Hello, November

This last week has been a very full and very busy week, but it has also been a very good week. The week began as Monday was All Saints Day, a national holiday here in Croatia. On this day not only does the entire city of Zagreb shut down, but many Croatians take time that day to remember and reverence the lives of loved ones, leaders, saints, and martyrs who have passed on. Several of us were able to observe this tradition as we visited the major cemetery in the city. The number of people present, candles lit, and flowers put out on the graves of loved ones, throughout the cemetery was astounding. The candles that had been set up around the crucifix in the middle of the cemetery, making a cross shape, feeling the space where the shadow of the cross would usually fall was overwhelming to see. It was interesting to be able to observe first hand this tradition that has played a role in Croatian culture for centuries and to see how the memory of the lives of those who have passed on is valued, remembered, and held sacred by the people here.

Crucifix surrounded by candles.

President's grave

The week continued, being filled with spending time connecting to new friends that we have and are making here. We did this through coffee dates, lunches, playing soccer, Frisbee, bowling, and dinners. It is exciting and encouraging to be building friendships and to be learning about how we can get connected and best be a part of the community.

As the week came to a close, Hillsong London, an internationally known praise band, was leading a worship service here in Zagreb. We were excited about it and really looking forward to it. We have all been missing our home churches and missing singing worship songs in English, just missing what is familiar to us. And we knew going to Hillsong would be an awesome dose of that for us. And it was all of those things and it was refreshing for all of us. But the coolest and unexpected part of the night was that since we went with some of our friends from Zagreb it ended up being a really cool time of getting to worship with them in a setting that is very familiar to us. Along with this, as the worship band led us in the song “How Great is Our God”, at the close of the song the congregation kind of took over the song, singing it in Croatian. It was a cool moment of seeing a room full of Croatians, our age, taking on worship, praise, and their faith for themselves. And it was ironic that as much as we had been excited about being there for the familiar, in the end we were left realizing that this is why we are here and being aware of the blessing it was to worship with them and to be a part of that moment with them.

Here is a link to the part of the service described above:

Hillsong London LIVE Zagreb 2010