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!

Wow, 10 years already?

Ten years! It's really unbelievable. It's already been 10 years since we arrived in Croatia in May of 2000. It seems like an eternity ago and it's hard to remember life before Croatia.

The day we arrived in Croatia, the 23rd of May 2000 I took this picture of our kids outside the airport. They were so little. Cody was 7, Joshua was 4 and Hannah was 2. It seems like a forever ago. Now the kids are all getting ready for birthdays over the next 4 months and they'll be 18, 15 and 13, all teenagers!

I remember when we arrived in Croatia we were determined to stay. A few had gone before us but were never able to last for one reason or another. Life was hard and very lonely here in Croatia. I remember determining in my heart that we would not be quitters. We would not quit! (I understand that many missionaries are forced off the field for very good reasons and or God moves them, please don't misunderstand) We decided that we would remove the Quit word from our vocabulary just as we had the Divorce word from our marriage. 

Call it stubbornness, heard-headedness, luck, or grace, either way, we made it 10 years. All those times when we thought we couldn't stand, He proved us wrong by holding us up when we were weak. We owe all praise and glory to the Lord for nothing good happens without Him. We're so excited and looking forward to the next 10.

BTW, let me throw in what a sheer privilege it is to serve Him in Croatia. Wow, what did we do to deserve His trust? We're not forced to live in Croatia and be missionaries, no, we're allowed and so blessed. 

Our very good friend Pastor James Rasbeary who pastors at Lighthouse Baptist in Wylie, Tx wrote us this super-special poem for our 10 anniversary in Croatia. He is an excellent poet and he posts many of his poems on his poetry blog, Fitly Spoken. If you read anything read The Critic and the Contender, my fav!

TEN YEARS IN CROATIA

By James Rasbeary

June 1, 2010

Nigh onto twenty years ago,

The saving grace of God did find

A man whom sin so long did blind,

And made him a new creature; 

And by that same grace he did grow

And felt God's call to others go 

As His own gospel preacher.

In God's will this new man did go,

But God did not send him alone

To face and brave the storms unknown;

A sweet help meet for His man

God's loving grace did also make,

His own cup of life to partake,

As they pursued God's plan.

Some fields are cold and hard; e'en so,

God sends strong men to work therein;

The Lord needs someone to begin

To plow the hard, fallow ground;

It oft takes years of faithful pain 

'Fore the harvest of golden grain 

And we bring our sheaves in bound.

Ten years - it seems so long ago

When they flew to that far off place

With trembl'ng heart and tear-stained face;

What a journey they began!

Their work has been divinely blessed

And other men have joined their quest-

A team compiled in God's plan.

We are proud of our friends, although 

'Tis hard to be so far away.

Still, we want them to faithful stay

In their own appointed place.

A nation of souls needs them more;

We have eternity in store

When we have finished our race.

Thanks Bro. James, it means a lot.


Anyhow, I just wanted to share this belated anniversary with you folks. I'm so thankful for God's sustaining grace when we needed it and will need it.


Where ever you serve, be faithful!

Two Weeks,Too Long!

Wow, I can't even believe that it's already been two weeks since I left Croatia for my little trip to the States. I have to be honest; as much as I liked seeing family, friends and Wal-mart, I was dying to get back to home. I missed Johnny more than I can say and the kids, well I called the several times daily.God has been so good to me. I have the most wonderful husband ever, great kids and the privilege of getting to live in Croatia and work for Him. Hey and by the way, I don't have to live in Croatia, I am blessed to get to. He is way too good to me!

Anyhow, I noticed something very interesting while I was in the states...

I remember moving to Croatia in 2000 and with everything being so different it was hard not to compare Croatia to the U.S.. I caught myself constantly saying how much better things were in Croatia. For instance: grocery stores were better, bigger, larger selection, just better some how. Our roads were wider, we had Pay at the Pump, people were mostly on time, and just things like that.

During my time in the states I noticed a change, in me! I was no longer comparing the U.S. to Croatia and Croatia coming up short. No, now it was all turned around. I caught myself comparing the U.S. to Croatia and Croatia winning most of the time. ***No, I am not against the U.S., I love it and it'll always be home*** but I guess after 10 years in Croatia my likes have changed. I prefer the small grocery down the road. I like having less choices, it saves me time and why waste all that extra space for huge cars when we manage rather well with our small ones.

I don't know if this means I am getting liberal or just love the home God has called me to. I don't know but it sure helps with a contented life.

Anyhow, while I was gone everyone here was hard at work. They had Friend Day and my son Cody sang. *PROUD* I'm am so proud of him and thank God for him daily.

So I know this post is actually overdue and I have been home for two weeks already but better late than never! I have really fallen behind in my blogging and even considered doing away with it but I think I'm gonna stick it out and work a little harder to share what life throws our way here in Croatia.

Many thanks to those of you who are faithful readers and many prayers.

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)