I have recently had several opportunities to work with our teens. One Saturday in March I was invited by the church in Varaždin (about an hour’s drive north of Zagreb) to go teach a class for teens. Last week I led the teen discussion group at our annual spiritual renewal retreat on the coast. Last month we also celebrated Melkior’s birthday. Melkior is the 14 year old whom I am mentoring in our church in Zagreb. Pray for these teens, that they will come to know and desire Life in Jesus!

With Teens in Varaždin

Spring Retreat

Melkior’s Birthday

 

Several of our students (and two faculty members) this winter formed a “Futsal” team, representing Biblijski institut. Futsal is indoor soccer, played in a gymnasium. The team is led by student Filip Grujić and sponsored by staff and faculty member Ivan Karadža. They have been competing in a Zagreb inter-university league. Most of the other teams in the league represent much larger schools and have been playing together as teams much longer than our students. As a result, our team has experienced more losses than victories. However, through it all, they have displayed great sportsmanship, and have been a witness for Christ in the way they play together, support each other, and pray together before games. This has also been a great boost for the spirit of unity and fellowship among our students, faculty, and staff. To celebrate the end of the season, a match was organized between the student Futsal team and faculty (photo below). Yes, I even played! Afterwards everyone went out for pizza together. As we were sitting around the table I was thinking that we had together there a good portion of both the present and future leadership of the church in Zagreb, enjoying great fellowship and the unity of the Spirit. That gave me great joy and hope for the future of the Kingdom here. It also reinforced for me the importance of what we are doing here. We are all proud of these men for wanting to do something like this together, as well as for representing us and Christ’s kingdom well. Way to go guys!

Well, it seems I haven’t posted on here in a while. I spent three weeks in December in Texas. While it was great to be with my family for some time around Christmas, it was also a time full of visiting with supporters, mailing ministry reports, and so on. I arrived back in Zagreb on January 1, 2013, after spending new year’s eve somewhere over the Atlantic Ocean. Then last week we had a record snowfall in Zagreb. We had about 2 1/2 feet of snow last Monday, and then more kept coming throughout the week. They said this was the most snowfall in one day in Zagreb since 1920. Needless to say, things were rather slow last week. We even cancelled some classes at the institute. It was more a week of trying to keep the snow at bay with shovels, staying warm and fed, and staying safe in transit when we did have to leave the house. Thankfully this week it is warming up and things are getting a bit more back to normal. Now it’s back to finishing up the semester. I will wrap up my teaching duties for this academic year next week. Then I have several projects for the institute and the church that I will either start or continue, one of them being starting the administrative preparations for our Champs Camp, which will again be held in June. But we are supposed to have a bit more snow again later this week. Below are photos from around my apartment last week:

Last Thursday evening I went to Varaždin, a small city in the northern part of Croatia. I was invited by a church there to come to their Thanksgiving celebration. They used this as an evangelistic event and they invited several people with whom they have been studying the Bible. I was one of two Americans they invited to share about the history and meaning of Thanksgiving. Then on Saturday, we had our Thanksgiving gathering of American expats at the home of Tom and Sandra Sibley, just outside Zagreb. There were about 30 or more of us there. Since Thanksgiving Thursday is just another regular working day in Croatia, we do this on Saturday. This gathering has been a tradition for the last few years and this year was very special. We had a great lunch all together, our teens led us in (English!) worship, and we sat around sharing with each other and encouraging one another.

This semester, in addition to my other duties, I am teaching a course at Biblijski institut. I am teaching “Introduction to Pedagogy.” This course is basically about teaching our students how to teach others, in whatever setting they find themselves. With my Master’s degree in Education, I am qualified to teach this course to our Bachelor’s level students. Our class meets for 2-3 hours each week. The semester lasts until the end of January and the final exam will be in February. This weekend I invited the class to my apartment for dinner. The photos here are from class last week and from dinner at my place this weekend. I am enjoying this opportunity to get to know some of our students at a deeper level.

I preached today for our church here in Zagreb. Along with churches around the world on this Sunday, we focused on the plight of orphans and God’s call of His followers to care for them. I preached on the topic, “Fields of the Fatherless.” I also shared some very personal examples and experiences, from my own life and that of my family, of God using His people to provide for orphans. I’m still very mindful and prayerful for my friend Vova, and many others in Ukraine. God help us to increasingly be the hands and feet of Jesus to these ones who are so on His heart.

Today is the 2nd anniversary of my move to Croatia. This morning I read today’s selection in Oswald Chambers’ devotional book, My Utmost for His Highest. It is amazing to me how timely and applicable readings from that book can be. Today was no exception. It was a great gift from God in confirming my life and work with Biblijski institut here in Croatia:

“One student a year who hears God’s call would be sufficient for God to have called this College into existence. This College as an organization is not worth anything, it is not academic; it is for nothing else but for God to help himself to lives. Is He going to help Himself to us, or are we taken up with our conception of what we are going to be?”

 What a blessing this week has been. I spent three days in the coastal city of Split, Croatia, as one of 250 missionary guests of an organization called the Christian Hospitality Network (CHN). They paid for rooms and two meals per day for all of us at the Le Meridian Lav Hotel, right outside of Split. They provided foot and hand massages for everyone, and had letters waiting for us from family and friends. There was also a time of worship together each evening. They wanted no thanks for this, but rather wanted to thank and honor us for our service far from our home country and our families. It was a good time of relaxing and refreshing, and being with other missionaries from all over Europe and parts of Africa. This Sunday, CHN’s team will be in Zagreb before they fly home on Monday. I will be their host for church, lunch, and a tour of the old town. Thank you God for this blessing.

 

On Saturday, October 6, we had our ceremony honoring our graduates for 2012. We celebrated this milestone with eight students. One received a Certificate in Christian Service, five received Bachelor’s degrees in Theology, and we had two receiving the Master of Arts in Christian Ministry from Abilene Christian University. ACU sent two representatives for the occasion. One of whom was Dr. Mark Hamilton, Associate Dean of ACU’s Graduate School of Theology. He also gave the keynote speech. As usual, I served in many “behind-the-scenes” roles for this event. Please join us in thanking God for these eight students, and in praying for them and their future ministries.

Sunday was a busy and important day. In the morning I was present at the baptism of Petra Erceg. I have worked with Petra at various camps and youth meetings over the last three years. While I am by no means the only person who has had spiritual input into her life, I like to think that I have had some part in encouraging her decision to follow Jesus. Afterwards at lunch Petra expressed her gratitude for the role I have played in leading up to this day in her life. I was very proud of her and felt honored to be a part of her day. Please pray along with me for this young lady and her new life in Jesus. Later in the day, I attended the birthday party of one of the children of my new neighbors. These neighbors are nice people and great neighbors and their children are very special. I gave as a birthday present a copy of the new illustrated children’s story Bible that Biblijski institut published last year. Pray also for my relationship with this family and for opportunities to show them Jesus. Photos of Petra’s baptism are below.