If you happened to hear us talk about our ministry in Slovakia this past summer when we were on home assignment, then you may recall me mentioning that one of the big prayer needs for Narnia Elementary School is that God would use the goodwill the school has gained to provide a platform for sharing the message of God’s salvation. We’ve been seeing that happen!
Image credit: plumandjello
The All Church Retreat
Jana and I began to see this even before we left for the summer. Just before we left for the States in June we went with our congregation on an all church weekend retreat. Not only was everyone in the church invited but at each of the musicals performed in the church we also invited the parents of the Narnia students. In the end, a few families did join us for at least part of the retreat.
On Sunday morning during the retreat we had an outdoor devotional time. During that time Maťa (our sister-in-law) talked about her personal relationship with Christ. One of the Narnia families was there and afterwards the Mom asked Maťa what it means for her to have a personal relationship with Jesus. They ended up having an hour long discussion.
Youth Camps
Opportunities to share the gospel like that are a victory in themselves. The reason the school exists is to create just such opportunities as those. But it’s even greater when you have the chance to see the fruit of new life.
We had the chance to see people come to faith in Christ over the summer as well. Jana and I missed it, but there were two youth camps. One was organized by Fusion, which is a music ministry that provides afternoon activities for Narnia students. As many as 5 kids made decisions to follow Jesus at that camp and three of them have begun to attend our services regularly.
Narnia Families
We noticed those new young faces the first Sunday after we returned. But there were other new faces as well. One mother from Narnia has begun to attend our services with her two children. Her recently divorced friend and daughter also attend with them. It’s amazing to see people like this seeking the Lord and it’s amazing to see God bring fruit to the ministry of the local church!
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