Something more...on topic?

I can guess that a lot of you are sometimes wondering what I'm doing over here, especially when you read posts like the last couple that I put up. I know that they lack any report on what's happening here "spiritually"; that it may seem like I'm doing the same kinds of things that I would do if I were back in the States, but I've got a question. How many of us, whether here or anywhere, have something spiritual to "report" on every day? I don't mean to try and pass any blame, and I'm not trying to get myself "off the hook"; I really mean it as a serious question. I know that it would be nice if I could give a report every day on the spiritual progress here. It would be nice to have a story to share or better yet, have the opportunity to see someone's life change. There's just one problem: I'm not a reporter.

Reporting is something that I can do, and I will try and do, but only when the chance comes for me to see something. I'm not going to go digging for a story so I'll have something to put here on my blog every day. I don't see it as my job/duty to go out and take a slice out of someone else's life. This blog is about "a slice of my life", not someone else's.

I'm a witness; someone who gets cross examined and studied, someone who saw/sees something that those who are watching me didn't/haven't seen. It's my duty to tell them what I know and live my life in a way that won't misguide them. If anyone has the opportunity to be the reporter, it's these people. They see me as I am; they look for all my slip-ups and mistakes; they're the ones who could probably give the truest report on the spiritual condition here.

So what's the point of me writing here? Is it just to let you all know what I do on an everyday basis? Yes, and no. Things that stand out to me I'll most likely report on. Things that I might be doing every day I might report on sometimes. When I get the chance to see fruit coming from someone's life, then I think I should let it be known; both for the encouragement of this person and for the encouragement of everyone else. Fruit comes in its season; it's never planted one day with the expectation that it will pop up the next day, much less bear fruit. The speed at which fruit ripens differs from plant to plant, but for some reason the speed at which we sometimes expect it to come isn't taking this into account.


Thanks for taking the time to read my blog and see a small part of what I'm able to do here. Sometimes there seems to be a big gap between seasons, but I'm glad to have the chance to see and experience every season as it comes. In His time...right?

Project: Roof-rack 0.2

I just wanted to put up a quick update. Yesterday evening (in my "off" hours) I started working on the second runner (I'm not sure that they're called this, but that's what I'm going to call them!). At first things seemed to be going a lot faster than on Saturday, but then everything started falling apart. I had found some smaller welding rods and was using them thinking that they would be easier to use (since the metal I'm welding isn't very thick), but they ended up, in the end, working against me. They didn't seem to penetrate the metal as well as the bigger rods, meaning that after I had everything tacked together and started checking measurements, all my welds started coming undone. Yes, things went faster, but I had to keep doing them over again.

I finally figured out that the slightly larger rods worked better, even though they seemed too big for the thickness of metal I was working with. By the end of the night I kind of got the hang of stick welding again, and figured out what I had been doing wrong. MIG welding is different, and since that's the only kind of welding I've done for a long time, I pretty much forgot how much it differs from using a stick welder. Anyway, short story long, I got the second "runner" finished and looking better (to my eyes) than the first one. Now all I've got to do is make the mounting brackets for it, paint everything a nice shade of black, mount it all on the car, and take it for a spin!

Side note: A stick welder works great(!) for doing fill welds, but MIG will always rule when it comes to welding 11mm nuts onto anything (and that's a fact!).

Project: Roof-rack 0.1

This week, well actually Saturday, I started work on a roof-rack for my car. The main purpose of it will be to carry my bike, but that doesn't mean it can't be useful for hauling other stuff! It's taking me a little longer than I thought it would, but that's mainly to do with the fact that I'm using an ancient stick welder. Boy, it sure is easy to get spoiled using a MIG welder!

I fumbled around a lot with while trying to weld the small pieces, but after going through a number of welding rods and a process of weld/cut/grind I finally started getting something that I was halfway pleased with. Trying to measure rain-gutters on a car is always pretty hard and this time was no different. It's a good thing that the back of the car is a few millimeters narrower than the front. I tweaked everything out as much as I could and it just fit. Now I've got to do the one for the front, but I've got a kind of guide to run off of now.

The whole mounting part of the rack was the hardest to get right, but I think it will be worth it. After I went out and tried it out on the car, I noticed that the design works as a kind of anti-theft system. This will be great and will keep me from worrying about someone just walking off with my new rack.

Hopefully I'll get the rack done sometime soon. I've been invited to go riding in Trencin, which I'd like to do, but right now I don't have a way to get my bike there (without riding it). I'll make an update once I get the other part of the rack finished, and then, to top it off, I'll get some pictures of it on the car and in use (of course not while I'm driving!).

I've also been working on a few other things, just trying to get ready for when we start work in the building here. The largest part of this is moving things that will be in the way, and the biggest problem is finding a place to put the things. Here's where learning how to pack the bays in a Greyhound comes into practice!

This week (and it's lack of pictures)

Yea, I know. I haven't written in a while and I guess I don't really have any "good" excuse. Every day has pretty much been "normal" since the end of the conference. I did have the chance to go and see/listen to the Slovak Philharmonic which was neat, especially considering that some of the best musicians in Slovakia play in it. I didn't take any pictures; it wasn't allowed.

On Friday a small group of young people from the church here went to Berea to help out with things there. The girls ended up raking leaves (which covered somewhere around an acre of ground/yard) and the boys got to move rocks (with the help of some wheelbarrows). Here again, no pictures (I was there to work!)

I'm happy to report that my car is finally taken care of, title and license wise that is. I went by myself (because I had really no other choice) to take the title back to the owner so he could sign it over (which has to be done at the police station), and since he couldn't do it that evening I had to drive home without the title (which by law you're supposed to have in the car whenever it's driven). I got back just fine, but I decided I wasn't going back in my car without the papers. Lukas went with me the next evening to pick up the title, but for some reason (something happened in someone's communication somewhere) our effort was in vain since the title was not back yet. The next evening, which was Tuesday, we went yet again(after receiving a call) and successfully got the title. Yesterday Kocko and I drove (in my car) to Bratislava and got all the insurance/license/title stuff done. License bureaus seem to be the same way the world over: long lines; tired, waiting people; and unhappy, tired (grumpy) looking people behind the windows. I'm really glad this is all done because now I feel a lot better about driving the car (since, if I were to be stopped, I would have less to try and explain). And can you guess what? Yup, that's right, no pictures to go along with all this either!

Modra 06'

I know it's been quite a while since I last posted, but that's mainly because I've been gone all weekend. I was at the missions conference held once a year in a small town about an hours drive away (although for me it took a little longer). My car and I served as taxi this weekend and I am happy to say that my car did it's part just fine. I'm really happy I got new tires before we went (otherwise I wouldn't have gone) because the car now tracks strait and doesn't get the "swervies" anymore. Note: if your car starts acting like it's driving itself and fights with you on the highway (over 50mph), then I would suggest you have a look at the tires and make sure they aren't what's giving you the trouble. My car, when I took it to have the new tires put on, had tubes in the two rear tires. This is most likely because those tires had holes in them and the easy fix was just to put tubes in instead of replacing the whole tire. Although this works for tractors and other offroad machines, when you drive at highway speeds it makes for an interesting ride!

Ok, now back to the letter I started. First off I have to say that this conference seemed to go by really fast for me, and the only reason I can come up for this is because I could understand more of what was said than ever before. Sitting on hard benches/chairs (they're really like the two put together) all day can get boring/painful pretty fast, but this year it didn't seem to me to be so bad.

This year we had four speakers: one from Romania, one from Holland (who has come every year that I've attended), and two from our neighbor in the Czech Republic. The man from Romania had a lot of interesting things to say about the work in his country and I think everyone at the conference learned something from his reports. To me (the outsider) it made me realize the differences between Slovakia and Romania, even though they are only separated by a distance comparable to a drive from Missouri to Tennessee. Missions over here is quite a bit different from the way it is in the States. Here a new country is only a few hours drive away, unlike the states where you can drive for a whole day and never reach the border.

The other three speakers I am a little familiar with, and they spoke mainly about missions in general. They mentioned the work in their countries within the talks they gave, but they're main points all had to do with widening the view of the listeners. A lot of what is said at these conferences has to do with getting the people who are listening to see what they can do in their own country, while also seeing what's being done in others.

I would like to add, as a sort of ending, that this report is based solely on my view of the conference. This view of mine, I have come to see, is different than what the people here see (but not always), and I have to keep that in mind when we are listening to the same thing. Anyway, this is what has kept me busy this weekend.

And now...

...cold and slushy. It's been raining almost non stop since the other day when it quit snowing. I didn't know it had started to rain until I went to investigate what sounded like a very leaky (I was thinking broken) water pipe somewhere in the building. It ended up being water shooting down the gutter's downspout. So much for the snow! (It did make a nice birthday present) Now that everyone is made aware that we are into the winter months, it has begun to just be dreary outside. Wet and cold.

About the only new news (and about time) is that we FINALLY have the permit to work on the church building! Now we (myself and Daniel) are waiting to hear when we are finally going to go to work. I guess it will take a little time to get up to speed since it's been three (!) years since we got put on hold. It will be nice to finally get to see the benefits of what we started working on when I was here that first time. It sure is funny how slowly time can fly!

A little more white stuff

Well, we've got more snow falling as I write. It's not sticking so great, but maybe that's good. I found out yesterday that I really need to replace the tires on my car before I get four flats at once or end up in a ditch or in the wrong lane. The tires that are on the car are old, hard and cracked - not something you really want to be driving on. I did a bunch of research yesterday to see what my options are for a new set of tires. What I found out is that people here really make tires a priority, seasonally that is. I've pretty much got a choice between summer tires and snow tires. All-season tires can be found, but they are pretty expensive and there are very few options. I guess I may end up buying my very first pair of real, true snow tires (minus spikes). Snow tires here really just mean tires with a million sipes (those really small slits) in the treads, plus being made out of a slightly softer rubber. They're made to keep you stuck on the road in the snow, ice and rain - something I'd like to do. Anyway, I don't really know why I'm telling you this since it really makes no difference to you what kind of tires I get (but I'll be sure to let you know).

Since it snowed yesterday and it was cold and I wanted some exercise, I decided to go for a walk this morning. It turned out to last longer than I expected it too, around six hours, but I enjoyed every minute of it. I walked around in the hills that are behind the village that I am living in. I've been there many times before and I wanted to go to one particular place that I really like. I started out heading at a right angle to the hills, but finally turned toward them on a dirt road (I did this because I don't really like walking on the side of the road when people are driving by at sixty). I finally found my way to where I wanted to be, but I took a very round-about sightseeing path to get there. It was neat to see everything in it's winter dress; actually I hadn't ever been in these woods during the fall/winter. Everything for sure looked different, which didn't really help me out in my pathfinding. Speaking of pathfinding, I think I saw more rabbit tracks today than I've ever seen in my life! O, plus wild boar, deer, and the occasional fox/dog tracks. The only animals I saw all day were two deer up on a hill above me, and they took off for one reason or another. Once I got off the roads, my footprints were about the only ones to be seen, although there were one set of interesting footprints. I followed them up one side of the hill and they took me on the exact same path as I was planning on taking, even to the point of being within about two hundred yards of the very tree I had made my goal before setting out. I left those footprints going off another way, but to my surprise, after walking for another few kilometers I picked them up going back down the very path I was taking. I followed them again but finally lost them when I got to the road that I walked on to get back to the house. Interesting... O yea, and it didn't start snowing until about then.

Well, it's stopped snowing now. I guess that's OK though, because it left us with another couple inches. I'm really looking forward to a lot of snow, but not until I get those new tires! Anyway, I guess I'm going to start heading toward the house. I've got to go put up the dog at the A's so it won't freeze; wouldn't want that to happen. Stay tuned for the next...weather report!

Snow! (and something that thankfully came before it)

That's right, you read it correctly. This morning I woke up staring out the window, noticing that there was white stuff falling past the window. I guess maybe it's nothing to get real excited about (only a couple inches), but I just had to mention it because we've got it. Better put, we had it. I guess after the sun came up things got just warm enough to make the snow start to melt. That means today started out looking all white and sparkly and will end just as cold but wet and slightly muddy. I'm also sure that the roads will be slick or at least they'll be slushy. If I had to ride my bike back to the house I'm sure it would be interesting, but I'm thankful that I don't.

I'm sure you'll be wondering why I don't have to ride my bike back; it's because I've traded it in for something that will work, overall, as better winter weather transportation. That doesn't mean I've given up on the bike, it's just that riding in weather with the windchill quite a bit below freezing isn't all that fun, even though I get twice the exercise trying to keep from getting blown off the three bridges I have to cross on my way (the one over the canal is the worst). Now I get to go home in comfort and warmth. That's right, I bought a car.


Now, before I tell you what kind of car I got I want to be clear on one thing: most of you know that I like Volkswagens more than any other car, and I just want to reassure you that it still hasn't changed. So with that being said, my newest car (I couldn't truthfully put new) is... a 1970 model Fiat 128 A (which interestingly was in competition with the car I drive at home when they were both new). I guess I just like cars from the 70's (because I can work on them!). It's a small, four door car with a hum-dinger of an engine (1100cc and that's kind of what it sounds like). Actually, all the drive time I've had in it so far has been a pleasure, even when I had to have friends give me a push start (because the car came with a murdered battery, i.e. completely dry [!]). Now that I've got a new battery, everything works fine, even the windshield wipers go faster! Hey, old cars have their quirks (I should know) but they also have their perks. I got the car last Saturday in the late afternoon and even though everything seemed to be working as it should I knew to go over it just to make sure. I gave it a check up/over the other day which included jacking the car up and taking the wheels off so I could have a look at the brakes and all the suspension. See, that's the great part about old cars (at least it's great to me). I found out that I'll need to replace the rear break pads sometime in the future (especially if I want to use the E brake), that the funny little swerve the car sometimes does once you go over about fifty is not caused by some part of the suspension falling off, and that most definitely I need to look at getting new tyres (that's British spelling btw). I also now have the knowledge that, after looking everything over, I really will be able to fix probably anything if I can get the parts. All this adds up to knowing that sometimes a little money can go a long way when I know how to use a wrench and am willing to put up with the same comfort that people 36 years ago lived with. I'll be the first to admit that it's not a new car and that it can't really be compared to a new car, but on the other hand I know very few people who enjoy driving their new car so much; then again, maybe it's just me. All I know is that my new transportation has much better wind resistance than my bike (OK, so it keeps the wind out) and that the heater works much better, and on top of that I gave nearly the same amount for both of them. When simple is better...


Ok, that was a page full. I guess I could pretty much call it quits right here since I've done my daily duty (which you observe is not done daily). I guess it's a good thing I didn't add "daily" to the title of my blog.

I'm sorry if I've kept you waiting for news, but it's sometimes hard to remember what's news to who. I knew the car was news so that's why I went ahead and wrote about it, that and the fact that it'd get out anyway. After I put up the new blog for my new "project" I kind of forgot that I needed to still write here sometimes as well. I'm not writing there right now because the trail work is on hold because of the snow today. I guess if winter has really come to stay, meaning harsh weather, then we'll just have to look forward to what we can work on/build when spring comes around (or at least when the ground softens up). I am glad, but was a little surprised, to see four new boys at the trails on Monday. I'm sure they found out about what we were doing through the other boys who had been coming. The "visitors" mainly just looked over everything, asked questions, tried some of the jumps out and then disappeared as soon as they arrived. I'm not really expecting them to come back to help; they really didn't look the type to lend a hand. It still amazes me to think, though, that I've come in contact with six new boys that previously I as much as never knew anything about; now I know what we have in common. I know it will be some time maybe before I start to see any sort of fruit from what has been put into all this so far, but I'm sure that there will be some, of that I have no doubt.