what is my life right now?

A few days ago I returned from about 12 days of attending conferences in Hungary. First all five of us Americans were in Vajta, Hungary (find that on a map if you can). We saw other STINTers from about seven or eight other locations in our area of affairs, which is Eastern Europe and Russia (also Israel).

We stayed at a really nice place called Calvary Chapel and all of our meetings were in this old restored mansion in the middle of Hungarian countryside. Can I just say it was amazing? One day as about 12 of us American boys were outside playing football, my friend Jonathan said, "It feels like we are all in a really big, rich family and we are just playing some Thanksgiving day football." It was so much fun, and so needed.

I was able to meet with the Lord and gain some clear guidance about where He wants me next year. For a while I have been juggling whether I should stay for another year in Slovakia or return to the states in order to join staff with Campus Crusade. God really answered some of my questions, and more importantly, gave me peace admist my doubts about why He wants me back home next year. So I did decide that I will be joining full-time staff with Crusade next year, which basically means I will start raising support when I get back from Slovakia.

So on to the next conference, our all staff Area of Affairs conference. Once again, I had more time to hang out with new freinds and be encouraged from the Word by speakers and friends. We heard many stories about what God is doing in different countries in this area. It was a huge breath of fresh air to hear that God is moving in visible ways among this culture-type. For example, this past semester 34 Russian students and 100 Ukrainian students accepted Christ. Many times its hard to trust God for what He is doing here in Slovakia given that we have not seen much fruit recently. But I trust that His perfect plan is being played out through me.

It's been kinda hard adjusting back to life in "the real world." I returned to Kosice and realized that I had lost a little bit of my language abilities, and that my attitude toward people around me was one more of judgement than mercy. I realize how easy it is for us, as Christians, to get into our bubble of friends and never want to engage with non-believers; I wouldn't do it if it wasn't my job, simply because it's really hard. It forces me to analyze what I say I believe and actually put it into practice. One thing that the Lord has been teaching me this year is that many times what I say I believe doesn't often line up with what my actions profess. That is sin on my part, and God's mercy on His part.

truth and grace to you,
Matt