Project: The VRT

I know I haven't posted anything in a while, but I guess that's just because things have slowed down quite a bit after all the hours we had been putting into the Manna room project. Since it's now done and being put to use (nine or ten mothers plus their kids the other day!), I can sit back and be, well, I guess kind of proud of the work that was accomplished. Not that I did everything, or even close to it, but it does give a sort of satisfaction seeing something put to use that I've had part of. So what's the next project? Hmmm.......

There are really a number of things that can, could, or should be done, but the hardest part about all of them is the fact that I can't do them all or that I'm just not able, period. I can work on a few things at a time, and for right now that's what I'm doing. Lately I've just been doing small things that need to be done because there are no big projects that are being started and/or being finished as of right now. So, that means I'm waiting.......


I will admit that there is something that I've kind of started; that is the project I started two Saturdays ago. It pretty much boils down to two things. First of all, as some of you might know, I used to race bikes when I was younger and pretty much all my life I have liked riding bikes. It's a useful thing over here because, as of right now, my bike is my car (it's my form of transportation). Secondly, I've been trying to figure out some way of keeping in contact with some of the boys around here, mainly the ones that I already know through futbal, etc. I knew it would have to be some kind of activity (they're boys after all) that's fun and one in which I wouldn't have to get them to join. At the beginning of the summer I had in mind canoeing/floating (which I still think would be great), but that hasn't quite worked out since finding a canoe over here is a lot harder than I thought it would be (maybe I just haven't met the right people yet). So, what to do...what to do...?

Then, just a couple weeks ago, I heard (by keeping my ears pealed) one of these boys offhandedly state that he's been spending most of his free time riding his bike, or more specifically, trying to jump it. This was it, it was what I had been waiting for! So I started; that is I started digging in the dirt and making little piles of it, just like any other twenty-one year old would do (?). To make a little more than a week and a half "report" go by more quickly, I will just state what has taken place. Eight boys, of whom I only know six, have joined me in working on what I started on two Saturdays ago. But that's not all! Not only do they want to dig in the dirt, but they have decided to spend almost all there free time doing it; that means almost every afternoon so far this week. What more could I have asked for?

Now, not only do I get more exercise, but I also get to spend time working/having fun with eight guys who need Christ, and they're doing it all without being asked! I know that some (if not most) of you will say that jumping bikes is potentially dangerous, and truthfully I admit that it is, but what else in these boy's lives (ranging in age from 12-15) could be just as, if not more, harmful and dangerous? I know from being around them and hearing them talk that the life of the pub-goer/drug user is just now throwing out it's lure and trying to reel them in. I see riding bikes as a great, if not better use of their life and limb right now at their age. It gives them something "healthy" to do and keeps them (as much as can be hoped) away from all those "other" influences.

Actually, after starting off on this whole thing, I've felt really inadequate for the job. It has seemed like I bit off more than I will be able to chew, but I think this is because it is something that I've never done before; I'm just a beginner. What can I hope to do by spending time around these boys who seem to think that foul language is needed to get a point across and that being rude and crude is the way to get respect? It is overwhelming sometimes, but then I think of what the contrast has to be when I'm there. I don't swear when I stub my toe on a rock or let out a string of curses when I fall into a rose bush, and I don't laugh at the nasty jokes that everyone else laughs at. I've noticed that I kind of stick out (besides other reasons) and also that I'm under observation by all those that are there. For right now, I see that as my biggest job. I call myself a Christian, which means I take on the responsibility of being Christ to those that know me, see me, and are around me. I'll be first to admit that it's not easy, but then again, who said it would be? If anything, it makes me see just how weak and helpless I am in this battle, which in turn makes me see just how much I need the strength that only God can give. Please make these boys a part of your prayers. I would also be grateful for your prayers as well.

I know this has been a slightly different post than any of my previous ones, and it has been a little different for me as well. I guess you might say that I am just now beginning to understand the importance of prayer and of having others pray for me. All I can do is give whole hearted thanks to my Father for the brothers and sisters I have that have been, and now are, praying for me and the people here in Slovakia.