While it was wonderful to see most of you again, it was a strange feeling to be back in the States, shortly after returning from furlough a few months earlier. We stayed with Jerry to comfort and support him as well as introduce Annabelle to Natalie's side of the family.  Jordan taught him how to cook basic meals; he never had a need to cook since Noy always kept the house in top order. Thanks to the efforts of some special people, a memorial was celebrated in Mom’s honor in the church in Florida, her and Jerry’s home for forty plus years. We celebrated her life as friends and family reminisced special and funny moments about her; tears mingled with laughter. We also introduced Annie to Jerry and the church, as well as to Jordan’s parents and family as we later traveled to Texas and Oklahoma. ​

From Radio Slovakia International

Every fifth child in Slovakia lives in a family suffering from poverty, 4 out of 10 Slovaks cannot afford to pay for a week's holiday while one third of Slovaks is not able to face unexpected expenses. The EU statistics on income and living conditions results presented by the Statistics Office of the Slovak Republic also show that more than 16% of the Slovak population are in poverty. The most affected are the unemployed, lone-parent families and families with 2 adults and more than 3 children.

Ludmila Ivancikova from the Statistics office confirms that children from socially disadvantaged environment are at a high risk of poverty: "It can affect their education and employment which will be reflected again in their poor income." "The experience of long-term poverty affects a child's personality development," adds the Slovak Academy of Sciences researcher Zuzana Kusa. In Slovakia, the risk of poverty is set as a monthly income of less than EUR 373 while in the case of a 4 member family the threshold limit represents the sum of EUR 783.

Poverty is not, however, defined only by the size of the income but also by what can be afforded with the money earned by the employed person. The EU statistics shows that one third of the Slovak Republic's population is not able to finance unexpected expenses and every fourth Slovak cannot pay for a week-long holiday. Zuzana Kusa from the Slovak Academy of Sciences pinpoints a new phenomenon: "An increase of the number of households endangered by different arrears has also been observed."

The risk of poverty differs from region to region and this difference is significant. While in the Bratislava region, with the Slovak capital in its centre, only 4,5% of the population are living in destitution, in the Presov region with the highest rate of the Roma population, the risk of poverty applies to 19% of citizens.

Slovakia is one of the countries with the lowest rate of poverty and social exclusion in the EU. According to the latest results, Slovakia ranked third in the EU in 2017 following the Czech Republic and Finland. On the other side, the country with the highest number of people at risk of poverty in the EU is Bulgaria with almost 39% of its citizens living in destitution.
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Martina Šimkovičová, Photo: Flickr/Filter Collective

From Slovak Spectator

SEVENTY years ago, on June 16, 1944, the US Air Force bombed 80 percent of the Apollo refinery in Bratislava, claiming the lives of 176 locals.

Apollo was a joint-stock company, which in 1896 launched the operation of the Apollo refinery, popularly called Apolka, where mineral oils were refined and petrol, kerosene, paraffin, candles, Vaseline, tar and even artificial ice were produced. During the Second World War, Slovakia’s official ally, Nazi Germany, controlled the production, and the refining of diesel fuel and oil was modernised to produce fuels for the German army.

The refinery on the Danube’s left bank was attacked by US bombers in several waves on June 16. Numerous employees of the Apollo facility died, as air raid shelters failed to protect them from the burning oil. The city’s inhabitants were also among the fatalities, as bombs targeted residential areas of Bratislava. To commemorate the victims, Bratislava’s fifth bridge, finished in 2005 near the original site, was named Apollo.

The air raid’s success was in part due to a female industrial spy from inside Apollo, as Slavo Kalný writes in the book Bombardovanie Apolky (The Bombing of Apolka).

In 1946, the remains of the Apollo factory were nationalised, i.e. confiscated by the state, and incorporated into the national enterprise Slovak Refineries of Mineral Oils, which was renamed in 1949 to Slovnaft, a national enterprise. The refinery operated there until 1963, when it was moved to a new location on the city’s outskirts, Vlčie Hrdlo, the TASR newswire wrote.

In May 2005, an exhibition took place in Bratislava’s Primate’s Palace, showing the fate of the Apollo refinery from the founding charter until the tragic events of June 1944.

In July, the heart of summer, things had slowed down since most of Slovakia went on vacation to Croatia or other nearby countries and cities. We had the privilege to celebrate the birthdays of Lenka and Natalia, dear friends and members of our Bible study. They have been wonderful sources of encouragement and have been so sweet to our Addie, so we wanted to let them know how special they truly were with a cookout complete with grilled corn, sausage, and other goodies. 

Last month was a busy one, for Jordan especially. Natalie had to be hospitalized due to dizziness, vomiting, and dehydration. Thanks to the capable hospital staff and visits (as well as snacks and hugs) from the church, she recovered and is feeling just fine. More importantly, baby girl number two is fine as well so far and has a strong heartbeat.

At the same time Natalie was recovering in the hospital, our friends and supporters Robin and Terry and their granddaughter, residents of West Texas, came to visit for a week and a half to enjoy the heart of Europe. Addie made fast friends with them.

Lastly, our Addie somehow turned two years old! While we decided to forgo a party until we return, our dear friends the Halustoks, always ready to celebrate, threw a small one for her, whom Kvetka called her sixth grandchild. Shortly before our departure to the States our Bible study group had their own celebration of her. We are so grateful for the plethora of reminders of how loved we are. ​

Our friend D, mentioned previously, has since left jail, earlier because of good behavior. While he is elated to be free, and we’re happy as well for him, we’re not certain if his experience has truly caused him to step back and look closely at his life choices.

Our friend Katka O., who recently lost her husband Andrej to an accident, is doing as well as she can in her situation. She is very close to her family and they are taking care of her and her sons. Please continue to lift up this young widow in your prayers. 

Lastly, Jordan's younger sister Erin has very recently welcomed her third child, also a little girl. We rejoice that she and baby are well. ​

After the events of our last newsletter, we finished up March with one final snowstorm, celebrated Jordy's birthday, had a visit from our friends in the city of Miskolc in Hungary, and an Easter retreat in the mountains. Jordy is not a fan of surprises, but he willingly endured a small celebration of his birthday with as well as prayers and blessings from our precious Bible study group. A few days afterwards, our Miskolc joined us for supper and a short evening walk along Kosice's main street; each time we can meet is precious. We are blessed to have them as friends!

At the tail end of March we celebrated Easter with a retreat with the Halustok family. Despite the rain, our cabin gave us an amazing view of the Tatra mountains and the fellowship deepened our relationship as an extension of the Halustok clan. Jordy spoke about redemption, the Word of the Cross, we sang hymns in Slovak and in English, and we also had a successful Easter egg hunt indoors due to rainy weather. ​

Last month was the most trying of the whole time we've been in Slovakia. In mid-April our dear brother and friend Andrej O. (He's been mentioned multiple times along with his wife and young boys.) was killed in a motorcycle accident. The news was so sudden and heart wrenching. He was an incredible support to us, generous with his time, patient and intentional in forming a relationship with Jordy. We got to know Andy and Katka during our first year here, when we "clicked" with them immediately as a couple. As an attorney, Andy was instrumental in securing our residency permits, contracts, finding doctors, etc.. His funeral was attended by well over two hundred people, brethren, family and colleagues.  We with our fellowship in Slovakia are just really brokenhearted. While his boys aren't emotionally suffering due to their young ages as they will in the future, his widow Katka is heavy burdened. The boys are 3-years and 4-months old. Andy was only thirty six. 

During the midst of traveling to his funeral near Bratislava (about a four hour drive), we were also waiting for news about Natalie's mom, who had discovered after major surgery that she had a malignant tumor with a rare but very aggressive cancer and underwent more tests. After surgery and tests, her doctor is reasonably sure all the cancerous tissue was removed. She will continue going in for tests every three months. 

On the way back from the funeral, Dixie (Jordan's mom) that severe grass fires were ravaging western parts of Oklahoma, including the ranch of Jordy's parents and grandmother. One of Allen's farms burned, and part of the homestead of Jordan's great-grandmother. But the damage they sustained wasn't nearly as much as others in the area. 

The Sunday after returning from Andy's funeral, we welcomed brethren from Debrecen, a city in Hungary about two hours or so from Kosice, to worship with us. Everything had to be translated from Slovak into English, and from English into Hungarian. But we sang worships songs in all three languages and had a potluck, getting to know each other better. While we weren't able to speak Hungarian, or some of their members didn't know English, there was still a comfortable camaraderie among us. Addie also helped as a charismatic ice breaker. ​

Natalie also had a birthday, even though she thought she thought she had canceled future ones. She celebrated with a dinner date with three of our bible study students, Lenka, Natalia, and Alena, three women who are lovely inside and out. They, like the Halustok family, have embraced us as family - especially Addie. They cherish the times that they can celebrate others. They have helped Natalie feel very welcomed and loved. 

Wrapping up April, we visited Cologne, Germany and were hosted by our friends Uli and Ursula. The grandparents of five, they naturally embraced Addie as number six, and Addie warmed up to them quickly. We were fortunate enough to do a bit of sightseeing in the city proper as well as along the Rhein River. We also attended Sunday morning service at the church, and after the German assembly Jordan presented a program for the English speakers. The church also has outreach programs for refugee children and moms, mostly from Eritrea, Ethiopia, Ghana and North Africa. It is a warm, thriving church full of peoples of every color and nationality, and we count ourselves blessed to be able to visit for a foretaste of heaven. ​

In the middle of November, Jordan spent 4 days traveling through Poland with Jaro Marcin of Eastern European Missions. They visited and encouraged congregations in Krakow, Warsaw,  and the seaside towns of Gdansk and Sopot. EEM’s mission is to not only aid congregations with properly translated Bibles and biblical materials, but to help in any way possible to keep these churches strong. The elders of the Sopot church, which also has a Bible school inspired by Sunset Bible School, asked Jordan if he would be interested in returning to teach a course at the school for a few weeks; this is a distinct possibility as Jordan enjoyed his trip up north (way, way up north) very much.

While Jordan was away, Natalie stayed with a sweet friend who used to attend the church in Kosice but grew busy with life and a child of her own. Natalie first met her last year, when the preacher and an elder from our overseeing church came to visit. They knew her from previous visits several years prior and introduced the two. When she learned that Jordan would be away, she immediately invited (insisted even) Natalie and Addie to stay with her and her child. It was a wonderful time of fellowship in motherhood and for Addie to be with kids her age. Natalie hopes to stay good friends with her and encourage her to return to church. ​

December will be busy. We’re hosting a singing when Jaro arrives from Poland, expecting 50 or so to attend. We’ll be celebrating Christmas with the Halustoks, who have always embraced us as family, and plan a day trip to Budapest for the Christmas market. In Feburary, Jordan will be teaching three classes at the Advanced Bible Studies Series in Germany. In the springtime, we’re expecting visitors from the a supporting congregation in Texas for a few days.  In the summer, some supporters from west Texas plan to stop by for a visit for a week or so. 

We pray you have a wonderful Christmas season full of love and good tidings. God bless you and keep you. ​

Happy Fall from our little pumpkin to you and yours!  ​