Slovenia Trip Canceled

As hard as it is to believe, Sunday April 19th was supposed to be our Slovenia Silent Auction. In the past, this event has always been fun, festive, and a testimony to God’s faithfulness as we see our Grace Church family generously provide for our yearly Global Outreach trip. There will be no fundraiser this year though, for, in His sovereignty, the Lord has led the Josiah Venture organization to cancel all North American teams for the summer of 2020. 

As Christians, we can confidently trust that something good is going on here, but it is not without its sting. We had nine people who had weighed the challenges of going on a trip like this and, after seeking the Lord, taken a step of faith and joined the 2020 Slovenia Team. They are Haley Ansiel, Linnaea Bohanan, Johnny Jablonski, Betsy Jones, Amy Lazar, Margaret Ristine, Adam Tharp, Amber Werner, and Noelle Worley. For these nine, an opportunity has been lost, at least for this summer, and as we all know, it is just one among many. 

To this list we should add one more name, Heidi Ansiel, our missionary in Slovenia who was eagerly awaiting the opportunity to see friends from home, not to mention her sister, as she serves our Lord on the other side of the world. 

Yet even in these early days, the silver lining we as Christians ought to anticipate has already begun to show. For what is an opportunity lost for some, is showing itself to be an opportunity gained for others. 

Many of you know that Josiah Venture’s vision is to see “A movement of God among the youth of Central and Eastern Europe that finds its home in the local church and transforms society.” For our friends in Slovenia, one challenge to fulfilling this vision has been low participation from the local church. Isn’t it interesting then that the absence of North American teams this summer will create a vacuum which can only be filled by the local church? 

Our counterparts in Slovenia are encouraged by this, and we ought to be encouraged too, even as we come alongside them in prayer, asking the Lord to embolden the small local churches throughout Slovenia to join the movement that is already taking place among the Slovene youth. Let’s all pray that God would unite the local churches of Slovenia, and increase their numbers, as they work together to minister to the youth of Slovenia. 

Perhaps this is the beginning of something big. Perhaps the Slovene church will explode as local believers speak the gospel to local unbelievers in their own heart language. Perhaps we will need to find a new location for next year’s trip due to Slovenia’s lack of need for outside support. Perhaps the sadness of a trip canceled will turn into the joy of a bountiful harvest. 

O Lord, may it be so.

Nick Conner