New Life - Ministry Update 3/08

Spring in Slovakia is beautiful - drab grays melting into fresh greens, once bare branches blossoming, birds singing, new life exploding out everywhere, and the sun coming out after 3 months of hiding. All of it brings a freshness that one of my students called being 'Born Again.' Similarly, a new spiritual birth is taking place here in Slovakia. It's been exciting to see some very talented Slovak pastors and believers stepping out into new, fresh works of the Lord. Some of them are very dynamic like a spring-melt river crashing down the Tatra mountains, other works are quiet and slow like new grass breaking out of the once icy ground. Yet, all of them shout out one thing - God is Good! We would like to share with you a bit of this goodness...

At the moment we are living and ministering here in Nitra. It's good to be back and now in a different role. For many years we were leading the ministry here, but now it's been a time of simply supporting the Slovaks who are doing the work. This support has involved mentoring, lots of practical planning, and teaching the Word. One big lesson I learned last year in Bratislava was 1) that being a pastor is hard work, and 2) it's even harder when you don't have a good support team. Right now a lot of exciting things are happening in many Slovak churches as the Holy Spirit is doing a work here. Yet, one common cry from almost every pastor is - "we need help!" So, when people here ask what is our "vision", it's simply - support you guys! For me it's been a real blessing to not be the 'main leader', but just someone to help stir up the gifts in some very gifted people to step out further into what God is preparing for them in their own communities.

The Nitra home group is just getting better and better - and growing in size and new faces! Additionally, in "spiritual depth" it’s gone miles in my estimation. We have restructured the leadership into a ministry team that is in reality a pastoral team - Rado S., Jaro M., and myself. I takes a bit of faith to co-lead, but we have all earned each other’s trust over the years. It all hinges on a common relationship with Jesus which has produced a real joy when serving together (a bit like 1 John 1:1-4). The roles are loosely divided as such- Rado is the lead pastor/teaching, Jaro is a teaching pastor and hosts the fellowship, and I am just supporting Rado and teaching. The rotation in teaching is great as each of us brings to the table something fresh and different from the others. It’s the beauty of the Body of Christ actually acting like a body. And even though we all have different personalities and styles we all seek to bring others into worshiping Jesus in both Spirit & Truth! Pray for us as we move forward into an exciting new path. Currently we are going through the book of Daniel.

One of my biggest blessings these last few months is finally seeing the "blossoms on the trees" growing into even more spiritual, lasting fruit (John 15:8). It's so great to see guys and gals we have sowed into stepping out into their own ministries and walking closer to Him. One example of this is Betka B. On March 31st she will be launching an after school seekers outreach club called Potichu Nahlas (Quietly Outspoken). This ministry will be connected to a new & exciting church plant here in Nitra lead by Pastor Miro Toth. We are a part of the Potichu Nahlas team, but trying our best to just support it and not get suckered into leading it. That's been the big thing lately - to lovingly let the believers here know that we are no longer the 'main leaders', but simply a supporting cast who desire to back up what God is doing in their lives. It's been a bit of a transition for many people, but it's starting to pay off. Our last task is just to encourage and stir up those gifts a bit before considering our next steps.


So, what are the next steps? We haven't come to a final decision, but it's fairly clear that we will be moving on from Nitra in the future. We love everyone here, we love the city, and there are great opportunities to serve... but it really feels like our role in God's big plan here is complete (at least changing dramatically). Right now it looks like there are so many ministry opportunities here in Slovakia, plus offers to serve in the Czech Republic, USA, and beyond... Yet, we strongly believe that God has a special place prepared for us. That is the only place we want to be in. Would you pray along with us as we seek to hear His quiet but clear voice?

So far I didn't mention anything about us as a family. That was intentional - there is simply too much to say! If you want to get a glimpse into daily life in the Higgins home check out our blog: http://patrickivetka.blogspot.com/ There you will find lots of pictures, videos, amusing stories, and random musings. It's updated regularly... so stop by often!




Ok... before we let you go we do want to let you in on one thing: we appreciate you being a part of our life and ministry. Without your encouragement, prayers, and generous support we couldn't do this work. So, lets rejoice together in what God is doing!

Much love in Jesus,

Patrick, Ivetka, Gabriel & David


Our Sending Agencies:
Shepherd's Staff: http://www.shepsstaff.org/
Go! Ministries: http://go.ccnorco.org/

Re-Mix READS

Finding yourself in Babylon







Walk On.... a 300yr journey to Heaven






Impatient Rebels








Dinner Date








Pregnant with expectation?

Itchy & Scratchy

It has arrived. Chicken Pox’s have descended upon our home like fleas on a dog. Gabie got it from school we suspect. So, if your kid hasn’t had it yet come on over! :) Although Gabe has done alot of screaming over it, he is doing relatively well. He is resisting the urge to scratch. We have been applying a zinc ointment on him which is now covers about every other inch of his little body. At first he didn’t like it, but I convinced him that it was Indian war paint. We Googled some pics of Australian Aborigines with all their white decorative dots. YouTube has got some pretty cool videos of them dancing and others playing the didgeridoo. Anyways, it made the whole experience a bit more calm.

Kosovo

As most people with TV know - two weeks ago Kosovo declared independence from Serbia after a long struggle for autonomy. The rush of images that I scrolled through online all had two things in common - lots of emotions and flags. Last week in Vienna we saw the same thing, and yes it was concerning Kosovo. Yet the flags were Serbian, the emotions volatile, and few were in favor of an independent Kosovo. Fortunately for us we passed by the protests before it got violent... which it did later in the evening.

Although we haven't seem such protests against Kosovo in Slovakia, the feelings are here (at least amongst politicians). Slovakia and a score of other nations are refusing to recognize Kosovo. This snubbing of Statehood has more to do with internal struggles with minorities seeking political autonomy. Accepting Kosovo is to accept an international precedent. Each rejecting nation (Spain, Slovakia, Russia, etc) has their own specific issues, so it's hard to make any generalizations. For Slovaks it's an issue with the southern region (Nitra county) which has a high % of ethnic Hungarians. My understanding is that most from this group are not seeking autonomy from Slovakia, but there are some very zealous Hungarian minority politicians in the Slovak government who do have this agenda. In my opinion it's not an issue of a marginalized group being denied basic democratic rights, but yet weapon for nationalist extremist to open old wounds. Historian Stefan Sutaj recently was quoted in Tyzden concerning Slovak-Hungarian relations, that the two nations should focus on their shared culture/experiences instead of "inflaming passions by arguing over who hit the other more often, and harder." I agree.

Unfortunately, Kosovo (and it's immediate neighbors) have a history of bringing out the worst in most of us. Hopefully history does not repeat itself this time around.

Vienna, Sunday Feb.24th:

Fluttering Memories

Schmetterling Haus

Last Sunday was WONDERFUL. After weeks of cold and gloom we had a very warm and sunny weekend. This raises your spirit like nothing else. We were able to take a day trip out to Vienna, Austria with our friends the Sano family (from Japan... see previous entry When Chopsticks collide... ). That morning we visited Calvary Chapel Vienna and had a cool time worshiping with that group of sweet believers. Then we took the tram to the center and walked in awe of spectacular Vienna in early spring (minus the summer tourists... so you could actually see something!)

We didn't have much of a plan other then to see the Schmetterling Haus (the Butterfly House) which of course as you can imagine houses a bunch of tropical butterflies. Inside the classical glass building was a virtual jungle - it was a hot, humid and sticky experience. But the butterflies were beautiful, although I expected the place to be bigger and that they would have more types of butterflies. All in all it was a great day out. Vienna is always a nice place to waste a day. And our friends the Sano's are a joy to be with - very encouraging for our souls.

Svaty Jur

A few weeks ago we were able to visit a really new and nice church nestled in the foothills and vineyards of the Little Carpathian mountains just outside of Bratislava - Cirkev Bratska in the town of Svaty Jur. Pastor Milan (who also leads Athletes in Action here in Slovakia) had invited me to preach. I didn’t really know what to expect, but in one word it was a GREAT experience. I loved that little church. It was small, simple, and very ‘real’. It was encouraging to see the Body functioning as a body - serving one another in love.

Lord willing we will be visiting the church from time to time. Pastor Milan and his wife Monika have encouraged us to come serve with them. We will keep this in our prayers for now until the Lord clearly reveals the place He is preparing for us.

If you want to find out more about CB Svaty Jur look them up at: http://www.cbsvatyjur.sk/

They also have my time of preaching on the web as well. I wouldn’t say it’s my best, but it was God’s Word so I’m sure it did something in someone’s life... at the very least mine. Check it out at: http://www.cbsvatyjur.sk/?p=117

Dinner Date

I know the plans I have for you...plans to prosper, plans to give you hope and a future - Jeremiah 29:11

Sounds nice doesn't it? But is it true? Really true? Doesn't life sometimes scream at the top of it's lungs that there is no master plan, no divine hope, not a prayer for tomorrows next steps? Do you ever read Scripture and just think - wow, Jeremiah obviously wasn't living my life. If God has prosperous plans for me then why is 'all of this' happening to me? Why do I struggle so much? Why is getting up in the morning so difficult? Why do I have to deal with (you fill in the blank)...again? Why am I being eaten alive?

Yet, the prophet Jeremiah boldly declared that God has good plans for us... even when it doesn't look or feel like it. As I have been studying the life of Daniel I see that he really embraced this truth and let the powerful reality of it flow through him. Early on he was torn away from his family, friends, and homeland into captivity. Does that sound like a plan to prosper Daniel? But it is - he ends up being one of King Nebuchadnezzar's most trusted advisors. After a long career (aprox 70yrs) in the Babylonia political scène Daniel is ready for retirement. And one wild party later the Empire falls in a single night under the armies of Cyrus the Persian. It looks like Daniel's pension is toast. But for some reason the new King Darius (who may have been Cyrus himself) takes notice of Daniel. He likes him. Enough so to consider putting this emerging, expansive Empire under Daniel's control. Now that sounds like Blessing!

But it doesn't always sound like our lives. I think we often identify more with Daniel's dinner date with the lions. Living our lives in relative righteousness, minding our own business and ending up as appetizers. We wonder "why?" Yet, this is not the response of Daniel. We know that he was saved from his feline friends and he makes it clear that it was because of his trust in the Living God who had a plan to prosper him.

I think we (I) need to be more like Daniel. To get his view on life. To know that God is for us. He loves us. He is a good Father who intends the best for us. He will bless us and in fact He will even use us to bless others. We see that even in Daniel's life. During that first year of testifying God's goodness to Cyrus a radical shift occurs. After 70 years of captivity in Babylon, Cyrus allows the Jews to return to Israel and rebuild the Temple. God has a plan. It is good. It is immensely complex and sometimes unclear to us. But be assured it is good, it will bring blessing to you and many beyond. Embrace it, hope in in, expect the unexpectable. One day all will be fully revealed at the final Dinner Date.

G-Moment

Zoom-Zoom-Zobor

Last Sunday we received a very welcomed, but last minute phone call from Danny (well actually his parents) inviting us to join them for a hike on Zobor. Zobor is a huge peak that overlooks Nitra and expands out into a small, low-lying local mountain range. So, in a flash we zoomed up to the Zobor trailhead by car. It's been so cold & overcast lately that it was great to take advantage of one of the few sunny & "warmer" (like 40F) days. The boys loved getting out, running around, discovering spiders under rocks and battling with new stick-swords.

Hanka!

David and one of his favorite pals - Hanka! (Rado & Silvia's little girl)

David as David

Here are some pics of David doing what David does best - being cute! Enjoy!

Drama King

Imagine you could turn paper into rain, then yourself into a butterfly, then shift into a bucking stallion, to a ferocious tiger, then into an old grandfather pulling out a turnip the size of a VW Bug. Wild imagination or indigestion? No, it’s drama class at Skolka. As most of you know Gabie is back in Skolka (pre-school). Last week his drama class had an “open door” class where family members were invited to observe the magic of young minds unleashed. It was pretty simple, yet very creative and cool.

An afternoon with Starky

Today we had a short, but sweet surprise visit from Ivetka's Dad; Starky, her brother Jano and his family. This visit is amazing as we probably have only had Ivetka's family visit us 3-4 times during the last 8 years. Usually we are making the 3 hour journey up to Dolny Kubin. However, it's nice to travel up there - the mountains and countryside are stunning. Plus visiting Ivetka's family is really easy since ALL her immediate relatives live on the same street! Here are some picts from today's visit: