One thing that I really love about getting to lead the Global Outreach Student Team each year is that every year we get to do something just a little different! This year, we have the opportunity to once again serve at the camp that welcomes incoming freshman students to the EGMT school affiliated with the church we serve.  We will […]

More new opportunities!

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     Yes.  Absolutely! That was the response when I asked a friend for a ride to the airport this coming Friday to launch on our journey to Slovakia.  It should not have surprised me, but I was already rehearsing in my mind all of the reasons why it would not work out.  Sadly, I approach God like this too […]

Yes. Absolutely!

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In 3 days, 22 hours, and 27 minutes (but who’s counting?), 40 people from Vancouver, WA will depart for a new adventure in Martin, Slovakia. As the day of departure draws nearer, you can count on certain emotions intensifying: excitement, anxiety, panic, self-doubt – and, sometimes, fear as these questions start invading our thoughts: Am I doing the right thing? […]

Crunch Time

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Part of the fun of going on a trip is telling your friends all about it right? For me today, that means decking out my cubicle at work with maps, photos and a link to this blog so my beloved coworkers (you know who you are!) know exactly where I’m going, and what I’m up to! I love to tell […]

Part of the fun…

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We are thrilled to announce that a new (and long overdue) feature has gone live on the Serving Slovakia website! Following the amazing experiences of the preliminary team in 2007, it became obvious to us that we needed to find a way to better document, share, and preserve the experiences our team members were having throughout the Serving Slovakia trip. […]

Exciting Announcement!

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It feels weird getting ready to leave the country for my first time ever! I don’t have much of a plan, but it will all work out. We have a great team, many of whom are experienced with this trip. Thank God for them! As I look forward to tomorrow I doubt I will be sleeping tonight in anticipation. My […]

The threshold has arrived!

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We were advised not to pack at the last minute, but it is 2 am, Friday July 14th and I am finally done.  The questions of the week have been, “Are you ready for Slovakia?” “Are you packed?”  “No!” Has been the answer.  But now I am packed!  I figure my procrastination is helping me get use to Slovak time. […]

Procrastination and Anticipation

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We made it to Amsterdam! Now we have about an hour and a half to explore the airport and get some caffeine! So far we are all healthy and ready for the next flight to Vienna! Please pray for continued health, strength and energy as we continue this journey. We have about a two hour flight to Vienna and then […]

Halfway there!

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One must stop during packing, shopping & organizing the household to get a pedi. Why? Two weeks of walking around Martin. I needed a moment to relax but as I sat there all I could do is think of all the things left on my list to do before leaving. About 2/3 of the way through my pedi I looked […]

Feet Feet Feet

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#servingslovakia #newheightsWA This morning I had the beautiful pleasure of attending a Lutheran service. It has been many years since I have attended such a service. Many of the moments were memorable, my favorite was when I heard the church bells ringing and Lori was still getting ready. I panicked and went to church any way. It was 8:27am and […]

Go with God Team New Heights!

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Church in Slovakia is different, but just as wonderful as I am accustomed to in Vancouver!  A baptism of a new baby was scheduled so we got to witness that and hear the pastor share (in Slovak,  but we have an English interpreter). He said Catholics believe life starts at conception and Lutherans believe it starts with the first breath, […]

When life starts

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The GO team is off! They will be spending a week at high school camp connecting with students and helping students connect with each other. Students come from all over Slovakia to attend the CCE so many don’t know each other! The GO team is there to help students build relationships that will last all school year while also showing […]

And they’re off!

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  I know, I know. You didn’t come to this blog to see a picture of my ragamuffin dog. But to me this picture will always speak to God’s tender loving care in all our situations. In a nutshell, our dog decided she didn’t like the house sitting situation we set up and escaped the confines of our yard. Thankfully […]

God’s provision at home

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Here’s a word problem for you (don’t worry – I’m going to give you the answer!): What happens when you take 98 nervous, not-sure-what-to-expect Slovak students, add 35 committed-to-loving-the-way-Jesus-loves Serving Slovakia teammates, then multiply it by the faithful prayers of hundreds? Miraculous perfection. That’s how I would sum up the first day of English classes. Oh – and then we […]

Simple Mathematics

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There are 22 students in the Intermediate Class this year. Most of them are between 10-12 years of age – a much younger group than we’ve had before. These students are working with 5 amazing table coaches who have them practice English concepts. Today, our focus was on things we love – family, pets/animals. Students created a family tree, drew […]

Intermediate 1 EFL Class Day 2

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Can I tell you about the day I’ve had? Today is Tuesday, the second day of our first week of classes. I got off to a rocky start this morning by not getting nearly enough sleep (thank you jet lag), but my day quickly changed for the better when I went for a run though the town square here in […]

Best thing of my life

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During the intermediate level 1 class it was fun to watch the kids interact with the lesson. This is how you get the kids motivated to learn! Team Lori has a great group of kids, ready to learn, and ready to be goofy! Great job Team Lori!

Serving Slovakia with song and dance!

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The students were practicing making up questions, proper grammar, sentence structure, verb tense, and presentation today.  At a certain point they would stand up in front of the class and ask another student their question they had been working on.  For many students the choices presented in the questions involved material things – food, money, houses, vacations, clothes, and so […]

…and the greatest of these is Love

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Day three of English class is complete. We’ve been sharing about our families & pets, packing imaginary suitcases for holiday and cheering each other on while playing outdoor games. We also have been using emojis to share our feelings, which is incredibly entertaining. These may not seem like your typical English lessons; however, they are avenues or doors to help […]

Listening, Sharing, Laughter & Connection

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