Some squads, due to a lack of male applicants, are privileged with a month of ministry that divides the men and women, providing for what the World Race calls ‘Manistry’, though they really could just call it ‘menistry’ (but maybe that spelling too closely resembles ‘menstruate’ so they avoid it with another vowel instead?) Anyways, this is meant as a month of deeper male bonding and fellowship and discipleship that’s truly needed among men all over the world. As we’ve traveled to roughly a dozen countries, I’ve seen that male leadership among Christians is something that’s lacking globally. (Time to step up men!) The World Race recognizes a unique need for male fellowship among it’s minority applicant gender group, thus allowing one month where the women and men separate into their respective ministries. However, not all squads are granted this luxury. Ours was not due to a variety of logistical reasons, timing, and perhaps team dynamics as well.
We did present an argument for a solution, however. The teams really pushed for a ‘man-retreat’ in place of a month-10 debrief. Our squad has made it a routine to have mini-debriefs after each month where we evaluate ourselves and come together for worship as a squad without the supervision of our two coaches who fly in from the U.S. for every major debrief. What we proposed was a retreat/debrief where the women would go to their desired destination, and the men would go to ours. During the course of last month (when my team was in Tiraspol) the women elected to go to Odessa, a sizeable beach town in Ukraine, whereas the men elected to head to a small village in Slovakia.
Logistically, it turned out to be a nightmare. Raj and I left Tiraspol 2 days before our female counterparts went to Odessa, and we took several buses and trains to reach our destination outside of Kocise, Slovakia. But it was well worth it. The other men (aside from Tommy, Tim, and Thomas) all showed up at about the same time, so we were able to take the last bus to the village together. We stayed at a place called Sokol Campground and Apartments.
We were nestled among gently sloping mountains in an agricultural community with towering church steeples and wheat fields in plain sight. The local church bell tower would ding every 30 minutes, and sound the bell X times on the hour, which really added to the ambiance. The owners of the place welcomed us warmly, and after we pitched our tents in the back acre, we sat at the bistro-style patio while the cheerful couple served us free welcome beverages. I felt peace and relaxation immediately upon entering the grounds.
Cherry trees, crab apple trees, plum trees, wild strawberries, and grapes are among the fruitful plants that grow abundantly in the region, even in the wild. The owner actually told us it’s considered a ‘sport’ for townsmen to wander into the woods and see what kind of food they can conjure up. There was a constant aroma of cigars and wine in the air thanks to the overseer, which really added to the air of our men’s retreat. After meeting, we decided the schedule would be relaxed. The group elected to spend the first full day hiking and relaxing, waiting for Tommy, Tim, and Thomas to arrive. The next day whoever wanted to see the largest castle in Europe would venture out for a 2-hour bus journey. And the next day we’d all head to a neighboring town to check out a cave system. Every evening at about 8pm we would gather in a common area that was a sort of outdoor living room, like a partially enclosed gazebo made of timber and adorned with wagon wheels and a foosball table. We would start these meetings with worship, compliments of Graham and Austin, two of our guitar playing singers, and then proceed with discussion led by a handful of men, organized by Tanner.
The music was good for all of us. While it’s not the prettiest thing to the ear to hear all of us men belting out songs as the sun sets, it’s certainly warming to the soul and makes a fellow man appreciate the willingness and boldness of tone-deaf individuals to sing louder than their neighbor in the name of Jesus. The talks were fundamental in terms of Christian theology, but good reminders of what it means to be a man who is willing to lead others in light and truth. I think what we accomplished over these few days was a stronger sense of accountability, honesty, zeal for our Lord, and of course our growing male bonds were acknowledged by grunts and firm hugs.
So thank you AIM for allowing us to partake in this ManTime in Slovakia. The country is beautiful, the food is good, the fellowship was refreshing, and our Lord was there.
