Here we are at Easter 2009. These pictures might look familar to you if you have seen the blog from this time last year. I was so pleased to receive another invitation to celebrate Easter with my brother, sister in law and her famly in Poland. The best part was to have another opportunity to spend precious time with my neice Hania.

Her favorite activity at G-ma and G-pa's house is to go up and down the stairs again and again and again. Eventually I nic named her yo-yo. The problem was that she acted as if she was an old pro at doing steps so she needed constant supervision and reminders to pay attention to what she was doing. Here, mom and dad double team her. She thought it was big fun to command so much of everyone's attention.

When you're in Poland for any kind of celebration, its all about food and fellowship. Every two hours or so there's another full meal layed out on the table. The trick is to pace yourself and not eat too much at any one meal. Easier said than done when you're eating food this good.

The food is not only delicious, its also beautiful. This dessert looked so artistic I had to have a photo of it before it was consummed. And consummed it was.

Whew! Going up and down the steps all day is hard work. Easter is all about the peace and rest which comes from knowing that the tomb where Jesus was buried is indeed empty. Leave it to a child to demonstrate to us adults the proper way to celebrate it. Peace, what an amazing wonder. I think about peace quite often. Those of you who correspond with me via e-mail know that I often times end my message wishing you peace. Without the power of peace our lives would be ravaged by fear, doubt and ultimately insanity. I know this from experience. Peace, as with many of God's gifts, is an enigma in some ways. Furthermore, not all peace is the same.

There's a type of peace which could best be described as 'pure peace.' I learned about it also by experience. Have you ever experienced pure peace? Obviously we cant know if we've ever had it unless we know what it is and where it comes from? I would describe it as a deep and rich contentment which cannot be defiled by the corruption of a world gone bad. God's word says its a peace which goes way beyond any kind of peace which can be derived from earthly experience or understanding. Beyond the peace of lying on a quiet, sun soaked beach. Beyond the peace of walking in a beautiful forest bursting with the sounds and fragrance of nature. Beyond the peace which can be found in the 'love of a lifetime' relationship. Beyond the peace of a first time mom or dad sleeping with their new born baby. Each of these experiences possess an echo of the pure peace which point us in the direction of something even more profoundly peaceful, something so mysterious and complex that forming it into language is nearly impossible.

When Deep calls to deep and the Spirit of the living God touches the core of one of His creations , it is there that we have a taste of the "supernatural" peace. The fullness of this peace cannot be realised in the here and now. However, there is a God promise which rings out into eternity that says someday we can be consumed by the fullness of this pure peace. Imagining that moment is beyond the capacity of my limited mind. Believing the promise is the only way to ensure that I will experience that consummation.

Back to my Easter adventure. We were having a wonderful time in Poland, enjoying the beautiful weather, when Ricky had a bit of a problem with the Polish police. The story goes that we were walking through a lovely park when Ricky decided he couldnt hold his bladder anymore. As he relieved himself in the bushes the police came along and tried to arrest him. Fearful of being put into a Polish gulag he tried to flee. Before long there was a manhunt in the park where 10 police officers and several dogs were searching for him. He was finally able to crawl into a truck which was hauling hogs to the slaughter house. After a long and intense search they finally found him hiding in a sausage making plant 3 towns away from Lubin (magda's home town). Fortunately I was there when they apprehended him and was able to get this photo.

After Rick promised to send me monthly coupons for free pizza for the rest of my life I slipped a little cash to the police and secured his release.

One week following Easter Rick and Magda traveled down to Bratislava to check out a little bit of my world. It was the first chance I had to host one of my siblings here in Slovakia so I was overjoyed to have them here. We kept a frenetic pace throughout their visit beginning with the sights and tastes of Bratislava. Here we are visiting the Devin castle ruins.

We also went to another castle ruin named Pajstun (pie-sh-toon) as well as the Bratislava castle. Following the fortress part of our activity we visited the quaint and unique "old town" portion of the city where we had traditional Slovak fare at the local favortie named Prastna Basta. All in all a really nice day and only the first of our 3 day weekend.

The second leg of our weekend took us to Vienna. We took a train to the city and promptly realised that the annual marathon was in progress. There were thousands of runners and thousands of people assembled to cheer on the runners. It was quite a spectacle. We were wandering around the city and stumbled into one of the main squares where they happened to have the finish line situated. There were thousands of screaming people, loud music and generally wild atmosphere when all of a sudden we realised that the leader of the race was entering the square as we were standing there. In a very accidental way we saw the primary conclusion of the whole event. As you might expect it was an African man who took home first prize.

The last leg of the tour was Budapest, Hungary. Fortunately we had fantastic weather the entire weekend.

As with anybody else who comes to this part of the world, Rick and Magda were amazed by what they saw.

Near the end of the weekend they couldnt wait to get back to Poland and see their little Hania. Thank you Rick and Magda for coming to spend time with me in Bratislava.

This past weekend was a national holiday in Slovakia when everyone heads out of the city to enjoy the great outdoors. This is the site where my church had their annual picnic. Its a beautiful little spot below the aforementioned Pajstun castle ruins. Generally people cook klobasa (sausage) over an open fire and play games such as frisbee, soccer and small group circle games. Good times.

On Sunday I was invited to a cook out with some new friends and was introduced to some of their friends who have a beautiful place in the forest as a city get-a-way. As you can see, cooking klobasa over an open fire is like a national sport or past time here. It works well for me being the carnivore and lover of the outdoors that I am.

There to my left is my friend Paul who is just now finishing his bar exams to officially become a lawyer. Next to him is his girlfriend Ivana who works in the mayors office here in the city. Then there's Mike who has worked in the field of law for a number of years. The beautiful "A" frame structure behind him was inherited from his grandparents. Behind the camera is Jana who is also a lawyer (sorry Jana).
There must be some kind of joke or punchline for someone who is surrounded by lawyers at a cookout in the forest. Life is good here in Bratislava, thanks be to God. I hope the goodness of God is flowing where you are too. Peace.