Once again a season of change is upon us as the warmth of summer fades into the cool and color of fall. The changing seasons are a constant reminder that life is forever unfolding into new and different stages. Not only does the calendar remind us that change is on the way but the trees and the temperature as well. The changes that occur in people are not so unlike the changes in nature. The signs and indications of personal change are sometimes quite obvious to see, however making sense of those changes is another matter. It’s never easy trying to sort through and understand our own thoughts and feelings about the shifting, revolving seasons in our lives. So many of the internal changes we experience are subtle and enigmatic. Doubts and fears often times prevent us from having the courage necessary to take an honest, open look at who we are and who we are becoming.

This is my friend Matt who recently visited SK from Minnesota. We had a great time together and it was nice for me to have a friendly face from home.

There is an ongoing challenge for me to break out of the mentality that says I’m the same person I was 5, 10 , 15 years ago, especially from the point of view of faith. Yes, my scenery experienced a drastic change 17 months ago. But I often think about the internal ways I am hoping to change and grow as a person; to be more compassionate to others, less concerned about myself, more engaged in stillness/quiet, more centered and intimate with Jesus... There are times when it feels as if I am growing, changing and becoming the person God blueprinted before time began. Other times it seems as if very little has changed and it’s just the same old me. How are we to know the truth? How do we know we are truly being transformed into something better than we were yesterday?

This is Matt and I hiking with some friends near the castle ruins known as Tematin. Uzasny! (brilliant)

Living abroad has brought an explosion of new ideas, experiences and interpersonal insight. The latest experiences for me here in Slovakia are new opportunities to help ease the financial crunch by teaching English. One of the best ways for native English speakers to earn money in this part of the world is to teach the language. I am currently working part-time for a local industrial company who desires to have an English speaking workforce. In addition, I also have a few private students who I meet with on a regular basis. This is a great opportunity for me and the people I teach. The students will increase their ability to be effective in their jobs and also make themselves more marketable for future positions with other firms. This is a must-have skill for many Slovaks who hope to consistently advance in their field. For me, its not only a chance to recover some of the resources lost due to plunging dollar strength, it’s also a great opportunity to build more relationships with people. I have already discovered that most of my teaching experiences go well beyond discussing grammar and vocabulary.

For a Mn boy (Matt) who hasnt been away from the 10,000 lakes much places like the Devin castle ruins is really amazing.

Many people are also looking for someone they can confide and trust in to speak about their journey through life. The people who have sought out my services for English lessons want to converse about who they are and where they are going in life as much as how to speak proper English.
The older I get the more I realize what a great privilege it is to be invited to share in peoples lives. To be chosen by people as a safe place to wrestle with strife and the changing tides of life is a great honor indeed. There is great risk involved trusting one’s innermost thoughts and feelings to a virtual stranger. There is a great reward for the risk taker, however, when the stranger is also seeking truth and abundant life.

These are my SK friends Laci and Edit and my American friend Judy who was also in the neighborhood for a visit recently. Laci and Edit will be getting married next weekend. I have a particular excitement and anticipation of this celebration as I was honored to be invited to help them with a little premarital counseling.

As time goes on here in SK there is a slow and steady increase of something resembling a rhythm to my life. And yet there are still so many uncertainties about my life here. It may sound corny but I think of the millions of immigrants who departed European shores for America not so long ago to make a new life. The struggles and trials they encountered were mountainous. Most of us only need to speak to grandparents, who have learned from their own parents, what it took to start over in a new land. Certainly my situation is not so extreme however similar in many ways. Similarities such as: not knowing the language or the culture before arriving, experiencing the feelings of being an outsider, feeling disconnected, encountering strange laws, customs and beliefs.

This is the Pospisil family who have been intricately involved in the baseball camp for years. Jirko and Ludka speak limited english and so Janka does the translating for us, which she does an excellent job of. They have been very caring and thoughtful friends to me since I came to SK. I am grateful for this family.

I have to believe many of the American immigrants had more than one notion to turn around and head back for home where everything is comfortable and familiar. Of course, I too have felt these feelings. How long does it take to feel like your life is “normal” in these circumstances? When do you get to a point where you feel as if you belong? One thing I know for sure is it doesn’t happen in 17 months. A legitimate question to ask is can a person ever feel truly at home in a situation like this?
The reality for me is that as I seek a deeper, more hidden relationship with Christ, I experience the feeling of being a foreigner, not only here in Sk but on the entire planet in general. If its true that we are all just passing through this planet on our way back home then all the seasons of change in this life have only one purpose: to prepare us for our real home.


On this particular day we were celebrating Ludka's (Mrs. Pospisil) birthday and nameday. The Slovaks have a tradition of celebrating "nameday" as well as birthday's. Rarely do those events fall on the same day. A nameday is simply when your name appears on a certain day on the calander. All the calanders here have printed on them the most common names used, usually biblical names such as: Peter, Mateo, Jan, Pavel, Maria, Katarina, Zuzska(susan)and there is also Slavic names like Miroslav, Milan, Olga...