Newsletter - Slovakia 2003

OUR TEAM ......

Pam and Jim Burnett had the desire to share Christ with all of the Roma children that they could not bring home when they adopted 2 children from the orphanages there. Their older son Jacob joined them along with our Northern Ireland puppet director, Sam Shaw and David Thomson from England. Together, we traveled to Slovakia to share Jesus with Gypsy (Roma) and Slovak children.

TRAVELING BLESSINGS ......

I had a wonderful opportunity to talk with a young girl from Israel, Anna, on the plane to Slovakia. She was 18, soon to join the Israeli army, and very sad. Many of her friends were killed this past year in the discotheque bombing in Israel. She told me that no one cared about the Jews. I told her about God and His Son, Jesus Christ who loved her. She began to cry and told me that she did not understand why she was crying. I believe that God was softening her heart. When she left, she took my picture and promised to write and I promised her to pray for her. I ask you to pray that she will email me as she promised. We had 7 hours to talk on the flight, but there is so much more to say.

THE ROMA PROBLEM ......

We expected it to be cold, because they were in the middle of a blizzard, with a chill factor of 0. It was very cold, but full of blessings. The team all had very warm clothing, but the children we were sharing with did not. We fell in love with the Roma children and discovered that the Gypsy families were facing a tragic situation. The government just announced that as of January 20, 2003, their support checks would be reduced from a starvation level to a sub-starvation level. Support to feed and clothe a child, plus pay rent and utilities went from about $30.00 per month to $20.00 per month. Food costs in Slovakia are about 2/3 of what they are in the United States. You can do the math and see what a desperate time this is for the Roma community.

More, the government had just announced that they would be turning off electricity to anyone who doesn't pay their bills in full and the electricity costs about the same as in the United States. They have the choice to pay for their electricity or to buy food.

To make matters worse, the Roma people are hated by the Slovaks, as well as by most other Europeans, even most of the Christians do not care about them. The faith of the local Christians has often not impacted their prejudice and hate. Even some of the Christians that we worked with made horrible comments about the Roma people. Constantly, we asked God to fill us with love as we stood in a place full of hate.

LOST LUGGAGE ......

We arrived safe in Slovakia, but our luggage was lost. The airline officials told us that there simply was no space on the plane for our luggage. A friend of a friend heard about our problem and became personally involved. An American businessman called Prague and arranged for our bags to be put on the next plane. Without his help, we would not have received our luggage for days. The 7 lost bags arrived in Kosice on Monday, 30 minutes before our first show. Prayer brought these bags to us.

I LOVED SLOVAKIA!!! ......

I loved Slovakia! I loved the Roma children. They are so precious, but their situation is so desperate. Sam said that the absolute hopelessness of their lives was overwhelming. They have no hope for today, less hope for tomorrow and they need everything. Because most do not know Christ and they have no training in handling money, they make poor decisions with the little bit of money that they do have. Please pray that God will use their desperation to turn their hearts to Christ.

LUNIK 9 ......

One evening, we presented a show at Lunik 9, a large apartment complex originally built to house 50% Roma and 50% Slovaks. These were originally standard apartments and it was an attempt by the government to improve social relations between the two societies. Later, the community became a 'ghetto' for socially 'unadaptables', while the Slovaks completely moved out. Most of the people there do not have electricity, because they do not pay their bills or cannot afford to pay. Some 800 square foot apartments have as many as 20 residents, with most having an average of 10 residents. Many of the apartments have broken windows, so they constantly have cold air blowing in the rooms.

We were told, "Expect to have rocks thrown at the van and they will probably pull the windshield wipers off again. These children don't listen very well and they will run in and out during the program." None of these things happened!!!!! All of us could feel the power of His Holy Spirit as He moved in that place. All of the workers agreed that they had never seen the children behave so well and listen so carefully. A Roma boy was asked how he liked the show and he said, "Perfect." Praise God.

ROMA VILLAGES ......

For two days, we visited Roma settlements two hours west of Kosice. The response was incredible. A teacher in one small village called the program "beautiful". A local official gave us an open door when he said, "We will take any help that is offered, material, physical or spiritual." A mayor told us that our faces had a countenance of joy and that we made the children happy. He had not seen a puppet show himself since he was 7 years old.

We arrived in one village and found a crowd of over 250 waiting on us with at least 100 adults attending. Many men were there and they were so receptive to the Gospel, they even helped us with the crowd of children. Several adult women were crying as they heard about Jesus and the new life that he offers. The children received the best gift that we could offer... the endless hope of the Gospel.

THE SNOW ......

I'd never seen so much snow. I'd never even imagined so much snow. The world was white further than my eyes could travel. I also could not imagine what it would be like for the Gypsy children who were cold and hungry in such terrible weather. As Jeremiah did, we must all 'cry out in the night for the life of young children, who faint from hunger at the head of every street.' Lamentations 2:19. This trip motivated us to pray with passion! We understood that more than food or warmth, they needed Jesus. God poured His Spirit on these children, as some responded to the Gospel.

THE CHILDREN ......

We worked with a group called "The Father's Heart". They target at risk children, providing clubs where they can hear the Gospel. They have 100 Slovak young people who lead these clubs and they do much of their work in orphanages. Their knowledge of the children who live in these places showed us just how desperate their condition is. Most of the children were sexually abused in these places either by the staff or by older children. Hunger and cold make it worse. In the Roma community, children are often sexually active by the age of 12.

We had a show in a school in a village with a large Roma community. An English teacher said to me, "It is difficult here. The children think only about the material world... food and a place to live, but I hope that your words will stay in this school. I will think about these words." There was a terrible hunger in his eyes. His answer was the same as the answer for the children. Only Jesus can satisfy such hunger.

The children were beautiful and listened with joy to the puppets, but it was difficult for them to concentrate on the story. They have a very short attention span. Constantly, we prayed for wisdom to present the Gospel effectively. Over one two day period, we presented the Gospel to over 2000 children who were all in un-reached areas for the Gospel.

THE ADULT MEN'S PRISON ......

We shared Christ at a prison for adult men where we presented a puppet show, juggled, and told them the Bible story of a proud, arrogant king that God humbled. Only about 60 men were allowed to attend the show, out of 700 prisoners. Before I could ask God for an opportunity to share Christ with the rest of the men, He answered my prayer. I was interviewed by the prison radio station and was able to tell all the men how Jesus Christ can forgive, heal and restore.

THE ROMA PEOPLE ......

Every day, we learned new details about the difficult life of the Roma people. We were at one village where some families, literally, live in hand dug caves. We worshipped at a Roma church and were wonderfully blessed by their excitement. We all loved to hear their voices raised in praise to God. What a blessing it was to hear the name of Jesus worshipped in the Romany language.

TRAINING NATIONALS TO CONTINUE THE WORK ......

We saw and heard a lot of racism from some of our Christian brothers and sisters. Some talk about the Roma people with such hate. However, we found two groups that truly understand the love of Christ. We split the one set of equipment between these two groups, giving some money to the second group so that they can build a stage and make curtains.

Both new puppet teams were trained and made plans to begin their new work. All were excited about this new tool for outreach. One team member asked if I would be willing to stay in Slovakia with the puppets, but I decided to decline and promised to return next year.

As we left the country, we were confident that those two groups, "The Father's Heart" and a Roma church, "God's House", will continue the work. Pray for these brothers and sisters who share God's love in a very dark place. Often they face opposition from other believers when they want to reach the Roma people. However, the leaders of both groups are good friends and will do an awesome job!

TRIP TO A GYPSY (ROMA) VILLAGE ......

We went to a Gypsy settlement and shared in a program at a widow's home. Her home was a single room that 70 people, mostly children, filled to hear stories about Jesus. This group is the beginning of a church, but they are young in faith, the oldest believer has only known Jesus for a year. We worked with Pierre and Lisa, missionaries from South Africa and America.

There was no room for the stage in the room, no space to set up the easel, no room to sit down for any of the adults. No one seemed to care. Everyone stared in wide eyed wonder at the puppets as they appeared behind a single curtain that 2 Slovak brothers held. David held the drawing board and Sam held the chalk. They loved the story of Zacheus and responded sweetly to the Gospel. We heard the children praying, asking Jesus to be their Savior.

We made flying rats (balloon animals) for everyone, even the adults. Then, we slid down the icy steps and skated carefully down the hill to the van. A fresh snow had fallen on top of the layers of ice and the van had to be pushed up the hill while we walked.

Later, we stopped at a grocery story and I noticed people looking at us. We reeked of cigarette smoke, wood smoke, and worse. All of us were dirty and tired as we had done four shows that day. When we got home, it took us an hour to clean the equipment, our clothes, and David. He was very kind about his jeans and demonstrated the love of Christ... While he was kneeling during the puppet show, he felt something seeping through the floor boards onto his pants. The house was so poorly constructed that when the puppeteers knelt, the boards sagged, and filth (sewage) from under the house seeped through the floor.

We were a team representing four countries and one Lord... no one complained. How do we describe such need? How can we be light in this darkness? Where do the Gypsies or those like them live near you? Have you ever shared Jesus and His hope with them? We all must serve.

A VERY COLD SHOW ......

We had one program for a small town, where they announced to the entire town over the loudspeaker that we were coming. Many children came and waited for us for more than 30 minutes in the cold, snow and wind as we were locked out of the building. Finally, they let us inside and there was no heat. You could see your breath in the building when you spoke. I had good, warm boots and warm clothes, but my feet hurt!! It was miserably cold, but the children kept coming. They sat in that cold room, laughing and enjoying the puppets, many asked Jesus Christ to be their Savior. They have nothing by our standards, but in their poverty, they are rich because they see their need for a Savior. After the program, the children followed us outside, anxious to tell us their names, touch us, receive a hug.

A CHILD'S ENTHUIASM ......

At a school, a little boy with downs syndrome, listened to the story of Jesus as he calmed the waters. I used a thunder drum to make the sounds of a terrible storm. I said, "Jesus was the Son of God, and when He spoke, the thunder stopped." He began to clap his hands and shout, "Ano, Ano, Ano! --- Yes, Yes, Yes!"

FRIENDSHIP ......

Many people commented on our friendship and the fact that Sam, David and I were from three different countries. They said that they could see the love we have for one another. They also laughed at how silly we could be between shows. We told them that the love of Jesus makes people a family. I will always praise the Lord for Sam and David, they could not have done a better job, both have always shown a servant's heart.

THE MAYOR AND SCHOOL DIRECTOR ......

Yesterday, a mayor told us, after watching the program, that he rated it a "`1". This was the best possible rating in Slovakia. Thumbs up, even though he was not a Christian. The director of a school stated that they never knew what to say when people asked to do school assemblies. She was very pleased and said that she liked this method of teaching very much. A priest and teacher of religion came to one show as we explained to many people that there was a difference between religion and a relationship with Jesus Christ.

ORPHANAGE BULLETIN BOARD - "OUR LITTLE HEARTS LONG FOR LOVE" ......

At an orphanage where we shared, we saw a bulletin board. It was a giant heart with pictures of the children inside it. Underneath were these words, "Our little hearts long for love." Every man, woman, young person, boy or girl longs to have love, just like those children. We wanted the children to find love in knowing Jesus Christ.

THE POWER OF PRAYER ......

We saw God do such incredible things beyond our expectation and we know it is because so many of you were praying with such intensity. We are eternally thankful to Pam and Jim Burnett and Bill and Nona Baker for their vision for the children of Slovakia. I had expected to be in South America at this time, but the Lord had a different plan, more than I could not imagine. I was so disapointed, when I could not go where I had planned, but now I am delighted that God gave us such a wonderful gift. We were blessed to share Christ with thousands of children in some of the worst places we have ever seen and we heard many praying out loud to ask Jesus Christ to be their Savior.

CHILDREN IN NEED ......

Everywhere we went, I saw a real hunger in the children that surpassed their need for food. Though I could not speak their language, their eyes spoke of great hurt. Many of the children that we shared with were victims of child sexual abuse, hunger and cold were common problems, others simply could no longer dream. For most, hope did not exist. So many ached to have a father or anyone to love them. To all of these real hurts, Jesus Christ says, "Let the little children come to me." I often told the children, "There is someone who loves you. He loves you so much that He sent His only Son to die for you. When you ask Jesus Christ to be your Savior, you will be forgiven and when you are forgiven, you can forgive others who hurt you. Best of all, God will be your Father and He is a good Father!". This is the simplest of messages and so powerful in the life of a child who believes.

A NEW WORK IN CZECH ......

On our way home, we spent 2 nights in Prague with a young pastor named Dalibor. We planned next year's work in Czech and he is very excited. Only one half of one percent are professing Christians, most are atheists who find their comfort in Czech's new prosperity. He told us to expect the children to laugh at what we share, but we have a year to pray.

HOW CAN YOU PARTICIPATE????????????

1. Come with us on a trip. We will teach you to be a puppeteer and all of the blessings that you have been reading about will be your testimony. Please contact us!

2. Invite us to share at your church.

3. Arrange for us to speak to your mission committee. Ask us to attend your mission conference. Honestly, we need some financial help with so many requests for training.

4. Let us train your team at your church for a short term mission trip. We will even help you find a group to work with overseas.

5. Always....PRAY! Ask others who are serious prayer warriors to send us their e-mails and join our prayer family.