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Tuesday, January 10, 2006

The Long Road Home

You think your trip home was long! :)

Sunday, Shelley and I had the chance to say hi and bye to our Slovak friends who made the journey to Passion 06. It was pretty humbling having the chance to hug them and pray for them as they head home for Zilina, Slovakia. For one, in the circle were American's Paige and Amy who live full time in Zilina because of their passion to see young women there come to know the face of the Savior. They have sowed many seeds and are just beginning to see what I pray will be a massive harvest across Slovakia and Eastern Europe for His fame.

Ten girls made the journey with Paige and Amy and there is at least one new believer headed home with the group, while others sense they are closer to taking that step of faith in Jesus. Of the ten who attended Passion 06, most were still investigating Christianity.

Thanks to all who played a part in their journey to Nashville. I'm not sure if they will see this Blog (if so, how about a shout out from Slovakia in the comments), but know they would appreciate hearing that you guys in the 268 Family are praying for them.

They are...Mat'a (you met her in the opening session/lower right in pic), Zuzka, Janka, Evka, Ad'a, Evka #2, Lucia, Silvia, Katka and Stani.

"These are the shoot I have planted, the work of my hands, for the display of my splendor. The least will become a thousand, the smallest a mighty nation." Isaiah 60:21-22

posted by 268gen at 12:19 PM

23 Comments:

  • I hope and pray that God reigns His spirit down on Slovakia through the passions of these girls!

    By Blogger Holliday, at 1/10/2006 1:18 PM  

  • I am amazed at the dedication of these young girls. I will be praying for you… I can say that a life lived full out for God is a life lived with no regret… I will be praying for you all…

    By Anonymous Anonymous, at 1/10/2006 1:20 PM  

  • Wow! We are so privileged to join in the Kingdom work that God had visioned so long ago. Beyond my mind's eye and my dreams...God is accomplishing so much more! (Like in Slovakia.) Joining with those who have gone before us, in the Bible and in the church, is like a whirlwind of power and grace like nothing we can imagine. Thy kingdom come!

    By Blogger Kendra, at 1/10/2006 1:22 PM  

  • Praise God! I'll be praying the Lord will continue to reveal Himself to each of these young ladies during the coming weeks and months! For the new believer, may He protect her and grow her strong and solid, to maturity in the faith, and use her powerfully to reach her family and friends. And may He empower the Americans and other Christians who are ministering to these seekers and new believers; may He shine brightly through them, pour His love through their lives, and sprinkle His salt through them to make others thirsty for Jesus, the Source who truly satisfies (John 4)!

    Please keep us posted so we can continue to pray intellegently!

    By Blogger Marcia, at 1/10/2006 3:07 PM  

  • Louie -
    i'm in the thick of raising support to come on staff at grace campus in auburn. talking about the God of the universe at passion reminded me of the truth of how things really work. this God who spoke infinite beauty and mystery into existance is not intimidated by the amount of cash that i need. check this one out - they call it the eagle nebula but i had another winged creature in mind. the stars really do declare His glory. http://hubblesite.org/gallery/album/entire_collection/pr2005012b/

    By Blogger courtney, at 1/10/2006 5:01 PM  

  • praise God! It is SO awesome to see Him work. I met a guy, named Joel, at Passion 06 who gave His life to Christ Tuesday night. Seeing His passion for the Lord so quickly, hearing Him pray and joining Him in prayer, and just all around seeing the incredible transformation that only comes from Jesus is truly humbling. I just talked with Him today and got to pray with him over the phone, too, which was great!

    He has kind of a rough environment as he does pr for professional wrestling and has to travel with them everywhere.

    Please pray for Joel, that his hunger for Jesus and communion with Him through prayer and Bible study would grow. Pray that God will surround Him with mature believers who will love and guide Him who He can share the journey with. Pray as He is trying to find a church now too.

    And PRAISE God for letting us be a part of the greatest story EVER!

    By Blogger Mark Miller, at 1/10/2006 7:58 PM  

  • Louie, one more thing too. Would it be possible to post the pictures or at least links to the pictures from your talk Wednesday night? That's something that I (and I'm sure a lot of other people) would love to show to their groups back home. The heavens truly show the handiwork of God! Thanks!

    Mark

    By Blogger Mark Miller, at 1/10/2006 8:01 PM  

  • Diversity.. isn't that what it is all about being a Christian.. being diverse.. there are many Christians of different races, colors, denomanations... but we all believe in one thing.. CHRIST...

    In the spirit of Tobymac.. "we will never become that city on the hill until we become a diverse city.."

    Patrick

    By Anonymous Anonymous, at 1/10/2006 8:16 PM  

  • RENOWN. I Want His Renown. I find the name Jesus slipping out in conversations, blog post, and journaling. I see a vision, of my campus revived, united for His renown. Getting there looks impossible, yet I want to chase it. Not anything that I can do, rather I think the way for Christ to be most glorified in me is to let my campus hear about Him.

    Oh God let us be,
    A generation that seeks,
    That seeks your face,
    Oh God of Jacob.

    Welcome our Slovakia friends, take His Renown with you. I pray that you are but drops of the beginning of a world wide declaration for Him.

    D <><

    By Blogger David B, at 1/10/2006 10:17 PM  

  • This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.

    By Blogger David B, at 1/10/2006 10:18 PM  

  • And how can they preach unless they are sent? As it is written, "How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!" - Romans 10:15

    Praise God for Slovakia! Let us go forth and tell the world the hope we have in Christ!

    By Anonymous Anonymous, at 1/10/2006 10:33 PM  

  • Greetings! to Mat'a, Zuzka, Janka, Evka, Ad'a, Lucia, Evka, Silvia, Katka, & Stani! :)
    We are so glad you were able to come all the way from Slovakia to the Passion gathering! We pray safe travels for you as you return to your homes in Slovakia. We also trust that during your time here, you sensed God's presence during the conference. We pray that this Jesus you've encounterd and learned of will continue gently calling every one of you to come to know Him personally and to grow in your relationship with Him more and more :) To Paige, Amy, & all others who helped make this journey possible for these girls, thank you for allowing the Lord to use you in this way. We pray the Lord's blessings for you & for much fruit from your works in Slovakia! :)

    By Blogger Kimmer, at 1/11/2006 12:31 AM  

  • amazing!what a beautiful reminder that God is Alive and Active all over the planet. speaking of eastern europe, right now i am planning on going to moscow for 6 weeks over the summer for ministry...the universities there have something like 1-2 million students in the city, most of whom are walking around the monuments made to a faith they know nothing about. the Lord has some amazing things in store!

    By Blogger Kelly, at 1/11/2006 1:10 AM  

  • As I was reading through the comments this morning, the words of an older praise chorus came to mind:

    What a mighty God we serve,
    What a mighty God we serve.
    Angels bow before Him,
    Heaven and earth adore Him,
    What a mighty God we serve.

    By Blogger stephen, at 1/11/2006 9:39 AM  

  • We're praying for you! I pray for the country of Slovakia, that more and more people will be touched by the love of God!

    By Anonymous Anonymous, at 1/11/2006 9:51 AM  

  • to the crew from slovakia...
    thanks for making the trip all the way to nashville to worship with us.
    we loved meeting you mat'a, and are praying for you all as you ask God to use you to make history in your country and beyond.

    By Anonymous Anonymous, at 1/11/2006 10:06 AM  

  • http://hubblesite.org/gallery/album/entire_collection/pr1992017a/

    By Anonymous Anonymous, at 1/11/2006 9:56 PM  

  • When the Slovak girls and I were leaving Nashville last week at the end of the conference I was struck by the conversation they were having in the back of the van. I had the three most skeptical girls with me, and I was honestly a bit surprised to hear such encouraging words come from their mouths. They said things like:

    ~I can't believe with 18,000 college students here that there was no trash on the ground--we had box lunches everyday but there was never any trash on the ground. Everyone threw their trash away.
    ~No one was drunk or on drugs
    ~Everyone was kind to each other, and the people working at the conference were so helpful
    ~I've lived in a college dorm and it was nothing like this

    It was a POWERFUL testimony to these girls who were observing anything and everything. Even though speakers like Beth Moore, John Piper, and Louie Giglio had amazing things to say, this was what dominated the conversation on the trip home.

    Thank you to all of you who were faithful to do the seemingly insignificant things at the Passion conference. These girls noticed and they were impressed by it. It's a reminder to us all that people are watching our lives closely, and it's the little things that sometimes make the greatest impact.

    By Blogger Leah, at 1/12/2006 3:13 PM  

  • Wow!...I mean WOW!!!
    Thank you guys...I just went through the comments...THANK YOU! You dont even know how much that means for us. Thank you for all your prayers...it is so beautiful...it amazes me again and again, that even though we dont know each other personally, we are all united in our Lord...in Holy Spirit. As Leah said, thank you for everything you've been doing at the conference...girls were touched, they could see that in you, there is something (better to say someONE) what (Who) makes you different from the college students they are meeting here at our University...let say all around Slovakia. Oh, I was so thankful for each one of you, either for a prayer or for investigating your time in their lives. Especially the guys from the family groups. I was so impressed that even though our timing in Slovakia is different, all girls would get up "early" every morning and also would stay up late for each family group. They really enjoyed the time with you, felt privileged. As Leah wrote, they 'd been observing and you all had huge impact on them and their viewing of God :) They had wonderful time. Also enjoyed the worship! For most of them the worship is connected with old ladies singing in our traditional Catholic churches...dont even try to imagine...and Christianity is connected with the same old ladies behaving very nice in the church but then as soon as they get out, gossiping and judging others...So for the girls it was huge that God could be personal and the whole cocept of faith is not about being good(endless process of failed tries). We need your prayers, so the eyes of young people (not only theirs) would be opened and ears ready to hear the truth...they would be healed from any bad experience with the church...believe me, they have plenty...so they could see church really as a body of Christ, as a family that cares and is loving and supportive...
    Thank you for allowing God to use you. To see how God is working in their lives, how He is slowly changing their views and attitudes on God...makes me wanna cry...
    I love them all deeply and this is my 4th year with them...yes, we've been praying, but we would never dream that they would have a chance to be a part of something like a Passion-I pray that Passion would spread around the whole world so more people from contries like our can be touched through it by our great Savior!
    Our case is an evidence that God blesses beyond everyone's imagination! Blessed be His name :)
    ...well, I guess I wrote too much...

    By Anonymous Anonymous, at 1/19/2006 3:54 AM  

  • Thanks for your encouragement, Mata! It's so great to hear about all the girls' experiences at Passion! May they grow to know Him deeper this year as you continue to faithfully love and serve them. Will be praying for you all =D
    -steph

    By Blogger steph, at 1/20/2006 10:19 PM  

  • Leah, Mat'a,

    I am touched! God is great! I will also remember you all in my prayers!

    Mat'a;

    I grew up in Germany; and the church experience you describe in Slovakia sounds just like what I grew up with! It is time for a change, a time for young people all over the world to come to see God for who He really is! And He will do it!!!

    Much love,

    Silke

    By Blogger Silke, at 1/21/2006 12:40 AM  

  • Worship is also so much more than singing we can worship God in many ways all through the day. The body of Christ is an amazing group, when we come together. Being together with many other believers and with non-believers there too, can be such an amazing experience to just worship and join with God together. Praying for you'll!

    By Anonymous Anonymous, at 1/21/2006 1:44 PM  

  • Talking of people coming from all around the world, early-mid January sees about the same number of people as Passion has gathering in six cities around Australia for the annual conferences run by PlanetShakers. While the style is very different to Passion (in terms of music, especially! so much more energy in Aussie Praise!) I was reminded it doesn't matter!
    This really hit home for me when I got on the bus after a session, turned on my iPod and heard the distinctive voice of Crowder on last year's album.
    I may never have enough cash to get to America (even further than Slovakia!) for a Passion conference and experience it myself. But I do feel this strange sense of unity knowing that maybe at the very same time, there are many voices united around the globe with many tunes and languages but with one God to focus upon. It's pretty amazing!
    I will continue to pray for all you guys in the US, Slovakia and elsewhere knowing my God is your God.

    PS don't you think it would be great for everyone at the PlanetShakers and Passion conferences to simultaneously sing one song at the same time during PS07/Passion07? I suggest "One Way" or "Tell the World" by Hillsong United!

    By Anonymous Anonymous, at 1/24/2006 8:42 AM  

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