A Quiet Moment in the Library...

Hey Everyone!

Right now, I'm sitting in the quiet library at BERC while everyone is about their morning activities. Evan Wiley is teaching Matthew, a special needs seven year old who has sensory integration disorder. Evan has really taken Matthew on as a personal challenge, but mostly a labor of love. It's really cool to watch them bond even in the moments when Matthew is giving Evan the hardest time. God is definitley using Evan's influence to make a difference in Matthew's life.
Eric McEachron is in the process of preparing for his sermon on Sunday. The international church we attend here in Bratislava is VERY small, and is right now without a pastor. The gentleman who is sort of overseeing the church in the in-between-time has asked each of the three Bryan guys if they would rotate doing a sermon every Sunday while they are here. He also asked me to lead worship every Sunday as long as I'm here :) So...the church is pretty much in the hands of college students...I guess all we can do is hope that God uses our inadequacies in this situation. I feel so unworthy - but I'm also thankful for all the opportunities God has given us while we are here. When else would these guys be able to give sermons, unless they planned on becoming pastors (which none of them are)? It's a great experience.
Brittany Rodriguez is in the process of measuring desks, tables, book cases, and refrigerators so that she can give the measurements to Roberta Hill and then Roberta can give those numbers to the movers who are hired to move the Hill family from Slovakia to New York at the end of the summer. But most of the time, B-Rod (as I like to call her) is busy tutoring Slovak students who are trying to learn English. She has a passion for language and patience that I do not possess! One of her favorite things to do is just go downtown and hear people talk to one another and try to figure out what they are saying from her limited knowledge of Slovak. Props to ya, B-Rod! I am astounded at how God uses our unique passions for the mission field.
As for me, I just finished doing dishes, so my hands are all gross and pruney right now. Dishes seem to be my never-ending chore here at BERC, but the cool thing is, I don't mind it so much anymore. I used to hate doing dishes at home, but now it kind of affords me a little time to just stand there and think about life. Good times :) In the afternoon, I've been teaching the summer art class, in which I have gotten to return to my love of watercolor. I've been showing the kids how to do watercolor washes, and they are doing SO well! Proud teacher moment... :) Last night, I helped teach the teens Bible study again, and it went great. I am continually amazed at the depth of these teens and how much they have to offer. I have so much to learn from them.
Another opportunity has come my way that I wanted to tell ya'll about. I decided to offer free guitar lessons this summer to the missionary teens, and the response has been amazing! I now have about eight students, and I couldn't be happier. I taught guitar for six years, and it's nice to be able to do it again. I am also glad that I get to give these kids an opportunity they might not otherwise have.
As far as prayer goes, here's a few things you can lift up:
- We (as in, all of us interns, and the Hill family) are starting to get a little tired :) We are normally up really late, and up really early, and while this is normal for college students, it starts to bleed over into how we interact with each other. Just pray for rest and that we would run to God as our ultimate source of strength.
- Pray that God continually reveals to us how to interact affectively with these missionary kids. They really are a culture in and of themselves because they are not American, but they are not Slovak either. A lot of them also have bad memories of Americans not being very sincere in their interactions with them. Pray that God grants us utter and total sincerity in our actions toward them.
-As for me personally, pray for direction! I am starting to wonder if this sort of missions is something that God has in my future. Please pray for discernment, patience, and a willing heart to listen to God's leading wherever it may lead. All I will say is that I love it here, and I start to get really sad about leaving these kids :( Pray that I will be able to focus on the daily tasks and making the most of my time here, without thinking about how I have to leave in a month.

Thank you prayer warriors and Saints of the Most High God!