Today was our kick off day for our English Bible Camp in Ružomberok!
We had 31 students ranging from ages 6 to 12 who at the very start of the day were somewhat shy about speaking English and reserved with their personalities, but as the day progressed the kids began to warm up to English Bible Camp and see how much fun the American teachers and Slovak translators could be in the classrooms!
Today’s theme was “Trusting God When We Are In Danger”. The kids got to learn how God protected Moses when he was a baby. This story was emphasized not only in the English lessons led by Rae, Rachel, Mike & DMC, but also the craft rotation led by our mother and daughter team Kate, Mila, and Ella! The kids made baskets as an object lesson of how God saved and protected baby Moses after his mother put him in a basket that floated down the Nile River. God’s plan was in motion as the basket was discovered by Pharaoh’s daughter who would raised him.

During the music rotation led by DMC, the kids learned the scripture theme verse from Psalms 28:7a ” The Lord is my strength and my shield. My heart trusts in Him”. The students and teachers enjoyed learning the motions and the students look forward to more motions and singing in the coming days!

Sports led by father son team members Steve and his son Colin, went very well despite the unusually warm weather! Sports was more of a free time where students could explore the American equipment of footballs, baseball mitt (with ball and bat), and frisbees. They also had their favored option of soccer balls as soccer and volleyball and floor hockey are the popular sports here. Everyone enjoyed the fresh air, though hot, and the camaraderie with their classmates. Most students do not attend this school so it’s a new experience and an opportunity to make friends.

Every day after the students leave, the teachers and translators meet together for a debrief. We celebrate the positives and work through the challenges to make sure that the next day of English Bible Camp can always be better than the first! With some slight schedule shifts and remembering to stay flexible, the team worked through some details and was ready to head home to rest and reconvene tomorrow for camp day 2!

After a short moment of recuperation, some of the team went on an excursion to see a beautiful castle and have dinner with their host, Pastor Daniel. The castle has amazing history and beautiful ruins that the team hiked to and from. The steep hike up was interesting as the path was rocky and full of steps, but the walk down was beautiful with thick lines of trees and fresh mint growing along the side of the road. A short drive took us to the cutest traditional Slovak restaurant where the team shared amazing meals and even more amazing strudel. Having down time with the team continues to bind us together and strengthens us for the days ahead.

We do have one prayer request that has been close to the team’s heart and on their minds the last few days that we invite and urge you to bring before the Lord as well. Please pray for our team member with an unfortunate sickness for 2 days. They have had to stay at the hotel. Our team leader Mike Wind and DMC were able to jump in and take over the class. The good thing is that all the lessons were planned out in detail which made it easy for Mike and DMC to lead together, but we prayerfully hope that they will recover and be able to jump back into what they love doing most on these trips, connecting with the older students in a way that is so unique to them while teaching about Moses!

We covet and appreciate all your prayers and support. Thank you for following our EBC Ružomberok Team along on our journey and keeping us on your hearts and minds. God’s Blessings from your Ružomberok EBC team.