After months of planning, preparing, packing, fundraising, and praying, our team has finally arrived safely in Ružomberok, Slovakia.

The journey itself was no small undertaking. Multiple flights, long layovers, airport delays, and finally a bus ride through the beautiful Slovak countryside brought us to the place where we will spend the next week serving alongside our brothers and sisters in Christ.

For now, however, the most important thing on our schedule is…sleep.

Tomorrow will be a slower day as everyone catches up on much-needed rest, begins adjusting to the time change, and settles into what will soon become home for the week.

But even before the first camper arrives, God is already at work.

One of the things I appreciate most about these English Bible Camps is that we are never arriving to start something new. Pastor Daniel, his family, the translators, counselors, and the local congregation have been faithfully investing in the children and families of this community all year long. We are simply joining them for one chapter of a much larger story that God has been writing for years.

That perspective changes everything. We are not coming to “bring” Jesus to Slovakia. Jesus is already here. We are not coming to build a ministry. God has already established one.

Our privilege is to come alongside the local church, encourage them, build relationships, and together point children to the hope we have in Christ.

Over the next couple of days, our team will worship with the congregation, make final preparations, become familiar with the classrooms, walk through the camp schedule, and continue building relationships with our Slovak partners before the campers arrive on Monday.

This year’s camp theme is Living in Hope: Lessons from the Life of David.

Throughout the week, the children will discover how David found hope in God’s plan, hope in the face of overwhelming challenges, hope during times of danger, hope through God’s forgiveness, and hope in God’s promises. But ultimately, David’s story points beyond himself to Jesus, the true Shepherd, the eternal King, and the One in whom our hope is found.

As I look around our team tonight, I am filled with gratitude.

Gratitude for a group of people who have willingly sacrificed their time, resources, and comfort to serve.

Gratitude for our Slovak hosts, whose hospitality has already made us feel like family.

And gratitude for the countless people back home whose prayers and financial support made this week possible.

As camp begins in just a couple of days, would you continue praying with us?

Pray for the children who will walk through the school doors on Monday morning.

Pray for Pastor Daniel, the translators, counselors, and local volunteers who make this ministry possible.

Pray for our team that we would serve with humility, flexibility, joy, and love.

And most of all, pray that every child who comes to camp would leave knowing that our hope is not found in circumstances, success, or ourselves, but in Jesus Christ.

Thank you for sending us.

We look forward to sharing what God does in the days ahead