Travels to Slovakia

The MidSouth Annual Conference has global connections with the Slovakian Annual Conference. Some of our pastors are currently on location in Slovakia for partnered mission work. Rev. Dina Clower is sharing with us updates on their travels so that we can journey with them and show up with prayerful support. Come back to this page and scroll down to participate in their time overseas.

Monday, November 11th

By Rev. Dina Clower

Sue Eaton and Tom Wilson flew from Kentucky to Charlotte, NC where they met up with me. From there, the three of us boarded a plane to London.  The flight included a couple of hours of turbulence in the middle of our night. We then took off for Vienna, Austria. 

Once we arrived in Vienna, we had a friendly face waiting for us at the airport. Gabi Kopas, the Slovakian Annual Conference Superintendent, was a welcome sight. We boarded a bus to the station and then boarded another to take us to Bratislava. On the bus I noticed no one was talking and everyone kept to themselves. Several speak English here which I was glad to discover. I tried to talk to those around me only to soon realize they were not comfortable talking to strangers. After getting off the bus, we grabbed our luggage and began walking the cobblestone sidewalks to our motel. 

We met Gabi and walked to a wonderful restaurant that had previously been a monastery. The food was delicious and then we headed back to the hotel for some much needed sleep!

Sue and I said our prayers thanking God for all His blessings and praying for a good night’s rest and the day ahead.

Tuesday, November 12th

By Rev. Dina Clower

Thank God for a good night’s rest and stretching out our legs on a bed!

In the morning we headed down the street for breakfast in a sweet little coffee shop. I had French toast with lemon yogurt on it, topped with banana slices, blueberries, and caramel sauce with crumbled cookie. Very good!

They like coffee in little cups with saucers. The coffee is espresso and even stronger than my husband’s. We met Gabi and went to her office for more coffee and conversation as Gabi shared with us the history of Slovakia. Later we got to meet her husband to fellowship with him and Gabi’s assistant. 

The weather is overcast, no sun can be seen. Today we traveled to the Trnava Church to meet with pastor Lebus. His church building is too small! They need a new larger building so the youth, children, and young adults will have a place to meet. How awesome it would be to have a church (or two) from our conference to partner with this church! This could assist in securing new property and teaching them how to break the spirit of fear in relating to strangers and other people. We prayed for Lebus and his ministry as well as shared some ideas.

We had lunch with Gabi and Lebus. They shared with us that Slovaks love soup before every meal. We had chicken broth, chicken, potato casserole, and pickled cabbage. Very good! We had wonderful fellowship with Gabi and Lebus.

Then we traveled to meet Pastor Jan and Martina Tagaj. Along the way I noticed how rich the soil is and the land is flat. Gabi told us that they grow canola. 

We had another wonderful meal and fellowship. Tonight at the restaurant Tom told our waitress we were going to pray and would like to pray for her. She asked that we pray for her country, Ukraine so that she can go home to her family one day! Help us pray for Svetlana and Ukraine!T

hen we went to a church and were blessed by brother Tom Wilson who brought the message. The church was newly renovated and so beautiful. The pastor played piano like a pro and had a wonderful tenor voice. To our surprise, Gabi also had a beautiful voice as they led us in praise songs that we knew. The pastor and his wife were such a joy to be around! Tom and the pastor competed to see who was the most comical and built a great friendship. The church even built a mini kitchen and coffee bar when you walk in the front door. The church was small but very attractive and modern. The ladies who attended the service tonight were very friendly and accepting of us. I can see this church reaching a lot of people. They need help healing from un-forgiveness which is what Tom preached on tonight. He did an amazing job of sharing God’s Word. The Spirit was very present. 

Gabi and Tom stopped to get bottled water for us while Sue and I sat in the car waiting. I sat there and watched all the Slovaks coming out of and into the grocery store. They are people just like you and me. When we see a need, aren’t we supposed to let God use us to help meet that need? So many here are Roman Catholic because mom and dad and grandma and granddad still are or were… They know no other way. They do not want to hear about a different religion. They don’t even want to talk to each other. Lord, open their hearts and ears to hear. We have come and we have been sent. Make our time here exactly what you want it to be. We cannot bring salvation, but You can. My heart breaks for these people!

The Christians here have such a struggle in sharing their faith. Brothers and sisters pray for them that the Holy Spirit will start a great revival! Who will be the hands and feet of Jesus in this land? Lord, let it start with me.

Sue and I ended our night by praying Thanking God for a wonderful day and praying for God to use us how He sees fit.