.

- We continue to shout our praise even when we're hemmed in with troubles, because we know how troubles can develop passionate patience in us, and how that patience in turn forges the tempered steel of virtue, keeping us alert for whatever God will do next. In alert expectancy such as this, w're never left feeling shortchanged.

Please pray that the Lord would give me the patience and peace that 'surpasses all understanding'.

We're at 41% :)

FAQ's, and we're at 40%!

Hello all!

I wanted to take this opportunity and answer some more frequently asked questions. I had done this a few months ago but since my situation has changed a bit, it's appropriate to answer new questions.

1) What are you doing now? (the most asked question!) I moved back to North Carolina to live with my family at the beginning of February. I am spending most of my time on raising funds for Slovakia.

2) Are you working? I have a part-time job at a kid's camp I worked at for 3 years. Usually I watch kids during the week, though I cook for large retreat groups that come in, and will occasionally be involved in environmental education when needs arise. However, like I said, I am spending much of my time trying to raise funds.

3) What do you mean when you say "fund raising"? What does that look like? I spend much of my time making phone calls, e-mails, and other organizational things. For example, I will be speaking at a missions conference in PA at the end of March and I have to arrange all of my travel plans. My office is anywhere that has free wireless internet and good coffee! I'll spend anywhere from 2-8 hours a day there usually. That time is also dedicated to meeting with people one-on-one who would like to know more information about the mission.

4) How long are you going to be home? There is no possible way I can even give a decent guess to this question. I had hoped to be in Slovakia in January, so obviously my intentions are to get there as soon as possible. Whether it takes 2 weeks or 9 months, I have no way of knowing. It is completely dependent on how quickly the funds come in. I am praying that God would allow my time in North Carolina to be short, as I am anxious to start working. However, I am also praying for patience that I would understand daily that God's timing is so much better than my own.

5) Are you learning the language? Well, I sure am trying to learn as much as possible, though I will admit it's been a bit difficult to learn. I've made posters and flash cards to help me out. Language study is a part of my daily routine. Oh, and for any Slovaks out there- go ahead and make fun of my very cheesy study guides. I welcome it, especially the horribly drawn human. :)