Confirmation Retreat in Chemlov

Rebecca and Pastor Daniel with kids at the retreat

This past weekend I spent in Chmelov, a village north of Presov and about 40 km from Obisovce.  The youth group led six confirmands on a retreat there that lasted from 3pm on Friday until 3pm on Sunday.  Including the youth group, I estimate there were over 20 teenagers there.  The weekend consisted of Bible studies, songs, lots of games both indoor and out, and lots of bread. That’s right, typical Slovak breakfasts and suppers are bread, bread, and more bread.  Of course, we had soup and spaghetti for lunch.  The retreat was designed to empower youth by allowing them to take almost complete charge of the event, invite the new confirmands into the youth group, and create relationships between the youth group and confirmands.

Playing a game at the confirmation retreat

For me, the weekend was a concentrated version of everything I have experienced thus far working in Eastern Slovakia.  Only a handful of the youth speak English, so I communicated primarily in Slovak.  Although I was the oldest person attending the retreat, I was not the leader, but the one helping clean the kitchen, trying to learn games with only Slovak instructions, and listening to what the youth had to share about how God has been working in their lives.  Being unable to understand or communicate even simpler thoughts and desires placed me in a position where I was more dependant on the graciousness of others than I would otherwise feel comfortable.  Instead of exerting my independence, I had to submit to the kindness and generosity of the youth, and through this submission, I was able to learn a lot about youth ministry in another cultural setting and God’s power through weakness.  It left me asking questions about how I can serve others better when I so often seem to be the one being served here.  I am also redefining my idea of mission and what it means to be a missionary: I am beginning to see that mission is dependent on more than just what I can do, but also upon the stories and gifts of others, like these youth.