One more link...

This photo illustrates what the GSCC short term mission in Slovenia is. Yep...we're just one more link in the chain, helping Slovene students have a relationship with Christ. Or for another illustration, try 1 Corinthians 3: 6-9 Don't know where we are in the chain, but each link is important!

Coming Home!

Here is a last picture of our camp - we also had a followup reunion and most of the campers showed up! Our major goal of connecting them with the church has been met! Thank you all for praying for us - God has been at work and we have lots of stories to tell when we get back. Leaving in a couple of hours.

Gene, for the Team

On our way home....

Camp theme song & dance: Never going back to ok.
So true: changed people, changed lives....and soon to be changed location.
We fly out of Slovenia in a few hours, arrive in PDX about midnight 7/7/10 (or 7/8/10, depending how you look @ it), so our location changes soon...but hearts stay here. Pray for travel mercies!
Not likely going back to the way it was. (It will be interesting to ask our team how their lives changed---all are still processing) Campers are changed & have made great connections.
Speaking of campers: Reunion event on Monday night brought 21 of the 28 campers...plus the Slovene helpers...to the Jacksons house. Hallelujah for good weather to do things outdoors...
Continue to pray for the Jacksons & Pattys as they continue their work here. Pattys are at another camp this week, same location as our site,---with Cornerstone Church!

Facebook

For good or bad, Facebook has changed the world....
Yes, even the Slovene kids have it: instant connection with kids sitting next to you---or clear across the world. Despite it's necessity to only write short pithy clever statements, kids are using it for longer conversations as well. They were doing "friend requests" by the middle of camp. Will be nice to use FB for stronger connections (OK Mike: Get a FB page).
So, thanks to FB, many of our team will be off to a spontaneous group activity around 1pm (SLO Time) with many of the Slovenes, invited by IMing through FB:) Hoping for good purposeful conversations. Please pray...
So, as much as I hate the addictive nature of FB & the need for few words (Never have been one for few words), we're gunna redeem FB:)
BTW, Slovene keyboard: The @ symbol is "alt-v" Quotation marks are on the 2 key. Z and Y are reversed. Extra keys for Š Č Ć Ž Đ but there actually is a $ sign!!!!
Rainy for the team

Last day at camp

We leave camp in an hour - sad to go but with great stories! This was one of the best we have been on and I can't say enough about how great the team worked together (both Slovenes and Americans). Two nights ago, we experienced a break-through with the entire camp going through a Labyrinth where at several stations they reflected on messages from the week. We had expected only a few to participate but all did! The week has been a positive experience for all and spiritual progress is measured in different ways - most obvious is by the connections and relationships made between the church here and individual campers. We leave for a bit of down time in the city and then some follow-up activities with the campers. Everybody is doing really well if not tired!

Gene, for the team.