This is the journal from my 1999 VIM trip to Slovakia.

July 9, 1999 - Friday

Land in Frankfurt at 7:30 am. There is a long, boring 4-hour layover, then on to Vienna. We are met by the 4 people from Oklahoma (who came the previous day), Lubos, Lenka, Andrea, and Mark with 3 vans. While driving from Vienna to Trnava, we go through Hanburg. It’s a medieval town with a big gateway. Lenka translated Disciple I into Slovakian 2-3 years ago. Her father is the District Super and teaches at the seminary. A patchwork quilt of crops: corn, hay, sunflowers. Many small roadside shrines. It has been raining, but it’s only cloudy now.

 A long wait in line at the border crossing to check passports. All three vans went through the checkpoint one after the other. There is about 1/8 mile between the Austrian and Slovakian checkpoints. Our van (Lenka is driving) passed Lubos’ van, which apparently stopped in this “no man’s land” in case Mark had trouble getting through. Mark was carrying the radio transmitter and there was concern about making it into the country. As we passed Lubos, I saw a guard walking up to the van. We went on down the road and stopped at the first place we could pull over and waited for the other vehicles. We waited and waited. Nobody came. After 30 minutes we turned around and went back to see what the problem was.

 At the checkpoint, we found the others. Where’s Lubos and his van? No one knows, but Mark is checking. There’s a “rumor” that there’s some sort of problem with Lubos’s “papers”. We’re all, more or less, standing around in the median when Mark shows up. Apparently Lubos’s old, junkie van, as unluck would have it, stopped right in front of where the Austrian side performs vehicle inspections. That guard I saw walking up to his van had him pull over to be inspected. Of course, it did not pass. (Parking brake didn’t work.) The Austrians wanted the equivalent of $100.00 in fines to let him go or he would be arrested! If he had only kept going and not stopped, this wouldn’t have happened! Mark was upset, saying this was not uncommon and amounted to highway robbery, literally. Extortion.

 Lubos only makes about $200.00 per month and they wanted half a month’s salary. Mark wanted to try and talk them out of it. He asked us to gather in prayer. He prayed that the guards’ hearts might be softened, to just let Lubos go on. Mark left for a while, came back, and told us the guards said we need to move on - we can’t all wait there (there are a total 21 of us). He told us to go on in our vans, they would take care of things and to meet where we are going to eat.

 Our van with Lenka driving goes on to Bratislava to pick up her bag of clothes. She lives in an apartment as part of the UMC building. We meet her Mom. Bratislava has 700,000 population. There’s a 4-lane highway between Bratislava and Trnava. Note: 44 Slovakian Krowns (SK)= $1.00.

 We arrived at the restaurant (actually an old hunting lodge) for a 7:00 pm reservation, but we are the first van to arrive. They only take SK (Slovakian Krowns) and we have no way to pay. We order anyway not knowing how we will pay. When we are about done, the others arrive. It turns out that it cost $240.00 to buy a “get out of jail free” card! Sometimes it doesn’t pay to argue. It was paid out of team funds. I commented that this is a sign that the trip would be a good trip. After this, it has nowhere to go except UP! Mark pays for dinner in gratitude for “bailing” out Lubos.

 We went to the hostel and figured out sleeping arrangements. It works out that I will stay in a suite with four of the ladies, two bedrooms of two beds each and one with one bed (me). Go to bed around midnight. Have been up about 35 hours.

 July 10 - Saturday

Sort of awake at 5:00 am. Thankfully doze in/out and up at 7:30 am. My roommates are Elizabeth, Pat, Pam, and Karen. The showers are cold. I turned on only the Hot water handle, but it was not even lukewarm. Lenka later saw a sign in the lobby informing that the hot water was not turned on over the weekends, only weekday mornings and evenings. In addition, the last three days we were there, there was not any hot water. The guy who does that was on holiday!

 I borrowed the kitchen table from the guy’s suite so the ladies can have more room to spread the arts and crafts out. There’s a dog kennel outside the hostel for the brake plant guard dogs. It’s usually quiet, but when one starts barking, they all bark. Heard them last night, too. I’m all ready to go after preparing my backpack last night before bed. We meet at 9:00 downstairs and have breakfast at church (construction) site at 9:30 am. Lubos’s wife provided breakfast as she did a couple of other meals. Later in the week, I asked Lubos (in front of his wife) “She is such a good cook - can I take her back to America with me!” He said that others have asked before me and I would have to wait in line.

 The team designated for working with the children is labeled the “Kiddie Corps” and the construction crew “The Worker Bees”. This later is in part to the honeybees located in the floor of the back yard shed. The Kiddie Corps worked on a song with gestures, while us “Bees” moved the good roof tiles from next to the wooden fence to under the apricot tree. How cool - fresh apricots right off the tree (or ground). The bottoms of your shoes got all gummed up from smashed fruit! We start cutting down a dead tree. Walk twenty minutes for a late lunch.

 After lunch some of us walked around the old town center: several Catholic churches, a medieval wall, St Christopher cathedral (a wedding was just finishing). Inside they were tuning the pipe organ. It started to rain and we waiting inside the “Santa Claus” church. Paul (Pavol) showed us the Madonna painting that wept for three years. They would parade it around the church. The “Methodists” here believe that many “Catholics” are borderline idol worshipers. I called Zuzana, but she’s not home. We end up walking back to the hostel after the rain. It’s a long walk.

 In each team meeting we had to tell how we were touch by someone or how we touched someone. Someone mentioned Jane Snodgrass’s daily letter. The notes from Red Bridge people touched everyone. All my towels were hanging on the balcony to dry during the day. Now they are totally wet from the rain! Midnight - bed!

 July 11 - Sunday

Walked to the site and ate breakfast. Then we walked to where the church services are held (15 min). The two-hour service was a praise and worship format. Lubos played very well on a Casio “piano” and Mark did great on trumpet. People had the words in a booklet and there was a women song leader. One of the songs was “Shout to the Lord”. Jezish = Jesus, Pan = Lord Boh = God. There were testimonies in all the services. We ate lunch at the hunting lodge.

 At 2:00 pm, Lubos, Mark, Bill, Jerry, Pam, Charlotte, and myself went to the medium security prison outside of town. There were 20-30 prisoners in this room. They had dark blue pants with a white/reflective stripe on the side (about 10 inches long on the thigh) with a lighter blue shirt. Chairs were set up in rows. Praise and worship format, scripture, sermon, testimonies. One of the songs was “Lord I Lift Your Name on High” in Slovakian, then we spontaneously refrained a verse in English to their applause. Bill and Jerry gave terrific testimonials, with Lubos interpreting. Jerry spoke about his abusive childhood and his experience where God told him he was worthwhile and should live. Bill confessed his years of drug use, breaking “all the commandments”, and finding Christ. The prisoners could probably relate to these experiences and listened very intently.

 For the sermon, Lubos told the story about the border-crossing incident. We were all sitting in front. Mark came over to us on his knee and quietly translated for us. There was no way for him to pay that fine. It was too much and he couldn’t afford it. At one point he placed his wrists together demonstrating the part where he could get arrested (the universal body language for “You’re under arrest!”). He is definitely speaking to this audience! But God put circumstances in place to get him out of the situation.

 Lubos continued. God’s Grace is like that. We sin and there is no way we can ever pay the price to “get us out of” our sins. Not only would the price is too high, but we can’t even fathom what the price would be. But God loves us so much, he gave his Son to die on a cross to pay for our sin. Through Grace, our sins are forgiven and it’s paid by Christ because we cannot pay. (I add for journal purposes: God created Grace for people who can’t pay for it (everyone). God created Grace for people who don’t deserve it (everyone). Refer to choir song “Jesus paid it all”.)

 At the end, we handed out gum and candy by placing it in our hand and then shaking their hand. It didn’t take them long for them to catch on. Everyone was very discrete so the guards wouldn’t find out.

 Most of the non-prison group went to a small town to attend a worship service. Some of us who stayed behind walked to McDonalds to eat. It was interesting to order with the language barrier. I got a McFresh combo. We walked farther to the fancy ice cream store, but they were closed. Storm clouds were threatening. We started back and got ice cream at McDonalds. We barely made it back to the hostel seconds before a huge downpour. It was the darkest cloud I’ve ever seen. It moved in literally over us like the cloud that the alien spaceship comes out of in the movie Independence Day. Team meeting lasted until 10:30. Everyone was keyed UP and preparing for tomorrow, our first full workday and kids day. Midnight - bed.

 July 12 - Monday

Up at 7:00 am - first one in our suite. Betty and Bud had meditations today. Her Red Bridge prayer partner (Tracy Jones) wrote from Isaiah 2 that morning and that’ s want Betty had also independently selected!!!

 I must find Zuzana today. Lenka helped me get directions to her address. Lubos gave me a ride most of the way, then I walked. A couple of neighbor girls helped me locate the apartment, but no one was home!!! It was fun trying to communicate and I think they got a big kick from helping the American. I left a note on the door about how to find us. I walked all the way back to the site. They had finished cutting down the tree from Saturday. Apricots were all over the ground and tiles from the storm. Most of the rest of the day was spent shoveling and wheel barrowing rubble from the backyard to a large dumpster in front. It took 2-3 guys to lift the wheelbarrow up and tip it over. Very tired from walking and working.... Quit working around 5:00 pm and walked back to hostel. Bath and rest for an hour and a half.

 I drove with Dave and helped get a small loaner refrigerator to keep at the site while we are there. It will really help out on breakfast and leftovers. The person lived several blocks from the site and we loaded it on a large push card and wheeled it. Dinner was made by a church member. It was like stew, but it wasn’t. Very Good!

 Rode back to hostel with Lenka, and Zuzana was in the lobby waiting for me with her Dad!!! I wouldn’t have recognized her. No glasses, different hair. She has grown from a goofy looking kid into a beautiful youth woman. Her Dad left and we walk toward town to find the others. We ran into them on the street and made introductions. We then walked/talked to her apartment and I met the rest of her family: Dad, Mom, Sister, and sister’s boyfriend.  She showed me her room: pez dispensers, pigs, pictures. Mom set out a big spread of food for me: sandwiches, tomatoes, crackers, juice, brandy, cookies. After I remarked how good the tomatoes were, she gave me a small bag of them to take with me.

 Back at the hostel things were not organized, stressed schedules, unknown schedules, girls locked out of their room, etc...

 July 13 - Tuesday

Dogs and truck noise from the brake plant next door wake me up. What’s sounded like a big, heavy-duty, noisy truck was just a noisy bobcat. I gave devotions this morning and talked about Sarajevo and the Holy Spirit experience. I prayed that they would “get sand in their eyes” on their trip. We worked moving dirt, burning trash, leveling front yard, building flowerbed. After lunch I helped the Kiddie Corp set up the children’s tents, actually awnings. We’re way late getting on sight and setting up. I had told Zuzana we would start about 12:30, but it’s 2:00. The tent are so cheap ($10?), they’re difficult to put up. I stayed around for a while, took some pictures, and walked back to the work site. Everyone there had already left, so I walked back to the hostel.

 I cleaned up and went with the group to the Tuesday Bible study (with praise songs). Charlotte led small groups in a Disciple class of Matthew. Ice cream for everyone afterwards!! Slovakian for ice cream is zmrlzlina. It’s hard to believe that a word that starts with five consonants can taste so good! Two different ATMs would not work for me.

 Lenka drove me by Zuzana’s apartment. She will meet us at the children’s site at 1:00 pm tomorrow.

 We had a good team meeting. We practiced for the children’s “play” tomorrow. Midnight - bed. Don’t set the alarm.

 July 14 - Wednesday

Not so much noise today, but still awake at 7:00, up at 8:00. I’m looking forward to Zuzana joining us today. To the church at 10:30 am for a late devotional. Lunch at 11:00. Sort of a strange schedule today. Mark picked up the Kiddie Corp at 12:30. We are at the “Field of Dreams” from 1:00-5:00. Good crowd of kids. They love the crafts. I was Jesus in the skit (ha!!!). Zuzana was a big help with the kids.

 After dinner, some of us went back to play baseball. Paul LOVES baseball. He used to play, but an injury now has him coaching kids. Allot of kids came out to play once they saw us. When it got too dark we walked to the hostel. A good day, but I’m very tired. I made out the Birthday card I got for Frank Tebow (100 years old!!) and had everyone on the team sign it, too. Midnight - bed.

 These late nights are a result of the different team dynamic of everyone being together. It was not this way in Bosnia because we were split up in groups for housing.

 July 15 - Thursday

Out of bed at 8:00 am. Nice weather. It rained the first two nights, but it’s been nice weather ever since then.

Helped burn trash, lunch, shop for Zuzana’s family, then I am the first to arrive at the children’s site. They are waiting for us. About 20 kids came running across the field when they saw me. To kill time until others get there we played different races, squirted water, showed souvenirs, etc. Then others showed up and we only set up one tent. Lots of crafts, autographs on ARMS, baseball, balloons, races. It’s 5:00 pm and I’m TIRED. Go to hostel and clean up. Ladies are going to a women’s study group and I get an empty suite for shower, etc. Zuzana invited me to dinner this night. Her Dad picked me up at 8:00 pm. Great meal: pork steak, chicken, potato salad, bread, crackers, juice. She is busy the next two days, but will come to church Sunday.

 July 16 - Friday

Awake at 5:30!!! Up at 6:30. I wish I could sleep in. Be at the site at 7:30 for breakfast and leave for the train at 8:20. We are going to Bratislava today to sight see and shop! During the first of the train ride, the countryside seemed flat - like Kansas. Later on there was a small mountain range on one side. This train stops at each little village like a commuter train.

 There is a 15-minute walk from the train station to the church. Everyone hits the bookstore to buy tapes, CDs, books, etc. The Methodist church in Bratislava was there since before WWII. Stan, Keith, and I stay together to shop, eat, and walk around in the old part of town. Lunch was GREAT lasagna. Browse and shop ... walk ... walk... walk., from 11:20 to 4:15. We all met back as one big group at the church and ate at 5:15 pm. Then in 45 minutes John, Paul, and I walk down to the Danube and back. We walk about a third of the way across this huge, long bridge that has a space needle restaurant on the middle of it. The bridge bounced a little from all the traffic. Some of the folks ate lunch there. I would sure hate to be bouncing around eating a couple of hundred feet in the air!!! Walked back t, church, walked back to the train station and got on a direct ride to Trnava. WALKED to the hostel (2-3 miles). What a full day of shopping and walking.

 July 17 - Saturday

No need for the alarm clock. Awake at 4:30. Those stupid dogs and trunks! ! Ahh for the serene, early morning Muslim chants of Sarajevo. This is our last workday and no Kiddie Corps. Everybody works all day. I helped to chip plaster. Others have been working on the brick wall all week. A day or two ago the neighbor objected to where one side of the wall was - 3 inches too close. At that time, it was only three courses tall. They tore it down and redid it. The neighbor came out today when the wall was 6 feet high, ranting and raving, and said the other side needs to be moved 1 inch. It was not moved this time.

 This neighbor is quite a story. As Lubos put it, he is very contrary. If you say black, he says white. He fought against the “rezoning” for the church. He is against everything. He does have a vested interest, he shares a common wall with the church. For about 20 years, the church (a residential house) was vacant and decaying. You would think he would be glad someone is fixing it up so it doesn’t hurt his place. For many years he lived alone.

 Here we come, a bunch of strange people bringing allot of noise and change. Now things are changing around him, and it probably scares him.

 We had previously torn out the fence between the church and the “nice” neighbor, who happened to be a church member. Today, we dug a trench all along that side on the lot, about two feet deep (although the actual digging was finished by the time I started helping). This will be the foundation of a future wall. Jerry and I foraged for stuff to use as rebar. All sorts of metal junk were placed in the trench: wire, pipes, scrap metal, who knows-what-it-is, etc.  We pounded out metal scrap to make it straight and even put in the remaining cushion springs out of the burn barrel! Concrete was mixed up in a wheelbarrow, pushed over to the trench, and dumped in.

We cleaned up at the hostel, then back to the site for dinner and gift exchange (lots of tears). Then we had a “garden fire”, what we call a barbecue. A fire ring was formed on the ground from left over, broken bricks not used in the wall. Church members joined us, including Lubos’ parents, sister, niece, and 93-year-old great-grandmother. Two church members who had worked hard along side us were there. Vlado, a bi& tall, brawny man who had 4 kids, and the emotional “little Lubos”. I don’t know if he was a professional bricklayer or not, but this Lubos did allot of work on the brick wall.  Great fellowship.

 I noticed the “contrary” neighbor walking out to his back yard, and then walked back holding a live chicken by its feet. About 15 minutes later a noticed him walking with a full, dressed chicken - obviously fresh chicken for dinner! I suggested to Dave, then to Lubos perhaps we might invite him to our garden fire. Lubos understood my intent, but suggested a different time. Dave then remembered he had an extra Central Texas Conference VIM T-shirt. With Lubos translating, he offered the T-shirt to the neighbor, over the side fence, as a gift (i.e., peace offering). Many of us were watching to witness the event. That night at the team meeting, he relayed to us the conversation that took place. In a nutshell, that we had come to Slovakia not just to work on the church, but to spread the love of Christ. Would he please accept this shirt in that spirit. Afterward Lubos said he thought the man was truly moved. Dave said, “I wasn’t planning to say that. I don’t know what made me say it. Well, yes I do...”

 Crystal, Lenka, Bill, and Zuzana met late and went to the “disco”.

 July 18 - Sunday

For the devotional at the site, we had communion. It was John’s morning and he read, what I would call, a “Memories” sermon. Regular church was similar as the previous week. A very moving time - much love - gifts. “Give me that old time religion” was one of the songs. I was expecting Zuzana but she was not there and I am very disappointed. This was my last chance to see her.

 The second prison trip had the same group minus Mark who had to go to Germany or Austria, I think. This time Charlotte, Pam, and I gave testimonials. Charlotte talked about “someone close to her” (actually her) who adopted a troubled 14-year old girl (Crystal’s Mom). Pam talked about how her Mom had an angelic vision when about to lose her second pregnancy (Pam!). Everything turned out all right. Inspired by Lubos’s Grace theme last week, I spoke about sinning, forgiveness of sins, and “stole” (er, borrowed, stealing is a sin) Dustin’s sardine story.

 After we got back, I did a little pre-packing and sorted out work clothes to leave for the gypsy ministry. A group of us went to this other town for the evening church service. Several girls (blondes in short skirts) sang as the praise team with piano and they were very good (singers!). The preacher was a powerful speaker (Lubos and Lenka translated). I didn’t realize until afterward that this was an independent church, not Methodist. But it is one that Lubos has close ties to and he goes there each Sunday to help out. A couple of us also gave testimonies. I told about the Sarajevo experience.

 Toward the end of the service it was asked if anyone wants to come forward for prayers. This young man (25-35?) came up. We didn’t understand everything being said, but the congregation muttered prayers out loud (also common in Trnava) and the preacher starts yelling and praying and laying his hands on the guy s head. After 15 minutes or so, things died down and nothing happened. So they start up again. After a while, another man from the congregation jumps up to help lay on enough hands (i.e., pressure) so the guy finally lies down. During all of this, Lenka became upset and went outside. We don’t really know what’ s going on, if it’s a religious event or a “show”. Afterwards, Lenka explained she was upset because what the preacher was doing. He wasn’t really praying for him. He was just whipping everyone into a fervor to create a short-lived, emotional high.

 When we got back to the hostel, Zuzana and Paul were there! Zuzana had not been feeling well and her Mom did not wake her for church. She still had a nasty cough. We had a powerful (and long) team meeting where we did “round robin” comments. Each person made a statement to each other. Final good-byes to Zuzana and Paul. I’m glad they came tonight. About 5-10 minutes after they left, Paul came back into my room again for a final final tearful good-bye.

 We have to leave for the Vienna airport at 4:00 am Monday morning. I got to bed at 1:00 am and woke up at 3:30 am. Everything is packed and ready to go. It’s been a real struggle to obtain enough transportation to yet us all to Vienna, but prayers were answered and we did it.

 July 19 - Monday

Crystal was super tired. She was sleeping on the floor of the Vienna airport. I was doing allot of “processing” on the plane from Vienna to Frankfurt. What a busy time we had! The flight from Frankfurt to Dallas was 13 hours and I didn’t sleep. At the time of landing in Dallas, it was about 8:00 pm in Slovakia (l:00 pm in Dallas). There was a couple hours layover in Dallas, then onto Kansas City. I think I slept one to one and a half hours on that flight. Mom and Dad picked me up and I got home about 8:00 pm Monday. By the time I went to bed at 9:30, I had about 3-4 hours of sleep in the last 46 hours. This was a great trip…