week 18

in which i befriend the paper cutter.

Welcome to week 18!

Thursday evening I went to the cinema for the first time. We saw the movie Poseidon. It was not a bad movie. The beautiful thing about it was that it is much less expensive to see a movie here, so there is less risk in seeing a movie. I would have regretted paying 7 dollars to see it but 75SK(about 2.50 US) was just about what it was worth. I am going to have such sticker shock when I come back to the States. Have I ever told you that I can get two scoops of ice cream for 12SK (under 50 cents)? Life is good in Slovakia. I eat a LOT of ice cream :)

Last Friday, we went to a different restaurant than usual for lunch, and I had a lesson in crossing cultures. The restaurant was crowded and there were no empty tables, so we split up and sat at two different partly full tables It was very stretching for me to sit down with total strangers. Interestingly enough, a Slovak will not sit down next to someone on a bus without asking first. And they will often stand rather than sit down. I learn something new every day.

Saturday was a relaxing day. I slept in, cleaned some, read some, and hung out in the evening at one of the open cafes that pop up along the street in the summer.

Sunday, I slept in by accident and missed church. On the upside, I was home to get the call form Jeff and Andrea who I stayed with in Kosice when I first came to Slovakia. They invited me to lunch as I got to spend the afternoon trading stories and hanging out with their family.

I did a lot of paper cutting this week. Entry tickets and food tickets and car tickets. Thousands of them. You name it, I helped print and cut it this week :)

Because of Tuesday I get to say the words CampFest video again!! After showing it to Marian and having Rina double check my Slovak spelling, there were a few details that needed addressed. I spent most of my day Tuesday back in the cycle of render, check, tweak, render..... export. It was fun. I also had a Slovak lesson. I am learning. I need to study more.

Wednesday = more paper cutting. All day. I bonded with the rotary paper cutter. It was nice actually, relaxing. A bit of mindless repetition. It gave me time to reflect and pray and daydream. I had a chance to listen to a few sermons that have been sitting on my computer for a while now.

Thursday (today) this morning Roman and I finished cutting everything (I hope :)) this afternoon I’m updating you all and dealing with some paperwork stuff. This evening I am going with a group of folks to see the second Pirates of the Caribbean movie.

Friday is the signing day for the new CampFest field in Svarin :) After tomorrow, it should be all final!! “Timothy School” is a conference for new believers in September. We hope to be able to hold it in Svarin! Also, Friday my dad is having surgery on a ruptured disc in his neck. I’m stressed to be so far away. Not that I could do anything if I was in Pittsburgh but STILL! My Friday prayer warriors have a full day.

Thank you to everyone who prayed for my social life. I was out more this week than I have been. Please pray that relationships will form from hanging out with these folks. More specifically that I will have courage to step outside of myself and initiate those relationships.

News from CampFest!! There is a problem with the lights. (I told you last week this is where Satan was gonna screw with us) The father of the guy who usually does the lights is very sick. He might not be able to come. There are other problems with the constructions for hanging the lights. In a classic translation issue, I have no clue exactly what the problem is, just that it requires prayer.

PLEASE KEEP PRAYING:
~CampFest
~Relationships
~Slovak Learning (I NEED to study more)

You all rock my world