They're here!!! (Or at least, they WERE here)

So, the other 10 Interns that I referred to in my last post have been here at our house, and now are gone, but are coming again!  These are a group of college students (with the exception of two who are older and already finished with college), who have given their entire summer in service to the ministry of Josiah Venture here in Slovakia.  They will be partnering together with the American and Slovak teams at the English camps to bring the Gospel to the youth of this country.  Already they have been hard at work: adjusting to life here and learning their responsibilities, preparing for camps, and working on the plans for training the American teams so that everyone will be ready to teach the English classes and share the good news of Jesus Christ.

Since they have been at our house this past week, we have had the privilege of getting to know them and enjoying their fun personalities, their creativity, and their attention!  They are an amazing team, and we are loving spending time with them.  Our kids absolutely love them, and we appreciate the time and attention that these Interns give to our family.  Now they are back at JV Slovakia headquarters, where they are waiting and preparing for the first US teams to arrive on Monday…and then CAMPS BEGIN!!  Thank you for praying for these 11 Interns (including Seth) as 3 camps in a row can get really tiring (exhausting even)…and for the impact that they will have on the kids that come to camp.  Here they are…

Seth and Ed continue to be the Master Grillers!!!

Sunday morning worship time at a cottage in the mountains

Shaylee loves reading with Seth…actually, Shaylee loves Seth!

Daniela making Jaylin's day…painting fingernails!

A little trampoline competition with Lindsey, Seth, Zack, Jayce and Tate
(and maybe Gage…if that's his arm coming from Linsey's chin)

These beauties even went to Jaylin's dance/singing performance!
Thanks so much, Tori, Sara, Kia and Carolyn!!!

Ross inspires Tate with his musical talent
 (both on piano and guitar)

Daniela and Shaylee chillin' on the couch

Raelyn and Jaylin…rhyming-name buddies!!

Who knows why Ed is photo-bombing Tori...

Nice face, Zack!  

            

Sweethearts…all 4 of them!  :-)
Jaylin, Carolyn, Shaylee and Sara

GIRL TIME…out to coffee…one of my favorite times with these Interns yet!!!

These next 8 pictures are of the Interns practicing a welcome skit for the American teams who will be coming to serve at the camps.  You might recognize which song they've borrowed the tune and the actions from, just from looking at the pictures, and you might not.  But I wish you could hear their version of the song…it is just hilarious.

"…is popping out to say cuckoo…cuckoo"

Our kids were cracking up watching the skit practice

"So long, farewell…"Caute, ahoj…"

"Dat, da da da da da da daaaaa…"
The two girls here are our Slovak interns, Kia and Daniela…they're amazing!!!

Ross and Lindsey are hilarious!

"The sun has gone to bed…"
Nice job, Katie!  

Even Ed has a part in their skit...

Daniela and Raelyn making lunch before
hopping on a train back to headquarters.

Last lunch at our house before heading off again…
but we'll see them again back here in July!!!
WE LOVE OUR INTERNS!!!

Introducing…Seth Miller!!!

We have a new family member for the summer!!!  Seth is living with us here in Bardejov and working with our youth group until mid-August.  He will be helping at the first ever JV Slovakia sports camp happening July 15-21.  Both Ed and Seth are natural athletes, and enjoy the relationships that develop while hanging out and playing sports with youth.  They have been playing one sport or another almost every day since Seth has arrived (12 days ago), inviting the youth of our town to meet them at the basketball courts or soccer fields, playing basketball, soccer, floorball or frisbee, and then inviting them to camp.  They have also been going into the high schools here in our town to advertise for the sports camp, to invite these school kids to join us, too.

We have a team of youth from our church here in town, who, together with Ed, have been planning this sports camp since last summer.  A team of Americans will be coming to the camp to teach basketball skills, have English conversations with the students, and share the Gospel message during the evening program.  We are all really excited about this first camp, and about everyone who will be participating together to put it on, and are praying together that kids will come.  Having Seth here has been really great, as his partnership with Ed and the Slovak leadership team in promoting the camps and developing relationships with other athletes has already been a huge encouragement to all of us.

And not only the team has been encouraged, but our family also has been LOVING having this awesome guest!  Seth hangs out with our kids as if they're all friends of the same age, playing what they like to play, from Jayce all the way down to Shaylee…everyone loves Seth!!!  And Ed and I have truly enjoyed conversations and fun times with this friend, and look forward to a whole summer of this!

We also have an amazing team of 10 additional interns who are not living with us for the whole summer, but who will be interning at the English camps happening throughout Slovakia.  They will be in our home quite often in-between camps, and we are all looking forward to these times with them.  God has truly blessed our JV Slovakia KOMPAS team with this great Intern team, who are already humbly serving the Lord as He has led them to be here all summer sharing His love and Good News with the youth of Slovakia.  I will introduce you to these other 10 in a later post.