Mission Trip Photo Slide Shows And More

Summer English Language Camp in Tisovec, Slovakia

The Evanjelicke Gymnazium Tisovec (EGT) hosted an  English Language Summer Camp the week of July 8th- 12th. The LCMS short term mission team included David and Radka Fiala, St. Louis, MO, Rex and Linda Rinne, Ostrava, Czech Republic (Appleton, WI), Lisa Wagner, Florida, and Kurt Schmidt of West Virginia.  Eight high school aged students attended the camp. Several EGT teachers along with two current EGT students and a recent EGT graduate served as helpers, and interpreters. David Fiala is the Assistant Director, Missionary Recruitment, working in the Office of International Missions of the LCMS.  Rex is the Pastoral Care Facilitator for Central Europe.  He and Linda offer spiritual support and encouragement to missionaries on the field. Both the Fialas and Rinnes are former teachers at EGT and Radka is also a graduate of EGT. These strong connections to EGT added to the success of the camp. This was the first overseas mission trip for both Lisa and Kurt. Kurt is a new Christian. He found his way into the Lutheran faith by reading a copy of the Book of Concord and was baptized last December. It was a joy to see how God is using Kurt in His kingdom. Lisa, a lifelong Lutheran, is a wife and mother of four. The team met for two days prior to the camp for planning and team fellowship.

The camp provided ample opportunity for building relationships and sharing the Gospel through various activities, and simply spending time together. Lasting relationships were cultivated between students, Jr. Leaders, teachers, and volunteers. In fact, the mission was far from being one dimensional. The camp was a prime example of Life Together in Christ.  

The Bible study theme of the camp was “God’s Upside Down Kingdom.” As we look at the world around us we all experience evil and are confronted with our own sinful nature. But God in His graciousness comes to us through His Son. Finding us lost in sin, He does all that is needed to bring us from the bonds of the devil to new life. Freely giving us forgiveness, life and salvation through His atoning sacrifice and resurrection. In Christ, we are brought into a kingdom that seems upside down to the rest of the world. By faith, freely given, we have a new identity as children of the Heavenly Father. In this kingdom, we live together free to love, serve and bear the sufferings of life knowing that the hope that is within us is eternal life with God in heaven.  We are Jesus’ treasure being sustained and cared for as we eagerly anticipate the return of Christ our Master.

As the camp was an overnight camp there was plenty of time for bonding and fostering relationships. We enjoyed three square meals a day at Central, a local restaurant. We played many silly games, including our very own Minute To Win It competition. We spent time playing sports in the gym, swimming and making friendship bracelets and tie-dye t-shirts. One of the highlights of the camp was a photo scavenger hunt around town. We enjoyed an evening of horseback riding, a bonfire and smores. One morning was spent hiking. While one group went up Mt. Hradova, the other group walked to the lake.  

The favorite activity of all was music time. We were a group that loved to make music together.  We sang all of the favorite Christian camp songs such as Blind Man and Awesome God. We sang songs in English, Slovak, Czech, and Swahili. We shared the love of Christ with the residents of the local nursing home. It was an amazing experience as we sang for them and then they joyfully sang for us. We also sang for the Sunday morning Worship service at the Evangelical Church of the Augsburg Confession in Tisovec.

For several of the students, this camp was their first exposure to the Christian message. We rejoice with the angels and archangels that the seeds of the Gospel have been planted in their hearts. We pray that the Holy Spirit would continue to nourish their faith through God’s Word along with the love of Christ through service.

Sola Deo Gloria

Here are links to slides shows that I created.

EGT Camp      More

Prague

Why Missions In Slovakia?

So yeah... why?

Well, the short answer...

All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. Romans 3:23

For while we were still weak, Christ died for the ungodly. Romans 5:6

For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of Christ is eternal life, in Christ Jesus our Lord. Romans 6:23

For God so love the world that he gave His only Son that whoever believes in Him will have eternal life.  For God did not send His Son to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through Him.  John 3:16

Everyone stands before God in need of a sinner.  Everyone is separated from the Father because of their sin. Sin that they were conceived in. Sin that corrupts all of God's good creation, sin that delivers death and condemnation. All people are in need of Christ. No one can come to the Father on their own. Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life.  Jesus is the propitiation for our sins so that by faith in him we are justified.  How can they know if they have not heard?

We all need the proclamation of the Gospel for the very same reason. We are a people without hope and life. We need to be brought from the pit and into life! We need to hear, we need to be taught, we need Jesus! We need God's Word to have it's way with us. We need the Holy Spirit to enliven us to faith! God promises to come to us and gather us around His gifts that give forgiveness, faith, life, and salvation. He uses the feet of those who bring Good News to do it.

The harvest is plentiful the workers are few.  Matthew 9:37

Yep... that's you and me, through our vocations, God does his work!

The job of the church is to share this Good News. To speak forgiveness. This is why we need our Pastors to admonish, proclaim and give out the gifts of Christ through Word and Sacrament. This is why we need missions. Laity take on responsibilities in missions also.  As brothers and sister in Christ we all are called. We are to share the a word of comfort, teach, witness to Christ, to pray for those in need, and to care for the needs of people and communities through works of mercy.

So often, our perceptions and masks cover up our greatest needs and the needs of others. Many times we pass right by unbelievers without so much as even a glance. Or worse we fly by them in a fit of rage on the interstate leaving them staring at the "Jesus Fish" on our bumper through a cloud of  dust. The sinful broken world we live in strives to pull us away from the promises of Christ and distracts us from sharing that love and promise by serving our neighbors here and far away.

Slovakia is a place that has been highly affected by war and politics. These factors have brought on poverty and spurred on atheistic beliefs. This area of Europe was impacted by the Reformation so there has been a continual Lutheran presence. However because of the challenges of being a relatively young country the church there is in need of our support and care.

It could be easy to view Slovakia through the eyes of a tourist. (Not that tourism is bad, they certainly need tourism for a flourishing economy.) However, as I prepare to go over there I am trying to see what life is in their shoes, so that I may effectively respond to their needs in compassion and empathy, knowing all the while their greatest need is Christ.

I'd like to share these two videos with you as I think it emphasizes the point and the second one helps us see the care and mercy the beautiful country and it's people need.

Slovakia through the perception of a tourist 

A different perspective.  Please beware of a few somewhat graphic images.

As you can see there is work to be done there. There is work to be done here in our everyday life also. Work that we in our vocations can do. Witness to Christ as we care for our neighbor,  Together we are the hands and feet of Christ.

Please consider how you can support my service in Slovakia.
Check out my fundraising campaign. http://igg.me/at/lisagoesslavic/x/10825861

Getting Ready To Serve In Slovakia This Summer

This summer I will be heading to Slovakia to serve through an LCMS short-term mission event at a summer camp hosted at Evanjelické gymnázium in Tisovec.

Wow... it still makes me gasp even as I type it and sit and read it over and over again!!

It is amazing how much change and opportunity 2015 has brought me and my family.  As I started making some new goals and making plans at the end of last summer, here, I wanted to find ways to be involved in the community I live in. However, an international mission trip was very much off the radar.  If someone would have suggested I'd be gearing up for such an opportunity I probably would have found several excuses of why the whole idea, though great, would have been completely unrealistic. To be honest, I would have touted my vocation as wife and mother as a primary reason I would not be able to serve in such a way, despite my passion for the church and ministry. I can't leave the country, that's crazy, isn't it??

This mindset somehow changed a couple months ago when a Facebook friend, who's family serves as missionaries, posted about the need for people to serve in short-term missions over the summer.  I began looking at the opportunities simply out of curiosity.

My family can't survive for a week or two without me, can they???  But what if they could?

What if something like a short-term mission does fit into my vocation?

Humm...

How does this benefit my neighbors, here and there? Why is mission needed in this area of the world anyway?  How would my service support a Word and Sacrament ministry in Slovakia faithfully?

So I found myself thinking about it more, talking to my husband and kids about it, of course praying about it, and filling out applications.  Even as I prepare and continually get excited about this opportunity to share the Gospel at a summer camp with 8th and 9th graders, I still find myself working through such questions.Can I really serve in this way?  How does this serve my neighbor? Where is Christ in all of this?... Because this can't just be some kind of whimsy adventure that is more focused on tourism over actual service.

The best I can do is know that I, as a baptized and forgiven child of God, have been blessed to be called to be a wife, mother, and servant to others. The blessings and struggles of carrying out the task of a mission trip is something that not only provides me with growth it is also doing so for my family. In my preparations we together as a family are continually turned to trust in God as all the details with travel and everything start to come together. A mission trip has a way of turning the hearts of those who serve to further hope in Christ, knowing that the whole point is to share the good news of Christ's forgiveness and salvation with all people.

So who am I in all of this?

I am a sinner who has been purchased with the blood of Christ as I go humbly to serve and share the knowledge of that truth with others who have also been redeemed and forgiven by God's Son.  This is the stuff of life together in Christ as God people, that we love and reach out to each other with His grace.  My hope is that through my service I will be able to support the ongoing efforts of the Pastors, missionaries, teachers of the school in Slovakia,  I pray that I will be able to faithfully get to know the teens at the camp, care for them, and share the love of Christ with them.

I need your prayers and support as I prepare for this opportunity.  Please check out my funding campaign and consider making a donation.
Click here to go to my campaign page.

I will be writing all about this mission as the stories of this journey unfold.  I hope that you will follow with excitement as God's Word goes out in mission to do what it says, delivering the promises and hope of eternal life and salvation!!!