Hi! It is now kind of a routine for me to write a blog every week and for you to read it! Sorry that I am not on time every week.

In the beginning, I want to mention something that I forgot to mention last week. I moved to another family! I left Skip and Donna’s house on Sunday and moved to Skip’s uncle Randy and his wife Peggy’s house. I will be living with them for the next month. By the way, they have an amazing bar in their basement!

I started Monday with a morning run. I started training because I was supposed to go and do a 5km race on Saturday 5th of August with Dan. (at the end it was canceled so maybe we will do it another time) We did some job in the office and I was very surprised that I got a package! It was from my friend Denisse. She is originally from the USA but was a missionary for several years in Karviná, Czech Republic. She is now back in the US and she sent me a package full of Polish sweets! It made my day! We went for lunch at Five Guys. It is a well-known burger place and it is known because Shaquille O’Neal (legendary basketball player) invested a lot of money in this company. In the afternoon we visited one church member Nelson. It wasn’t the end of my sports Monday! After I got home I went to the park to play soccer (or in non-american terms football :D). Randy also gave me a dollar coin from 1922! Since I am interested in coins I was so happy to get this one. It will definitely go into my collection. I was grateful so I also gave Randy a Czech 50kč coin.

Tuesday started as always with a great coffee at Duck Rabbit and a preparation for Sunday’s sermon. This week was my time to preach. Later that day we visited Ulaly and I also played basketball. It was always my dream to have a basketball hoop right in front of my home. Now it is a reality cause Randy and Peggy have a basketball hoop on their garage.

I spent Wednesday with Ray. He took me again to the Westside market and I got some more delicious food. For lunch, we went to Slyman’s. They are popular for their corned beef. Corned beef is a really popular food in Cleveland and everybody said that I can’t leave without trying it. It was actually really good! After lunch, we went to see St. Michael’s church. According to Ray, it is the most beautiful church in Cleveland and I cannot disagree! It was beautiful!

On Thursday it was our last time doing the kid’s program at Redeemer. This time it was a bigger event, more like a carnival with ice cream, pizza, and a lot of games! It was very fun but at the same time, it was really hot outside. In the evening I was cooking! Since when we were in the market I found there bryndza (Slovak sheep cheese), I decided to cook bryndzové halušky for Randy. It is a very popular dish in Slovakia. It was my first time doing it so I think it came out pretty good!

On Friday morning I was helping in the kitchen! Several people came to the church and started preparing Slovak food for Sunday’s Slovak picnic. I mostly helped prepare sour cabbage. We also visited Gayle in the hospital in Parma. In the evening Randy, his son Jason and I went to Top Golf. It is basically a place where you can train your golf skills. So since we were supposed to go golfing the next day and I never played golf before, it really helped. After we came back we spent the evening sitting in the bar and talking about different topics.

On Saturday morning I went golfing with Randy and Jason. It was a great time and I enjoyed it! And I also think I did pretty well for the first time. In the afternoon pastor and I went to Mary’s 90th celebration party. Mary is the younger sister of Millie, who died two weeks ago. So we knew the family and talk to them.

On Sunday I preached on a bunch of parables from Mathew chapter 13. I will tell you a little bit about it at the end. I also sang a song before the service. This time a did a song with a guitar! So I played and sang a song called Graves into Garden. People liked it so I am happy about it. Right after church ended I went with Mohlers to a Slovak picnic at Sokol farm. An event that was looked forward to by many people! There were hundreds of Slovaks from the Cleveland area! We ate Slovak food and drank Czech beer, there was also a polka band and many other fun activities! It was a very nice afternoon! I got to know more about Slovaks in the USA. The event took place at a Sokol farm which is a place created by original Slovak immigrants to remember their native land.

To wrap it up. Let me share with you a few main points from my Sunday’s sermon: (you can read Matthew 13:31-33, 44-52 so you know better what it is about)

The Kingdom of Heaven is not just a future promise, but a present reality brought by Jesus to earth.

The Kingdom starts small and seemingly insignificant, but it possesses extraordinary potential for growth and influence.

The Kingdom of Heaven has the power to transform lives and society if we allow it in.

Recognize the incomparable value of God’s Kingdom, exemplified by the seekers in the parables who willingly sacrificed everything to obtain the treasure and pearl. Let this understanding inspire us to follow Jesus with our whole hearts and prioritize His Kingdom above all else.

Let God be your no. 1 priority in life.

God seeks people with His grace and love, and there is never a point where someone is beyond His reach.

Let Jesus’ sacrifice and salvation be a constant reminder in our lives and share the good news with others so they may also experience His grace. 

Dear friends! Have a blessed week! You will hear from me next week!