we're sad that there wasn't enough time for us to upload some pictures of our last week or so but alas, you'll just have to wait until after camp.
today the US teams arrive and we're VERY excited about that (especially Mary cause her sis is on the GSCC team)
well, we're heading to training today and then from training we'll go to camp.
be looking for a prayer update email.
We're are greatly anticipating sharing with you all that God has done when we get back.
-Lindy for the Marylindy team
Thursday, June 21, 2007
Monday, June 18, 2007
Cherries at Cakovec
Cherries!!
So we listed some of the crazy things we've been doing lately and one of them was pitting Cherries in Croatia.
We (Christina, Lindy and I) came down Sat. afternoon to do training for the camp we'll help with at the end of
July. That night we stayed with the Horvat family (a Christian family of 5 sons! Filip the second oldest is co-directing the camp)
In 2 and a half hours between Christina, Lindy, Filip, his mom and I we pitted 7 1/2 gallons of cherries. A couple thousand I'm sure.
We became pros.
And now what you've all been waiting for...Pictures!!!!
Here's us with all our aprons (Filip and 7 year old Ruben too)
Here's Lindy with the pitter machine (She got really fast)
We were amazed at how much the juice looked like blood
Lindy and I all messy
About half way through Bratko, the Horvat Dad asserted that now that we can pit cherries we are ready for marriage,HA!
I think he had someone in mind for Christina ;)
Christina and Filip
Lindy emptied this whole bucket herself
All done!!
And here are the pitts!
Mary for the LindyMary team
So we listed some of the crazy things we've been doing lately and one of them was pitting Cherries in Croatia.
We (Christina, Lindy and I) came down Sat. afternoon to do training for the camp we'll help with at the end of
July. That night we stayed with the Horvat family (a Christian family of 5 sons! Filip the second oldest is co-directing the camp)
In 2 and a half hours between Christina, Lindy, Filip, his mom and I we pitted 7 1/2 gallons of cherries. A couple thousand I'm sure.
We became pros.
And now what you've all been waiting for...Pictures!!!!
Here's us with all our aprons (Filip and 7 year old Ruben too)
Here's Lindy with the pitter machine (She got really fast)
We were amazed at how much the juice looked like blood
Lindy and I all messy
About half way through Bratko, the Horvat Dad asserted that now that we can pit cherries we are ready for marriage,HA!
I think he had someone in mind for Christina ;)
Christina and Filip
Lindy emptied this whole bucket herself
All done!!
And here are the pitts!
Mary for the LindyMary team
Hillsong Concert
We had a worship concert with Hillsong last Friday night. This was a huge deal for Slovenia because three separate churches
(separate denominations even) united to make this concert happen. Yet another confirmation that God is doing work in Slovenia.
Anywho, the concert ws exactly what I needed because despite Mary and I's ability to sing worship in Croatian, Czech and Slovene,
it felt so good to rock out to worship music IN ENGLISH!
Everyone was moshing:) At the end they had an alter call and at least 50 Slovenes were up front making commitments to Jesus!
This is unheared of. Praise God!
Lindy for the MaryLindy Team
Check out Joel and Amy Woodard's blog for some more specific stories about how God used this concert to give a new believer the
opportunity to share Christ with her entire class at school. << Their blog is linked in the side panel>>
Also please be praying that those students who came forward would make connections with other believers and a local church
to be discipled. Pray that those believers who stepped forward to commit to asking God to use their lives. Pray that they
Would have strength and courage. Please pray for the strengthening of the connections between local bodies of believers, that
they would be unified in Christ with the same goal of discipling believers and inviting others to know God.
Mary for the LindyMary Team
(separate denominations even) united to make this concert happen. Yet another confirmation that God is doing work in Slovenia.
Anywho, the concert ws exactly what I needed because despite Mary and I's ability to sing worship in Croatian, Czech and Slovene,
it felt so good to rock out to worship music IN ENGLISH!
Everyone was moshing:) At the end they had an alter call and at least 50 Slovenes were up front making commitments to Jesus!
This is unheared of. Praise God!
Lindy for the MaryLindy Team
Check out Joel and Amy Woodard's blog for some more specific stories about how God used this concert to give a new believer the
opportunity to share Christ with her entire class at school. << Their blog is linked in the side panel>>
Also please be praying that those students who came forward would make connections with other believers and a local church
to be discipled. Pray that those believers who stepped forward to commit to asking God to use their lives. Pray that they
Would have strength and courage. Please pray for the strengthening of the connections between local bodies of believers, that
they would be unified in Christ with the same goal of discipling believers and inviting others to know God.
Mary for the LindyMary Team
Is this NORMAL???!!?
In the last 2 days We have:
- Visited Croatia
- Been to a Hillsong concert (with only a couple 100 other people)
- Stayed in the guest home of complete strangers
- Pitted 1,000s of cherries
- Walked all around Ljublijana
- Played Basketball with a 7 year old that understands very little English
- Worked in a warehouse
- Danced in warm rain
- Gone to a store with no shoes on
- Watched a flannelboard presentation at church
- Hiked up to Ljublinski Hrad (Castle) in the pitch dark and rode an elevator thing down the cliff back to the city
Oh, and the craziness continues :) I couldn't have asked for a better time.
Lindy for the MaryLindy team
- Visited Croatia
- Been to a Hillsong concert (with only a couple 100 other people)
- Stayed in the guest home of complete strangers
- Pitted 1,000s of cherries
- Walked all around Ljublijana
- Played Basketball with a 7 year old that understands very little English
- Worked in a warehouse
- Danced in warm rain
- Gone to a store with no shoes on
- Watched a flannelboard presentation at church
- Hiked up to Ljublinski Hrad (Castle) in the pitch dark and rode an elevator thing down the cliff back to the city
Oh, and the craziness continues :) I couldn't have asked for a better time.
Lindy for the MaryLindy team
Cajna Hisa
SO I went off on my own for a little bit the other day. I went to a tea place called Cajna Pisna. I had a great time thinking through
and journaling about some big stuff that God has been showing me lately. But first I took a bunch of "Artsy" Pics. It caused
some staring, but it was fun. Here are a few, there are a lot more, ha!
I took this of myself... and made the waiter smile.
My Favorite picture
My Journal
This is just a cool picture.
(Bekah, this is my new H&M shirt.. he he)
I love tea shops!! This is going to be a favorite journal spot for me :)
I Like this Pic of Lindy!
Lindy also took a few artsy pictures of her own. This one wins as coolest pic of the day
Mary for the LindyMary Team
and journaling about some big stuff that God has been showing me lately. But first I took a bunch of "Artsy" Pics. It caused
some staring, but it was fun. Here are a few, there are a lot more, ha!
I took this of myself... and made the waiter smile.
My Favorite picture
My Journal
This is just a cool picture.
(Bekah, this is my new H&M shirt.. he he)
I love tea shops!! This is going to be a favorite journal spot for me :)
I Like this Pic of Lindy!
Lindy also took a few artsy pictures of her own. This one wins as coolest pic of the day
Mary for the LindyMary Team
Thursday, June 14, 2007
He is mighty to save
I want to start by saying that Lindy and I really enjoy the priveledge of being a part of the Josiah venture team this summer. We love the community and the support that we have experienced among these believers who are all united towards a common goal of glorifying God and inviting students to seek Him in Slovenia. At our last meeting we discussed the role of community in moving someone along in the process of knowing God. We also discussed the importance of having an anchor point to look back on symbolizing the commitment made to God.
I am not gifted with the ability to sum things up, but I will try to give you a picture of our discussion without writing a novel :)
Joel Woodard wrote a very good paper that summarizes the way that students seem to be responding to the ministry method of inviting them into a community of believers and allowing them to be a part of "the church" even before they have decided to follow God. Students are invited to be involved and live their lives alongside Christians no matter where they are in their journey towards God. They are invited to be involved in bible study, attend and help out at worship nights and help out at camp. Many students have come to know Jesus by experiencing his love radiating from Christians and by seeing them experience God's presence. In this context they are not pressured to "pray the prayer" to seal the deal, but rather are shepherded towards making transforming steps toward the Father as they come to know Him more. They are allowed to do this in the safety of this community that has accepted them.
As a result of this many believers from this culture cannot identify a day that they gave their life to God and crossed the line from unbelief to belief, from being lost to being saved. Rather, when asked they usually identify one year that they made the most significant decisions (not one but a series of decisions) that drew them closer to the point of realizing their need for God and entering into His family.
Some of us may struggle with the greyness of this reality. Most of us grew up in a youth group culture with altercalls or prayed the prayer in VBS. We were challenged during this meeting too to notice some of the downsides of each of these situations. The one time decision/altercall situation, we'll call modern and the gradual/journey we'll call post-modern. While the modern situation can push people to a concrete crossing line. Many cross the line before they even understand what it means to be a child of God. Many people stop there and label themselves saved/Christian after the prayer even if they never experience transformation or a growing actual relationship with the Lord. In short this has the potential of leaning too heavily on religion not relationship and could have a false sense of security in salvation when they have never actually stepped into a relationship with Christ.
The other grayer post-modern side has the downside of not providing a concrete line of commitment to look back upon. It also can lead to a loss in the sense of urgency as it is very patient and non-forceful. People could also believe that being a part of a Christian community is what saves them rather than having a living relationship with God. We must seek out the "tender balance" as Erin Thomas put it.
Terry Jackson offered a familiar analogy that helped to illustrate both of these. This process of coming to know God, realize your need for God and commit to live for/with God is like the development of a dating relationship which ulitimately ends in marriage. The first months of dating are spent getting to know the other person. This is often through other people (community). During this time you are finding out what defines them and if you can trust them. As the dating relationship deepens you begin moving towards a direction of greater commitment and you begin to see this relationship as unlike any other you have had before. You begin to realize the depth of your care for the other and realize that you need the other. Notice all this comes before the time of commitment.
Then comes the engagement, the time when you say to each other, "Out of everyone else I could have, I choose you. I want to commit myself to you alone. I want to live life with you. I want you to be a part fo who I am." This is a clear, life altering decision, but it was made over time. It is a culmination of a series of decisions throughout the whole process leading up to that time. There is always a story leading up to this point it is not a stand-alone decision. Then comes the ceremony that declares before God and people what your decision is. Christina Stanton recognized that for many, this point of standing up before witnesses and declaring your decision in marriage is a lot like baptism. It is an act of identifying oneself with the other and a symbol (ring or water) that illustrates the decision. This point of commitment is important as an anchor point. A place that can be looked back upon in times of hardship.
At looking at our own lives we can see the reflection of this annology. Our relationship with God really is a process.
-Mary for the MaryLindy team
I (Lindy) am gonna end with some final thoughts:
God is SO timely. These concepts were great to rethink and ponder upon. However, we are both aware that God saves people, not humans or methods. What an encouragement for Josh Patty (JV Missionary) to bring this up as a closing statement and as a word of benediction. What an amazing team.
Also, this time was full of encouragement. This summer is unlike ANY other summer in Slovenia. God has already answered numerous prayers. In Slovenia alone there will be 7 camps. 3 of the seven camps are first time camps and are busting at the seams with anxious kids. The registration for Castle camp, by far the most popular camp, usually fills up last second. This year we have enough students signed up to have 2 camps... and we still have a week left to sign up- GOD IS GOOD! What's even more exciting is that JV has had some doors open up to work with the younger generation. 3 camps will be with Jr. High students. God is at work in Slovenia and we're excited to be apart of it.
We are looking forward to life changing experiences.
on the front lines in battle
-Lindy for the MaryLindy team
I am not gifted with the ability to sum things up, but I will try to give you a picture of our discussion without writing a novel :)
Joel Woodard wrote a very good paper that summarizes the way that students seem to be responding to the ministry method of inviting them into a community of believers and allowing them to be a part of "the church" even before they have decided to follow God. Students are invited to be involved and live their lives alongside Christians no matter where they are in their journey towards God. They are invited to be involved in bible study, attend and help out at worship nights and help out at camp. Many students have come to know Jesus by experiencing his love radiating from Christians and by seeing them experience God's presence. In this context they are not pressured to "pray the prayer" to seal the deal, but rather are shepherded towards making transforming steps toward the Father as they come to know Him more. They are allowed to do this in the safety of this community that has accepted them.
As a result of this many believers from this culture cannot identify a day that they gave their life to God and crossed the line from unbelief to belief, from being lost to being saved. Rather, when asked they usually identify one year that they made the most significant decisions (not one but a series of decisions) that drew them closer to the point of realizing their need for God and entering into His family.
Some of us may struggle with the greyness of this reality. Most of us grew up in a youth group culture with altercalls or prayed the prayer in VBS. We were challenged during this meeting too to notice some of the downsides of each of these situations. The one time decision/altercall situation, we'll call modern and the gradual/journey we'll call post-modern. While the modern situation can push people to a concrete crossing line. Many cross the line before they even understand what it means to be a child of God. Many people stop there and label themselves saved/Christian after the prayer even if they never experience transformation or a growing actual relationship with the Lord. In short this has the potential of leaning too heavily on religion not relationship and could have a false sense of security in salvation when they have never actually stepped into a relationship with Christ.
The other grayer post-modern side has the downside of not providing a concrete line of commitment to look back upon. It also can lead to a loss in the sense of urgency as it is very patient and non-forceful. People could also believe that being a part of a Christian community is what saves them rather than having a living relationship with God. We must seek out the "tender balance" as Erin Thomas put it.
Terry Jackson offered a familiar analogy that helped to illustrate both of these. This process of coming to know God, realize your need for God and commit to live for/with God is like the development of a dating relationship which ulitimately ends in marriage. The first months of dating are spent getting to know the other person. This is often through other people (community). During this time you are finding out what defines them and if you can trust them. As the dating relationship deepens you begin moving towards a direction of greater commitment and you begin to see this relationship as unlike any other you have had before. You begin to realize the depth of your care for the other and realize that you need the other. Notice all this comes before the time of commitment.
Then comes the engagement, the time when you say to each other, "Out of everyone else I could have, I choose you. I want to commit myself to you alone. I want to live life with you. I want you to be a part fo who I am." This is a clear, life altering decision, but it was made over time. It is a culmination of a series of decisions throughout the whole process leading up to that time. There is always a story leading up to this point it is not a stand-alone decision. Then comes the ceremony that declares before God and people what your decision is. Christina Stanton recognized that for many, this point of standing up before witnesses and declaring your decision in marriage is a lot like baptism. It is an act of identifying oneself with the other and a symbol (ring or water) that illustrates the decision. This point of commitment is important as an anchor point. A place that can be looked back upon in times of hardship.
At looking at our own lives we can see the reflection of this annology. Our relationship with God really is a process.
-Mary for the MaryLindy team
I (Lindy) am gonna end with some final thoughts:
God is SO timely. These concepts were great to rethink and ponder upon. However, we are both aware that God saves people, not humans or methods. What an encouragement for Josh Patty (JV Missionary) to bring this up as a closing statement and as a word of benediction. What an amazing team.
Also, this time was full of encouragement. This summer is unlike ANY other summer in Slovenia. God has already answered numerous prayers. In Slovenia alone there will be 7 camps. 3 of the seven camps are first time camps and are busting at the seams with anxious kids. The registration for Castle camp, by far the most popular camp, usually fills up last second. This year we have enough students signed up to have 2 camps... and we still have a week left to sign up- GOD IS GOOD! What's even more exciting is that JV has had some doors open up to work with the younger generation. 3 camps will be with Jr. High students. God is at work in Slovenia and we're excited to be apart of it.
We are looking forward to life changing experiences.
on the front lines in battle
-Lindy for the MaryLindy team
Welcome to our apartment
We want to start out by very clearly saying that we are SO grateful to have this place to call our own this summer. That said, there are a couple funny quirks to our place that we want to point out the first being the tiny bathroom. It's incredible how small it is.
And it all fits behind a door which is about 2 ft across:
Here's our kitchen, full stocked with food we bought ourselves :) and with our one pot that doubles as a salad bowl, serving bowl etc.:
Our cool beds, you can see the castle from the top bed :):
Our Couch:
Desks and Windows:
Another angle of the couch and kitchen:
Another angle of our desks:
There's the tour... hope you enjoyed it. We do :)
Mary for the MaryLindy team
And it all fits behind a door which is about 2 ft across:
Here's our kitchen, full stocked with food we bought ourselves :) and with our one pot that doubles as a salad bowl, serving bowl etc.:
Our cool beds, you can see the castle from the top bed :):
Our Couch:
Desks and Windows:
Another angle of the couch and kitchen:
Another angle of our desks:
There's the tour... hope you enjoyed it. We do :)
Mary for the MaryLindy team
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