Thursday, March 26, 2009

In Lieu of the Salvation Army Store

When we first moved to Nitra 14 months ago we were told about how to make good will-esque donations. There is no thrift store that we know of, but there are dumpsters outside of the apartment blocks. In order to make a donation, all one has to do is leave the item (old clothing, appliances or furniture) near the dumpster. Local gypsy families keep an eye out for good finds.

This system seemed a little loose to us. We occasionally see people in our dumpsters early in the morning, but there is no ongoing surveillance - but we tried it out. Putting some clothes in a bag we left it and went to our language lesson. Two-and-a-half hours later we returned to see a gypsy couple, about our age, trying the clothes on. Our clothes made it to someone who needed it = the system works.

Though spring may be late in coming here, we're turning on spring cleaning sights onto our clothing and then onto the dumpsters. Just another little facet of life in Nitra.

Wednesday, March 18, 2009

Door Prizes


One of the unexpected perks of living here in Nitra is the occasional, and often creative, store give-aways. Let's not forget METRO's Christmas offer of a free carp and bottle of champagne. Earlier this week we picked up a few household items from BauMax (similar to a Home Depot). Since we spent more than 20 Euros we were given...

...a bucket of high quality planting dirt.

It was a first for us, but highly practical as the season for gardening approaches.

Tuesday, March 17, 2009

Exciting Developments in the life of Amber

An amazing door has been opened, and I have decided to walk through it. I have accepted a temporary position working for the Women's Development department of Next Level International. I will be helping to plan and execute the EMERGE Women's Leadership Conference happening right here in Nitra this year. I have the privilege of working with a great team of women from NLI and beyond, as well as the chance to partner with an amazing team here in Slovakia. I'm thrilled about this opportunity and feel like it is a great fit for my gifts and something I can really sink my teeth into. Please remember me in prayer as I learn the ropes, build relationships and begin working in this new capacity.