Back in March, my sister found herself bored in class the week after my brother got married. Upon browsing Expedia, she texted me about some cheap tickets to Europe. Later that night, over a three-hour long FaceTime session, her and I, along with my parents, purchased some very inexpensive flights to Vienna.
Four months later, the four of us hopped on an overnight flight to London, spent six hours in Heathrow, boarded another flight, and, upon landing, rode two and half hours with my uncle to my mother’s hometown of Murska Sobota, Slovenia.
Despite arriving at my Teta Lidija’s house around 3:00 am, we could not immediately go to sleep — there were drinks to be had! Our trip was already in full swing. Lidija and her husband were up, my uncle hung around, and they poured everyone white wine spritzers to kick off our five week-long stay.
Dawn approached as we settled into our respective beds. I thanked the Lord for a safe trip and my sleep mask, conking out until 11:00 that morning. And so, another Slovenian adventure began.
This was the hottest, longest, and sweetest visit I’ve taken to the old country. This one blog will not even begin to scratch the surface of all the fun expeditions, tender moments, and precious memories made over the course of the summer. Instead of giving you a shallow overview of each week, I want to highlight a few key moments and the Lord’s faithfulness and provision to me throughout this trip. I hope you enjoy!
Before I even left the United States, I told some folks — my therapist, a few friends, my community group — about my past experiences upon arriving in Slovenia. Jet-lagged beyond belief, I’m greeted with hugs and smiles from my family before they enter into spirited conversations in their Prekmurje dialect. Laughs fill the room, and I am left feeling that same old grief over my inability to understand and converse. Tears fall behind closed doors, and, with feelings sufficiently felt, the sadness would remain dormant for the remainder of my stay.
After recounting these experiences to my therapist back in June, she encouraged me in a few ways. First, she advised me to renounce lies and announce truth — a powerful practice in which we verbally reject the lies Satan has fed us and proceed to speak truth over ourselves in Jesus’s name. For me, this looked like renouncing the lie that my life would be complete if I spoke fluent Slovenian and announcing the truth that Jesus Christ is enough for me in all things and all areas of my life.
My therapist also urged me to be on high alert for any fiery darts of discontentment that the enemy might try to throw my way and thus keep me from truly enjoying my trip and walking in gratitude.
At the end of the session, we prayed over these exhortations and the upcoming trip. Later that week, I asked my community group at church for prayers over my trip — that I would truly enjoy my time with family, that I would actively fight against lies by proclaiming truth, that I would have confidence to speak Slovenian.
The Lord listened and He faithfully answered these prayers. Praise and thanks be to Him!
Not once during my 5-week stay did I feel left out or less than, and I felt more connected to my family compared to years past. My language skills, I discovered, were in better shape than two years ago, as I found myself able to understand a good bit of the conversation around me. I could not keep up, by any means, but I gathered a good deal, especially when the topics surrounded vocabulary I was well-versed in, such as family or food.
Per usual, my confidence in speaking lagged on a number of occasions. Naturally, I was hard on myself. I hate being wrong, and I hate making mistakes (courtesy of my Enneagram type 1). One evening, however, my aunt Barbara and uncle Andrej gave me a little push to speak Slovenian, assuring me that no one will laugh. They proceeded to ask me some prompting questions, to which I answered at the table with everyone listening. It went okay, and it gave me a little more courage.
For the rest of the visit, I mostly practiced Slovenian with two of my younger cousins, Julija and Jernej. I felt more at ease with them — probably because they also encouraged me that night and, let’s face it, I’m more confident with people who are younger than me.
Overall, I felt much more peace, contentment, and acceptance surrounding my language abilities during this visit — especially compared to 2022. I also felt much more connected to my family this time around. Be it a short exchange in Slovenian with my uncle Daniel after a soccer game or the few times I translated for my dad or sister, this trip was full of encouragement and affirmation.
Among the many special moments that took place over our time in Slovenia, one of the most enduring happened during one of the church’s sunday services. Something I really enjoy about being in Slovenia is getting to sing worship songs in Slovenian. Many times, I know the song in English, so the meaning is not lost, and I get to worship in a different language — a unique and joyful experience.
As divine providence would have it, a few professional soccer players from the United States were residing Murska Sobota at the same time as my family and me. They came to church a few times, and, per the suggestion of my father, the worship team sang the chorus of each song in both English and Slovenian as a way to welcome the Americans. Thus, I got the best of both worlds, especially when I was unfamiliar with a song.
One morning, the young adults led worship, and they sang a song by Hillsong Worship called “I Give You My Heart,” a song I’d never heard until that point. Right away, the melody stirred something within my spirit. I couldn’t understand all the lyrics, but nevertheless, I felt tears threaten to spring forth throughout the tune.
We eventually sang the chorus in English, and the lyrics deeply resonated:
Lord, I give You my heart
I give You my soul
I live for you alone
And every breath that I take
Every moment I’m awake
Lord, have Your way in me
The lyrics felt like the culmination of all God had been doing in my life since I graduated college, and I meant every word when I sang them in church that day. As I continue listening to this song — often belting it out in my car — it resonates just as deeply as on the first day, and it’s become my continual prayer to Jesus.
In addition to this tune, my sister and I grew extremely fond of a song written by my Teta Nada and her daughter, my cousin Mirjam. Mack and I often sang a catchy part of the bridge: “Ne bom se bal / Ne bom se bal / Zaupal Tebi bom samo,” which translates to “I will not fear / I will not fear / I will trust in You alone.”
We requested the church band (who are all family members or friends) to play the song on our last sunday together, and it was nothing short of exuberant! I regret not recording it, but I am confident we will be back soon enough to sing the song together again.
There is so much more to say about this trip, so be on the lookout for a part two, where I’ll dive into some of my adventures in Pag, Croatia and Ljubljana, Slovenia — the beloved location of my gap year!
If you’ve made it this far, I sincerely thank you for taking the time to read a bit about my travels and what God has been doing in my life. He continues to grow me, sanctify me, and draw me nearer each day. I couldn’t be more grateful. All glory to Jesus my King!
Here are some photos from the first few weeks of my trip. Enjoy!
Pursuing Peace 