NGO and Growth

Hello to all!

I hope all of you have been having a good week.

As you know we've been continuing to try and figure out what it means to be the Body of Christ here.  Part of this is beginning to concretely try to answer questions of "Who are we, and what will we be about?"  Out of our meetings, help from others and prayer we are trying to begin something tangible, recognized by the government and something we can continue to let grow.  What we would call an NGO (non-governmental organization), or what Croatians would call an Udruga (oo droo gaw).  We have been continuing to discuss what this will look like and why.  One of the larger picture things that will define us from the very beginning is the difference between an international NGO or a domestic NGO.  The international NGO is easier to create with less work to begin it.  For the domestic NGO it takes more work and you have to have a native Croatian on the initial constructing board.  We are prayerfully entering into the domestic.  What do we hope this will communicate?  We are here to stay.  We want this to be something Croatian people have been a part of from the very beginning.  We want Croatian people to take pride in what they have invested into, hoping in the end that it will be something that is completely passed onto Croatian leadership and sustaining.  Not even passed onto, but grown into.    This is something extremely exciting because the church and what this NGO will be about go hand in hand.  One will not exist without the other.  In fact, they will be one and the same.

Within this process we need the Lord in every single step.  Nothing is worth it if he isn't with us.  We ask that you would pray for us to have wisdom and discernment, that God would raise up a Croatian leader/partner for this and in the midst of it all we can love as God as loved us.  Thank you all for supporting us over the past almost 9 months.  I thank God for you, and I pray you live in the blessing of life continually.

Jerry

Inviting & Our Neighborhood

Over the past several months and weeks, our team has been praying, dreaming, and collaborating together about how the church could begin to grow here, and begin to be a part of the life of the community here, being a part of meeting the needs here.

As we have been doing this we have been discussing what it would mean to create a place where people could go, feel that they belong and that they are a part of something, a place where people would learn and grow in Christ together. This week we are beginning a time of Bible study and worship as a team and that we can invite people and friends too. While discussing some of the logistical things such as when and where, times and dates, of planning when the best time of the week is for people to come together, one of our teammates expressed that a part of people becoming a part of the church, a part of the people of God, means first just inviting them to be a part of the regular patterns of life of the church. Moments of worship, prayer, praise, service, and of growth, are all a part of the life of faith. And for people to see that, we simply have to invite them in to share life with us, to be a part of these patterns of the life of faith that are already happening in and among us.

I think I sometimes easily slip into the perspective of thinking of serving, living faithfully, and expressing Christ's love to others as always being us going and doing specific acts of service, or always looking for new ways that we can be meeting the needs around us. And often times this is a huge part of the life of faith. However, these words were a reminder to me that in many ways expressing Christ's love to others means simply living the life of faith and inviting people to be a part of that life with us.

Henri Nouwen speaks into this same idea in one of his writings. In the passage he is feeling overwhelmed by being busy and the stress of finding time to prepare to lead all of the things that are being asked of him. When discussing his stress with a friend this is the response he received, "The question you see is not to prepare but to live in a state of ongoing preparedness. One time you call is preaching, the next time teaching, then counseling, or later administration. But let them be a part of your life in God- that is ministering."

And I hope that this could be a reminder to you as well, to be inviting people in to your life, and into your space, letting them be a part of your moments of worship, praise, growth, and even struggle, so that others can see how God is moving and working.

Also, and on a different note, we realized that we have not put up pictures of the area where we live for you guys to see it. So here are a few new pictures of our neighborhood. Enjoy!

Our neighborhood is called Vrbani.

Our apartment building.

The park/playgnoud in front of our building

The market and snack stand (Tisak) beside our building.

The walkway to the large park and lake across the street from where we live.

The lake near our apartment

This is where we (and half of Zagreb) love to be on warm, sunny days!

The local produce market where we shop.

Trusting and Growing.

Well blogging world, it's been awhile...I feel it's only right to share a little about where I've been in the past few months but if it goes long I apologize.

After a really long period of questions, difficulties and discoveries I feel like I've been being led on a journey of learning what it means to be emptied. I think I prayed a lot in the past about being emptied, but this a new kind of being emptied. In the past it was always because I felt like there was something blocking me from God. Or maybe there was something I knew that I shouldn't be doing or should work on. But this time, I didn't ask for it, which always makes it harder right? :) I also watched parts of me seem to disappear that I didn't want to lose and didn't understand why I should. Parts of my personality, passions and past interests. It was hard.

But to say God has been faithful here would be the understatement of the year. God has been beyond faithful(I'm not really sure what that would be called, maybe just take what I've normally thought about God's faithfulness and multiply by 47 and that's how obvious and huge his faithful presence has been here) So in that you'd think it would be much easier to trust God in all things. But, as humans we fail sometimes, and sometimes I fail at trusting, even when I really want to.

I recently have been given a lot of opportunities to practice trusting and I think slowly but surely I am getting better. With a lot of help from others I am finally being able to not just want to trust God but really trust him. Even in the crazy circumstances or hard times. I don't feel a big sense of loss as I see myself change or be emptied.

So, maybe sometimes God empties us completely to get us out of the way of ourselves. Sometimes we might be functioning well as an individual. We might be good at things and excelling all by ourselves, and feeling pretty good in that.  But the more I'm here, living life with an amazing group of people, and trying to learn what the church does here in Croatia, I'm learning that I'm not just an individual. Maybe I lose parts of me to better become apart of a community and in turn a better member of the kingdom of God. Someone recently said the kingdom of God is found in community. It's about community. So, I'm being molded to be a part of the this community here and in the bigger picture a part of the people of God. And if that means I'm infinitely aware of more things that I'm not as good at or successful in, so long as I'm going through it with my community and growing together...okay. In that I'm trusting God knows what I will be, who I will be and where I'll end up.

 Four words: Growing up is crazy!

So, in addition to letting you know where I am, know that there is a lot going on here. We are still continuing with our school work, trying new things and spending time helping other ministries, establishing some of our own and just learning. I put up a few pictures for you. Notice the 3rd picture..just to let you know we are now proud owners of library card. (this is mostly for me who can't seem to do my homework in my apartment) And Hope and I took an art class here in Croatia. I definitely don't claim to be artistic but I will say this is probably the height of my talents. So enjoy :)

Oh, and Happy April! I always think of April as the first real month of Spring. March is a little indecisive, always back and forth between winter and spring, but April always seems to come through. So, hopefully in whatever part of the world you are in, April comes through with Spring for you too. :)

emily

Spring Brings Sunshine and New Opportunities

After the long winter, we have been anxiously awaiting spring’s arrival along with it’s warm rays of sunshine, new life, and blossoming flowers and plants. As I type this blog, I am sitting by our window in 64 degree weather with the sun streaming in on my face, catching a little Vitamin D- it feels great! It felt like the sun had been hiding for the majority of the time since about November, so we are hoping it sticks around for a while! J

The past couple weeks have also brought a few different opportunities our way. Hope and I were able to go to Samobor with an American missionary friend and two Croatians as a part of the work of Love in Action (the nonprofit organization we received our visas under). Samobor is a village not far from Zagreb. We started out the trip by going to the store to buy groceries and evenly distributing the goods in about 8 huge bags. Then we took the food and other goods to several impoverished families throughout Samobor. I was glad to get a different view of Croatia from the village instead of in the city. I enjoyed seeing how the people that we went with who had been involved with the ministry for a while had established relationships with the people whose houses we visited. It was nice to be able to have a small part in those interactions.

Also, this past week on Wednesday, Betsy, Hope, and I went to a high school in a village about an hour away to teach a workshop in English. There were different workshops offered throughout the week and the administrators of the school like to find native English speakers to teach some of the workshops since all of the students are learning English at the school. We were told to pick a topic and that we could integrate God/the gospel into the lesson. We chose to speak on respect. We taught a different aspect of respect, having each different topic correspond with each letter of respect. Some of the themes included the golden rule, living by example, self-respect, choosing to be a positive influence, and respecting and caring for others. We encouraged the students to get involved by asking them what respect meant to them and how we can show respect. Then we split them into groups and had them present what they came up with. Some wrote short stories, poems, and we even had some perform songs with guitars. I really enjoyed interacting with the two different classes of students we had and seeing them engage in the workshop. Our friend, Vlado, who is involved with Exchanged Life Ministries and is the connection we had with the school also invited us to be involved with some other opportunities with students. We were thankful to meet another brother in Christ serving here faithfully. He was incredibly hospitable and offered to be a helping hand in any way possible.

There are other things we have been working on as a team with our life and ministry here and we will keep you updated as they continue to take shape. We appreciate your involvement and for keeping up with us! We are thankful for what God is doing and are excited to see what He continues to do. I feel blessed to be a part of this team here in Croatia and am thankful for God’s continued faithfulness.

Love and blessings,

Brittany

Life in Croatia

Hello to all!

This past month has held for us a continued process of shaping.  Each one of us are continuing to learn what it means to be faithful in so many aspects of life.  For me personally, I can't really even begin to put down how God has been transforming me.  I've really been learning more and more to allow everyday, every situation be a means of God's transforming love and grace.  Just this morning I had to remember the great love of God, and that no matter the chaos or peace my life is--God loves me.  That love led God to change his identity forever--the Son became flesh.  Through the resurrected Christ we (humanity) can truly find a home in the life of God because God has truly embraced humanity.  Amazing.

On a different note, it has been a good transition with the Scotts being here, and we are excited about the possibilities.  We are building community together and from that we are dreaming of what the roots of the church is going to be about.  I remember a Croatian telling us that as the Nazarene church we will be known for something.  What is it that we'll be known for?  How will we contribute to God moving here in Croatia?  We are praying through what that could mean.  We invited you to pray with us about that as well.  It is great because we are also doing these things on more of a ground level.  Each of us are investing ourselves into different things and people.

I also recently moved in with two Croatian guys--Marko and Darko.  It will be interesting as we continue to learn more about each other, our respective languages and the differences of our culture.  I truly believe we can move forward in grace, patience and love with each other to learn.  I'll tell one story that is already precious to me.  Warning...this story may make zero sense to some of you, but I ask you to suffer through it ha :).  Marko recently acquired a bread baking machine.  When the machine is on it makes a continued noise for a period as it is stirring the ingredients--like a ruh ruh ruh ruh.  (I know that makes a lot of sense ha).  I decided it sounded like a cool beat, so I decided to begin dancing in my chair as we were already eating bread together late at night.  Marko and Darko joined.  I stood up and began dancing as if I was a puppet on strings.  They lost it!!!  I think we were laughing for a solid 20 minutes as we deemed the new bread baking machine "D.J. Baker."  Yes, he takes requests.

I hope this has been enjoyable for you to read, and we really need to get better about this blogging thing ;).  Sorry for the long pause.  Hope you have a good day, and as people here say "Vidimo se (pronounced veedeemo say)".  Literally "we see ourselves"...but "see you later."

Blessings

Dobro Došli (Welcome) Scotts!

Hey everyone! A new update for you:

The Scott's are here! Dave, Betsy, and JJ Scott arrived in Zagreb on Monday! After months of preparation and anticipation, the Scott's have finally been able to join us here in Zagreb. The Scott's were previously living and serving in France for nearly a year. Now they have committed to living and serving in Croatia for the next several years. Dave, Betsy, and JJ, their five year old son, are awesome and we are so glad to have them here with us.

Remember the Scott's in your prayers as they are getting settled here in Zagreb, entering into language school and kindergarten (for JJ of course), and transitioning into life and culture here in Croatia. Pray for us as a team as we begin to figure out what it looks like for the seven of us to serve together and to support one another here as a team.

That's all for now.

Hope

I often write prayers out in a journal that I keep. I enjoy going back and reading over journal entries/prayers that I wrote in the past. It's interesting to see what was going on in my life on a certain day or during a particular time period and to see how God has moved/is still moving. I love reading over prayers that have now been answered or situations that have now been worked out. Of course there are some prayers that continued to be lifted up, but God is ever-present even in those and still teaching me as He walks beside me. 

Sometimes I read over prayers in which I see that my mindset has shifted because of the place to which God has now brought me. Sometimes I find myself struggling with the same things or asking the same questions I was a year ago, but I have found God revealing himself in new ways and helping me view things from different and refreshed perspectives. I am so thankful for the way in which God reveals himself to me, whether it's through His Word, silent reassurance, another brother or sister in Christ, or any of the other creative ways God steps into our lives and makes himself known.

I was thinking about learning Croatian and trying to make myself use it as much as possible. It seems as though we have to teach ourselves to think differently as we learn a new language, to try and get to the point where we think of things in the new language instead of our first language. Maybe as we learn how to be God's people in each changing season, he molds us to think differently, to the way that He would view life instead of the way that we would view life before we were transformed by His love and mercy. 

I thank God for His patience with me and for the way that He can take any situation, whether big or small, difficult or pleasant, and use it to reveal Himself to me and shape me for His purpose. May we see the things/situations God places in our lives as learning experiences in which God teaches us more about Himself and transforms us. Let us passionately seek Him even when we may not realize for what purpose we are in each season of our lives. 

-Brittany

p.s. Speaking of prayers, we just want to thank all of you for each and every prayer that you have lifted up for us and let you know how much we appreciate them! It is evident that we have people around the world praying and that God is present and working. So thanks again and keep 'em coming! :) God bless.

Jezik!!! (Language)

I wonder if there is an expression for trying to pack your brain full of a new language.  Maybe it is something along the lines of "Wow!  Calm down language!"  or even "Smiri se jezik!"

As Hope mentioned, we have started a three week intensive course to help us in the process of learning Croatian.  We have such a deep drive to learn how to communicate with the people here in their native tongue.  We hope that in our continual process of learning it (and speaking it), it will communicate love to the people around us.  I thought it would be good for you to have some pictures of us in language class since that is taking up a lot of our time which you can see below.

Other than that, we are preparing for the Scott's to be here.  The official green light for their new home should happen on Monday!!!!  Isn't that crazy?  Thank you so much for all the prayers.  We ask that you would continue to pray for their arrival here, the process to get registered, figuring out life here for them and just being a part of what's happening here in Croatia.

I would also like to say I had the honor of preaching at one of the church communities we are a part of here.  It was special for me because I had the opportunity to share about my dad.  It was special because God is able to use that story, and the continued process of it, to reach into the hearts and minds of people.  I'm thankful God redeems all things.  Please if God has moved in your life, share your story, rather God's story, with others.

May you live into the life God gives to us through Jesus in a new way this week.

Jerry

The Break Is Over

During the holidays and as the new year begins, Croatia takes a kind of hiatus. Many things, places and businesses slow down, if they do not come to a complete stop all together. People take a break and slow down from their usual routine. They take a break and take time to rest so that they are refreshed and ready for what the new year will bring. Our team decided to follow suit over the past few weeks and took time to rest, to enjoy the holiday time, to be together and with friends around us, and to study language in the free time we had.

This week is the first week of everything beginning again and daily routines being back in full swing. Students are back in school, businesses are open, and the city is busy. So this week has meant the same for us. This week is the beginning of a busy time for us of school, language classes, volunteering, research, and visitors. This week began with us beginning a three week intensive Croatian language course at a Language Academy. And already, only two days out, we are realizing that the class is allowing us to learn a ton but is pushing us to think and to take in as much of the Croatian language as possible during each class. Also, in the next few weeks, each of us will begin to again plug into the different places that we are serving and volunteering in the community here. And next week, the Scotts, will finally be arriving to be here with us, and we cannot wait to be able to help them get settled in! 

As I was thinking through the time of break and rest that just ended and got ready for and entered into the normal busy routine of daily life, I have been thinking about how awesome it is to be here in Croatia, and to be able to be a part of life here in the different seasons, times, and rhythms of life. To be able to more fully learn about the culture and life here in Zagreb, by having the opportunity to be a part of life here and to share life during the different times of life. We get to be a part of the busy times of life, the restful and refreshing times, the holidays and celebratory times, and the day to day normal routine times of life. We get to be a part of and understand what life is like here in its many different times and phases. We are experiencing some of the different times of life for the people here and get to live in those times with them. And I am thankful to be able to be a part of life here, in all its different seasons.


Hope

The New Year

Well, there seems to be a lot to make up for. We hope that everyone had a Merry Christmas, or Sretan Božić and Happy New Year! (Sretna Nova Godina). We apologize for our long absence on the blog and promise that it is not going to become a habit. The Christmas season was just as busy here as it is for all of you in your part of the world. However, through all the running around, we also had some good time to relax as most of the city and families have "holiday time" for about 2 weeks. 

So, things have been busy. We've all started to find things to plug into here. Some of us are volunteering with a few different organizations. Brittany and Jerry are both involved in sports clubs, frisbee and soccer, and have been able to really begin establishing great relationships through doing things they love. We are thankful for all the doors that God opens here. We're also still becoming more involved with the existing missionary community and amazed everyday but the way in which they interact and treat each other as a community of God's people. We are incredibly blessed with great supporters and mentors here within the missionary community. 

We finally got our visa situation all worked out and have official visas in our passports! This was a huge answer to lots of prayer and a lot of time and paperwork. It's kinda the last step to starting to feel settled. We also begin an intensive language course tomorrow for the next few weeks and are excited to see how that goes and hoping for the best. Also, the Scotts (see there website here ) will be arriving in the next couple weeks as they transition from being in France to Croatia and we are so excited to work with them and have them here with us. 

So all in all things are going really well. We've still had our days of frustration and craziness, mixed in with a little sickness over the past few weeks for a few of us, but we are still amazed everyday at how God is so faithful and provides for us. We appreciate all the prayers and ask you to continue praying with us as God leads us and shows us what he has in store for us for the next 7 months or so. We've spent this past week talking as a group and spending time one-on-one just talking and praying about being here and how to best be apart of what God is doing. The phrase we said a lot was 'God is doing something in Croatia and we want to be apart of it ' before we came. And I think we'd all be in agreement that God is doing something great here and while somedays we aren't positive about our role in it we are still seeking and learning everyday what it means to be used by God and surrendered to his roles for us here. He is doing something here and we feel privileged to be apart of it. So please continue to pray with us and thank you so much for all of your support. We can't wait to see what 2011 looks like here in Croatia. 

'The rain and snow come down from the heavens and stay on the ground to water the earth. They cause the grain to grow, producing seed for the farmer and bread for the hungry. It is the same with my word. I send it out, and it always produces fruit. It will accomplish all I want it to, and it will prosper everywhere I send it.' Isaiah 55: 10-11

 

His Body

As I was having my devotions the other day, I came across these words from St. Theresa of Avila:

"Christ has

No body now on earth but yours;

No hands but yours;

No feet but your yours;

Yours are the eyes

Through which is to look out 

Christ's compassion to the world;

Yours are the feet

With which he is to go about 

Doing good;

Yours are the hands

With which he is to bless now."

What a powerful picture of what it means for us to truly be the body of Christ. This challenges me to see all that I do as a testimony of my Lord Jesus Christ. How might we change the way we live if we really thought that we were the only representatives of Christ here on earth to the people with whom we come in contact? If I was the one and only display of Jesus to someone, how might I be more intentional about the way I live? We have all been given quite a responsibility as Christ's body.

However, we are inadequate. I am reminded of my inadequacy pretty much everyday. I realize that I can't do this. There's no way I can be here in Croatia attempting to represent the Savior of the world- Who am I?...But God reassures me. He reminds me to recognize my inadequacy as an opportunity to lean all the more on Him, to trust Him in everything. He reminds me that it is through my weakness that He displays His strength.

I thank God for allowing me to be part of this journey and I continually ask Him to better equip me to be His hands and feet in a world that is hurting to know Him more. 

Thank you for following along with us and for every prayer that you have lifted up. We so much appreciate all your love and support. 

May we all seek to discover the ways in which our Father can use us to be His love, wherever in the world we may be. 

Blessings,

Brittany

Still Students

This week we have a huge project due for the class we're taking from NTS.  We have visited museums this week to help us along in the process of finishing it.  I think its been a great thing since often times to understand who we are now, we must look back to who we were and what has shaped us.  Of course looking at old artifacts and reading descriptions of history dating back to the 12th century to present can be a lot, it helps to see broad strokes of the complex history that has shaped present day Croatia.  It helps me to remember there is a greater picture than what is right in front of me.  Cultures, towns, people--all have been shaped by different things.  Who is this other person? 

Its been interesting to hear different perspectives from people we've talked to.  Emily and I talked with a "priest of students" on Wednesday morning.  He is a passionate man ready to stand for the truth.  Another man at one of the museums who worked there saw us examining a picture of Ban Jelačič's wife in which he began a long explanation of their marriage.  You could hear in his voice the great interest he had in the subject.  I think he may have felt like he took too much time when he finished because he said, "Sorry to keep you."  It wasn't keeping us at all!  It was great.  Another guy who I play frisbee with teaches here in Zagreb at the university level (he actually lived in Seattle for a long  time--you wouldn't guess he's Croatian by his American English accent) has written a lot about topics of Croatian issues.  In fact he told me he was invited to a party with the president last week.  He laughed and said, "There was the president, about 300 or so famous people....and me."  I can tell in his attitude when I begin to ask him questions, or say things like "I have to sit down and just listen to you sometime" that his apprecation for a shared interest comes out. 

I say all of this to say simply that Croatia is a small country, but there is such diversity of where people are at, what they are passionate about and how that shapes a greater community.  We have only begun scratching the surfaces of the rich diversity of Croatia.  It is our honor to continue to interact within this history presently.  We tread gently as we hope to continue to learn what it means to be God's people here within this broader scope.  Thanks to all for your prayers and support, and I ask that you would continue to come along side us on this exciting adventure.  Have a great day!

Jerry

Dan Zahvalnosti (A Day of Thanksgiving)

 I am writing this to you guys on a train, as our team makes its way back to Zagreb tonight. We took a train earlier this week across Eastern Europe to Sofia, Bulgaria. We were able to spend the holiday week there with the Sunbergs, their family, and the rest of their team there in Sofia. It was a great time of rest and recuperation, new cultural experiences (mostly from the train ride, of course), of friendship and good company. We enjoyed lots of food, played games, rested, shared a meal with the church there, got to see and learn about some of the city and history of Sofia, were able to see and hear about what the church is doing there, and really just got to enjoy being together.

Before arriving in Sofia, there had been moments where the four of us and the Sunbergs had said how good it would be to be able to be in the same place at the same time and really get to spend time together and get to know one another better.  And this week was a great time to be able to do that. During our time there I found myself being incredibly thankful for community, and for getting to be a part of the faith community that I am surrounded by. It is awesome to feel the love and support of those who are serving the church in other parts of the world, and to be able to love and support them in return. There is a mutual bond that brings us together because we are serving together. And even though there are countries and many miles between us it is affirming to know that although we serve in different places, we serve together as the body of Christ.

Last time we blogged, Emily wrote to you about being thankful to be a part of the many things that God is doing.  I think our visit to Sofia was an awesome way for us to see what God is doing in other parts of Europe and how, even just in our love and support of those serving in these other areas, we also get to be a part of how God is moving and working in these different places.

And this of course leads me to once again thank each of you for your love, prayers, and support. For being a part of this with us, as we serve the church together in different parts of the world. So thanks. Your prayers, love, and support are vital to what we doing here and to how God is moving and working here.

And now we headed back to Zagreb. And we are all looking forward to going back and to seeing how God is going to continue to work and move among us, and to see how he uses us, as just a small part of the many things he is doing among His church and His people.

That is all for now. I hope each of you, likewise, enjoyed your holiday, finding yourself cared for in community.

Hope

Thankful

Thanksgiving time already? Crazy. I'm sure those of you back in the States feel similar to us. We can hardly believe that we've been here for almost 3 months already. We've even gotten a little nostalgic this past week. Sometimes we look around and remind each other of the first time we saw the city, the main square, all the times we got lost or went the wrong way and how we swore we'd never learn to get around. But here we are, having to remind ourselves of those moments we were in awe and for the most part we've stopped getting lost. 

We have a lot to be thankful for this year. This past week we started the process to officially have our visa for the next year. We were connected with an American missionary family who had an organization that would be able to invite us as volunteers and so we are pursuing that and should have our visas sometime next month. Thank you to all of you that have been praying with us for this to work out. It's a huge step and things are looking really positive. This visa procedure has also allowed us to become better connected with the missionary community here in Zagreb and for that we are most thankful. They have truly shown us God's community here as they have taken us in and gone above and beyond to be helpful. 

We also got the opportunity to spend time with some of our Croatian friends this past week too. Jerry's spent a lot of time with his frisbee team and gotten to build relationships there. We spent Friday evening at Jadranka and Vito's for my birthday and it was a great birthday. She made me some Spanish inspired food and it was a great night of awesome food, time with friends and our Croatian parents that we love so much for taking care of us those first few weeks. We also had our first big gathering at our apartment so we could get some help with the 2 cakes I got for my birthday. We also made salsa and queso for them and it was a hit. Overall, we have just really begun to feel a little more at home, like this is where we are and live. And that is something we are beyond thankful for. 

In talking with Vito and Jandranka this past weekend Vito mentioned something that has stuck with me. We were having our nostalgic moment( I told you we were having them a lot), remembering our first night in Zagreb when Vito took us for chevapi and ice cream in the Centar and just telling them for the thousandth time how much we appreciated them taking care of us and he shared with us again the story of how we came to stay with them. For those of you who don't know it was pretty last minute and their son had just left for London to study hours before. Yeah, they are completely amazing for taking us in.  They said how they liked having us because the house could be full again even though they were missing their son. Then Vito said "I think God does that. He often does not just one thing but more than one that work together good: like our son leaving and you coming. We both needed that." 

So this Thanksgiving I'm thankful to be apart of the many things God is doing. Grateful to be serving a God that weaves many things together for good and humbled to be learning from the amazing people he has given us as friends here in Croatia. Happy Thanksgiving Week! 

A Learning Process

I have found that moving to a new culture where so much is unknown sometimes feels like starting from square one. Obviously the language barrier is a challenge. Those 16 verb types and 7 different cases in which different words must be formed depending on what part of the sentence they are can be pretty intimidating. However, when successful communication is made in Croatian, you better believe we are pumped! I mean, where's the challenge unless you are learning a language that some say is harder than Mandarin Chinese? :) We've decided it's even more of a victory when we get phrases down. 

Sometimes it's easy to catch a distant vibe from Croatians, even feeling discouraged when your smile or friendly greeting is met with a blank stare. We've discovered that though Croatians may appear standoffish from a first impression, once you get past the initial meeting, a whole new world is opened up. Our experience has been that generally Croatians are very open once you start to get to know them. We've found that our Croatian friends are more than willing to help in whatever way possible and would do anything for us. We couldn't have made it without those who have welcomed us in since we've been here. 

We've also learned things like the fact that Croatians don't believe in street signs. Well, not like those we have in the States. How do we get around? you may be asking…Very carefully…also by looking at buildings located on corners for the names of streets posted on them. It just makes finding things more of an adventure, one could say. Also, while learning the ropes of public transportation, we've learned essential things like you better get out of the way of the tram doors if they are closing, because there are no motion sensors keeping those guys from closing right in on ya. 

These are just glimpses of the learning process of which we are now a part. On a more serious note, through this journey of learning day to day things, I find myself asking so many questions and wanting to know the answers now. I desire to know what that next step looks like or what direction in which to go. During a time where there is much unknown and many circumstances out of my control, God is teaching me to wait and to learn to relinquish control. He is teaching me to be patient and to trust in His timing. 

As I found myself asking the tough questions, I am challenged by the words of Oswald Chambers in My Utmost for His Highest: "God by His providence brings you into circumstances that you cannot understand at all, but the Spirit of God understands. God is bringing you into places and among people and into conditions in order that the intercession of the Spirit in you may take a particular line. Never put your hand in front of the circumstances and say - I am going to be my own providence here, I must watch this, and guard that. All your circumstances are in the hand of God, therefore never think it strange concerning the circumstances you are in."

May our Heavenly Father continue to guide us here each day. May we be patient as we learn our role here and be faithful to join Him in what He is already doing. We pray that when we feel as if we have no idea what we are doing, He would lead us even still in the unknown circumstances and that we would trust that His hand is in it all. We pray that His greatness would somehow be displayed through our inadequacy as He continues to teach us what it means to be His people. 

Brittany

Unexpected

It has been such a blessing having chances to get to know people.  I went to dinner Monday night with a friend I had met at the beginning of our time here for the first time.  Marko is 32 years old, is married and has a baby girl.  We met nearby the church he goes to and went for pizza at a local restaurant.  There wasn't much time spent on formalities.  We were both truly interested in the other person.  He asked me things like, "How are you really doing here in Croatia?" and "What do you want to do with your life?"  I asked how life had been for him.  We also got into a discussion about historical and current nationalism, the current political scene in Croatia (more specifically the Prime Minister and President--they have a Parlimentary style government), and what He thinks God is doing right now (confessing to not have the whole picture).  All this happening as we took turns not eating our pizza to speak. 

Afterwards, he invited me over his house for tea.  We picked up his little girl from her grandparent's house, and went to his home.  It was there I got to share with him more about things close to my heart.  He did the same thing, and it was beautiful to see.  It was at some point he mentioned he had been wanting to spend time with me for a while.  He said there was just something about me that he liked.  It made me turn to a point of thankfulness. 

Why would God love me in this way?  How is that God is so present in the simplest of things?  It makes me sometimes tread in "fear and trembling" as Paul puts it because God--holy and awesome--chooses to inhabit and work through such fragile things as human beings.  Its such a freeing thing when I realize I don't have to force anything.  God is working in, through and around a cup of tea/coffee with a friend, throwing a frisbee around, quiet prayer alone, corporate worship, the sound of the trees dancing to the wind, a soft tear of joy or sorrow, laughter--pretty much anything.  It hits me at a different level of freedom when I recognize God isn't asking for what I can do for Him, but who I can be for Him.  All of life becomes an opportunity to experience and share the beauty of God.  I think a scary word "secular" comes to mind.  It actually just means "ordinary."  The secular, or ordinary, things become a means for the grace of God.  Praise be to God.

Now on a totally different note--a couple funny things I have taken note of.  1) A lady walking with their version of crutches slowly cutting me off on the sidewalk while staring over her shoulder at me.  2) An older man covering his head with his hand while its raining as if saying to the world, "Yes, I think this protects me from the rain."  3)  Since the trams are a great place of awkwardness I decided to "model" all the way down it.  I hope you can enjoy just a little of what I did experiencing these awesome things.  :)

Jerry

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

Doviđenja

First, I want to thank everyone for your prayers and support. Sharing this new adventure and experience of life with Jerry, Emily, Brittany, and Hope has been a blessing to my life beyond words. The friends I’ve made since my time in this country will not easily be forgotten, as the time we’ve spent together has left an incredible imprint on my life. In the recent weeks, I've been faced with a very crucial decision; that being, whether or not I should continue on with this adventure. During my time here, it became evident to me that I was being led to follow another path. The team and I prayed extensively about it, and we decided that it would be best for me to come back home. I want to assure everyone that everything is okay, nothing bad happened to initiate this decision, I just believe that I am being led elsewhere. Leaving the country of Croatia, the team, and the amazing people of this country was one of the most difficult decisions I’ve ever made in my life. I’ll never forget this experience for as long as I live. Again, I thank all of you for your prayers and support, and will now join with you as we continue our support for the Croatia team.

bok

michael

Learning Togetherness

First, let me apologize for the delay in this blog post. It's been almost a week and we are sorry to have not kept all of you that are involved in what's happening here in the loop of things lately. We appreciate your support, prayers and general interest in our lives and will try and be better about keeping you informed. In saying all that, I tell you that the past week or so has been a crazy one, but full of graciousness and God's presence as well. So while this post might not give the best insight into all the tasks or events we have had, it's our explanation of our hearts and minds right now after coming through what could be considered the hardest but best week here.

When we came here we knew we were in for a lot of new. New culture, new language, new friends, new just about everything. So in knowing that, we braced ourselves for some serious learning, and learning is what we've done. We've learned so much in the past 2 months, from books to conversations to simple observation. Things like: tram systems, shopping or ordering food, kunas and lipas (currency), how to conjugate two of the sixteen verb types, Croatian hospitality, a little Croatian grammar, plenty of Croatian words, cultural norms and customs, a city with streets and squares and everything in between, (overwhelmed?) and we know we have a great amount left to learn. We're excited about it, despite being a lot, it really is fascinating and we love the learning.

In the midst of all these lessons, some of which just started this past week, we also learned one of the most invaluable things to all of us: the gift of each other. Throughout all this learning we've obviously had success, failed miserably, laughed and even cried. And all of that would be really overwhelming if it wasn't for the reality of togetherness. In the midst of knowing our need for God, we didn't fully recognize our need for each other, our community. Sometimes it takes tough decisions, hard choices and a sense of loss or brokenness to learn the incredible value of your community. No matter how messy or how great things get, we see God teaching us what it really means to do this together, with the support and love that comes from being apart of the people of God. Real community or togetherness is complex and hard to really get, it's honestly just uncomfortable. But in being able to face some real challenges this week we redefined for ourselves what it means to really love one another as members of God's people in the day to day. And as we learn that we are so excited to see how that helps us be better bearers of that love to the people of Croatia.

We are encouraged by statements such as this one:

'In community we are no longer a mass of helpless individuals, but are transformed into one people of God. In community, our fears and anger are transformed by God's unconditional love, and we become gentle manifestation of God's boundless compassion. In community, our lives become compassionate lives because in the way we live and work together. God's compassion becomes present in the midst of a broken world.'  -(from Nouwen, McNeill and Morrison's book Compassion) 

We hope this is true of us as we continue to seek to really be a community of faith here. So we ask that you pray for us as we let God teach us in the midst of all our other learning. And we pray that wherever you are and whatever community you find yourself in this week, you seek the joy and peace that comes from doing life together and allow that to be the manifestation of God's love and work where you are as well.

Thanks for keeping up with us.

Emily