Late in the spring, at one of our last youth meetings of the last school year, we asked the teens to respond to a survey, giving us some feedback about our ministry. One of the questions we asked them was, “What would you like more of at our Friday youth meetings?” We were pleased to see a good number of them respond to that question by saying they want more in-depth, serious Bible study. Just last Friday we had the first of what we hope will be many of these evenings of study. We started a study of the book of Philippians. This fall we are doing this once per month, and then, after the winter school break, we plan to go to twice per month, alternating on Friday evenings with our regular youth meetings. We are excited that these teens want to spend their Friday evenings in these ways! Please pray that these evenings of group Bible study will challenge our youth to grow in their faith, and in a closer walk with God.

This month we have had our usual great group of young people attending our youth meetings. This fall we are having on average around 25 kids each time. We are grateful that young people who joined us several years ago, as well as just last year, all want to come; learn more about God; and enjoy fellowship with one another. Sofia and Kristina also brought their friend, Anya, and we are excited to get to know her better! This month we invited the teens to write down questions they would like us to answer during our meetings. Please pray that, with God’s help, we will be able to answer their questions in a way that helps them truly understand more about Him and draws them closer to Jesus.

Petar and his brother, Ivan, have been part of our youth activities for several years now. Petar’s family is also part of the church where I worship and serve in leadership. Petar turned 18 this month. Last Saturday, several of the men in our church and I had a special evening for Petar (photo above, Peter in blue hoodie). We all came together with Petar one evening at my house and shared a meal. We also gathered around Petar and prayed over him, for God’s blessings and guidance as he enters into manhood. Each of the men had also written a personal letter to Petar, affirming the good qualities they see in him, as well as how they see God moving in his life. We spent some time encouraging Petar, and reading our letters to him. We gave all our letters to him, bound in a notebook, along with scripture passages that we feel are important for Petar. We also gave Petar a Bible, inside a nice, leather case. It was a great evening of blessing and encouragement for this young man.

The Dean of the Zagreb Bible Institute invited me to participate in a conference they sponsored last Saturday. The conference was about discipleship with children and young people. It was part of a series of conferences the Institute has presented, which in turn have been part of the research they have done about discipleship among churches in Croatia. I was part of the panel dealing with the question of discipleship with teenagers. So I got to speak about what I feel is the most important part of my work: Sharing Jesus with the young men I meet with individually. At the end of the conference, the Dean presented their research findings. Over 60% of respondents to their church survey here said their most effective discipleship efforts with youth occur one-on-one or in small groups. This affirmed what I shared about my approach with youth.

The week after school started, in the middle of this month, we had a Back-to-School gathering with our youth group, in my backyard. We prayed over the young people, for God’s blessings and guidance as they begin the new school year. We also shared a short devotional with them. I encouraged them to think about two questions throughout the year: What does God mean to me? And, What does God want most of all from me? We also enjoyed a cookout, s’mores, games, worship, and fellowship together. It was a joyful time with the youth as we started another school year together.

A tradition with our church in Zagreb is our back to school blessing for our kids and teens, on the Sunday before school starts. I led this yesterday, as I usually do. I preached about our young people as a vital and important part of our faith community, and their value to us and to God. The teens also participated in different parts of the worship. At the end of the service, we gathered around them as a church body, asking God’s blessing and guidance for them for this school year. Please pray along with us for these great young people; for their growth in knowledge; strength and health of body; and an ever increasing love for God and a desire to follow Jesus with their lives.

In Croatia, school always starts after the first of September. This year it starts on Monday, September 7. So this week, as a “last summer hurrah” before schools starts, I took some of the boys on a two night camping trip. Our tradition the last few years has been for them to come and spend a night or two at my house the week before school starts. This year we decided to go camping. On the campout with me were Adam, Noa, Marko, Matej, Patrik, Dominik, Petar, and Ivan. We enjoyed camping in tents, fellowship, a lot of swimming, and some spiritual lessons and discussions both evenings. While I was gone with the boys, the girls invaded my house. It is a joy and honor for me to spend time with these young men.

Last week I was at the annual Bible Camp of the Churches of Christ in Croatia. Now held on one of the islands in the Adriatic Sea, this was the 57th year the churches have held this camp. With me at the camp for the week were many of the teens with whom I work year-round. Ivan (my co-minister at our church) and I led the teens’ discussion group each afternoon. We are in the photo below with the group.

Two special Ukrainian boys, Andrei and Timofei, were also at the camp with us. They are part of all our youth activities and God is developing in them a strong faith and desire to follow Jesus. Their parents wrote this to me after the camp:

Also at the camp were the Ukrainian orphan kids with whom we have been working the last four years. It has been since all the camps last summer that three of the eight have chosen to be baptized. They are all important to our church. They are pictured in the photo above at the camp (Thanks to Jeremiah’s Hope for the photo).

I mentioned in my last post that I went to the USA this summer with Adam, one of the teens I disciple, to join my brother and his teenage son on a backpacking trip to Mount Hope, in southwest Colorado. This is an area where we have been backpacking since we were teens. Before attempting to summit Mount Hope, we prayed for wisdom and clear weather. When we reached the top of the ridge that leads to the summit, it was foggy, with a strong wind blowing (photo above). We knew it was not wise to continue further that day. We were all disappointed, but we tried again the next day. The photo below was taken in the very spot where we turned back the first day. Later, Adam said: “We prayed for wisdom and clear weather. We got wisdom the first day and clear weather the second day.” I was reminded that, when walking with God, wisdom and clarity don’t always come at the same time. I was also reminded of a quote by a favorite author: “You can have understanding (clarity), or you can have Jesus.”

Two days after the American group left, after the Youth Camp was over, I departed for the USA. I took Adam along with me. Adam is one of the young men with whom I work one-on-one, in Bible study and discipling. He is also the son of one of my co-ministers in our church. Our main purpose for the trip was to join my brother, Justin, and his teenage son, William (photo at bottom, center) on a backpacking trip in Colorado. We hiked the same trail and climbed the same mountain (Mount Hope, photos above and below, left) that I did on my first backpacking trip as a 13 year old, 45 years ago this summer! As happens most times on trips like this, we saw amazing nature and wildlife (including a Bald Eagle!), and learned lessons about ourselves and about God. The old man’s knees and ankles even did great! We also visited some of my supporting churches, as well as people at the church in Brownwood, Texas, where Adam’s Dad came to faith in Jesus as a foreign exchange student in high school. The photo at below, right is Adam reading scripture in the Leander Church of Christ, one of my supporting churches.