greetings from Slovenia!

Dear All,

So much has happened since my last correspondence! With that in mind, i'll stick to the highlights. Here we go!

1) Thanksgiving- This was a thanksgiving to remember, especially when I got to celebrate the turkey feast not once, but twice! The team and I first celebrated thanksgiving with a couple in our church. They had a gathering at their house and we ended up with quite a crowd! There was a lot of great food, but the fellowship was fantastic. The couple that hosted us are from India, there were also a lot of our Slovene friends there. It was really cool getting to share our American holiday with them. I also found the international fellowship very fitting of the Thanksgiving spirit! The second celebration of this holiday happened a couple weeks later. We had Thanksgiving/Christmas festivities during the regular Tuesday night Bible study. This is a Bible study that takes place in Daniel's (the Naz. missionary in Slovenia) apartment. The guys on the team, Mark, Chuck, and Rebello lead this weekly study. This Bible study just keeps growing! We usually have between 20 and 25 people and for the Thanksgiving party we had 35! After the meal we went around and talked about the things we were thankful for. It was such a blessing to hear some of the Slovene believers talking about their faith in Christ and how the Lord has been working in their lives.  

2) Christmas- Volumes could be written on this, but, I'll try to be concise a possible. This Christmas has been extremely meaningful for me. I'll start with the the Advent celebration at church. I had the privilege of getting together the scriptures and readings for this Advent season. It was a blessing preparing for this task and getting different families in the church involved. We prepared for Christ's coming together! The Advent season came to its climax at the Christmas eve candle-light service. As many of the regular attendees are traveling for the holidays, most of us were expecting a very small crowd. My roommate and I arrived at the church a few minutes before the service started and were shocked when we saw that the place was packed! We listened to scripture, sang Christmas carols and held candles. It was a lovely reminder of the Light of the World that shines in the darkness. Another highlight of this season was the children's Christmas program. It isn't the holiday season with out such a program! The kids at our church did a fantastic job, and they too brought in a crowd. I invited my friend Karmen (the young woman that cuts my hair) and one high school student that I am tutoring in English. Both of them came to see the kids! After the service, Karmen expressed to me how much she enjoyed the service and was very moved by the sincerity of the worship music and those that spoke. She even expressed a desire to visit again. I am so thankful that Karmen could see the love of Christ in the folks at church. I am also very thankful for her friendship. She is a sweet person and is becoming a good friend. I pray for her regularly and I ask that you would lift her up as well!  

3) Teens- As I expressed in my last up-date, I was concerned about how to break into the the teen scene around here. Patience is an absolute must when doing evangelistic work in Slovenia! But, prayer and patience will eventually get results. At the end of November, we had our first teen activity at my apartment. The group was small, but excited to have something just for them. We have our second activity planned for tomorrow night. Also, aside from the group activities, God has given me a few opportunities to minister individually to a few teens. One young lady from church that lives very close to my apartment, has stopped by on occasion and we've been able to have some good conversations. Another positive development is with a young lady who is a 16 year old high-school student. One of the ladies at church is a high-school English teacher. She asked if I would work with this young lady one-on-one to help with her language skills. I am most excited because this is how my friend Judita was introduced to Christ! A few years ago the same teacher paired Judita up with another volunteer and Judita ended up becoming a Christian! I have already met with this young lady on 4 occasions. And the last time she even brought her little sister! I am very excited about this and am asking that the Lord would use me in this situation. Please be praying for this as well!  

4) I am blessed- I am so blessed to have all of you praying for me and supporting me! I have truly felt your prayers this holiday season. Despite the bit of sadness at being away from home, I have truly enjoyed my Christmas in Slovenia! I have felt the Lord very near to me this season. Thank you! You are a blessing!!!  

Lord bless all of you greatly in this new year!

Brittany