Just when we thought things might get back to normal the world was hit with another major crisis that dramatically changed everything from politics to our daily lives. It’s time to take a quick look back and see how all this affected us and what we were up to in 2022.
The War in Ukraine
Of course the big news in 2022 was the beginning of the war in Ukraine. The very day Slovakia ended most of its CoVid restrictions was the day Putin sent troops to invade its neighbor. Just a few days later we had a family arrive in Banská Bystrica that stayed a few days in our church. Then more came. In the next couple of weeks our free time was taken up packing and loading supplies for infants whose orphanage was moving closer to the Ukraine-Slovak border, helping fix up a nearby campground so refugees could stay there on a more permanent basis, serving in a local food and clothing pantry, or hosting people from the EFCA crisis response team as they were on a fact-finding trip in Slovakia.
But our lives were affected on a very personal level as well. Friends of ours from Bratislava have an apartment here in Banská Bystrica that they decided to make available to Ukrainians. They asked us help out with their guests and we gladly agreed. In the end, we became very close to the family (Natasha and her daughter Olga and her son Andri) and that has brought this horrible war closer to our hearts.
We’ve been praying for an end to this evil ever since the war started and we’re praying specifically for this family.
Elisabeth at Wheaton
Elisabeth is now in her second year at Wheaton and she’s loving it. She’s learning to be responsible for herself and she had her first job this past summer working for a company that prints T-shirts and other apparel.
At Wheaton she studies voice performance and in February she had the opportunity to sing the part of David in Bernstein’s Psalm 23 and 2 from his Chichester Psalms. Once I looked more closely at the Hebrew and understood what Bernstein was doing it became a powerful experience for me, especially in the context of the war that broke out less than a week later. If you’re interested, you can read what I wrote and watch Elisabeth’s performance at this link.
We’re praying that the Lord will continue to help Elisabeth grow into a beautiful woman of God, equipped to serve Christ and his kingdom!
Max Gets Ready for College
Max is now in his last year of high school. Last year he took his “school leaving exams” for the Slovak and French languages and this year he has the exams for Biology and Chemistry. These are big exams since they’re comprehensive and the spend much of this school year preparing for them.
Along with high school he’s also in the process of sending out applications to colleges. Max wants to study ecology and environmental systems.
School seems like an extracurricular activity compared to the amount of time Max spends in the outdoors. He’s constantly exploring and studying the meadows and forests around our home. This year he had opportunities to climb in Switzerland, Italy and Romania as well as the local crags. One highlight for him was multi-pitch trad climbing in the High Tatras. This year he’s also started spelunking with a friend. Jana and I are less excited about this new endeavor but it’s better than base jumping.
We’re praying for wisdom for Max and that no matter what he ends up doing he’ll focus first of all on living for God and serving him.
Jana Teaching at Narnia and Helping with Ukraine
Things changed fast when the war broke out. Of the three of us, Jana has been most involved with Ukrainian relief efforts. She spent a lot of time at the food and clothing pantry and now some of her students at Narnia are from Ukraine. And then of course she has befriended some mothers from Ukraine and enjoys spending time with them.
This year Jana is teaching English to first graders, as she does every year, and she is once again teaching them religion classes as well. Religion class is always a challenge but it’s a great opportunity to shape these young children’s lives and even reach their parents.
Please pray for Jana so that she can have an impact on her students and be a friend and support for her Ukrainian friends as well.
Todd’s Expanding Ministry
Ministry changed a lot for me (Todd) when CoVid hit and the crisis broke out in our local congregation. In June of this year my commitment to helping the congregation get back on its feet ended as our new pastor took on the full role of lead pastor. I continue on as chair of the elder board and am active as a leader on the preaching team and in the youth group as well.
All in all I have to say that through all of this the Lord has deepened my love for our congregation. I’ve always been a person that loves big and important ideas. So for me, the body of Christ has always been a big, beautiful idea. But now that big idea has taken on flesh. Through the challenges we’ve faced the Lord has deepened my love for the people in our congregation. It’s a blessing to be here and serve alongside our team of elders and to lead the Vesels and the Terems and all the other people who long to be drawn closer to God and his kingdom.
In some ways, things have gotten mostly back to normal since September. Teaching at the seminary is back to normal and my ministry in local churches throughout Slovakia is also back to normal. I try to spend one weekend a month teaching and or preaching in a different congregation. Sometimes I’ll teach or attend a conference instead.
Through the crises we’ve been facing it seems the Lord has been expanding our ministry. Invitations to teach and preach have increased and I’ve been invited to serve more closely with the Slovak branch of The Gospel Coalition. I’m on the theology board for our national denomination and have been invited to candidate for the national board. Perhaps my greatest joy is an increase in the opportunities to mentor and coach pastors throughout Slovakia. Please pray that the Lord will give me wisdom for these roles and also wisdom to know how to best allocate my limited resources of time and energy.
While you’re praying for me, please pray for the seminary. We’re facing a challenging time. I’ll try to write more about this in the future but we’re always fighting for our existence and this is getting more intense, more difficult. This is not sustainable, and we need to find a path forward that is.
A Longer Home Assignment
This year we’re scheduled for a longer home assignment. You might have heard that due to what’s called “totalization,” missionaries are now required to spend at least six months outside the country they serve after five years in country. Well, my five years is up and we’ll be coming back in July for our regular July-August home assignment and that will get stretched out to December.
Please pray for these arrangements. We’re not sure where we’re going to live, what we’re going to drive, how we’re going to take care of our house and garden in Slovakia, etc.
And Above All, Thank You!
Finally, we want to thank you for your prayers and support over the past year. It’s been a really hard year and we’ve been stretched. I know I have done a very poor job of communicating and hope to find more balance this year. Thank you for being faithful despite my lack of communication.
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