Recognition of the Church in Slovakia

Marv speaking at the Bratislava ceremony, with his translator.





October 18, marked the one year anniversary of when the church was recognized in Slovakia. Since last year, five branches have been created and we have over 120 members of the church in that beautiful country. I rode the train to Bratislava and met Marv to attend a formal reception for the recognition of the church. The office elders and I spent a good deal of time creating a PowerPoint/video presentation for the reception. It was an important part of the ceremony, and it went really well. I was so glad!





The Bratislava elders sang the Slovak national anthem. It was pretty powerful. I looked around the room and noticed the Slovaks had tears in their eyes. I was filled with a great love for these people and the country they are so proud to finally call their own.

We have been so blessed to be here at this time. It is a wonderful experience to see the shroud of darkness being lifted and good people throughout both countries embracing the gospel. It is life changing for them (and surprisingly for me) to see them develop and grow. We feel as though we are directed daily in the missionary work. And oh how we love our missionaries! It's hard to believe we have only been here a few months. We have travelled through Slovakia and the Czech Republic so many times, and know each of the missionaries so well. It seems as though we have lived here forever and have 90 children to prove it. (Okay, they are not children. They are servants of the Lord; but they we love them as our own.)