Winter Update From The Blairs

Greetings from Slovenia!

It's been a while since we've given you all an update, and to be quite honest, it's because of... life!

We are really settling into our new home, and getting used to our new normal.

We were delighted to get to spend our first holiday season in Slovenia, and our first "real" winter in a long time - this Florida-transplant family forgot about the cold!

So, we just wanted to give you all a short update on what we've been up to in the past couple months.  

Christmas

We were so excited and honored to be a part of the Christmas program at the local church we attend, here in Ljubljana!  Our big guy played the part of a wiseman, and was part of the children's choir!  It was extra special to hear him singing Christmas carols in Slovene!

On Christmas Day, we were so thankful to have Christmas dinner at the church with a few other families.  One of the families from the church hosts it every year, especially for those who don't have family nearby.  We loved getting to spend Christmas day with our new church family!

We also delivered cookies to our neighbors in our apartment building.  With the help our language teacher, we wrote each one of them a note, wishing them a very Merry Christmas, and a blessed New Year.  Then, we went to each door and introduced ourselves - in (broken) Slovene!  It can be difficult to get to know one's neighbors, especially in an apartment building, but we're hoping that through interactions such as these, we'll be able to build meaningful relationships with them!

Language Learning

This is definitely NOT the glamorous side of missions, but it is the foundation, the groundwork without which we won't be able to truly reach Slovenia.  So, we have been working hard at our Slovene language classes.  Here are some examples of how much we've learned in the past few months:

We've had language classes for about 3 1/2 months.  We have learned how to introduce ourselves, talk about the weather, give directions, talk about motion, conjugate verbs, express possession of nouns, describe our families, lots and lots of grammatical rules, and we just started learning the past and future tenses.

We could not be more pleased with our tutor - she is very knowledgeable (she teaches at the university), patient, she loves her language - which in return makes us love her language, and she has a wonderful way of tying in what we're learning about Slovene with the culture.

Our teacher is actually leaving for 3 months, for a job outside of the country.  Please join us in praying for her, that she would be able to adjust well to her new surroundings, she would enjoy her job posting, and would... come back!

In the meantime, we will be taking a course at the university for the 3 months that she is gone.  We took a placement test earlier this week, and classes start at the beginning of March.  Please be praying for us, that we would make new friends at our courses, that our Slovene knowledge would deepen, and we would have a good time doing it!

Ministry

We were so excited to visit one of the other churches in the Pentecostal movement, a church in Murska Sobota.  In the type of coincide that only God can bring together, the pastor of that church was actually a friend of ours from college, at Continental Theological Seminary in Belgium.  We had a wonderful time sharing with them!  We introduced ourselves in Slovene, as well as we could, and then Dan shared his testimony, and how the Lord orchestrated everything for us to be able to come here.  We look forward to being able to visit more of the churches in the future, and building relationships.

Speaking of relationships, we've been very excited to get to know some of the children and parents from our son's school!  In the afternoons, we all seem to pick up our kids at the same time, which has been a great way to meet.  These pictures were taken on a hill near buddy's school, where we got to have some fun.  In the next few months, we're hoping to meet some of the parents for coffee, or arrange play dates, so we would appreciate you praying for those relationships as well!

As always, we appreciate your prayers, your love, and your support!  Thank you for making it possible for us to minister in Slovenia, we couldn't be here without you!

One Of The First Slovene Americans Was A Missionary Priest - The Story of Frederic Baraga

While doing some research about our soon-to-be host country, we came across this very interesting person in history.

Meet Frederic Baraga.  He was one of the first Slovenes to immigrate to the United States, and he was a missionary priest.  Here are few interesting facts about him:

- He arrived to the United States on New Years Eve, 1830.

- At first he ministered among German immigrants in Cleveland, OH.  During this time, he also began to learn the Ottawa language.  He later went to live among the Ottawa people.

- In 1837 he published the first book in the Ottawa language, Otawa Anamie-Misinaigan.  It included a Catholic prayer book and catechism.  

- He then moved, and ministered to the Ojibwe people.

- In 1843 he founded a mission in L'Anse, Michigan.  During this time he earned the nickname “the Snowshoe Priest” because he would travel hundreds of miles each year on snowshoes during the harsh winters.

- He worked to protect Native Americans from forced relocation.

- He published a dictionary and grammar book on the Ojibwe language.

- In 1853 he was elevated to the position of Bishop of Sault Sainte Marie, Michigan.  During this time, a rush of European immigrants relocated to the area.  He continued to minister to Native Americans and Europeans, alike. 

- He continued to travel by snowshoe in the harsh winters well into his sixties - all to reach people in remote areas.

- On a trip to Europe to raise money for his mission, he was presented a jeweled cross and episcopal ring by the emperor of Austria, as a thanks for his service.  He sold the cross and ring, so he could fund his ministry.

- He wrote letters home about his missionary work, which inspired many other priests to move to the United States as missionaries as well.

Wow!  What an inspiring and devoted follower of Jesus!  Frederic Baraga's story reminds us of a few things: 1) EVERYONE has a right to choose Jesus - regardless of geographical location or skin color; 2) There should be no obstacle too great when reaching people (snowshoes); 3) It's so important to reach people in THEIR language; 4) Nothing is of more value than people's souls (cross and ring); and 5) We are called to inspire others as well.

See the snowshoes?

We hope the story of Frederic Baraga has inspired you to reach those around you, it certainly encouraged us!

So, we will sign off as Bishops Baraga did in his pastoral letter, "The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, and the charity of God, and the communication of the Holy Ghost be with you all. Amen."

*If you would like to read Bishop Baraga's Pastoral letter, you can find it here.