How quickly life changes.

So Sunday was Friend Day in Varaždin and we had a great day. We didn't have anyone saved but we had several visitors and a great day of fellowship. The church in Varaždin is growing weekly or at least having visitors in the services. The new building is such a blesing and so much larger than the old one. We have a nursery upstairs along with a room for SS and a kitchen. We're ecstatic and can't wait to see what God is going to do with this new work. 

Bro. Scott and Cody singing.

Sunday night after the services in Čakovec we came home and laid around a bit before bed. About 12:30 my head began to hit really bad and it continued until I feel asleep. I don't like to take medicines so I usually try to sleep my headaches off. Anyhow, at 1:30 I woke up with a pounding headache and Johnny suggested I go ahead and take something for it. I headed downstairs and then back up. When I started to go into my bedroom I felt a rush of nausea, I told johnny I had to vomit and I took a step into the bathroom. The next thing I knew I was on the ground trying to find which way was up. I called for Johnny while grabbing the radiator to pull myself up. I opened my eyes a minute or so later and had no idea how I got to where I was laying. Johnny said that it looked as if I had a seizure and he was calling our equivalent of 911. The paramedics came and the next thing I knew I was being admitted.
Monday morning the tests began. They weren't for sure but they thought it could either be bleeding on the brain, a stroke or even a tumor. The CT scan didn't show any bleeding or tumors. They pretty much ruled out a stroke. Anyhow over the next 3 days they ran all sorts of tests and found a problem with swelling in the back of my eyes. I have perfect blood pressure, sugar, thyroid and all so there was really no reason for this swelling except maybe a brain problem.

They also found out that C4 and C5 in my cervical spine and deteriorating. They said I have the cervical spine of an old woman, I call my neck EDNA now.

I have a doctors appointment on Monday, then to the eye specialist on Wednesday or Thursday and then an MRI on Friday. Please pray with me that the MRI will find nothing and that they can treat my eye problem. I guess for my neck, just pray for God's healing.

I'm home after 4 days but Johnny's making sure I'm taking it easy, he's so good.

Oh yea and Yesterday was Hannah's 13th birthday. We officially have all teenagers. Please pray that we survive!!

Sometimes you have to fight!

It's true, sometimes we have to fight for the things that are really important in life. 

I run a van route to Gypsy village in Trnovec which is about 25 minutes from church. I usually have 9 or 10 kids come on the van but this last Sunday was different. 

3 children got in the van and shut the door. I was confused. "Where are the others?", I asked. The kids proceeded to tell me that they weren't allowed to come to our church any more.

I was in shock. If you have ever been a "bus captain" then you know what I was feeling. You get close to these kids. They become "your kids". 

So the kids told me that there was one old woman in their village that was spreading lies about our church. 

She said that if you were christened in a Catholic church and then you went to a Baptist church than that meant that you served two different gods. Then she said that as Baptists we allow our sons and daughters to marry each other, within one family, brothers and sisters. WHAT?? Are you kidding me? We found out later from one of Bro. Sam's new converts that this rumor has been circulation for years and it sounds like it was started by someone in the Catholic church. She also said that if you were a Baptist or went to one of our churches than you would have ciaos in the home. That Baptists had very crazy homes and had no peace. 

Anyhow, I drove my 3 kids to church and was so upset. It was like someone had taken something from me of great value and SHE did. After church when I took the kids home I made an date to come back out there to the village and have an open meeting of sorts for them to ask anything they wanted so the lies could be cleared up. 

Yesterday Johnny, myself, Bro. Rich, Bro. Sam, Bro. Scott and Bro. Alen all went out to the village. The parents of the 3 children welcomed us to their home and Bro. Rich began to witness to these folks. He went through the plan of salvation very thoroughly and then gave those who wanted to an opportunity to be saved. Both parents of the 3 children prayed and a few others standing around also. Praise the Lord! I don't pretend to know the hearts of these people but it doesn't take a lot to ask Jesus to save you. 

After the Gospel was presented we answered questions, well Johnny and Bro. Rich basically. After wards the  dad of the 3 told said, "So what I'm understanding is that you keep coming back to the Bible, that's what is so important." WOW, he got it!

As we were getting ready to leave tons of children came up to me and asked if they could come to church. It was sad because I only have a 9 seater van and there were way more than 9 children who wanted to come. Praise the Lord! He is so good to give us ministries and people to serve. I'm blessed to know these children and maybe, just maybe one day I'll see one or more of them give their lives to Jesus to reach their own people. That's my prayer and I know He hears it.

Some things and people are worth fighting for. Sometimes we give up way too easy and the Devil easily wins the battle. We need to get tough and fight back a little, claim what is God's for God. 

Incredible Blessing!

Any of you who follow either my blog or Johnny's know that children have a special place in our ministry. We know that they are the next missionaries, preachers and church members of tomorrow. They are the hope of our grandchildren. The only hope they have of living in a Godly world.

Reaching adults in Croatia is often next to impossible. Many of them will receive Christ's free gift but refuse to serve Him. We're trying to train these children from early youth to love Jesus and serve Him.

Anyoo, we have been running to van routes for years. I run one to a Gypsy village in Trnovec along with Traci and Johnny runs one to Pribislavec with Bro. Scott. These children come from very difficult homes and are many times starved for real affection. I love these children. They mean so much to me. Anyhow, back to subject. Johnny has been using our big red church van for his route for years and I usually pack out my 7 seater with up to 12 people on my route. Well we have been really heart broken lately because big red has been very sick and finally hit bottom.

We have been praying for the money to buy a new church van for a while and God answered our prayers with a miracle a few weeks ago. A man that we have never met but attends a like minded church decided to be used of God to meet our need. Actually he meet the need but giving not only enough money to replace Big Red but also enough to buy yet another van. So now we have 2- 9 seater vans.

We are so thankful for our Brother in Christ who chose to be used of God. Not only were we able to purchase two vans but we had enough money left over to have the church name and phone number on the side of the van along with a Scripture verse. We also had enough money left over to tint the windows on both vans. Tint is very important because it allows us to pack out 9 seater vans with double the occupancy allowed without drawing attention to ourselves by the local law keepers. I know we shouldn't drive more than we have room for but who has the heart to tell someone that there isn't room for them to come to church, NOT ME!

Hey God loves these people and they're worth all the work and money it takes to get then to His house.
Many thanks to all those who gave toward this need, thanks for being used!

Stop that car!

Well Sunday was a great day in church, regardless of the members who chose not to come.We still had a great time and the singing was wonderful.

At the church in Čakovec we have our main meeting of the week at 6pm. We used to have Sunday school for the children and the main meeting. Well we ran into a problem; no room for all the children who wanted to come to church. This was a problem so we decided to start another service on Sunday at 4 and have all the children in that service in a big Sunday school so we would be able to use the auditorium to fit them all.

Okay so I said all that to tell you this. Sunday at 3:30 I went to pick up my van route in a little Gypsy village called Trnovec. I have a 7 seater van and on Sunday there were 10 of us in the van which is against the law in Croatia. Anyhow, we had SS and then at 5 I had to take them home and run my route for the six o'clock meeting when all the adults come. So I'm taking my kids home and we're zipping along with I see the "sucker". The little hand wand that looks like a sucker is what a policeman in Croatia uses to stop you for speeding or really any offense. So I see this guy and start to pull over while panicking inside at the fact that I have 8 unsecured persons in my van plus two adults.

The policeman walks up to my window and informs me that I was speeding and that since I was going 20 kilometers over the limit I was getting a 500 Kuna ($100) ticket. He asked me if I had the 500 Kuna on me to pay instantly or if he needed to write me a ticket. I was like, yea let me dig into my overflowing wallet for 500 Kunas worth of pocket change.

I was actually doing 72 km in a 50 zone. So he asks for my license and paperwork and I start looking for it. I find my insurance and paperwork and then I did my Texas license out of my wallet only to be dumbfounded. On that license in clear print is said: DATE OF EXPIRATION: 3/26/2010. UUUUGGG! Now I'm panicking because I just realized that not only do I have 8 unsecured children in my van but I also have an expired license. Are you kidding me? How did this happen? I can't even believe that the expiration on my liscense was out, even though at the beginning of the year I faintly remember thinking that i needed to renew. 

As the policeman walked over to a policewoman and started talking I quickly called Johnny and told him to pray. Pray about the license, speeding and all the kids thrown in the back of my van. Later I found out that he and Bro. Scott and immediately prayed for the situation.

A minute later the female police officer asked me too come across the street for a little chat. I walked over and she began asking all sorts of questions. She and the policeman kept passing my expired license back and forth and then laid in in plain sight on the hood of the cruiser. We soon found out that we live in the same village and share some village gossip about the priest that was being let go because he got his girlfriend pregnant. So we're carrying on here by the car and I'm explaining that I'm taking children home for SS and where we were from and all. Anyhow in the end she hands me the ticket and  I say "Thank you" like and idiot and go on my way.

Traci and I are talking after I left about how blessed I was that they didn't notice that my license was out and what a miracle it was. I was okay with the ticket since it could have been so much better. The policeman never asked to look into the van and since my windows and almost black tinted they were none the wiser. 

Finally we slowly make it back to the church and everyone congratulates me and we all have a laugh. I take my ticket out to show Ljubica (national pastor's wife that used to work for the police) and she starts to bust out laughing. Laughing??? What's so funny? She nearly hollers out, "It's not a ticket, it's a warning!". NO WAY! I'm thinking you have got to be kidding me. The male police said I was getting a ticket, he even tried to get me to pay it. It must have been my God sent, gossiping police woman who decided to give me a warning. WOW, God is so good. 

So the the jest of the whole story is that I made it through the traffic stop without getting into any trouble for the speeding, expired license and the child endangerment. WOW! God sure is good. 

Just wanted to share this with you so you could rejoice and be amazed with me!!

*Updated to include:
Since I haven't renewed my license in person in more than 10 years I will have to go to the US to renew it. I need my license, I run a van route for church and without a license the folks that come with me on Sunday would be out of luck. Huge bummer but God has supplied a way.
Not too long ago I found out my mom was having complete shoulder replacement and would be in the hospital for a little while. She's 60 this year and I have never really been "there" for her since we have always been here. Anyhow with this whole license problem and my moms surgery I will be going back to the states soon. Praise the Lord we have a United Mileage Plus card and we have racked up enough miles for a FREE ticket.  So I'll be in the states for the next two weeks and visiting Wal-mart often! :0)