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Slovakia, by its central geographical location, is at the very heart of Europe. It is a land that has suffered under oppressive governments and communist control. It is a relatively new democratic nation having separated from the Czech Republic in 1993. According to statistics, Slovaks are 83% Christian, 69% Catholic – most of whom were baptized as infants. As commercialism and materialism have pressed their way into the country, fewer people attend mass on Sunday.

Our sponsoring host for the trip, Bohus Zivcak, works full time as a leader of a Catholic lay community in Podolinec called River of Life and serving in mission schools for evangelization. Bohus and his lovely wife Alena are the parents of four beautiful children. They are dedicated as a couple and as a family to serving the Catholic Church and proclaiming the Good News of Jesus Christ in Slovakia, and other neighboring countries like Kazakhstan, Latvia, Ukraine, and Poland.

Time to Retreat
We spent our first weekend in a small mountain village, Verna, directing a retreat for about 70 people from several Catholic communities, River of Life and Calvary being primary. Our topics explored different ways to spend every ordinary day with Jesus. The teachings offered practical suggestions and applications for making God's presence alive in the course of daily activity.

Each session began with a time for praise and worship. Fr. Rasto Dluhy, a young Redemptorist priest from Bratislava, played lead guitar while Fr. Norbert, a Capuchin priest and professional drummer, joined Bohus and Robert Wojcik from Warsaw leading the communities in celebration and worship of our Lord.

The atmosphere was electric with music, song, dancing with flags, prophecy, praise, and scripture readings. The joy of the Lord was palpable. It was inspiring to see mostly young adult Catholics so actively engaged in their professing their love for the Lord and each other at daily Mass and during the times of praise and worship.

After the retreat closed, we traveled back to Podolinec by way of Smokevic, a small town in the High Tatras mountains for a leisurely hike in the snow and fellowship with some friends from Warsaw, who drove 10 hours just to be with us!

Jesus Heals Today
That evening Fr. Michael Zamkowsky celebrated a healing Mass and prayer service in the monastery where we stayed. There were easily 1,000 people crowded into a space suited for 400, standing shoulder to shoulder in an unheated, very cold church for over 3 hours. They came from nearby towns as well as Poland, Latvia, and Ukraine - driving many hours to attend this monthly event. During Eucharistic Adoration, music and singing, praise and worship held court in the holy chasm of this ancient church. It was a taste of heaven hearing the praise and glory being given to our Lord.

Following several testimonies, Fr. Michael knelt before the Blessed Sacrament and began to speak aloud words of knowledge and prayers regarding the healings and miracles that we believe the Lord desired to give to his children. One of our friends expressed great concern about his family and the kind of witness to Christ he desired to be for them. He had no sooner voiced his silent prayer when these words of the Lord were spoken: "There is a business man who has great concern for his family and their faith. Be at peace for I am with you and your family."

Fr. Michael carried the Sacred Host through the crowd and blessed them. After the closing song and prayer, and the last "Amen" had been said, the congregation erupted in spontaneous applause that lasted for over 5 minutes. No one wanted to leave this holy place where indeed the Lord had visited his people, ministered to their needs and listened to the longings of their hearts.

"Out of the Box" Thinking
Our journey continued to the Catholic University in Levoce where we preached the Gospel to almost 1,000 students over the course of 5 days. This was definitely "outside the box" evangelism. The students were required to take a one-day spirituality retreat or take an exam. Most chose to join us at the retreat. Professor Bohus Zivcak used this as an opportunity to evangelize and give an invitation for those who desired to commit themselves to Jesus and open the door of their hearts to him. Many people were touched.

One young woman named Katarina, came up to us and said that she received her birthday gift. You see her birthday was the following day and she invited Christ to come into her heart and asked him to be the Lord and Savior of her life. Katarina came again two days later and shared how her life is now in right order and there is peace and joy like nothing she has ever experienced.

Seeking Wisdom
We also traveled to Presov one evening to visit a community there that has had a long-standing relationship with ChristLife and Dave. Before leaving for home, we spent the evening in Krakow with the leaders of the New Jerusalem community. Once again, the faith and fire of the people were compelling testimonies to the living Christ and to their dedication to Him.

Words cannot capture all that we experienced. We have been sent to bear witness to the Lord Jesus and in this quiet hidden place in the kingdom, we have brothers and sisters who are giving their all to make him known. What an extraordinary adventure to join Christ Jesus in his mission to seek and save the lost!

A photo album of our time in Slovakia and a podcast with Slovak missionaries is available on our Web site.