- “People in the church many times don’t understand what I am talking about. That’s the biggest challenge for me. how I can be a part of the world as salt, as Jesus said we should be salt, and also be close with God…to be close with God and be close with the people on the outside .”

- Mostly, I am working with non-Christian people.

Pastor Jan, lives in Kosice [koh-shEEtz-seh], Slovakia. His passion is working with people who don’t know about Jesus’ love for them, especially the Roma community. Many people will not associate with the Roma and find ways to keep their distance. Years of cultural differences have created a barrier between the ethnic groups in the region. But Jan feels called to reach out anyway.

He often organizes activities with the Pathfinder club and outings for underprivileged children and youth.

- “If you are working with children, you can touch a parent’s heart.

- If I am good for the children, the parents are happy as well.”

Pastor Jan works in the outskirts of Kosice among the Roma community. With each visit, he brings gifts. These simple presents open doors and show them that he cares about them.

The Roma have challenging lives. In this house, seven families live together. One of the mothers is a Seventh-day Adventist, and she teaches the children stories from the Bible.

Pastor Jan stops here to greet his friends and bring a word of encouragement. Before leaving, the group takes a picture together to remember this special moment.

Meet Monika. From a young age, she really wanted to participate in activities with the Pathfinders. But she faced a lot of challenges with her family because they believed the Adventists would not be a good influence in her life. Pastor Jan taught Monika important truths from the Bible. He also helped her find strength to succeed despite her family’s opposition and the scarce opportunities in her community.

Today, Monika is an example to others in her village. She is well educated, having graduated from university, and serves as an educational coordinator at her town’s community center.

Monika was a very special person ... - She was like a miracle. She wanted to know everything about Jesus ... She wanted to read the Bible properly and then she started to teach others the Bible.

“I love to see the children coming with joy in their eyes. They can see that I’ve changed because of Jesus. I am so happy when they say they want to be closer to Jesus and have a story like mine.”

Monika and her husband now lead three groups of youth and children at the local Adventist church. They hope to disciple others in the community and to mend broken relationship so God’s church can grow. Please pray for Pastor Jan’s and Monika’s outreach ministries.

This quarter your 13th Sabbath Offering will support this work among vulnerable children in Slovakia and the Czech Republic. It will also build a church with a children’s center in Bulgaria and assist Adventist education in Spain and Germany. Thank you for your support of the 13th Sabbath Offering!