the same...only different

It's funny...but some things don't really change. In Atlanta I complained about spending 2 hours in the car every day. In Slovakia I complain about walking 2 hours a day in the snow. In Atlanta during Christmas I was irritated and depressed about being rushed and having to deal with all the holiday busyness. In Slovakia I am irritated and depressed that it doesn't feel like Christmas and my busyness has nothing to do with the holiday season. What I am trying to say here is that there are times where I know my attitude about things hasn't changed in the slightest in my year here. That whole "be thankful in everything" is hard to do sitting in traffic every single day on my way to work and it's hard to do walking half an hour in the snow every single day on my way to work. It's hard when I am so overwhelmed with all the people around me, and when I am so lonely I feel like I am the only one in the world. Which really is kind of the point in a lot of this...being able to be thankful regardless of circumstances. There are always circumstances that aren't fun, or aren't what we want or what we expect but it's how we respond during those circumstances that tell us who we really are.

so anyway, just some thoughts on this random wednesday night. I had kind of a crummy day...one of those where if something could go wrong it did (couldn't get the printer to work in the office...took the wrong bus and wasted an hour etc. etc.). and I am really missing home this holiday season. it's the first time in a really long time that I am homesick which makes me cranky.

more to come I am sure

Come closer

prague
Originally uploaded by amylawlor.

I was traveling this week and took this photo from the Charles Bridge in Prague. I thought it was beautiful and tragic all at the same time. So often I forget about this image. Forget the sacrifice, forget the blood shed and the reasons why, forget the necessity of it all, forget the intensity and power of the Cross of Christ. I pursue a life of "Christless leisure" which to be honest, is just easier sometimes.

I am hesitant to post one more entry about letting the busyness of life crowd out the truly important things. And embrassed to be in that place yet again. Embarassed to have to confess again that my prayers are shallow, my flesh weak, and my spirit drained. My mind has been set on wordly things, things that pass away as opposed to things that are eternal. And where my mind goes so goes my heart.

I want to draw closer to God, to His heart, to His Spirit, to His will. But I think first I have to draw close to the Cross. "He who knows me knows the Father"

Lessons Learned

Often people ask me, "What's it like to live over there?" or "Man, that must be a neat experience" or "why the #$%& would you want to move so far away?" and other such things. A lot of time my response is something lame, and unthought out like "it's been a really great opportunity" or "I am learning so much" and I leave it at that. Occasionally people ask what I am learning. It's a good question...and i have these experiences and say to myself "well, that is a lesson learned". So in the interest of reminding myself and telling all my adoring fans here is a brief run down of lessons learned...some serious, some funny, some that will apply only to me, some that you may disagree with...but all lessons learned (some have to be learned multiple times unfortunately).

1) I am a big fan of personal space...not getting it makes me really cranky
2) On a related note...it is possible to be touching/to be being touched by at least 6 different people on the bus at one time.
3) The train station in Poprad DOES NOT tell you what track number your train will be on if it is track 1 or 2, so pay attention
4) Letters and packages from home are really special
5) I have really great people in my life
6) Coffee is addictive
7) God is very real
8) The bottom line: Love God, Love Other People. End of story.
9) If the milk smells bad, it probably is
10) I hate cabbage
11) If a student teaches you a new Slovak word, then tells you to go say it to someone else, it's probably crude
12) I am completely self-absorbed
13) Suffering is not a bad thing...you learn more in times of hardship than ever in your life
14) A prayerful life is cultivated when you run out of options, patience is learned from situations that try your patience, and humility is learned through humiliation...be careful what you pray for.
15) If you nod and smile people will think you understand what they are saying.
16) When in doubt you can respond with the words probably or maybe.
17) Plants die if you don't water them
18) Love
19) It is possible to not share DNA with people but to still consider then family
20) Life is really really really short...every moment is an opportunity.

What to blog

Hello out there faithful blog checkers. So it's Sunday...I am still in my pjamas and it's 2:15. I am seriously considering making another pot of coffee. So far today I have been working/reading/cleaning/catching up on current events. Had a busy week and will cover some of the highlights...think I will make coffee first. And just a warning...I am feeling very stream of consciousness today so in all likelihood this post may be really long and may not make sense.

Highlights of the weeks:
I played squash again (I have my very own raquet now). I am liking this sport. A lot.

There is a girl named Maja that I have been meeting with at the cafe for several months. She doesn't speak much English at all so we always try to communicate and it's sometimes really awkward and frustrating. She is really cute and sweet and I have just been so frustrated that we can't really talk. This week we met at the cafe. And we talked for about an hour and a half...ALL IN STINKING SLOVAK!!!!!!!!! it was huge. I understood a lot (not all) of what she said and I think I was making myself understood too (which is an even bigger struggle for me). I had a long coversation with someone in Slovak! It amazed me and gave me hope for the future and an even bigger desire to learn Slovak well. I have to admit that my side of the conversation sounded like this..."I was really bad, and sad and not nice. I was very depressed and sad but I not know why. My friend talk to me about God. I went to new kind of church. I told God yes. Now my life is better." but hey, it's a start!

My small group started meeting! There are 4 Slovak girls, me, and my roommate Lee Ann in the group. We are working now to figure out what we will study. The Slovak girls are all believers, students at the University in Presov, and involved in ministry in the city. My hope is that this group will encourage them and help them feel like they can lead a small group of their own soon with high school age girls. I am really excited about this group and about pouring into the girls during this time.

Our follow up to KECY summer, called KECY Klub started last night. We will meet monthly to continue conversations, get students thinking and have fun. The party last night was fun and it was really cool to see some of the students I had not seen since camp. We are tying to start a "small group" thing within KECY Klub. I am trying to figure out what that looks like and how to really express how important it is to live life with other people.

These were just a few of the cool things I got to do this week. So many days I am walking through this city thinking "I cannot believe I get to live this life. I am so blessed by God to do what I do." Not that everyday is some cake walk and I could probably write another blog entry about the lowlights of the week as well. But I don't really want to. Some days life is hard here, but it's hard wherever you are too...life is just like that.

My calendar is quickly filling up for this next week too, language lessons, my first day teaching Conversational English in a high school here, meetings with students, etc. Looking forward to whatever comes my way in the coming days!

KECY Girls

KECY Girls
Originally uploaded by amylawlor.

A little belated but I wanted post this picture from KECY this year. The girl on the top row far right is my friend ja-ja (her real name is lenka but there was some problem with her sister pronouncing lenka so anyway it's ja ja). She and I watch movies together (usually at her parents house). And guess what her favorite genre is? That's right...the romantic comedy! So I am getting caught up on all the sappy romantic comedys I have been avoiding for so long!

But I will be teaching English at the high school that most of the girls in this photo go to. I am pretty excited about that and I am really excited to spend more time with them. They are all really cute and fun and sweet and I appreciate that I get to be part of their lives.

Would love prayer for these 6 girls if you are thinking about it!

From bottom row left to right:
Simona, Vladka, Zuzka, Olga, Eva, and Ja-Ja

My friend Magda

I asked my friend Magda to have pizza with me the other day. So we went. Magda is 18, and is a high school student here in Presov. She has been to KECY camp for the last 3 summers and comes to a lot of our Kecy Klub events. She likes hanging out with the people on that team. She doesn't have the same beliefs but still she keeps coming to things. So we had pizza and talked about her trip to a Red Cross camp in Germany and the fact that she and her boyfriend just broke up. After pizza we walked to get ice cream (I need a whole blog posting about the importance of ice cream in this country...seriously) and we walked the city for hours just talking about school, and life and anything else that came to mind. I like spending time with Magda and I am hoping to getting to know her better this year.

The trouble with Blogging

Here's the thing, blogging is tougher than it seems. Part of me really wants to be funny, and to post funny pictures and say amusing things. The part of me wants to be serious and post serious things that are in my heart and mind. I feel like all the funny stuff makes me seem shallow, and like I am not actually "working" here and that all the serious stuff makes me sound like someone I am not, or that I am trying too hard to be "spiritual" because that is the expectation of what someone in my "job" ought to be. At this point some of you are saying "you really should be less concerned with what people think of you" and you would be right. But at the same time I want to give an accurate presentation of what life is like here...work, fun, spirituality, ministry, personal stuff etc. I don't have fun all the time here, I don't think spiritual thoughts all the time here, I guess there is no aspect that is constant and a lot like most of you there are good days, bad days, funny moments, sad times, and difficult challenges. I want to post about life and talk about what is happening around me. And I hate that I worry about whether the people reading this will think I am playing too much, working too much, being too self-absorbed, or whatever. There is a really blurry line here between what is work what is play what is ministry and what is personal. It all sort of blends and bleeds and mixes together and then it's midnight and I think "where the heck did the day go?"

spent the last 2 days at a lake on the eastern side of Slovakia. Mike, Lee Ann and I went for a little downtime and to talk about plans for Presov for the next few months. The area we stayed in was kind of a Communist Panama City...if you can picture that. We had a good time though. This week I am going to be studying Slovak like a mad woman...one of these days I am going to whip this language thing!!!

Another Campfest moment

we're so hot right now
Originally uploaded by amylawlor.

We were totally jamming out to a "rap" band one night at campfest. Lee Ann, Bekah and I are really good dancers, and this was one of the few acts in English so you can bet we were singing along at the top of our lungs! Lots of funny moments this week including but not limted to our tent blowing into a a barbed wire fence, realizing we have lost all social skills in our brief time in Slovakia, and learning a new Slovak phrase "you have missed your train and will have to wait for the next one". life continues to be an adventure and I am amazed I get to live it!

Headed to Zilina tomorrow and then on a KECY Klub trip to some place I can't pronounce. More than likely I will end up on a hike I am not prepared for.
be back online consistently on Saturday I think...

and by the way I think I have found my sport today...it's called squash. All the things that make my tennis game terrible (i.e. no control, placement, wanting to kill the ball everytime) make my squash game pretty good. I just crushed that little ball...but I am not 100% sure I understood all the rules so I may have actually lost. But it's a good way to vent some frustrations!

I went camping!

We're camping!
Originally uploaded by amylawlor.

I did it. I went camping. I can handle camping. I am good for maybe 1 night and 2 days...that's about perfect for me. Campfest was great. there were a ton of people there and it was really fun to be a part of it. It only rained a little and the tent stayed dry...because of the rain I will admit I had a brief flashback to Passion 03...shudder. It was really cold at night, hence the cool hat in this photo that my roommate Lee Ann and I took while in our tent late one evening. But I gotta tell you, a hot shower and comfy bed win my vote every time.

camping trip

Ok kids,
today I am heading out for a 4 day camping trip. I know you are saying, "I didn't even know you liked camping!" and you are right I don't. But we are going to this huge Worship Festival called Campfest which is probably the biggest ministry related event in all of Slovakia for the year. So we are going. Ah yes...the great outdoors. and me. in a tent. without a shower. for 4 days. awesome.

all kidding aside I am looking forward to hanging out with some of my students who are there and connecting with them. they are all really excited about the weekend and it will be great to share it with them.

hope everyone has a good week/weekend...I will be back online Sunday morning!

Isaiah 43

Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have summoned you by name; you are mine. When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; when you pass through the rivers they will not sweep over you; and when you pass through the fire you will not be burned; the flames will not set you ablaze. For I am the Lord, your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior; I give Egypt for your ransom, Cush and Seba in your stead. Since you are precious and honored in my sight, and because I love you, I will give men in exchange for you, and people in exchange for your life. Do not be afraid, for I am with you; I will bring your children from the east and gather you from the west. I will say to the north, 'Give them up!' and to the south, 'Do not hold them back.' Bring my sons from afar and my daughters from the ends of the earth - everyone who is called by my name; whom I created for my glory, whom I formed and made. Isaiah 43:1-7

In God's sight, what do I look like? Something in me tells me that in His sight I am unloved, and unworthy, and useless. But the truth is, that in His sight I am precious and honored and loved. God is with me...all the time. I am created by Him, formed and shaped and created...all for HIS glory.

Insanely good book

I am reading a book called The Signature of Jesus by Bennan Manning. He is pretty radical and edgy and intense but he also has some incredible stuff to say about the reality of "the Christian life" the American Dream, and what being a disciple of Jesus really means. I urge you to pick up the book but be prepared to read some tough stuff. it's really challenging but so honest.

some excepts...

"The greatest need for our time is for the church to become what is has seldom been: the body of Christ with its face to the world, loving others regardless of religion or culture, pouring itself out in a life of service, offering hope to a frightened world, and presenting itself as a real alternative to the existing arrangement"

"Only the one who has experienced is can know what the love of Jesus Christ is. Once you have experienced it, nothing else in the world will seem more beautiful or desirable"

"If indeed we lived a life in imitation of his, our witness would be irresistable. If we dared to live beyond our self-concern; if we refused to shrink from being vulnerable; if we took nothing but a compassionate attitude toward the world; if we were a counterculture to our nation's lunatic list for pride of place, power, and posessions; if we preferred to be faithful rather than successful, the walls of indifference to Jesus Christ would crumble. A handful of us could be ignored by society, but hundreds, thousands, millions of such servants would overwhelm the world. Christians filled with the authenticity, commitment, and generosity of Jesus would be the most spectacular sign in the history of the human race. The call of Jesus is revolutionary. If we implemented it, we would change the world in a few months."

"Simplicity, purity, and obedience to the Word will leave us weak and powerless in the world's eyes because we no longer can call upon our possessions and privileged positions as security. We will be subject to derision and outrage becaue authentic discipleship is a life of sublime madness."

I am chewing on a lot of this stuff. Knowing that I am far from living life in some of these ways, but desiring to be closer to God. He makes some really interesting and radical points that are making me think today.

preach it piper

My friend Abbie sent me something this morning from John Piper that totally hit the nail on the head for me...

Jesus Christ is refreshing, but flight from him into Christless leisure makes the soul parched. At first it may feel like freedom and fun to skimp on prayer, and neglect the Word. But then we pay: shallowness, powerlessness, vulnerability to sin, preoccupation with trifles, superficial relationships, and a frightening loss of interest in worship and the things of the Spirit.

Not only can I totally identify with this but I am also really scared by it. Scared by how easily I let it happen knowing full well what the outcome would be. Disappointed in myself for falling for the lie that it wouldn't happen or that I could fight it or that it would be no big deal. One of the lessons I am learning here is that my job is to pour into and serve others. To pour into some of these girls who are fighting to keep faith the priority in their lives, and who are struggling against a culture of "church" where the word "relevance" isn't even on the radar. I want to encourage them to persevere, to keep fighting the good fight, to press on towards the goal of knowing Christ and making him known. I also want to pour into the girls I know who are not interested in God in the slightest. Girls who are looking at everything in the world to make them happy and slowly finding every option meaningless. To be their friend, to love them the way God loves them and to know that my own value lies in Christ.

But NONE of that is possible unless God gives it to me. I cannot pour out something that hasn't first been poured into me. i cannot love with the love of God unless I have experienced it myself. I cannot encourage others to live a life I cannot live myself. I cannot preach something I am not willing to practice myself. My summer of "Christless leisure" is making my job more difficult here but the beauty is that I see it and that God has offered to walk me through the drought and back into a refreshment that is found in Christ alone. I can do nothing apart from God who is the SOURCE of all comfort, strength, forgiveness, blessing, mercy and love. All my efforts to do things in my own strength are bound to fail.

rainy day post

it's raining today, which i am ok with. i have spent the last few days mostly in my flat. cleaning, organizing, doing expense reports, catching up on emails, and trying to order my life a bit. also trying to "come down" from the summer and organize the thoughts in my head as much as the files in my nightstand. journal entries that look like an e.e. cummings poem and sound like ramblings from...well, someone who would ramble a lot . thoughts are all over the place and I am having trouble pinning them down. looks a bit like that scene in Karate Kid where Mr. Myagi taught Ralph Machio how to catch flies with chopsticks. I am just plucking things out of thin air these days.

Have been reading some good stuff today...helping me identify this apathy/slump/funk I am in right now. And some other things that are just plain amazing. Will post some of that stuff here too. Thankful for a few days to breathe after camp and living from a backpack for weeks. Thankful for those of you I have actually been able to talk to in the last few days. Hearing the voices of friends and family is more refreshing than I ever realized and God has been so good to bless me with the people in my life.

Our KECY team here has been working so hard to follow up with students from KECY (I also will post some things about KECY and Serbia). Tomorrow we are planning a movie night to spend time with students and Saturday we will travel to "Slovak Paradise" which i have heard a ton about but haven't visited yet. Should be a good day outside and I am looking forward to talking with some of the students I connected with at camp.

my wound

my wound
Originally uploaded by amylawlor.

as you can see from the photo I was injured this summer. a little "alpine slide" incident where i skidded down an aluminum track at Mach 5 mainly on my elbow. super fun for a moment then I realized that a chunk of skin was missing. it hurt and it took forever to heal and it got all gross and finally scabbed over and Josh (one of the interns) yelled at me whenever I tried to pick at the scab.

I now have a cool scar though, and it actually is in the shape of Slovakia which is a cool memory. it wouldn't be a good summer unless someone got a scar from it. happy to take one for the team.

Roomies

girlshike
Originally uploaded by amylawlor.

See, I do go hiking! These are my 2 roommates...Melissa is the one in the black and she was here for the summer. Lee Ann is still here living with me and will be working with students in a village near Presov. Don't we look all cute and woodsy? This was a beautiful hike in the Tatra Mountains. Actually it was more of a leisurely walk with a break for lunch but honestly I prefer it that way.

One of the absolute greatest things about living over here is the fact that slovakia is so beautiful. The mountains and the green of everything and the sunflower fields that are everywhere right now. I love walking around and just being blown away by God's creation. I know it's a little cliche but it's a beautiful thing.

back in the saddle again

hey...remember me? c'mon, you remember me don't you? I am that girl that moved to Slovakia and used to have this blog that I posted stuff on and then I disappeared for like a month. Yeah! I am back!

ok, for real though. Things have been wild and crazy and I am attempting to recover. Going to try and condense things and will send out a long email about the summer for those of you who love my wit and charm (you know who you are wink wink nudge nudge).

life will now return to "normal" for me. back to language lessons, working in the cafe, tutoring in English, and utilizing my patented nod and smile technique so people don't know I have no idea what they are saying.

summer was amazing and challenging and humbling and everything in between. having interns here was a blast (I really miss having them here). KECY was good, but it was different being on the "other" side of things this year and not being with the North Point camp. Serbia was a new and pioneering endeavor that was a huge honor to be a part of. my new roomie Lee Ann and I are in a "nesting" phase right now. lots of cleaning and organizing and laundry and watching movies.

priority one in the near future is to try and process the summer and try to get my spiritual life into a somewhat less cruddy state. as my natural bend I absolutely let busyness and task stuff crowd out my reading/studying/praying/doing anything remotely spiritual. finding myself a bit apathetic and tired these days feeling like I need to dig myself out of a spiritual hole. no fun.

had some "technical difficulties" lately that I really think are more of a spiritual warefare thing than I am willing to admit. airlines lost the new printer I was having brought from the states, iPod crashed and it has to go back to the states, billing issues with my internet provider, critical issues setting up wireless here in my flat which led to me swearing, sweating, locking myself out of my own network with a security setting and finally punching a wall before the afternoon ended. awesome. am easily frustrated these days when things get to be much more difficult than they need to be.

anyone read this deal any more of have I lost you all? promise to do better friends. love and miss y'all like crazy.

Interns are freaky

Interns are freaky
Originally uploaded by amylawlor.

this is the Slovakia Summer Intern team. These are not their normal outfits. We asked Robbie not to wear the bike shorts in public ever again. Interns are fun because you can make them dress up all silly and dance in front of large crowds of people. don't you wish you could be an intern here with us.

Daily Bread

I'll be real honest...my spiritual life hasn't been too great these days. As is my normal bend I have let the "urgent", task oriented details of life get the better of me and push the spiritual life right out of me. But the more honest truth is that I tend to use that as an excuse. I look for reasons to let these things crowd out my walk with God. Partially because it's a whole lot easier for me to work on an excel spreadsheet, fire out 25 emails, and organize meeting notes than it is for me to sit down and pour my heart out to God. I am not this helpful, giving, sacrificial person...I am just choosing what comes more easily and naturally to me. I can blame it on my "wiring" as being High C (or a Beaver depending on which personality profile you look at), but at the end of the day I usually choose everything else on planet earth over time with God.

So I cycle through...I enter a phase of really enjoying reading God's word, trying to connect, knowing He is near...then I take a little break and think "I'll be fine...it's just a few days off, let's not get legalistic about the whole thing". Then a few days turns in to a few weeks and I haven't prayed or thought about God or really cared about anything other than myself in quite some time. Which pulls me into frustration, self-loathing, and a general "not-niceness" that creates more frustration, self-loathing etc.

Currently I am pretty deep in that phase. Camp is right around the corner. The "big dance" of my time in Slovakia. Finally I have a captive audience and a safe, honest place to share the truth about who God is, what he has done in my life, what he promises to do in all of our lives. Part of me cries out to have students see a life transformed by the radical truth of Jesus Christ! But as i head to camp in 3 days I am tired, drained, disconnected from the Father and not at all a radically changed being. How can I share about Jesus when I have been so far from him myself. How can I tell students the NECESSITY of a life lived in Christ, by Christ, for Christ when I am failing so miserably to live that out myself. I can't fix this issue in a day...but I also really am so sad about the place my heart and my spirit is in.

I was thinking about this issue the other night and had a pretty significant realization...which I am chalking up to the voice of God. Pretty simple truth that hit me like a ton of bricks. God is my daily bread. His word, his spirit, the refreshing and filling of my spirit is a DAILY thing. I ate breakfast yesterday...but that doesn't mean i don't need to eat breakfast again today. I need to eat and drink from God daily if I hope to be sustained by the life He offers. You don't come to the well once, but over and over again. My spiritual life is a daily bread kind of thing. We can skip a meal, sometimes go a whole day, in extreme cases our bodies can SURVIVE (but not thrive) without food and water. But we need to eat and drink every day to be at our best...to be nourished and have energy. I am not sure why I keep forgetting that God's word and His life is DAILY BREAD.

I want to take and eat every day knowing that to THRIVE I need to be going to HIM for nourishment. Stop skipping meals with the Lord and have my Daily Bread.

Presov/Kukova/Serbia Summer Team

Presov/Kukova/Serbia Summer Team
Originally uploaded by amylawlor.

This is my team this summer. They are all pretty great and it has been so cool to spend time with them, hang out and prepare for our camps. Josh and Ben are the guys in the back left corner...they are from Indiana and have probably the best blog in the world...check it out if you have time. In the back middle is Mike who also lives here in Presov with me. He has done amazing things for us and with us this summer and so much of the behind the scenes stuff has been Mike's life. KECY camp is happening in large part because of Mike's hard work. On the other side of Mike is Dano...one of our Slovak Interns. He is in school in Prague studying "cryptology"...he is basically a code breaker and a stinking smart dude. Also one of the nicest guys on the planet. Up front is me...as usual not enjoying having my photo taken. Next to me is my new roommate Lee Ann!!! A fellow Atlanta girl who I am enjoying having here in SK and am excited to get to know better. Next to her in the cool shades is Melissa. She is a senior at UGA and a very cool girl. I am excited about what God is going to do in her life over these next months. The far right corner is Maja another of our Slovak interns. She is super sharp and is studying Missions at a university here in Slovakia.

We really have been having a blast and learning about each other and learning to work as a team. I couldn't have asked for a better team and I am thrilled to be a part of it.

Remember Me?

Hello out there...it's me, the girl who actually used to log on to this and write things to people who might be reading this. SInce i haven't posted in so long I have probably lost all of you who check in with the old blog but for the faithful out there I decided to check in...

So...what's new? Life has been crazy with camp planning, intern training, life stuff, and general summer craziness. My schedule is all off kilter and i haven't been able to have a language lesson in a while. Hopefully once our Slovak camp and our camp in Serbia are over my life will return to normal a bit. There is a link on my blog for the blog of 2 of the interns we have here for the summer (Josh and Ben) they are great about updating so you can get a good idea of our day to day there too!

still learning a lot and really heading into my first major homesickness place. I have been here 4 months now and as the "novelty" wears off there are some challenges. I still really love being here, and KNOW that I am where I am supposed to be, but there have been some tough days!

All is well...pray for camps if you have a moment!

drawing a blank

so much of me wants to update this thing with funny stuff and be clever and witty and have people post on it and say "you are so funny, i love your blog". then part of me wants to be all spiritual and post deep insightful reflections about life and philosophy and cross-cultural ministry. then part of me really just wants to write and tell anyone who might happen to read this thing that suddenly today i found myself longing for Roswell Road. I was staring out my window and i caught a glimpse of myself on a warm Saturday driving up Roswell Road windows down without any particular place to go. I guess it was a longing for the familiar or something.

these last days have been really hectic. good...but hectic. we are working through some major challeges with camp this summer and we have American interns here with us for the summer. it has been really fun and the 3 Presov interns and 1 new Presov team member are GREAT. it has been pretty much non-stop go go go for about 10 days now and i will admit i am a little wiped out. and on the verge of being cranky.

Today my team is outside of Presov promoting camp. I did not go with them because i needed to do some work for camp but it's giving me the welcome chance to sleep in, have my coffee, have quiet time and breathe for a second. but i was a little stupid about it and managed to schedule meetings with different students from 3 until 8 tonight. one of these days i may actually have a day off where i really have a day off :)

the latest

man...it's been busy here. interns are here and are having a fun time. they spent yesterday learning the "camp dance"..very proud of them! We are in the middle of KECY Training Weekend where are the nationals who will be doing KECY this summer learn about the themes, topic, and plans for the summer. it's cool to have so many people here and we are all hopeful this weekend will get everyone excited about KECY and ready to work hard here in these last few weeks. the weather has been phenomenal and i am so thankful for warmer temperatures.

having fun, working hard and thankful that i get to live this life!!!

Cuh-Razy

Life is crazy!!! Arrived in Zilina Monday to meet out super cool interns. they will be with us all summer helping with camp and camp promotion. we have 5 interns in Presov and also my new roommate Lee Ann!!!! great group of new friends and i am so excited to hang out with them and work our butts off. loving life...tired as anything...happy as a clam.

on my way to the grocery store...hope to post pictures soon.

cool thing for the day...God totally laid Ephesians 4 on a few of us in the last day. praying we can all let "no unwholesome talk" come out of us and that we will build each other up in encouraging ways. teams are powerful things and we all want to be God's best.

čau for now

Can't take the RAIN!!!

ARG...it has been raining and overcast for many many days!!! I will definitely never move to Seattle if this is what the weather is really like there.

giving a talk tonight to the college youth group. little nervous since my "big boss" danny will be there. the talk is on "sheep and shepherds". the bible compares us to sheep, and God to a shepherd more than 50 times...think about it. Sheep are prone to wander, lost without a shepherd, totally vulnerable to attack when separated from the flock and the shepherds watchful eye. Shepherds know their sheep individually, care for them, lead them to what they need and search them out when one is lost. that is the really short version of my talk. hope it makes sense...

Presov Spring!

POSpring
Originally uploaded by amylawlor.

Too bad this is a photo I found on the web and it's actually been raining here for DAYS!!!!!!!!!

Spring has sprung

I really love spring...and the unbelievable beauty of Presov in the Spring makes me feel like enduring the harsh winter was worth it. The city is covered in flowers, the trees are bright green, the sky is bright blue. People are out everywhere, all the outdoor pubs are popping up. It's a really beautiful time here!

JV Conference

Remember a few posts ago when I said I was going to be better about updating more often...
Anyway I have actually been out of town and out of contact for about a week (hence the lack of postings). I spent the last week between Zilina and the Czech Republic. Always fun to be in Zilina and hang out with the Kompas Cafe crew there and I actually had a chance to attend a Sunday service at their new church. It was really neat and a huge encouragement to see a Living Relevant church in Slovakia. So much hope to see that here in Presov too.

Most of the week was spent at the JV Spring Conference in Czech Republic. there were about 165 of us who are serving in various parts of Eastern Europe. It was way cool to hear from others who are doing similar things and to hear of joys and struggles and just have some fun. Really enjoyed my time there and look forward to the next time we all get together!

This week I will spend a lot of time on language learning (hopefully) although I am sitting here wondering how it got to be so late in the day! My house needed some attention after my long absence, and the pile of dirty clothes was a little overwhleming too! Spent yesterday in the cafe working, and hanging out with students. They are all getting anxious for summer to begin and I am praying for many of the ones I have connected with to come to KECY Camp this summer.

We are kicking KECY preparations into high gear and we have a ton to do in a short amount of time. Camp Season is here!!! Our interns arrive in 3 weeks (whoa!) and I am looking forward to a really amazing season of planning and preparation.

that's the latest on me....I will be sending out my monthly update soon as well so be on the lookout for that too!

Sunday morning

It's Sunday morning...I am sitting in my flat here in Slovakia. Had my coffee, did the dishes, listened to a North Point sermon online and was attempting to have my "quiet time". Have been seeing some cool new things in the Bible lately but definitely noticing my tendency to get distracted...to have prayer time that ends up with me jumping up to take care of something "urgent"... Jesus has changed my life, I know he is good, I know that he is the answer to all the questions, I know I am in Slovakia because of him. But still my flesh is so weak and I wonder why simple things like prayer are so "difficult"

reading the book of Acts lately. what did the early church look like? what happened in those early days of our church that drew THOUSANDS of people at one time come to faith in Christ? What was it that Peter and John and Paul had that was so POWERFUL, so attracting, so irresistable that people said "Yes" right then and there? At one point in the very early days of the church Peter and John healed a man, giving credit to Christ. They were put into prison for the act and questioned about the authority they had to do such things. So Peter and John (filled with the Holy Spirit) told them...that the authority came from Christ. That he was the the Messiah sent once for all. Acts 4:13 says, "When they saw the COURAGE of Peter and John and reallized that they were UNSCHOOLED, ORDINARY men they were astonished and they took note that these men HAD BEEN WITH JESUS." Their lives, and characters and abilities were so completely transformed by being with Jesus that they ASTONISHED those around them. Amazing to think that being with Jesus could transform me.

I read this and I think, "what stands out about my character that demonstrates that I have been with Jesus?" What is radical and different about who I am that will draw people to God? How can I speak so boldly and sincerely that the irresistabilty of the truth of Jesus will shine through and overshadow me? Is it possible to "be with Jesus" in the same way that the disciples did? I want to be transformed by my relationship with Jesus. i don't want it to be just a fact about me...I want it to be the most obvious thing about me.

Very relieved

I got my boxes from the States today!!! About 10 weeks ago I handed all of my clothing (which basically amounts to 75 different colored t-shirts and 20 pairs of "fun" shoes) to the US post office. At some point the boxes made it to Kosice (about 30 min from Presov) where customs agents "catalogued" my belongings (evidently "slipy" means underwear in Slovak). We were notified last week that the boxes were available and went to pick them up. It felt a little like Christmas when I opened the boxes and I am very pleased to have different t-shirts to wear! But I think I may need someone to monitor my purchasing of green shoes and fleece jackets...I may have some sort of disorder.

to be really honest I was worried about the boxes. Another reminder of how weak my faith can be...such a small thing that I was so concerned about. Praising God today for providing for me in every way I need and hoping that I will be faithful in the big and the small things.

Fun Weekend!

I had a way fun weekend. 2 of my American teammates from Zilina came to spend the weekend with me in Presov! My friends Bekah and Paige came out here and we ate and talked and laughed and stayed up late. It was so great to see them, to have a little girl time, and to relax a bit. I am so thankful that I have good friends near-by!

Big news from the weekend is that Katka Koščova is the Slovak Superstar. She is from Prešov and we are very proud of her! Bekah, Paige and I were able to watch the finale and of course we sent in our text message to vote for katka! I am not sure what we will do on Friday nights though now that Superstar is over!

Cool news!

I have a roommate on the way!!! There is another American girl named Lee Ann coming to live with me here in Prešov. She is also from Atlanta and she will be working with the youth in a village about 30 min from here. I am super excited for her to come and I think having another teammate is going to be so cool. We are all hoping she can be here by the end of May.

I promise to update this blog more often...no more laziness!!!

Čo maš nový?

Hello out there in blogville. So what's happening here you ask...why haven't there been any posts on this blog lately? I have gotten a little lazy is the honest answer there! As for what's happening...in a word Life. I have been settling in to my new life here. Trying to get in to a routine of some sort but when you don't have to report to the office by 8 am it can be hard to drag yourself out of bed! Mornings are the "me" part of the day...I usually have language or work on things around the house. The cafe doesn't open until 1 and most students are in school until about 2. I am working in the cafe all day on Tuesday and I am there talking to students almost everyday. Been drinking a lot of coffee and trying my hardest to stay out of the ice cream. I have been able to get to know a few students and it's been fun to "try out" my Slovak. It's a little frustrating because I really would like to talk more with them but many of them aren't real confident in their English and my Slovak is still pretty rough. Language learning is going well...it's a tough language but I learn "viac a viac každy deň" (that means more and more every day). My teacher is great and I really really really want to be able to communicate as soon as possible!

So that is pretty much the scoop for now...nothing earthshattering but I am still happy and healthy and learning a lot about God and culture and my own weaknesses.

Slovensko hľadá Superstar

One of the first lessons I learned here in becoming "culturally relevant" is that I needed to watch Slovensko hľadá Superstar. which is the Slovak equivalent to American Idol. It works basically the same as American Idol...every Friday talented young people from all over the Slovak Republic vie to become the next face/voice of Slovak pop music. But many of the songs they sing are American hits (Billy Idol, Elvis, Alanis Morrisette). One funny thing about it is that since the show is on in Slovakia and most viewers are Slovak they don't have to bleep out English cuss words in the songs...even the REALLY REALLY bad ones. I have been faithfully watching and cheering for Prešov's own Katka Koščova. Who I actually met last week at a birthday party for my language teacher. It was basically like meeting the Kelly Clarkson of Slovakia...which I feel kind of lame about enjoying but I will admit to getting just a smidge startstruck. Tonight is the final 4, and I am keeping my fingers crossed and preparing to send a text message to keep my new best friend Katka in the race to be the next Slovensko hľadá Superstar!!!!!!!! A vote for Katka is a vote for Prešov!!!

Peanut Butter Cheetos

They don't sell peanut butter here. We have Nutella, Nugetta, a million kinds of delicious chocolate...but no peanut butter. The Nugetta is a "reasonable" sustitute as it is a chocolate spread of some sort with a peanut flavoring (the have a hazelnut flavored one as well). But my most recent snack time discovery can only be desribed as "Peanut Butter Cheetos". Imagine, if you will, a cheeto...minus the cheese. Then puff it up with a bit more air and sprinkle with some dust that tastes like peanut butter. The first one you have makes you think, "wow, that's different" but 5 minutes later you are elbow deep in a bag and wondering where you can get more. I wonder if anyone has ever been removed from service in the field for a snack indiscretions.

Viki and Maja

Today I spent time with 2 really sweet Slovak girls, Viki and Maja. They are both still in high-school and live in a dorm here in Presov. They are both from small villages outside of Presov so they are here during the week and head home on the weekends. Viki knows some English, but Maja does not know much (her English is about the same level as my Slovak!). We spent a good bit of time looking up words in our Slovak/English dictionaries and trying to pronounce them! It was totally fun to hang out with them and they both are involved in some of the youth activities we do. Hopefully I will get to spend more time with them next week!

Good Friday (Velke Piatok)

Been thinking a lot this week about "Easter"...the daily events of Jesus life leading up to events we recognize this weekend. Thursday thinking of Jesus celebrating his final meal with his brothers. What he felt as he heard them confess their love and loyalty to him knowing they would all scatter and deny him. Been thinking of how self-absorbed I would have been if I knew I was heading off to perform the greatest act of love the world had even known and my closest companions could not even stay awake while I prayed. Reading that Jesus said "my soul is overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death" and not even being able to comprehend that. Hating that my sin was part of the reason why Christ had to suffer, and being overwhelmed myself at times by how much God has given me...given all of us. Jesus overcame death so that we could all live forever connected to him, connected to the Father. This great mercy, this undeserved grace, this amazing mystery and tomorrow we celebrate his resurrection. Without the Sunday morning the rest of the story doesn't mean very much. It's Christ's return that brings us hope. So this weekend I am giving thanks that there is hope, there is more to life than this world has to offer us, we can know God, be loved by God, be satisfied in him completely. Our lives only mean something because He is a part of them. We have a future only because of Him.

I pray you have a wonderful and love filled Easter weekend. I pray that in some way all of us will be reminded of Christ, his death and ultimately his resurrection and be thankful that God loves us enough to give us his very best.

The latest

Sorry for the lack of interesting information lately. I was in Zilina for a conference for youth workers last week (which was great but really busy) and my internet was having issues so I was a little behind! So what's been happening here you may ask...

Learning to live life in a very new way. I am getting better and better at the grocery store (I think i know the words for chicken, fish, and pork), and I can go into a shop and usually point and use some broken phrases to make the shopkeeper understand what I am after. Small victories! I am studying language and really enjoying it. Slovak is really hard and there are some sounds that I just cannot force my mouth to make (this crazy soft T and a soft L especially). But I am encouraged and I understand more and more every day. My English skills are plummeting though...I can't seem to put sentences together correctly anymore so forgive me if these posts sound like I am not a native English speaker!

My girls...I really had this fear coming over here that I wouldn't love these girls the way I wanted to, or enjoy spending time with them as much as I wanted to. But God has totally put a new heart in me for the girls I am spending time with. I have a few college girls I am meeting with that I really love and care for and pray for. I have met some high school girls that I feel such a desire to connect with and I can only chalk that up to God putting the desire into my heart. Such sweet, fun loving girls and I smile so often when I think of them and I am so excited to get to walk through life for a while with them.

We are working on things for camp this summer and trying to plan activities in the cafe now and at the various youth groups. Still learning a lot about the church here in Slovakia and trying to find my place within the ministry so God can use me in any way he wants.

I have been here 6 weeks and I definitely miss my friends and my family and many conveniences of living in America. But every day I am more convinced that I am EXACTLY where I am supposed to be...which is a pretty amazing feeling. God is taking care of me and I am learning so much about trusting Him.

Will post more often to avoid these long and rambling ones! Thanks for checking the site and for praying for me, and the ministry and these amazing students who are wanting to know God more!

Slovak Easter

It's nearly Easter, and I was trying to think if I should buy Easter baskets or plan some sort of Easter egg hunt...then I realized that Easter traditions here in Slovakia are just a touch different. From what I can gather (and I promise this is true) boys will spend the day throwing buckets of water on girls and girls will spend the day giving boys chocolate and other presents. Girls will literally sit in their house and wait. A boy will come to the door, throw water on them and leave. yeah, I know. I managed to hear something about how the water is supposed to signify a year of health for the girls but I still am not real clear on the whole thing. The girls all make a face when you talk about it and the boys all grin like boys. I will chalk this up to another "cultural lesson" I hope not to learn the hard way!

Pracovnikov s Mladezou

AKA Youth Worker...person who works with youth. This week I am working at a conference for youth workers from all over Slovkia. The group I work with in Zilina puts this conference on every year and it's pretty amazing. I am helping with the chapel they have open for students and leaders to come pray and reflect and react to what God is doing in their lives and hearts. It's been really cool to serve here and see some of the students from Presov and see how excited they are about serving God there. Will post some pictures in a few days of what we had going on here.

Feel like I am losing the ability to write well in English so forgive me if these posts sometimes sound a little strange! Now my Slovak and my English are terrible! I am enjoying studying Slovak. It is a really beautiful language and i am excited about the prospect of actually being able to speak it well some day. it's a hard language to learn but i have caught onto a few things and i have a great language tutor named Maruska.

Have been spending time with a few girls I know from the cafe and have met some new girls that I am looking forward to hanging out with. Such sweet hearts and I really love being able to get to know them better.

would love continued prayer for language, ministry strategy, and the expansion of our team in Presov. thanks for your love and support. Would love to hear from you and to know how I can be praying for you as well!

Saturday

Since most students are never really available during the week because of school we end up doing a lot of ministry stuff on the weekends. Tonight we had KECY Club. Students who have been to KECY English camps in the past, or who have just heard about what we do come and we will do some sort of program or a talk or play games...it just depends on where we are. Tonight they were wrapping up a series about God being a perfect father. We have been talking to students about their picture of who God really is, and how sometimes we have a flawed picture of God. I actually got to talk a bit tonight about the story in Luke 15 about the prodigal son and how God is very much like the father in the story...ready to extend grace and desiring of a relationship with us. It was a fun night and I met some really neat students. The language barrier makes talking to them a little interesting!

Thoughts for Thursday Morning

"If indeed we lived a life in imitation of his, our witness would be irresistable. If we dared to live beyond our self-concern; if we refused to shrink from being vulnerable; if we took nothing but a compassionate attitude toward the world; if we were a counterculture to our nation's lunatic lust for pride of place, power, and possessions; if we preferred to be faithful rather than successful, the walls of indifference to Jesus Christ would crumble." From "The Signature of Jesus" by Brennan Manning

If you were a cafe...

One of the coolest things I get to be a part of here is the new Youth for Christ (MPK) cafe in Presov. MPK just bought a house and they are putting a new cafe in there and I get to be a part of the design, activities and programming elements for it. Would love to hear any cool, creative ideas anyone has about how we can make the cafe look and feel inviting, and what kind of events/activities we could have there for the youth, or just for anybody. The name of the cafe is the Slovak word for Bridge so we are trying to think of cool ways to incorporate that theme into the design. So excited to get to help create a cool, "relavant" environment for students to hear about God!

What's happening

Language...it's so weird to have to start from square one. Literally yesterday I was learning my A, B, Cs (which in Slovak sounds more like Ahh, Buh, Chuh). There are multiple ways to pronounce different letters, and most of the time it's counterintuitive to what I would do in English. But it's really fun to learn new things, and be able to use it and get around better.

I am learning some new language skill through my spin class that I am taking at the gym around the corner from my place. Things like "stryi, tre, dva, hore!" (which is 4, 3, 2, up!) and something that sounds a lot like "full brat" (don't forget to roll your Rs) which I think may have been a secret command for my quads to give out completely.

Had a meeting today about the English lessons we will teach at camp and will have a meeting later today about my involvement at the cafe. Looking forward to finding my place here and being a part of all that God is doing!

Would love to hear from you...thanks so much for your prayers and love!

JV Girls

JV Girls
Posted by: amylawlor.

Christina, Bekah, me, Paige in the Tatras

The Weekend

Spent the weekend here in Presov. It was cold and snowed some...they tell me it will warm up soon! Had some friends from Zilina come and visit me on Friday which was nice. Saturday I actually went bowling with the youth group. I think bowling may be a new "sport" for SK...they have these strings at the top of the pins to help reset them. Mike gave a talk later at a youth group meeting on the prophet Micah and afterwards we played some games with the students.

I spent a good part of the weekend continuing to get my house in order. I have new furniture and have been loving making my place, MY place. I am apparently in a new "clean freak" phase (stop laughing...it's true). It is really nice to have a place to come home to that is so comfortable.

This week I plan to study my Slovak (3 lessons a week and 2 hours a day studying), buy a few more things for my flat, have some meetings about camp planning, and spend some time in the cafe.

The World of Blogging

Hey y'all!
I am going to try this blog (or internet weblog) thing out until I get a website up and running. This way I can keep you updated on what is happening here without clogging your inbox with emails. I will be updating this blog probably daily...it's a good way for me to "process" so feel free to check in or post comments or say hello. Thanks for being on the adventure with me!
Amy