Our week in Svit really flew by! We arrived in Vienna Friday night and spent Saturday debriefing through small-group discussions and visiting Schönbrunn Palace. Sunday, we will worship with an English-speaking congregation, do a bit more sightseeing, and say goodbye to one another as we prepare for Monday’s flights home.

Svit, Day 3

Describing such an amazing camp-week in a few paragraphs is difficult! Wednesday, students learned about how God helped the Israelites overcome the obstacle of the Jordan River, and considered obstacles that we currently face. We listened with admiration as students who were initially shy strove to speak with us in English. Having the courage to push through the language barrier in order to form friendships is no small feat, especially when done by a child.

Svit, Day 4

Thursday, classes shared stories of feeling overwhelmed in school, when traveling, and even when they were left alone (which certainly can be overwhelming for a six-year-old!) We talked about how God is always with us and answers every prayer, though not necessarily in the way we expect. Rather than focusing solely on the problems, we prayed for God to fill our hearts with His indescribable peace, trust, love, patience, and joy.

On Thursday, we also celebrated a third team member’s birthday – Lydia! We sang “God’s Blessings on You” in Slovak, and our hosts shared a delicious chocolate cake. That evening, the team joined students and families at the Batizovce Lutheran church for a program that showcased the week’s activities and encouraged audience members to connect with the local Christian ministries. We then crossed the street to the parsonage for an evening of volleyball, fellowship, and an array of grilled sausages and homemade cakes. We also began saying farewell to our Slovak friends as this was our final night in Slovakia (hence the delay in this blog…apologies.)

Svit, Day 5

Friday was filled with fun as students hunted for rocks during crafts, sang “This is the Day” (Slovak “Toto je Den”) in music, and played hide-and-go seek during sports. We talked about how easily the Israelites fell away from God after being blessed with a new home in Canaan, yet God readily forgave them and continues to forgive and love us. We hugged, gave gifts, and walked one last time to the church for the closing program. Students poured their hearts into their performances of the Joshua story and eagerly recited the memory verse for the week, Joshua 1:9.

Afterwards, Pastor Miro described how this verse had become his favorite while attending seminary years ago. He and Pastor Janka then gifted each of us with a beautiful glass candle votive to remind us that we are God’s light-bearers.

This message rings true to all believers, and this Slovakia English Bible Camp team will carry it in their hearts as they return home. God doesn’t ask us to have all the answers or force people to believe. We simply must have the courage to carry God’s light and courageously let it shine for the world to see.

Prayer Requests

• We praise God for safe travels to our hotel in Vienna on Friday night. We look forward to debriefing with our fellow team members over the weekend.

• We ask God to guide our conversations in Vienna as we look back on our time with these two wonderful camps and ponder what this means for our lives going forward.

• We pray for safe and uneventful travels for team members as they return home on Monday.