My story

Hello my friends, beloved by God

It is already 2018. Happy New Year. I wish you plenty of days with the presence of God and don’t forget to entrust to God all the bad and the good .++

Our family keeps functioning in a limited mode. We got used to it. I don’t even remember how we were functioning before (I mean, when my husband Peter was healthy and autonomous).

A couple of days ago Peter dreamt he was feeling good and was in good health. When he woke up, everything was like before. When he wakes up, he cannot even move. He has to make exercises and then he can start talking and walking. By the way, he was happy he felt better, at least in a dream.

Our children are praying every day for their father. They also learned to help him. Our son Tobi (13) trains with his father and has learned how to massage him. As a teen-ager he is sometimes unwilling… It is normal. But he does it anyway… everyday… . They also have lots of fun and it brings plenty of blessings to their father/son relation.

Miriam (8) and Ester (10) help me a lot in the kitchen. We used to bake plenty of cakes together. Now they are able to do it by themselves. It’s great! .
If you come to visit us you can taste delicious pancakes, semolina puddings, yeast fruit dumpling, etc. Everything is prepared by our girls

My work is interesting. We changed roles with Peter. After 17 years I went back to work and he stays at home. I am a teacher. I have a lot of bright and spirited boys at schools. I always have to figure out new ways for motivating them and involving them during lessons. I don’t just teach mathematics and Slovak language, but I wish to shape their hearts as well.

When I am at work, I have a chance to do something else than taking care of house management. In my work environment God gave me a chance to meet close souls. Thank you Lord!   

I have to assure daily transportation back and forth so that Peter can go to his rehabilitation sessions. Thanks God, there are two families from Brusno helping me.

Moreover, I have to book further visits and controls for Peter and bring him to destination 3 to 7 times a month. We have to visit the doctor every month in order to prolong his sick leave. We also have to regularly visit the office of social security service. All people working at the receptions know us. I was there so many times since April . Even when I make these practical actions I feel that I am guided by God. It is wonderful . I like to go there . I cannot describe it, but I know that every time I leave that place, I have a smile on my face and I know that I left a piece of God’s peace there .

Our marriage life changed. Our family life changed. There is no more chance for common trips to mountains or skiing with the children. Peter has been in sick leave for 10 months so far. Our children are sad because their father cannot go skiing with them. They cannot show him their progress. He cannot go to his daughter’s concerts :-(. I am going everywhere instead of him...

We can teach and show to our children what marriage life really is. We say we shall always be together, for better and for worse, in sickness and in health, in poverty and in wealth. Our children are looking at this every day in our practical life. No matter what will happen. We vowed to always be together  ...and we will.

Fortunately, Peter’s health conditions are improving. At the beginning he was completely paralysed and was not able to move and talk. He needed 24-hour care. Now, the situation is a lot better. We don’t even use the wheel-chair at home anymore. A crutch is enough… Sometimes, at home, he is also able to move without crutches.

Despite late improvements, my husband is still unable to do many basic things. He always has to ask somebody for help. It is hard to live just with one functioning arm. He cannot drive and cannot go outside alone. He cannot even help us with basic kitchen works, like cutting potatoes… He is not able to make actions for which he needs both hands and firm ground under his feet...

Despite all these limitations, I admire my husband. He perfectly manages to share his time in prayer, training, and relax. He is consistent in all things he does. He patiently bears all his physical pains and suffering . And we – the rest of the family – do respect it.

I also want to witness about the fact that God takes care of us in the best way. When I forget about something, he arranges it for me .

Here is a couple of stories from my life:

My car. It was winter. Peter was in the sanatorium and I had to change car tires. Our eldest son put the tires in the boot and we left for the car repair shop. They realised tires were worn out and needed to be replaced :-(... They ordered new tires, but they did not find the brand they wanted. So they proposed me another brand. I had no chances to know if they were suitable or not. At school, one of my colleagues told me she would ask her husband if those tires are good or not. . Her husband said they weren’t good enough :-(. Then, this same colleague said she would bring me to a tire repair shop close to our school. I agreed to go .

She said we would meet on Thursday at 14:00 in the car repair shop. I forgot I already had another engagement for that time and date. God solved this problem. Suddenly, I received a phone call. My other engagement was anticipated to Wednesday .

I never felt so good in a car repair shop . I had a very interesting talk with the mechanic . I want to keep his secret. So I won’t disclose the contents . He spoke from the deepest of his heart.  He told me things you don’t usually disclose to other unknown people . And I thanked God for all those tough moments, because I could understand Him much better. I left that place with my new tires and with another close person to pray for .

Days go by in my life. God shows me His power in my normal life. You just have to have your eyes open.

It is not so easy to take care of cars. I would say it is something for men. But now I also have to fulfil “male” tasks... :-( ...  .... . I feel how God takes care of me .

Screen washer. There was almost no more water in the screen washer and it was necessary to add new water. I forgot about it. God reminded me through a man who brought this product in its shopping trolley . So I went back to the shelf with screen washer media. Here, I met another man who was selecting some products and I sensed that he knew what he was doing. So I asked him for help, just a piece of advice about those different “waters”. I thanked God because next time I will be able to choose by myself and because He sent that man there to give me advice. I am sure that God prepared that meeting for me. In these moments I strongly feel God’s vicinity and care   .

I didn’t know how to pour water in this screen washer. I could just do it in our old car, not in this one. But God helped me. A friend of mine taught me how to do it . Now I can manage that as well. I thought everything was ok. In August I made official technical inspection. After a while we replaced the hand brake and battery (it is another story ). So I was convinced that I am able to take care of my car. Unfortunately, when we were going to school a week ago, I heard weird noises...

So I went to the car repair shop close to my school. When they told me the real issue, I thanked God that it never froze outside... So now you have got the answer to the question: why did we have such a warm winter? . We didn’t have enough oil in the car and there was little water in the cooler. They told me it could freeze, water would transform into ice, and I wouldn’t be able to start the engine. If we didn’t add oil, the motor could get seized.

So I learned to pour water in the radiator, check oil level, and so on...

The mechanic also told me our car was old and would cause a lot of expenses for future reparations. It was time to buy a new vehicle...

Actually, we do need a bigger car, because we live far away from town (about 20 km). Children and I are going to school there, and have to commute every morning (the seven or eight of us) with heavy rucksacks and also full shopping bags on our way back. So far we used two cars. Now I am the only driver in our family. As I am writing, our first common car – the one we bought after wedding – is already a bunch of scrap. I pray God. I hope He will solve this problem. It is in His hands .

God takes care of us . My wage is not high enough, not even to buy food. I try to buy only necessary things. I often see how God is helping us even in facing this problem. For instance, when I buy food in the supermarket I repeatedly receive SMS notifications of credit receipt to my bank account. It makes me feel quite happy . It has already happened several times. For example, I was in the pharmacy shop and I paid € 10 for some drugs. Then, when I left the shop, I received an SMS from my bank account, where somebody just sent exactly € 10. I have many examples like this. In these moments I feel that God is caressing me, that I have no reason to be afraid of what we are going to eat, drink or wear… and I also add: fuel, electricity, maintenance, new tires, school lunches for 6 children...

Yes, they are daily challenges. But God tells us: do not be afraid . Each day has enough trouble of its own . I learn to live like this . I live every day in the plenitude of God’s presence and care . Only God knows about my little everyday sacrifices. That’s fine! He knows our hearts and understands our deeds. He knows how much love we put in our daily actions. That is the reason why even the smallest actions under the eyes of people can change into huge acts at the eyes of God. We just need to do everything together with Him...

After praying, after a real encounter with God, we find out that He really walks with us and changes bad things into good things. We show the power of God to people around us without even opening our mouths . Let’s just do all things with Him .

I also have a curious anecdote about Peter’s therapy. I came to see him early at night, exactly when the patients were having a little dinner party. I was sitting in front of Peter. There were many patients, especially children with their families, etc. Some well dressed people were moving back and forth around the hall – with a microphone in their hands – and were bestowing various certificates and medals. Then, they were looking for us. It was Peter’s turn. The manager looked at us and she was surprised because we were just close to her. She exclaimed: “Jesus, you are here!” I know it is just a bad habit many people have. But I interpreted it in another way. I was happy somebody noticed I came there with Jesus . I didn’t take it as “disrespect for the Lord's name”. He was with me. I was proud of the fact that people could see it . Jesus and I "nestled down" with joy in my heart.

I would like to thank all those who helped us, so that Peter could go to Piešťany this autumn. It was amazing, especially the length of daily care for him. He made a lot of progress. In his astronaut suite he managed to walk even without crutches, incl. stairs.

Healthcare personnel taught him a lot of things about his disease and how to live with it.

When Peter feels better, he says he just needs simple daily rehabilitation. Tobi and I make exercises with him. It is funny . Let’s talk about it another time . Of course, when his conditions get worse, it is clear that he needs concrete professional help.

So now we are able to assess what kind of help he needs and for how long.

Thank you to all people who are supporting us
Thank you for the great surprises under the Christmas Tree, when we didn’t know what is inside the packages  .
Thank you for all the sweets and cakes you sent us
Thank you for the potatoes and apples
Thank you for all your financial contributions
Thank you for everything .

I thank God for everything. We’ve lost a lot of practical things we used to take for granted, but He did not abandon us. He reshuffled our values, He is bringing us face to face with new situations, He gives us new life challenges... Thank you, Lord, because we can walk with you and look at the way you manage our issues. He taught us to be completely dependent on Him. Thank you Lord, because you accept us the way we are and you always give us a chance to be immersed in your Love . Time and again, even after our losses, God welcomes us with open arms, in his infinite Love .

I thank the Lord because He uses many of you as co-operators .

I wish you plenty of gifts from God and special care so that you can be sure that it is Him, just Him . Him . Only Him . It is more than enough. If we’ve got Him, we’ve got everything .

Do you know how deeply God wants to enter your heart? As deeply as your pain in your heart. Every pain is a trip in the utmost interior of your heart. If you look at that from the right point of view, you will find that God is waiting for you right at this depth . I don’t know if somebody already thought of it and has a “copyright” on this thought. Maybe yes, they did... By the way, I realised it during my life with God .

I wish you a blessed year 2018, full of God’s presence in all your daily activities.

 

Janka

Note:

If you want to help Janka and Peter with donation, this is their bank account: SK5711000000002616876536.