It Was a Good Morning!

I had a nice conversation with an official of the city of Martin this morning. He asked me how I liked the snow....(to which I replied:Isn't It Spring Yet??! see below)...and he asked me how I was treated by the police (which has been fine)....and the foreign police for my visa (which again I told him was fine)....and then he asked me how the store clerks and shop people treated me. Now, I don't think it is a secret that the store clerks here are not the happiest people on the earth, so I expressed this view to him. He agreed and said he also experienced the difference (he lived in the US for a couple of years...where he said many of the store clerks treated everyone the same and with a friendly attitude). I then told him of the plan I had been working, at the store nearest my dorm, to get the clerks to smile and be friendly with me. I was carrying out my plan with as much frequency as I could - trying to shop there as much as possible instead of going to Billa or Tesco and smiling at them and saying something in Slovak to them, ususally just Dovidenia (goodbye) to which they rarely responded. Anyway, it didn't matter....they were God's and my private little mission. I asked my Slovak teacher to teach me to say 'have a nice day' so I could say that to the clerks. A few days ago, I had the opportunity to use my new phrase! I got in line with my items and as I was quickly bagging up my groceries, (you don't have time for much at the check out - they expect you to move in, through and out the line post haste!), I looked at her, smiled and said 'maj sa krasne'... She gave me a cold, blank stare....so I said 'maj sa krasna?'...'maj sa krasnie?'.....and she repeated the first phrase I said back to me.....without a smile. So I quickly picked up all my things stuffed them in my bag and shuffled to the door. A little embarrassed but undaunted to the task! There happened to be another clerk in the same area who heard and saw the exchange and I think she said something to the cold blank glare girl. Anyway, so I've been back a few times since then - said 'good morning' in Slovak one time and 'good day' another time, but no sense of friendliness between us - just a quick 'good day' on the other end. Ahhh, but then this morning! This morning was a joy to behold! I went to the store to pick up a few things for Bible study tonight....and purposed to use my phrase again....so as I was putting my items on the conveyor belt, I glanced up at the clerk (not the glare girl, but the one who said something to her and who had never smiled at me before either)....and she glanced back at me! I looked again and smiled this time.....she smiled back!! She rung me up, I paid her and as I was stuffing my bag with my groceries, we locked eyes again and with a smile I said 'maj sa krasne'.....and with a smile, she said 'Dakjuem' and then 'maj sa krasne' back to me!!!!!!!!! You'd think I'd have won a million dollars or something! But oh how I Praise the God who makes little smiles worth more than gold!! I can't wait to go back again and see what God has in store for us! Now how do you say 'would you like to come to church with me on Sunday' in Slovak? :o) Thanks for your prayers - you are a great encouragement to me!