Last full day in Bardejov

So, as I was attempting to put up a post on our adventures from yesterday (Sunday), google blogger decided to log me out, and when I logged back in all my work had been lost. Unfortunately this means you won't get an extensive write up on the happenings of our 2nd Sunday in Bardejov........but I'll still try to hit on the highlights.

We did "home church" with Ed and Wendi. Sitting around the living room, we shared about upcoming changes, challenges, and excitement in our lives and delved into concerns and prayer requests as well. Jayce and Tate "played up" and joined the older group for home church. I was impressed by their ability to maturely talk about their challenges and concerns. Well done boys.....keep up the good work.

We played basketball with 4 other Slovak guys. It was great to get some games of 4-on-4 going. We played for an hour or two and had a great time. I really could play basketball every day!

We went to a surprise party for Ed and Wendi's friend Biebka. She is going to England for the Summer to conduct research at Cambridge. I had a blast at the party and was once again impressed by the English ability of the some of these Slovakian guys and girls. I was able to have in depth conversations in English with several different people at the party. It really makes me wish I was fluently bilingual.

Well, that's pretty much Sunday in a nutshell. Today (Monday) we got up early to do more KECY English camp promotions in the schools. Once again, Ed and Grant were on a team and Phil and I teamed up with Wendi and Shaylee. Shaylee was a huge hit in the classrooms! I'm pretty sure most of the girls paid more attention to her than our presentation up front. I guess that's what happens when you're 2 years old and super cute.

Just like on Friday, Stano was our translator and once again did a fantastic job. He's been great to work with during all of these promotions and is one of the many people we're really going to miss when we're gone.

After our promotions in the morning, we met up with Grant and Ed back at Ed and Wendi's house and then went out for lunch at a restaurant on the square. They had fantastic pizza and one of the most deliciously sweet and spicy hot sauces I've ever tried. The variety of pizza was also incredible, with 53 different choices gracing the menu.

Once our lunch was polished off, we took a walk around the square, stopping for Phil and I to each buy a pair of cheap sunglasses off of a vending rack. We continued on to the ice cream shop at the top of the square and washed down that pizza with some delicious Slovak ice cream (it's very different than ice cream in the U.S., but I don't think I can describe it very well. You'll just have to come over here and try it for yourself someday).

Later on in the afternoon, Ed took Phil, Grant, and I, along with Jaylin and Gage back out to the town square for potential meetings with students interested in the KECY English camps. We had told the students during our promotions that we would be stationed in the square for a block of time in the afternoon to answer questions for them. Although not many students from the schools showed up, we were joined in the square by several of the Slovak teens from Ed and Wendi's church. We all spent an enjoyable afternoon in the town square on a beautiful late Spring day! I've said it before, but we really need town squares like this in America. I could probably hang out there every day.

This evening I was able to Skype with my family! It was great to get to see and talk to all of them, including Margaret Hanson, who is visiting this week. Through the wonders of Skype I was able to show them all around Ed and Wendi's home and give them a visual picture of where I'm staying and what I'm doing. I've also enjoyed the several times I've been in on Skype conversations between Grant and his parents. To me it's very cool to be able to see and hear relatives on the other side of the world through the computer screen!

Tonight, before the kids went to bed, I told them "The Golden Arm, part III". This story is the exciting sequel to "The Golden Arm, part I" and "The Golden Arm, part II". The series has garnered a lot of positive attention, surprising due to the fact that I make up the story as I go (a method I learned from my dad). If you want to now the details of this story.............well, don't ask me. I think I've forgotten them already.

After the kids were all in bed for the night, Ed, Wendi, Phil, Grant and I played farckle (the dice game) and listened to the comedian Brian Regan. All I have to say about that is, Grant won farckle faster than anyone I've ever seen and Brian Regan is hilarious.

Once the game was finished, we talked around the table for a while, attempted some wall sits, and ate sugar cookies. Now we're all getting ready for bed. I have a feeling I'll sleep well tonight!

As hard as it is to believe, today was our last full day in Bardejov. Tomorrow in the early afternoon, Phil, Grant and I will board a train with Ed for Galena, Slovakia. After spending the evening/night in Galena with Bronyo (who stayed with Grant's family as a foreign exchange student in the late 90's) we will continue on by train to Vienna.

As excited as I am to see the rest of Europe, I must admit it's going to be hard to leave Bardejov. Ed and Wendi and their family have been so kind to us in letting us assimilate into their family life for these last two weeks. I've had such a great experience getting to know Ed and Wendi and each one of their kids on a deeper level during our time here and I know I've made countless memories that will last a lifetime! Simply saying thank you seems extremely insufficient to repay all the kindness we've been shown by the Rumbolds, but I'll say it anyway........Thank you for making our time here special.

For the last time........this is Ben, signing off from Bardejov.