It has been 20 years since the 15-year old daughter of my cousin Milan first contacted her American relatives from Slovakia. She was learning English in school and had begun learning the computer. Her father, Milan, never learned English and I never learned Slovak. I'm so blessed that she did make that initial contact and it opened communication again with my parent's homeland. Her grandmother and my mother were sisters and their correspondence ended when they passed away in the mid-90's. It was about 1990 when Czechoslovakia became the Czech Republic and Slovakia. My mother came to America in 1939 as a single woman and her sister stayed to raise her family in Czechoslovakia. There were nine siblings and war has a way of relocating families. My mother and her older brother came to America before WWII.
Our relationship grew over the years and Dara was always very generous in including me in her life's events. We both loved to write and receive letters! The first ten years included her sharing her growth in education and then summer activities with the American Campus Crusade for Christ (Cru) organization that was in her city of Kosice. I watched her growth through her letters and enjoyed her early visits to America which included Missouri a couple of times. I was so full of joy when she met and married Jeremy who was in Kosice with Cru. It was ten years ago that they married and shared an amazing wedding video with me. The letters continued as the five children blessed their family and we shared each others life's events which also included regular monthly newsletters of the work they were doing with Cru. I supported them with donations in their efforts until I retired. Genealogy work motivated me to visit Kosice and has always been part of my life plan but has yet to be fulfilled. Dara has been so helpful in my work to complete seven generations of our family tree! I have shared much information about the American families with her. We continue to grow. Dara and her young family recently moved to the Cru International Headquarters in Orlando, Florida. Her parents were there for most of January and I was invited to visit and stay with them all! I could not pass up this wonderful opportunity! I also had never been to Florida and it was way too cold here in Missouri so there was no excuse not to come. It was all finally coming together.
It was a Saturday evening when I arrived to the first of many wonderful meals prepared by Dara and Alzbeta. They definitely have some cooking skills and I had some familiar foods and some new dishes that were delicious during my stay. There were plenty of interpreters available to help me and Milan and Alzbeta communicate but we felt the connection and love just being together! Gifts were exchanged and I received some beautiful things from Kosice including garden seeds, a hand painted clock, teas and my favorite chocolate! I brought a wooden treasure chest full of toys for the children and an updated copies of the Family Tree for both Dara's and Milan's family. We spent a whole evening with some more recent updates from Slovakia. It was fun for everyone to see our large family tree when I spread the 16 attached pages across the living room floor! Everyone including the children were sitting and crawling around the floor together enjoying it!
Photo taken at my home includes all items from my trip with the gifts from Milan & Alzbeta up front along with numerous children's drawings and my favorite tea cup from Dara from years ago.
The next day was Sunday and we all went to the Sunday service at Crossway Community Church nearby. The rest of the day was spent enjoying the heated whirlpool at their apartment complex. The pool was too cold but there was some brave souls entering it! It was a family day together enjoying the children and a nice picnic.
Monday morning was walking the two oldest children Olivia and Boone to the bus stop. Later, Eli was taken to a preschool nearby. Jeremy rode his bicycle to work at his Cru office 18 miles one way. The rest of us went to see the Slovak Garden. This is a place with about a dozen homes and a community center/museum for Slovaks. It was a lovely place to visit and see so many cultural things and information all in one place. We were there all afternoon until the children came home from school. Eli had ballerina class after her preschool. She is quite the little princess!
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| Dara with 2 of her 5 children, me next to my cousin Milan and his wife Alzbeta |
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American and Slovak flags |
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Doll Collection of Native Costumes
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| Olivia |
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Boone
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| Princess Eli |
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| Bry |
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| Sweet Baby James |
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Grandpa Milan with James
Tuesday the children got a day off school so we all could go see where Jeremy works and take the Cru Tour. We had a lovely picnic on the beautiful grounds of the buildings. We also went to the Visitor's Center at Wycliffe. |
I said my heartfelt goodbye and thanks on Wednesday and was heading to the beach for a few days.
Dara and Jeremy were getting ready for a trip to Denver and Wyoming together leaving the children in the loving hands and watch of their grandparents for a few days. It was a wonderful 4-5 day visit together with my family in Orlando. By the end of the month, Milan and Alzbeta went back to Slovakia. I'm so grateful to Dara for helping to make this a successful family time and I know there is much more to come in the future! May God bless them and keep them healthy, happy, and prosperous.
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| Saying goodbye |
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| Milan and Alzbeta back to Slovakia |
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