Danny C. Jones - A man who was changing Slovakia

27. 02. 2009 | Comments (0)

In the second group are people (isn’t it bad to divide people into boxes like this, I hope you won’t accuse me of boxing people up) who are neutral. In comparison to the first group they don’t suck the energy out of you but don’t give you any either. They are simply normal. Most people in the world are like this. We meet these people every day, everywhere we go. And it is good to have them because without them the world would be empty.

In the third group are people, who for us are extraordinary. When you are with them, after a certain time you know it is a special moment for they are “recharging” you. Even when you get to know them better and discover their weaknesses you have a respect for them because there is something in them what makes you want to spend time with them. These people are full of grace, people with a firm hope that there is something better in us. People who believe, that there is something extraordinary in you that’s worth further development. They can see the potential in us, therefore hope. If they are sometimes critical it’s only because they want to move you further, to challenge you, so that you don’t get stuck in the same place.

When I think about Danny C. Jones, I am convinced that he belongs to this third group. He is exceptional, scarce and different. Full of hope, he is a person who can see how things could be done differently. A man of big dreams and even bigger heart.

When I start to count all that the Lord has done through him here in Slovakia, after he listened to His voice telling him to leave the “American dream”, to a country with a completely different language to his own, I stand in awe. He bonded and befriended youth leaders from all of protestant denominations in Slovakia (who would have thought something like that was even possible back then…).  He created a place where the youth leaders could meet and educate themselves– KPM - National Training Conference For The Youth Leaders (he brought us a model of team work completely different from the model used by the Slovaks which was a “One man show or I have a veto…”). He came up with the thought of creating materials for the youth workers, called Packages (currently called: on line dose) and opened up a whole new world of ideas, experiences and inspirations. He encouraged one of his co-workers to organise the first interdenominational conference for women (so far, there has been seven of these conferences). He was at the very birth of the idea of Open-Air evangelistic festival called CampFest (only time will tell what impact this festival will have on the spiritual awakening of the Slovak people), he was also at the beginning of the Concert of worship and prayer. With God’s help he changed the dream of a safe place for the high school students into reality through Kompas Café (a lot of young people came to Christ because of this service). He started a series of English conversation camps aimed at the high school students. Initiated the work of ACET which is a drug and AIDS prevention program, he established a school of informal education – School for youth workers and Training weekends for teams.  It was him who came up with the idea of working projects to be the bridge between Christians and local communities. He created a space for a couple of missionaries from Slovakia and some foreigners to join in the youth ministry of the local church, and so on.

This is just a partial list of activities and programs which he had his fingers in. A rigorous and impersonal list of events, but God was mightily at work through them and still is today.  But in all this, Danny stayed the same guy. Just like you and I know him, a man with a servant heart. Do you know who washed our stairs just before the KPM, when we were all really busy? No one had suggested it to him, but he has eyes to see what the needs around him are and a heart to help fulfil those needs.

He was always surprising me by his capacity to prepare for the service with the Word and also to serve with the Word. It was apparent that he loved this type of service. That’s why we loved to listen to him so much. From my point of view, Danny is a master at discovering forgotten Bible verses, for example: “Rejoice when you are falling into all sorts of temptations…”,  and of their interpretation. I liked it when he was preaching but I think that he was most effective when he was evangelising young people. I respect him for never changing his target audience to whom he was deeply devoted – young people about high school age.  Danny knew how to make time for those who needed him. He often thought about what is good for others; he wasn’t just looking after himself because he knew that everything that he owned was only in his temporary care and he acted upon it. Humble and serving, with admirable sense of aesthetics, colours and design. Last time when we were in shops together he chose an outfit for my wife which saved me because I could bring her something from my travels. And it fitted her perfectly; apparently he dresses all of his family… Every time when he talked about his family or his wife (to whom he is dearly in love with and who’s love continues to grow with every passing year), it was clear that their marriage is the appropriate standard or an example for a deeply committed relationship and healthy unity.

I saw Danny as a person who was obedient to God’s voice and his guidance. It was always an adventure to work with him. An adventure, which wasn’t always easy to enter, but was worth it in the end. His radical obedience and will to do what God wants, was exemplary. It is his family that I respect even more for obediently following him.

He was always a person you could easily read and was very open. Masquerade and backstage games were foreign to him. Because of this, you would feel totally free in his presence.  And maybe due to this frailty Christ was able to use him in his hands. I was always fascinated by his faith in people that he worked with. He trusted the people that he was meeting or to whom he was serving. It was so visible that I had a sense our Slovak culture, which consisted of achievement and revenge, was not going to be able to get over it. I have a feeling that we did not deserve him here but also that we didn’t appreciate enough of who the Lord had sent us in Danny and his family. And maybe that was the reason why the Lord had called him back…

What shall I write at the end? That Danny was perfect? No he wasn’t, he was far from it! That he was always able to accomplish everything? No he didn’t. And that is the best thing because he was just like us, just like me, only a mere human. Only a fragile instrument which shows of His great power. But a person with a meek heart with Christ in it, lighting up everything in his presence. He taught us grace not just by words but by his life. Grace, which we knew so little about and there is still so much we need to learn. That is why we are going to miss him and his family so much here in Slovakia. If not you, definitely me and my family!

I praise God for His mercy in sending the Jones family here. Please keep using them for your glory.

“Remember your leaders, those who spoke to you the word of God. Consider the outcome of their way of life, and imitate their faith”.
Hebrews 13: 7

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