Opened floodgates of heaven

     The new school year’s  just started and so has Fusion. At our first meeting we had more than 45 people. You can tell that our Fusion room was overcrowded. It’s hard to describe the atmosphere but the words that occurred on fb after that night can explain at least a bit: "I am so thankful for you, Fusion people." or "Today was super awesome!"

     The new school year has started. New cycle of responsibilities, meetings and life surprises. And in the midst of this I am still processing THE summer.

2 Fusion camps

1 church camp

1 Campfest

1 United festival

1 Teenweek

Many personal meetings

A lot of life’s lessons

A huge amount of God’s miracles and blessings in front of my eyes

     Before the summer I was overwhelmed by my schedule and felt like in cage /no room for solid vacation and afraid of physical burn out/. I prayed. I asked for enough strength since I could not really change those things in my calendar. Yes, it had been crazy. Yes, He answered. In that summer chaos he gave me a little  moments where I could recharge my batteries. Not only that I had enough strength but I now feel even rested and ready for a new season.

     There is no other word for young people coming to Christ as their personal Savior as a MIRACLE. Decisions were made, challenges accepted and your prayers appreciated.

     Super thankful for 3weeks of Fusion “camp-camp-Campfest” ride. As a Fusion Slovakia team we tried out our physical and other abilities and found out our limits. It was tiring - big time, but I prefer calling it as a very intense teambuilding. Spending so much time together, seeing my colleagues in action, dealing with daily problems and how they solve conflicts and let God working in and through them – all of this just makes me more and more proud of team I can be part of. Fusion Slovakia rocks!!! /just for the record for those who weren’t aware of it yet/

     And in all of this, God had surprised me beyond my expectations! He took some time to reveal himself to me in a new way. While working, serving or however one defines it, he started to speak to me through topics at our Fusion camps. Gently but very clearly he pointed to area of my life where I had to admit I don’t trust him and I don’t believe that He would want to take care of me. I faced the God-Father issue. I have a good father. But he is just a human like everybody else and not capable of fulfilling all my needs. But God, God the Father is. And he wants to.

     So, after dealing with that specific thing and setting me free I decided to let Him love me the way He does. It still feels kind of weird to accept that this kind of daddy is xy-times better than any ideal father figure from American movies. I’m getting used to it though.

    He just functions on different principles. He is teaching me to dream big and ask for specific things. So, here I am…at the beginning of new school year. Thankful, overwhelmed and full of joy and excitement (of) what tomorrow will bring.

Youth for Youth

TeenWeek alias an attack on summer boredom ended yesterday.

The main aim /just as the slovak web site says/ was to approach and inspire young people 

from one part of Bratislava and offer them an alternative to a meaningful free time.

So, within those 4 days we

.played outside

.and inside

.or with "strangers" in the city

.ate.had fun. talked.got new friends

.sang /Fusion rocks/

but the biggest joy and thankfulness was

to see our own teenagers from youth and Fusion how they've

.organized things

.taken pictures

.written reports

.approached new people

.been a heart of TeenWeek

.found out that it's possible to go outside and change things

.believed that they are those messengers

Success is measured by people

We've been getting ready for this for more than 5 months and finally it came true. Our second Fusion camp started.

Actually it's over. But memories stayed. 

Within one week we managed to learn 9 songs, some drama/dance, enjoyed sport, evening program/discussions. It's better to see it in pictures, so here we go, just click and watch! (this video has been made by Gavin Chase as a result of his media workshops at camp...great, isn't it?)

Besides our final concert for parents and friends in Bratislava, we've been given a great opportunity to perform in the downtown of Sered where our camp took place. They even wrote about us in a local newspaper. You can check it here but it's only in Slovak...sorry :-) 

Moreover, one of the Slovak TV stations came and shot a reportage about us. Our hope is that we made a good promo for Fusion Slovakia! You can check it here, but I warn you, it's only in Slovak again.

I am so thankful for these open doors! On the other hand I realize how easy is to fall into boasting with these and other accomplishments and THEREFORE I wanna write about things behind the scenes. 

You can't find them in those videos but without them many pieces of camp wouldn't work. Being an official camp leader again wasn't simple and yet, I enjoyed it so much....thanks to:

               Janka J.                 Nikol                Janka C.                  me :-)              Kika

These 4 women were/are gift form God! They've been working on things that usually nobody likes - bills, organization and logistics. I could see in reality what Paul meant when he wrote: "Carry each other's burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ."

I will never forget those moments when we laughed, cried from exhaustion, and prayed together. Regarding the prayer, we've seen "little big" miracles happen. God has taught us to pray very specifically and wait for the results, cause He is very serious about answering our prayers.

 Mark                             Amy     

These cute people are not only ready to make fun of themselves but they were there all the time...helping with smooth running of workshops and choir/band rehearsals. It's such a blessing to know that you can rely on someone with complete trust!

And there are many many others! I don't have time or space to write about everyone but at least what I can do is what actually God did. People who participated in every thinkable way in temple building were so precious to Him that he made sure their names would be written in the Bible! 

So, my dear: Veronika, Draho, Josh, Allie, Lacye, Andrej H., Andrej K., Stella, Michal, Patrik, Matej, Martin, Tomas B., Tomas I., Jany, Ester, Tomy, Mia, Zuzka, Miriam, Peter, Michal P., Janko K., Dan, Olivia, David, Joan, Charlie, Suzie, Brett, Elizabeth, Abby....THANK YOU!!! We were successful because of your obedience, sacrifice and faith in living God!

When Fusion fills its purpose

God. Music. Fun. Exhaustion. Interest. Frustration. Joy. Improvisation. Drama. Fight. Friendships. Workshops. Concerts.  Laughter. Cry. Prayers. Food. Team. Place. Time. Community.

Terry English (the leader of Fusion Europe) promised us that the first year is going to be veeery interesting. We would experience different kinds of emotions. He was right. And although it was very demanding, it was worth it!

Reading the feedback from our students made me very thankful. Thankful for this tool which God uses for his glory! I want you to be encouraged as well, so here are some of those statements (of course with the students'permission)

"I improved playing the piano and got many new friends. I've learned more about God's grace. I think I became more open with others. I love our songs and that I play in the band. I feel safe here and I can laugh or be weird and people still like me."

"It's a therapy, one afterroon which gives me a positive energy for the rest of the week. It's a good influence, I do less stupid things, I behave better. I've learned to communicate with people...which is a problem for me. I gained self confidence. I improved my music skills. I have new friends and I found out that not all believers are fanatics or double/faced but they are good people who can support you and treat themselves as a family."

"A place where I have a lot of friends who always cheer me up. I meet new people with their life stories. God teaches me how to evangelize. I've learned to understand people more."

"Everytime I'm at Fusion I notice a change in my behavior. I have a bigger respect towards others."

"It's a new family. I was surprised by frankness of  these people. You are not only singing, but also talking, having fun, games. I was afraid of new people, but Fusion convinced me about the opposite. I'm thankful that I can be here with you."

"A beeter relationship with God. I got new friends. I learned to be more kind to people and look at others from different perspective. I try to find the good in people. Fusion is a second family for me. They cook well in here :-) I improved my singing."

When Fusion goes to school....

Sunday means church.

Tuesday means Fusion.

And Fusion means

rehearsal, community, fun

Like the other week. We got the opportunity to perform at one school which is nearby our place. We met in the morning, took our instruments and other equipment to the gym and waited for the students. 

This time it wasn't only a concert but we wanted to show them what it looks like at our weekly rehearsals. So besides singing we had a short devotional, broke the ice with an icebreaker and of course...we invited them to Fusion!

       

         

 

What a joy when two new girls showed up!

Our students could see  the result of their work.

Doing concerts is such a great thing! It's hard to explain, but the whole thing - the preparation, concert itself and joy that comes after - all of this just brings us closer to each other. I do believe that this is one of the reasons why these two girls came back this week and brought another friend as well!

Meet chic grandmas

Travelling around Bratislava today was so much fun!

While I was waiting at the bus stop, an old lady (over 60 years old) passed by.  Two crutches in her hands were a clear evidence of her problems with walking. But what caught my eye was her haircut! A short bob with pink highlights in blond hair. Something like this: 

Impressive!

Only few minutes later I saw a 50+ years old woman riding a  scooter.

Delightful!

I started to imagine myself at their age. Am I going to be a rockstar with pink hair or an Olympian on a scooter? I don't think so, but these ladies set up an example - the importance of an active lifestyle.

And when you mix the care of exterior with the inner beauty,

that combination becomes contagious!

All of this made me thinking about one woman in my life.

Ketty Conrad.

She has been my mentor during my studies in Denmark.

A creative soul, always chic and with smile on her face. It was fascinating to observe her interaction with other people. When you talk to her, she makes you feel that you are the only one in the world, you are important! She knows what it means to rejoice with those who rejoice and mourn with those who mourn. I love the sparkle in her eyes when she talks about Christ! It's so real and sincere. 

"She is really serious about the whole God thing!"

Her life experiences made her even more beautiful.

She is gentle.

Her strenght consist in her way of loving.

I don't wanna be her clone. But it is my desire that when people think of me in the future, they would think about the same thing that comes to my mind when I remember Ketty:

Charm can mislead and beauty soon fades. 

The woman to be admired and praised is the woman who lives in the Fear-of-God. 

(Proverbs 31:30)

where young people are, there is energy

What a weekend!

More than 60 youth members around Slovakia met in Zilina for a training - preparation for the KECY camps. 

/KECY is our English camp ministry organized in the cooperation with the local churches-youth groups/

Though I'm more involved with Fusion ministry, I was there...supporting our TCK team and re:conneting with people.

It has been great because:

- every year we have new leaders coming which is a sign of a good multiplication and it never gets boring

- of the precious felowship / where young people are, there is energy, vision, enthusiasm and life! People were actively participating, exchanged ideas / know-hows, encouraged each others through personal talks or prayers

- we could realize the bigger picture / there are 11 different groups involved in the same vision and mission this summer 

- and I spent some extra time with Janka /a blond girl in a first row, fourth from the left/! 

When I was thinking about the summer and all activities I'm involved in I relized I need help. I started to pray and look for a person who would be with me in the whole preparation process of Fusion camp, who would learn and take everything even further! And along came Janka. She has been there from the very beginning of Fusion in Bratislava. She is a wise young woman who is passionate about God's love for her and others.  And probably because of this she said yes and became a co-leader of this year's camp. 

I like that we are so different. Her perception of things, approach and ideas inspire me and I truly hope that this cooperation will be benefitial for the whole team/camp!