Something that has taken a good bit of my attention this spring is helping my family with a major transition with my father. My Dad had a stroke five years ago. He does fairly well, he just can’t live by himself. In February when I was with him it became apparent that we needed to make a change in his living arrangements. My sister and her husband are buying Dad’s house and moving in with their family, and Dad is building a new apartment for himself attached to the garage. So he will still live on the property with my sister and her family, but have his own living space. In April, I went back to Texas for two weeks to help get the house cleared out and ready for my sister and family to move in. It meant going through 75 years of Dad’s life and 51 years of his marriage with my mother. Some days it was working 12-14 hours. When I returned to Croatia after this trip, I was two weeks behind on various aspects of work here. So it also has meant working long hours since I have been back. After Dad selected what he wanted to keep in his new apartment, all the siblings came to get the things out of the house that we wanted. All of my selections went to storage, awaiting a container that will be shipped to Croatia, probably sometime next year. Then we sold, threw away, and gave away what was left. It was a combination of a lot of hard work and a lot of various emotions. Below are photos of the house in process, and Dad’s new apartment under construction. One serendipity in all this was that it was bluebonnet time in Texas, something I rarely get to see now.

In March we were once again on the coast for our spring spiritual renewal retreat. We had a great group of guests from Lexington, Kentucky, and Nashville, Tennessee. These dear friends came to share great preaching each evening; as well as to share Jesus, and themselves, with our youth. They shared with the youth about life in Christ and finding our identity in Him. This group connected well with our youth and were a great blessing to them. A particularly meaningful activity with the youth is pictured below. Each one was given a puzzle piece, with a “paint by number” on one side. They then colored their puzzle piece and put their name and “Imago Dei” (Image of God) on the other side. On the last day we put the puzzle together and Jeremy talked about what it means: How we are connected to Jesus as people who wear his image, and that we are connected to each other, and that we all have a part to play in God’s Kingdom. Many thanks to Jeremy and Suzanna Stewart, and Amanda Jones, for coming to pour into the lives of our youth, and for encouraging and loving them so well.

So much has been happening that I have not updated this blog in a long time. I am going to attempt to correct that oversight in several posts over the next few days, and starting here:

In February, we at Biblijski institut received a candidacy visit from representatives of the European Evangelical Accrediting Association (EEAA). They are an organization that accredits theological seminaries throughout Europe. Their report as a result of the visit was overall positive, with improvements needed in just a few key areas. The accreditation visit will likely happen shortly after the first of next year. Below are some photos from our first meeting together as a faculty and staff, after this candidacy visit. This was the beginning of our work in three different groups. One of the areas we are working on is becoming more collaborative in our work, in such a way that everyone is familiar with various goals and processes, and so can explain the key ideals and learning outcomes of the school to anyone who may ask. Over this year, these three groups will work through the areas identified by EEAA that need improvement, coming up with recommendations and concrete plans for implementation. We are meeting frequently in these groups, and monthly together as a faculty and staff to share our progress and conclusions with everyone. In this way we hope together to become a better and closer learning community.

Another great way I started the New Year was by helping to lead, and participating in our winter Champs Camp at our church/institute building on January 8 and 9. As usual, the kids enjoyed Bible lessons, singing, games, and crafts. Almost all of the kids that came were ones from the first summer Champs Camp that we actually held at our building last summer. Several of the parents also stayed around talking to us, and asking questions and expressing interest in programs and activities of the church. Please keep praying for this ongoing outreach to our community.

Last week, on New Year’s Day, I started the day by driving up into the mountains west of Zagreb to my friend Zoran’s house, who lives out there. We hiked to the top of the hill above his house and then enjoyed a visit over coffee and cake in his home, along with his mother. From his place you can see all the way north to the Kamnik Alps in Slovenia, and south into Bosnia.

Then, that evening I went to a candle light evening of worship at the International Church of Christ in Zagreb. I frequently spend time with friends at this congregation at their midweek service most weeks. It was a great way to welcome in the New Year!

The second week of August found us on the island of Ugljan for the 46th annual family camp of the Churches of Christ in Croatia. I arrived in Zagreb the day before the camp from a two week trip to the USA. So I went down to camp a day late, along with one church member who also needed to go a day late. We enjoyed a great week of fellowship and Bible teaching. I was one of several who slept out in a tent, as we are having more and more people each year who want to participate in the camp and we don’t have enough cabins for everyone. Toward the end of the week we had two days of very heavy rain, so I was wet those two days. All of that was well worth it, as on the last day of the camp I had the privilege to baptize one of our youth. Tin is his name. Mislav has been working with him towards this point for several months. His family has been part of our congregation for several years, but he has been away from the church and from God for a few years. God’s Spirit has done a tremendous work in his life and heart over the last year. It was actually a surprise to me that he wanted me to baptize him. But he said something like, “I want you to do it because of the impact you and your words had on my life in our youth group a few years ago.” It was a reminder to me that sometimes we might not know in the moment how God’s Spirit is using us to touch someone’s heart for Jesus. This was definitely a highlight of my year. Mislav also baptized another one of our youth, Karen. Please pray for Tin and Karen, that they continue to grow strong in their faith. And pray for us, as we continue to disciple them in their walks with Jesus.

I am quite behind in updating the news of the summer. Here’s an attempt to get back on track. July14-17 found about 25 of us at our first ever Youth Camp for teenagers from our churches, and other friends. I led the team putting the camp together. We held the camp at a planinarski dom (mountain house) near the town of Daruvar. For these four days the teens enjoyed Bible lessons on the theme of, “We Found Love in a Hopeless Place.” There was also lots of singing, playing, evening campfires, and trips to a local water park. One of the key parts of the camp were the groups that the teens spent time in, processing the Bible lessons for each day. These groups were led by adults from our churches. Included in these groups were times of blessing and encouragement for the teens. The groups also played games together as a team. All of this established a family atmosphere in the groups that contributed to the success of the camp. The camp was well received by teens and adults alike and some asked about future such experiences. Please pray for our youth to grow and increase in their desire to follow Jesus.