Conversational English – American

Hey guys,  It’s Day 2 of our Conversational English project in Presov, Slovakia.  Twenty-four students were in attendance today.  Including new, and a couple of absentees we have seen about 30 students altogether.

Everyone is having a comfort level, so the dialogue and conversation is really going well.

We did discuss today the differences in British English and American English because most in Slovakia have been taught British English and grammar.  Our students range in age from 11 to near 50, but age doesn’t seem to be a barrier with the groups interacting with each other.

We have divided the total group into three separate groups, based upon the students’ level of English speaking.  Here are a few photos of our classes.

Intermediate English group

Basic English Group

 

Advanced English group

Planes, trains and automobiles

Our Hotel

Communist memorial

That is the way Jill Patterson described the day for her, Bob , and Wright yesterday.  After the long plane ride to Brussells and the shorter plane to Budapest.  The three of them got directly into a taxi between the Budapest airport and train station.  After a three and a half hours on the train it stopped and all they could figure out way that it was the end of the line and they hoped they were in Kosice (Hurray they were).  Daniel Strano met them there and drove them to Presov.  It was about 1930 (7:30 PM here and 12:30 PM in Illinois) only a short 24 hours after going to O’hare.  Yes, they were tired and exhausted but hunger kept them up an additional two hours before resting.

Jill and Bob at coffee break

Hlvana from St. Nicholas

Everyone was up at 8:00 for breakfast then off to teach.  We have 21 students divided into three different group based on their English ability.  It was just a great day for teaching and the students seemed to enjoy the instruction and said they would be back.  The lessons went very well.  Thank you, Judy and Louise, you know why the lessons are going well. 

After lunch we back to our rooms or Tesco for shopping.   We then had coffee and a pastry before walking up the tower steps of St. Nicholas church for a beautiful view of Presov we could see for miles (I mean kilometer).  We then went to a friend, Tomas, and toured the basement of his family home.  It was not just a basement it went down three floors, each floor like a cave that was finished like rooms, with the temperature dropping each floor.  Jill overcame a fear of caves because she did not want to be left alone.

More tomorrow the internet cafe closes in fifteen minutes and I want to add pictures.

Day 10 – Baseball Tournament then to Presov

Dobre den   We have arrived in Presov.  Our good friends, Lubo, Mary and Milka drove from Presov to Poprad to bring us by car  to Presov.  The baseball tournament went fine and all the students enjoyed it.  Some prizes were awarded to the players who came to training the most times and who tried the hardest.

On our trip to Presov we stopped at Spissky Salas for halusky and Kofola, Slovak Coca-Cola.  The internet at the penzion is not working so Becky and I are in an internet coffee house right now.  We have church in the morning and I forgot to bring my camera so there will be no new pictures.  We hope you enjoy the updates – we enjoy the comments.  Blessings to you all.

Day 9 – Oh What a Beautiful Day

Part of the Engler family

Clowns in action

The weather has just been fantastic today.  We had a terrific day today (almost perfect).  There were thirty kids in our younger group this morning hen another sixteen in the group with the older students.  The only mishap was that one of the workers bag turned up missing.

In the morning there were many people to play and the organization went very well.  I can not

Water Volleyball

tell you how much of a blessing it is to have Don Eades, his son Chad, and Linda Perryman here to help.  Becky is getting some real experience in the craft tent.  Rosa, a church member, is leading the crafts and she is very gifted and the children leave with many beautiful things.  The new activity today was water volleyball new game to share with our groups.

There was a clown goup here today; they area missionaries here in Slovakia

Lubo shares Bible message

Peanut butter eating contest

from Cleveland.  They entertained the crowds today and even got me to participate.  I was rewarded with a funnel full of water down the front of my shorts.  Everyone enjoyed it even me.  There are many young people here that you might think would never be interested in these activities but each time there is an opportunity to share the gospel and they respond well.  Some have never heard that Jesus came and God loves them enough that Jesus would die for their sins; and that they can be forgiven.

Athletes in Action at coffee house

DEPO Leto Control Center

I stayed for the cleanup last evening then went to the DEPO here. It was a great time but the schedule is catching up with me as I am very tired this morning.  Please pray for the seeds that were planted in the hearts of these young people and their families.  May God be glorified.

Day 8 – Rain today (yesterday) – Clear tomorrow (today)

Just a brief note to let you know that everything is going well.  It rained off and on all day on Thursday but the forecast for Friday is clear.  The weather here close to the Tatry Mountains changes frequently.  After lunch yesterday it was not raining and there was sun so we decided to walk to a small coffee shop.  We had not walked 150 meters and it began to sprinkled, rained shortly after, and just before we got to the coffee shop it stopped raining.

The Slovaks have mastered the art of eating always in small amounts but eating frequently.  I think that at times I take too big of portions because in a short time i am asked, “Jim, would you like a snack?”.  You all know that I can not refuse another opportunity to eat so I eat and am getting fatter. 

 Our host family, the Englers (Pavol and Ludmilia), took us to the neatest water park called Aqua City last night about 1930 (7:30 PdegreeM).  It is heated with geothermal energy and they must add cold water to make the teamperature safe.  We swam in water that was 25 – 38 degrees Celcius thats about 77 to 102 degrees Fahrenheit.  It was fantastic.  We them when into a steam sauna that was extremely hot and did the traditional activity of plunging into cold water when we came out.  The evening was topped off by going back into the main covered pool and watching a lazer light presentation.  It was ‘SUPER” that’s Slovak for super.  (Easy language ???? – NOT)

Today is the last day for DEPO Leto then a baseball tounament of some type on Saturday.  It will probrably be a couple of games at the main field close to the Juh (south) residential area where the DEPO is located.  We will catch the train on Saturday to travel to Presov where we will meet up with Jill, Wright and BOB on Sunday.  Please pray for their safe travel and we continue to pray for the ‘Mission to Bethel’ sounds like things are going SUPER and Chad is preaching great messages to many new people around the church.  May God be blessed by our combined efforts.  IN HIS SERVICE

Day 7 – Rain, Rain, Go Away

Baseball under pavillion

Muddy 3rd baseline

Yesterday afternoon we had a terrible storm here in Poprad.  It rained and hailed for quite a while.  Today the weather has been overcast and drizzlely all day.  Baseball this morning with the younger children was moved under a covered pavillion area so that we could continue.   This afternoon we had to reverse our field and pur home in center field because of a mess along the third base line.

Woodburning in craft tent

Voda Futbol

Activities continued in the craft tent.  Our host family members were responsible for the craft activities today.  Each day for DEPO Leto there is a special attraction and today it was voda futbol (Water soccer).  It is played in a large (10 feet by twenty feet) blow-up rink with the bottom surface covered in water like a slip-and-slid.  The children had a really great time but the weather was quite cold for them.  Everyone was either in crafts or at voda futbol so we did not start baseball until later this afternoon.

The beginning

Work in progress

Partial view of 2nd floor

We just returned from dinner with members of our host family.  They are very skillful and talented.  They have totally, I men totally, remodeled this home from what was a small buiding and carriage way to the back into a lovely home.  Pavol designed the entire home and the family worked together to get it completed.  They have owned the residence for many years and have only lived in the home less than two years.  It is beautiful and so are they.

I thought I would include a number of photos to complete the blog.

Scene of the smashing crime

Miriam speaks to young children about Jesus

One giant futbolA view from our windowMichal ready to bat

Day 6 – DEPO Leto is a Smashing Success

Throwing and catching instruction

Chad leads stretching

Dobre den, friends back home.  We had a good day at DEPO Leto on Tuesday.  I must explain that it is Wednesday morning as I write this.  I hope that the Mission to Bethel is going well and that the lives of people in Bethel are as touched as the lives here in Slovakia.  We are moved by the spiritual maturity of many here specially the teen and young adults.  They are open about their love for Jesus and anxious to share him with the children and teens here at this apartment complex.

Activities in craft tent

We start each day with a team meeting. There are about

Becky, Linda and Zuzka

twenty adults and teens on the team for leading activities.  Baseball, crafts, trampoline, and other games are the main groups.  There will probrably be three teens meeting with someone one on one or two to share the gospel as the day progresses.  Our team meetings allow time for prayer and sharing of concerns and blessings from the day before.  There are four of us working with baseball and there are ab out 15 – 20 children at each session for baseball instruction.

Game with the rather large orange ball

We have two main sessions each day.  From ten to noon the younger children (10-11)come and from 1:30 to 4:30 the older (12-15) come.  The age groups are not set in stone and its does not matter.  They seem to really enjoy the baseball.  Don Eades and his son, Chad, provide most of the instruction because they speak Slovak and English.  They missionarires with ABWE, a Baptist group that focuses on world evangelism. We are thankful and blessed that they have come to lead the baseball.  It would be extreme difficult having to go through an interpreter for each directions.

DEPO Centrum

We spend about 60-70% of the time with drills and and practice.  Then the rest of the time playing the baseball.  Of course the children like the playing more than the drills and we increase the playing time each day.  During the games with the older children/teens one of the player hit a drive into the apartment building in left field and with all that concrete it was still able to find a window to smash through.  I would believe that is the first baseball through a window here in the south part of Poprad.

Marek, Leto director, and Don Eades

The weather took a turn for the worst about the time for activities to end.  It rained very hard and there was a lot of small hail for about 15-20 minutes. 

Catepillar painted on face

The tents provided a shelter for us.  All of the children live close so they were able to make it home safely.  The story time for children and the rest of the evening moved back to the DEPO center here.  Becky and I returned home shortly after the evening DEPO activities began.  The Englers are to provide direction to the crafts today.

Day 5 – Poprad DEPO Leto Begins

Mountain Lake

We began our work ar the DEPO Leto (summer) today.  I think I told shared with you last April what what DEPO

Chairlift ride part way up

represents but Iwill share it again. D(overa) is trust; E(mpatia) is emphathy; P(riatel’stvo) is friendship; and O(chrana) is protection.  Leto means summer.  They share with the children in the games and share the message of Christ in their actions and during other program.

 

Jaro lets us rest on the way up

It was a very hot day and Becky and I came back to the Engler’s home shortly after 6 PM.  After refreshing showers we walked to the center of Poprad (Hlavana or Centrum) for some necessary banking.  We walked back and continued on into the center of Poprad-Velka which is where the original city of Poprad began.  We enjoyed fellowship and conversation with the Engler family upon our return.

Becky at the summit

There are no pictures from today because we failed to take our cameras.  So I have included some views from our hike to the top on Mt. Solisko.

Day 4 – Poprad Church and Host Family

Poprad Baptist Church

We attended church at the Poprad Baptist Church this morning.  After being welcomed and singing a couple of songs, a trio of singers led in singing three songs.  Jim was asked to share a short testimony about why we were in Poprad and how we had been led to Slovakia and to Poprad.  The pastor spoke about how we should not be timid but be bold witnesses.  We felt very welcome in the church.

Becky and Jim on the Tatry

Our host family, the Englers, are very nice and each member speaks very good English which is a blessing for us.  Paul, the father and husband, along with his son, Peter, have a business installing and maintaining security systems.  Another son, Mark, is a university student majoring in social work and their third son, Michal, is studying business.  Their daughter, Silvia, lives in Poprad and has two children, Phillip and Kristina.  Michal took us on a short trip to the city center after a wonderful dinner of vegetable soup, potatoes, rice, and pork-cheese-mushroom-tomatoes-peppers.  Becky is getting some recipes to try when we get home.  We have had a great time visiting and sharing testimony with the Engler family.  Gary Carter, Jim has a very motivating story of the construction of the Poprad church.  Brett and Jenna, we can assure you that home remodeling can always be patiently accomplished.

Michal, Becky and Jim enjoying a coffee

We had a short meeting with the director and others in preparation for the DEPO summer camp.  It looks to be a very exciting week ahead so please stay tuned to the blog site for future events.

Day 3 – We are in Poprad

We have arrived in Poprad this evening and are staying in the Engler family home (I will share more in the coming days).  After a whirlwind tour on Budapest with our host mission fam (Skipper and Sue), we crashed late last night and were up early this morning,  (Pictures later really).  We saw the Budapest Castle, Parliment building, ate real Hungarian goulash, saw a monument to the many people killed on the shores of the Danube River, went to Heros Square, went to the Hungarian Agriculture museum, took pictures of Anonomus, had dinner then watched a movie before going to bed at midnight. 

Up in the morning at 4:00 to get ready for a ten minute walk to the bus stop, a 40 minute bus ride to the train station, then a slightly over three hour ride on the train.  (We were starting to get tired).  Young Jaro Ban picked us up at the Kosice train station and off we went to the Tatry mountains just north of Poprad.  The hike up the mountain will need a bit longer to tell you about so keep going to the site to see.  We arrived at the Engler home in Poprad about 6:30 and had a delicious meal and pleasant conversation.  Now its clean up and get ready for bed.  Tomorrow we will attend church at the Baptist church in Poprad.  Then the camp starts on Monday.