Slovakia
Outreaches
Slovakia III Highlights This was our third missionary outreach to Slovakia. We had another very fruitful time in this former Soviet-bloc country. Our vision for our ministry there was as follows: 1) To present the gospel in meaningful ways to those who have never heard. 2) To encourage the Pastors and leaders in Slovakia, many of whom struggle with profound discouragement in their work. 3) To teach Slovak believers important truths from the Word of God resulting in more maturity in their walk with Him. 4) To see the manifest, life-changing power of God in the meetings. 5) To aid the believers in becoming worshippers who worship the Lord in Spirit and in truth, and to encourage freedom in worship. Our first ministry opportunity after our arrival in Slovakia
was Sunday morning in Sered, Slovakia at the church of Pastor Jan
Tagaj. Kurt preached a powerful message on "The Pursuit of
Revival", and Marla ministered music in Slovak and English. The Holy
Spirit touched many in the congregation, and brought conviction of the need to
pray and seek God with all our hearts. Kurt declared that he believes
revival will come to Slovakia - and asked why could it not start there - in Sered? The following day we had a rare opportunity to provide a church service to a woman who is housebound, who lives many miles away from the nearest church. Pastor Tagaj told us that she used to walk many miles in the snow just to attend church. Now that she is elderly and ill, we brought church to her. We were able to pray with her for many of her needs. Praise God for the opportunity to minister to this lady! Our next ministry opportunity brought us to the city of Banska Bystrica, several hours drive from Sered. In this city is a Bible school which is attended by many in Slovakia who are being trained for the ministry. Our concert there consisted of a message by Kurt on "Living the Christian Life of Integrity, Humility and Love", and a concert by Marla. We were thrilled to learn afterwards that almost half the crowd at the packed-out service was comprised of non-Christians. Praise God that many were touched by the Lord, including many non-Christians! Each person who attended was given a program featuring Marla's music translated into Slovak, as well as a gospel message and prayer of salvation.
JOM's next outreaches were two concerts, one in Sered, and one in the capital city of Slovakia, Bratislava. Both services were packed, and in Sered we were pleased to see many of the children from the orphanage there. There were a significant number of non-Christians there, and the gospel was clearly and passionately presented. Kurt preached a very important message, "The Gift of Encouragement." In this message, he shared how important it is to speak words of encouragement to our brothers and sisters in Christ, our spouse, and our children. This is an important message for the people of Slovakia, as discouragement is a stronghold there, and encouragement is much needed. Our service at the church of Pastor Lubos Tagaj in the city of Trnava was very powerful. Marla sang, and Kurt gave an in-depth teaching on "How to Respond to the Trials of Life," also a greatly needed message in Slovakia. It was a very informative, powerful and compassionate message, and many came up for prayer. The Holy Spirit moved powerfully as Kurt and Lubos prayed for people, and Marla led the people in intimate worship in Slovak. We then prayed for revival in their church and in Slovakia. As we raised our voices in unified prayer, we could feel a sense of expectancy rising up in us - that God really would bring revival to their land. The Holy Spirit touched people powerfully. On Wednesday night, Kurt taught the message "How to Respond to the Trials of Life" to the church in Sered. Many commented that their new Biblical understanding on this subject would make a major impact on their life. Outreach
to Eastern Slovakia Next, we traveled 7 hours by car to the far eastern end of Slovakia. Our first outreach in the region was an evangelistic crusade in Kapusany. This service was unique for us in that many of these people spoke only Hungarian. Everything we spoke had to be translated from English to Slovak, then from Slovak to Hungarian. Marla ministered in song, and Kurt followed with an evangelistic message. Kurt gave an invitation for salvation and for people who needed prayer for any reason - and almost half the crowd came forward. Teens were getting saved and bringing their friends with them. Many of them were weeping as they gave their hearts to Jesus. It was an awesome time of ministry!
The following night we ministered in Slavcovce, a gypsy village which we had ministered in in 1999, on our first outreach to Slovakia. It was a blessing to see that a handful of believers had been transformed into a small congregation in just three short years. Some of the people who had given their lives to Jesus on our first visit were present, now strong in their faith and vital in the church. The building was packed, including many children and non-believers. We had a wonderful time of ministry and prayed for dozens of people. In the medium security prison in Trnava, we put on an evangelistic concert. The turnout was excellent, with approximately 100 prisoners attending. Marla shared her original music and music in Slovak, and Kurt preached an evangelistic message. Many heard the gospel for the first time, and their response was very positive. Many prisoners approached us afterwards with questions about Christianity. On our last day in Slovakia, Kurt gave a powerful exhortive message in the Sunday service in Sered. We parted with tears and the mutual promise to pray for each others' country. Click here to see highlights from previous Slovakia outreaches
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Our trip to the
Sered Orphanage turned out to be a
powerful time of ministry. Kurt taught the children that God will save and
bless all who call on His name (Rom. 10:12), and Marla shared some music in Slovak and English. We
then prayed over and laid hands on each child. Many children were in tears
as we looked them in the eyes, affirmed them and blessed them, and told them they were precious to God.
Each child was asked if he or she would follow
Jesus always, and almost every single child said "Yes!" Praise
God! Finally, each child got a big hug. It was clear that many of
the children were deeply moved by hearing of God's love and concern for them,
and His good plan for their lives. Just like the children, we experienced
the love of God in a tangible way that we will never forget.
