The Perfume of Christ in Slovakia

The 'Lumen' Music Festival is an annual event organised by the Catholic Church in Slovakia and was attended this year by about 5000 young people, 1000 of whom are estimated to have come onto the Bus4Life ministry bus. "The bad weather may have influenced many to take shelter on the bus," reported Ego Mayer, the Bus4Life driver, "and many of them left with a book or two in their hands - the highest ever book sales for a Slovakian bus trip."

"Gabriel* was browsing through the section of English books. He was searching for an English Bible, but was concerned because our Bibles didn't have the Pope’s approval on the cover page," shared Kristi, short-termer from the US, "I gave him a couple of titles of good English translations (both Catholic and non-Catholic) that include the apocrypha, that we didn’t sell. We had an excellent conversation about the apocrypha and the difference between Catholic and other translations of the Bible. Gabriel didn’t buy a Bible but said he wants Christ in his life.

"Gabriel had started a band with his friends and he loves to write and sing about God. I gave him a copy of the New Testament with Psalms in English. He didn’t want to take it for free, but ended up taking it when I said he could have it if he promised to read it. I asked him to look carefully at what it says about God’s plan for his life. He smiled and agreed. He returned later with a little token of appreciation. It was a pin that said in Slovak “we are the perfume of Christ”. "

*Name changed.