EMERGE Women's Conference... COMPLETE!

Over the past year I (Amber) have taken on the role of European Conference Coordinator for Next Level International's WD (Women's Development) department. The goal of WD is obvious, to develop women in leadership across Europe. This is done through three phases of the EMERGE conference where women are encouraged and challenged to be exactly who God made them to be and fulfill the calling that God has placed on their lives.

I had the privilege of working alongside Marta Tóthová (a member of our lead pastoral team here in Nitra) while planning this conference. We chose the hotel, picked the food, handled all the registrations and finances, had pages of teaching material translated, and even more pages printed. We hosted the Short Term Missions team from the U.S.A. together and we also both had the opportunity to teach a workshop. Working alongside Marta has been one of the many highlights of our time here in Slovakia. She's an incredible woman and a great friend.

As mentioned, I taught a workshop at the EMERGE conference. Anna Armitage and I lead the workshop on the "Fundamentals of Influence" together. It was a great chance for both of us to further hone our teaching skills and a fun opportunity to collaborate. The workshop went well, garnered positive feedback, and I'm finding that I'm gaining confidence in my teaching ability with every opportunity I have.

I did find it quite challenging to plan the conference and write a workshop simultaneously. It turns out that two very different parts of my brain are used for these two purposes and I found it hard to engage them both at the same time!

I count it a privilege to be involved in the EMERGE conferences. It's so amazing to see women come together for the purpose of seeking God, His plans, healing, and relationship. To be a small part of what God is doing in the lives of women in Europe is an honour.

There are 5 EMERGE conferences planned for 2010. I can't wait to see what God is going to do in and through the women that gather.

We've Been Rev'd

The annual Eurasia Regional Conference is a time for international workers to get together, talk shop, build community, tackle some house keeping matters, and encourage one another. It is a highlight for us every year and being part of community is a high value for us. We know that for some workers, in isolated contexts, this conference is even that much more life-giving.

This year the conference was held in Tunisia - the Slovak contingent was spoiled with a flight time of 1 hour and 45 minutes and no time change. There was a different feel this year as our Regional Director was not able to attend for health reasons (from which he is recovering nicely) and several big personalities have transitioned into the newly formed region for workers in restricted access countries. Moreover, Tunisia is a highly Muslim country and the law forbids religious activities outside of religious facilities. So while at the hotel we had to limit our Christian-speak (which is OK with us), but it did limit our ability to share and worship together. Bibles and schedules had to be hidden, even inside our hotel rooms. The reality of this was driven home when the religious police came to ensure we were adhering to the rules.
30 minutes on a bus not only showed us how people actually live, but got us to the nearest place of Christian worship: a Catholic Church. The acoustics were bouncy and the murals plentiful, but this was the site of our ordination. We were both ordained in one service - apparently it is a rarity for husband and wife to do this simultaneously. It was remarkably encouraging and we were thrilled to be surrounded by friends and people who genuinely want us to succeed.

Sincerely,

the reverends Price (we have to milk it while it is still novel)

Revolution

Today Slovakia celebrates, with a national holiday, the 20th anniversary of the beginning of the end of Communist rule in what was then Czechoslovakia. The Gentle Revolution, more widely known by it's Czech name, the Velvet Revolution, began on November 17, 1989 when a group of students gathered to commemorate the murder of Slovak students (50 years earlier) on International Students Day. The Communist government responded harshly and their use of force catalyzed a sentiment that had long been brewing. In the following weeks peaceful protests and mass strikes led to the resignation of the regime and the first democratic government in over 40 years.

During our time here in Slovakia people have shared with us what it was like before the revolution - the secret police, the informers, the shortages, the air raid sirens, the hiding of faith. They have also shared with us what it was like to stand in the main square of Bratislava in 1989 and sing songs, join hands with people, waive flags: what it was like to change history. The look on people's faces - the refusal to actually let the tear run down their cheek - as they describe what it was like to sing songs about Jesus publicly for the first time in their lives.

As a Canadian it is a reminder that freedom is precious.

Today the Slovak Central Bank issued a unique 2 Euro coin bearing the words "17 November. Freedom. Democracy. Slovakia." with a picture of keys on it. During the protests people jingled their keys to symbolize the unlocking of freedom.

For more about the Gentle Revolution visit The Slovak Spectator, Wikipedia or for images from the protests visit a website dedicated to the day.

Rozhodnutie (yes, it's a Slovak word)

Decisions.

This is not going to be a ramble about how to make the big decisions in life.

Keep an ear open to God. Communicate honestly. Move away from thinking that His will is something He holds in a closed fist that you have to pry open. Keep listening. Read the Bible (we cheapen our intentions when we say we want to "hear from God" and then ignore what He's already said). Trust that you are never taken through a process to come out in a worse condition. Have confidence that when you put God first, everything else will be put into place.

Sooner, rather than later, we owe the Powers that Be an answer to the question, "what comes next?". For a while it felt like we were staring down the barrel of this loaded question, but we now have an extreme confidence that we will know what we need to, when we need to.

We are not afraid of missing the "will of God" (aka the plan that He knows is best for us), because we invest a lot of time and energy in pursuing it and He has a lot to say. Our focus is on living it with excellence.

Clocks are ticking. Fuzzy things appear in greater focus.

Pray with us.

Irish Food for Thought

In keeping with the video theme we seem to have going, here is Bono's speech that he gave to the NAACP.

It is food for thought.

NLI EuroSummit 2009

Last week we attended NLI's biannual EuroSummit Conference in Spain. The conference is designed to promote what NLI is doing throughout the 48 nations of Europe. We've linked two of their videos to this post which capture both the need and what NLI is doing in Europe (admittedly, they are commercial-esque).

There was work to be done as Amber serves as the European Conference Coordinator for EMERGE (women's development), but it was great for us to connect with people working across the continent. Though there were many North Americans and Australians, there were nationals from France, Bulgaria, Italy, Slovakia, Spain, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Germany, Poland and more. It was eye-opening to have such a comprehensive perspective on Europe.

It was a great reminder for us that mission originates with a spiritual need. Often, as Westerners, we associate mission with assisting the impoverished and disenfranchised; and though meeting physical needs is a divine imperative, our practical aid must come from a spiritual origin. There is a dangerous misconception surrounding Europe that it is not a valid place for mission - oh sure, maybe in the poorer Eastern countries, the formerly oppressed block, or in the Balkans, the birthplace of modern war, but not in the rest of Europe...they're too rich for mission.

The response to this mentality is simple - where there is a spiritual need there is a need for workers, spiritual investment and steps toward change. Europe, more than ever it seems, is at the frontline.

Mozaika - the Host with the Most!

The Apostolic (Pentecostal) Church of Slovakia [ACS - the acronym works for the Slovak and English translations] holds an annual conference for all of the ACS churches across the country. This year Mozaika was selected as the hosting church - a huge show of confidence in our growing church. With programs prepared, a hall rented, speakers from the Czech Republic and the UK, and a host of details attended to, Mozaika welcomed over 700 people to Nitra (more than we thought would come).

The afternoon session was broadcast live (an interesting logistical experience) on Slovak Televsion [STV]. It was amazing, powerful and simplistic, to hear people speak of how a meeting like this could have never taken place just 20 years ago. The church in Slovakia has grown from secret meetings and Bible smuggling to a nationally televised broadcast and a strong representation of local churches; but this conference was not focused on where we have come from, but where we must go.