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.

Last week we held our teen camp in the mountains, and it was our biggest one ever! There were over 80 of us altogether, including more than 40 of our young people (Croatian youth, and Ukrainian youth living in Croatia); volunteers from Zagreb; and 28 Americans (both teens and youth leaders) from the Southside Church of Christ in Lexington, Kentucky, one of my supporting churches. We truly had a special and blessed time together. The theme of the camp was, Unfiltered: Seeing Jesus as He Really Is. Me, my Croatian co-worker, Mateja, along with Jeremy and Allie (Southside Youth Minister and summer Youth Intern) shared evening Bible messages about the real Jesus, and how He wants to meet us without masks or filters, and how we need to see and experience Him for who He truly is. Each day was filled with discussion groups; worship in Croatian, English, and Ukrainian; games; sports; crafts; prayer; and wonderful fellowship. Many of the teens said this was the best camp ever. Many of them shared that their favorite part was the worship and prayer time, both as a large group, and when the adults spent time praying with each teen individually.

The young people from the church in Lexington led most of the worship times, and it was truly inspirational. After the Wednesday evening worship and lesson, there came a spontaneous time of prayer (photo above), with groups of the young people staying afterward, praying together, and for one another. This went on for over an hour. Many of the teens stayed in the room for that, instead of going outside for s’mores. We are so thankful for the way God worked in all of their hearts. The photo below is what one of the Ukrainian boys (Timofei, or Timi) showed many of us on his phone after the camp was over. This sums it up well.

Much thanks to the Leander Church of Christ, in Leander, Texas (just north of Austin) for coming on board in support of our camps!

Champs Camp was last week. This year we had around 25 children and 13 teen volunteers. Our theme was, Kingdom Rock: Where Kids Stand Strong for God. Each day we enjoyed celebrating together through fun Christian songs, Bible lessons, discussions, object lessons, crafts, Superbook videos, games, fellowship, and delicious food. It was especially encouraging to see our teenagers serving the younger children. Some of the kids returned from last year, and we also welcomed several new ones. A few of them are already excited to join our youth group once they turn 12.

The Saturday before Champs Camp, we had our teen volunteers together for a day of training and team building. Many of these teenagers were once campers themselves, and now they want to help make this camp happen for the younger kids. After we finished Champs Camp, we took our teen volunteers on a three day trip to the coast. They spent a lot of time on the sea and hanging out during the day. And then we offered them some spiritual food in the evenings. These teens are also active with us throughout the school year, and most of them will come to our Youth Camp for teens in the mountains next month.

This last Sunday, Kolya surrendered his life to Jesus and was baptized. He is one of the Ukrainian orphans who have been with us the last few years. Kolya is 17 years old. He has a charismatic personality and a kind heart. After spending time studying the Bible with me, and our Ukrainian friend, Dima Grishchuk, and talking and praying together, he said that he was ready to give his life to Jesus and be baptized. He said that he has actually been thinking about this since the last camp at the end of last summer. The photo above right is the teenagers at the church surrounding Kolya and praying for him after his baptism.

I preached twice this month for the Ukrainian fellowship that is meeting on Sunday afternoons in the building where our Croatian church meets on Sunday mornings. This fellowship was started by Dima and Yulia Grishchuk. I worked with Dima in orphan ministry 20 years ago in Donetsk, Ukraine. Yulia and their girls came to us in the Spring of 2022, shortly after the war started in Ukraine. They have seen several people come to faith and decide to be baptized, including several teens who come to all our youth activities. In fact, all of their kids and teens are involved with us. God is moving among them. They have 20-25 people meeting together, all of whom came to Croatia to escape the war in their country.