I'm starting to see a trend.....it's 1 a.m.....for real! There have been so many great moments the last few days. One today was when Ray and were walking in Cakovec (a village near Brezje where Mladen lives and we played baseball the first year). There was a little street fair going on. I asked a lady what it was for, since it was a Friday afternoon, and she told me the children learn to make traditional crafts and items at school during the year and then they have this fair and sell the items at the end of the school year. So that was a nice little story. I bought one of her items. Then we walked down two more tables and some kids were looking at us a whispering. I guessed we looked different and I had on my ACU shirt so I think they were talking about that too. Then one says, "Jura! Jura!" (a very common name here, so I didn't think anything of it...yet) and lo and behold it's one of the kids we played baseball with two years ago. And then another. And then another one. Jura immediately asked me, "How is Jonathan?" :-) They were selling little painted wooden step-stools and children's chairs, so when you see the one in our house you will know where it came from.
We also spent more time with several church members the last few days. We've been to Zvonko and Zlata's home in the gypsy village. We've been to Darko and Miljenka's apartment. We visited Nadica's house twice. We've been to Josip and Ana's twice. Tomorrow we will go to Sasa and Danjella's house for dinner. But first we will have sarma, a Croatian dish with cabbage and sausage and potatoes. Apparently it is a "winter" food, but they are making it special for us since Nancy always talks so highly of it and I wondered what it was.
Tonight we did a mini-marriage seminar with 5 couples attending. It was blessed to be sure. We were anxious about the difference in cultures and generations, but of course we are all far more similar than different. We talked about God's commandements for husbands and wives to love and respect one another and the differences between the two. Then we briefly talked about the "5 Love Languages", which is available in Croatian so some were familiar. But the fun came when they all did the Lion, Otter, Beaver, Golden Retriever tests. I didn't know if it would make sense to them, but they loved it. And I could tell by their responses that they truly understood the concept. For those who know them, Josip and Ana are both Lions, but she is also a high Golden and he is a very high Otter. Ray commented that their house must be very loud. That was met with a lot of laughing and head shaking from their son, daughter-in-law, and grandson. Ana assured us she is a very faithful (Golden Retriever) Lion.
There will be more stories to tell when we are face to face. We thank you for your prayers and encouragement. We certainly can sense them. This week has flown by and though we are more than ready to see our kids, we wish there was more time too. Next time..... :-) We love you all!
Friday, May 27, 2011
Wednesday, May 25, 2011
Here we are again headed towards 1 am, however this time it is because of a full schedule, not a lack of sleepiness. I can't describe to you what a blessing our brothers and sisters here are to us. We come to encourage, but just as the teacher learns more than the students, they are the ones blessing us. Again tonight we were blessed with time together talking to God. This time with only Mladen and Renata. It is mutually a relief and encouragement to talk about worries and challenges and dreams as an international church family. And to pray and cry together as we seek what God would have for both of our families.
Today was another busy day. We took Hana to school and then shopped for lunch ingredients in the local open-air market (one of my favorite Croatian places!) We then registered our visit at the police station and then spent lunch and planning with Kavan and Molly. Their LST information meeting was tonight and it went well, from an observer's point. I will allow them to update you more specifically.
Following the meeting was Wednesday night class for the congregation. It was nice to see more familiar faces. Especially Darko and his wife, Miljenka. We look forward to time in their home tomorrow evening.
Last night we spent time with the weekly prayer meeting. As I thought about it today I continued to be in awe of the Spirit's aid in helping us all communicate. Instead of the common term "spiritual eyes", we definitely have been blessed with "spiritual ears". We cannot understand the literal words, but the emotions, the train of thought, the heart, shines through and leaves no doubt. It is in the eye contact. It is in shared tears. It is in a hand grasped during prayer. It is in a hug that communicates a year's worth of missing each other. If you don't believe the Spirit is alive and well today, come to Croatia. They will show you.
Today was another busy day. We took Hana to school and then shopped for lunch ingredients in the local open-air market (one of my favorite Croatian places!) We then registered our visit at the police station and then spent lunch and planning with Kavan and Molly. Their LST information meeting was tonight and it went well, from an observer's point. I will allow them to update you more specifically.
Following the meeting was Wednesday night class for the congregation. It was nice to see more familiar faces. Especially Darko and his wife, Miljenka. We look forward to time in their home tomorrow evening.
Last night we spent time with the weekly prayer meeting. As I thought about it today I continued to be in awe of the Spirit's aid in helping us all communicate. Instead of the common term "spiritual eyes", we definitely have been blessed with "spiritual ears". We cannot understand the literal words, but the emotions, the train of thought, the heart, shines through and leaves no doubt. It is in the eye contact. It is in shared tears. It is in a hand grasped during prayer. It is in a hug that communicates a year's worth of missing each other. If you don't believe the Spirit is alive and well today, come to Croatia. They will show you.
Tuesday, May 24, 2011
It's 1 am here and I'm having my first ever jet-lag. So....I'll catch you up a little on our trip so far. It's been great! We hade very easy travel getting here. We made all our connections and all our bags made it with us too. We have a busy schedule ahead of us. Today Molly and Kavan arrived and their travel was smooth as well. Tonight we spent a few hours at a church member's home for their weekly prayer meeting. Lots of prayer, lots of tears, lots of laughter, and lots of Croatian cookies! It was delightful. We are so thankful God has allowed us to be a part of His work here. It really is exciting to see what He has done in the past several years. They have come so far and they have such a bright future. They are truly our church family, there is no doubt. We only wish we could accurately describe those feelings to both those here and those at home.
Tomorrow we will register our stay with the police, have lunch with Molly and Kavan, and church in the evening. I'll also probably spend some time being beat by Rahela at her Wall-E video game. She is the third youngest and outgoing enough for herself as well as Hana and Rajan combined. Her English has improved so much we can communicate about pretty much anything. She did learn a new term today, "fieldtrip", since we knew Rachel and Papa were on a fieldtrip Monday. We have several visits planned to more church members this week, as well as a mini-marriage seminar Friday night, Baseball on Saturday, and kids' camp on Sunday. Then, home Monday. It will all fly by and we are trying to enjoy every moment.
Last night we took some time with Mladen and Renata and told them some stories about our humbling fundraising and some specific individual stories - you know who you are! - they were touched and overwhelmed. The funds we brought to share with them are clearly sent from God through you, so thank you on their behalf.
I must try and sleep now or I will regret it in the morning. Thank you for your prayers and meaniful support. We are thankful to be a part of this wonderful church.
Tomorrow we will register our stay with the police, have lunch with Molly and Kavan, and church in the evening. I'll also probably spend some time being beat by Rahela at her Wall-E video game. She is the third youngest and outgoing enough for herself as well as Hana and Rajan combined. Her English has improved so much we can communicate about pretty much anything. She did learn a new term today, "fieldtrip", since we knew Rachel and Papa were on a fieldtrip Monday. We have several visits planned to more church members this week, as well as a mini-marriage seminar Friday night, Baseball on Saturday, and kids' camp on Sunday. Then, home Monday. It will all fly by and we are trying to enjoy every moment.
Last night we took some time with Mladen and Renata and told them some stories about our humbling fundraising and some specific individual stories - you know who you are! - they were touched and overwhelmed. The funds we brought to share with them are clearly sent from God through you, so thank you on their behalf.
I must try and sleep now or I will regret it in the morning. Thank you for your prayers and meaniful support. We are thankful to be a part of this wonderful church.
Monday, June 21, 2010
Thank God for Rain
Thoughts from Ray:
It may be a little untimely for Manhattan and a lot of the midwest right now, but rain was a blessing in Croatia today and many of us are thanking God tonight.
The original plan was to visit a national forrest today with Mladen's family. Late yesterday these plans began to unravel. Renata did not want to take Maja and Rahela to the mountains because there was a strong forecast for rain. Mladen assured us we could take his van and go ourselves, but that would not have been safe for Americans or Croats. The better plan appeared to be to stay in Varazdin, work on the "little cabin", and do some local shopping and sight seeing.
Not only was this the right decision on account that has rained nonstop all day, but it allowed for a fantastic evening. Our first two hour stop for the "young team" (not the "old team" - Rod and Morris) was Josip's house. He and Ana met us with with open arms and clepici filled with ham and cheese. Josip gave us a tour of his tailoring shop and he and Jonathan took a tour of the chicken coupe. I got the privilege of visiting with Sasha, Josip's grandson. I was increadible to see the future through the eyes of a 26 year-old Coatian wanting to start a family and planning for a career. I hope God is gracious to Sasha and Danjela. The laughter was great and the good-byes slow to come. Josip thanked God for rain.
Our next two hour stop was Darko's place (Josip and Ana's son). I would try to spell his wife's name but I would not spell it correctly, so we will affectionately call her "white chocolate". Yes there is an inside joke there. Once again we were met with fresh clepici bread only this time filled with chocolate and peach marmalade. Darko and his wife speak very little English and we speak even less Hrvatski, yet the hours disappeared quickly. As we left Darko prayed, "Thank you God for the rain, because if it had not rained, our brothers and sisters in Christ would not be at our house today."
I too now thank God for the rain that fell in Croatia on June 21, 2010. God's plans are better than ours. I would not trade all the trees and waterfalls in Croatia for what I experienced this evening. It is sad to leave tomorrow, but God knows how to send us off right!
To those of you who know me well - yes I cry when I type.
-Ray
It may be a little untimely for Manhattan and a lot of the midwest right now, but rain was a blessing in Croatia today and many of us are thanking God tonight.
The original plan was to visit a national forrest today with Mladen's family. Late yesterday these plans began to unravel. Renata did not want to take Maja and Rahela to the mountains because there was a strong forecast for rain. Mladen assured us we could take his van and go ourselves, but that would not have been safe for Americans or Croats. The better plan appeared to be to stay in Varazdin, work on the "little cabin", and do some local shopping and sight seeing.
Not only was this the right decision on account that has rained nonstop all day, but it allowed for a fantastic evening. Our first two hour stop for the "young team" (not the "old team" - Rod and Morris) was Josip's house. He and Ana met us with with open arms and clepici filled with ham and cheese. Josip gave us a tour of his tailoring shop and he and Jonathan took a tour of the chicken coupe. I got the privilege of visiting with Sasha, Josip's grandson. I was increadible to see the future through the eyes of a 26 year-old Coatian wanting to start a family and planning for a career. I hope God is gracious to Sasha and Danjela. The laughter was great and the good-byes slow to come. Josip thanked God for rain.
Our next two hour stop was Darko's place (Josip and Ana's son). I would try to spell his wife's name but I would not spell it correctly, so we will affectionately call her "white chocolate". Yes there is an inside joke there. Once again we were met with fresh clepici bread only this time filled with chocolate and peach marmalade. Darko and his wife speak very little English and we speak even less Hrvatski, yet the hours disappeared quickly. As we left Darko prayed, "Thank you God for the rain, because if it had not rained, our brothers and sisters in Christ would not be at our house today."
I too now thank God for the rain that fell in Croatia on June 21, 2010. God's plans are better than ours. I would not trade all the trees and waterfalls in Croatia for what I experienced this evening. It is sad to leave tomorrow, but God knows how to send us off right!
To those of you who know me well - yes I cry when I type.
-Ray
A Note from Rachel & Jonathan
I attempted to have Rachel and Jonathan blog, me typing while they talk. The concept is apparently too vague to them. This is all I got after probably 15 minutes of trying. Oh well, Grandma will at least appreciate it. :-)
From Rachel:
"I liked seeing the big real castle. I like the ice cream. I liked the meatballs when we had our first lunch. Nadica has made me special food for lunch each day. I'm waiting to get a hug from Grandma at the airport. "
From Jonathan:
"I like Croatia. I like my toys here. I like my friend Jakov. I'm ready to see my house. I like riding the pedal tractor here. That's all."
Rehela & Rehela
The kid who came in the evenings for Kid's English & Bible lessons
Proof they really are here: Morris & his reader, Sara
The Ray Estes saw mill
Jakov, Jura's son, playing with Rachel at the BBQ at their house.
The storage shed nearing completion.
The Ladies Tea
Kids who came to play baseball.
Mladen batting.
Big American Meal. Kristin & Laura serving tacos.
Coach Kristin
Coach Molly
Coach Matt
Rod at baseball :-)Better Late Than Never
So Laura said I should blog because my mom would love to read it. Here it goes...
There is so much to write about, almost overwhelming because I have gotten way behind in doing so. Yesterday (Sunday 6-20-10) was awesome, so much going on. In the morning we had services (in Croatian for the most part). Rod gave a great lesson about Jesus and when he was tempted by the devil out of Luke 4. It had been requested that we sing some songs in english so the congregation could hear some songs that they are familiar with in english. We sung Step By Step and the Greatest Commands. Josip, one of the members, was even prepared enough to have brought a voice recorder and recorded us singing. You can hear Molly over everybody else mostly because Josip was sitting right behind her. It sounds great even though it's on a hand-held recorder. After worship we had our "Great American Lunch" which consisted of soft-shelled tacos with the fixins. During and after lunch I primarily was playing cards with the kids. We played Texas Hold'em and I taught them how to play Liar Liar. It was a lot of fun.
I've made some great friends during my time here. I'm seriously considering coming back next summer for their summer camp for the whole church, Mladen askes me almost everyday to come to camp this year. I know God has been working through me on this trip in little ways and big ways. He has confirmed that I need to find a job or something that deals with working with kids and/or people in general. Last week Kristin presented I Corinthians 12 in our morning devo and challenged us to try to figure out what our spiritual gift(s) are. Me being the goofball that I am said that I have the gift of "fun." Everybody has constantly been thanking me for the time that I spend with the youth. It almost feels like I'm cheating the system because I'm having just as much fun as they are when I'm with them, it doesn't feel like I'm working or even serving, just that I'm having fun. At the same time I see many challenges that lie ahead of me if that is where God wants me to go. I'm a little apprehensive but know that He will show me the way. I'm a firm believer that God will get us where He wants us to go no matter how we get there, remember the story of Jonah? ;-) I am very grateful for everything He has put in my way, I wouldn't be the person I am right now without the paths He has laid out before me whether they were fun/happy/sad/hi/low/or whatever it may be.
Today is our last full day in Varazdin, it seems like we've been here longer than just a few weeks, like this is our home, it doesn't feel temporary though there is the knowledge that it is gnawing at the back of my mind.
There is so much to write about, almost overwhelming because I have gotten way behind in doing so. Yesterday (Sunday 6-20-10) was awesome, so much going on. In the morning we had services (in Croatian for the most part). Rod gave a great lesson about Jesus and when he was tempted by the devil out of Luke 4. It had been requested that we sing some songs in english so the congregation could hear some songs that they are familiar with in english. We sung Step By Step and the Greatest Commands. Josip, one of the members, was even prepared enough to have brought a voice recorder and recorded us singing. You can hear Molly over everybody else mostly because Josip was sitting right behind her. It sounds great even though it's on a hand-held recorder. After worship we had our "Great American Lunch" which consisted of soft-shelled tacos with the fixins. During and after lunch I primarily was playing cards with the kids. We played Texas Hold'em and I taught them how to play Liar Liar. It was a lot of fun.
I've made some great friends during my time here. I'm seriously considering coming back next summer for their summer camp for the whole church, Mladen askes me almost everyday to come to camp this year. I know God has been working through me on this trip in little ways and big ways. He has confirmed that I need to find a job or something that deals with working with kids and/or people in general. Last week Kristin presented I Corinthians 12 in our morning devo and challenged us to try to figure out what our spiritual gift(s) are. Me being the goofball that I am said that I have the gift of "fun." Everybody has constantly been thanking me for the time that I spend with the youth. It almost feels like I'm cheating the system because I'm having just as much fun as they are when I'm with them, it doesn't feel like I'm working or even serving, just that I'm having fun. At the same time I see many challenges that lie ahead of me if that is where God wants me to go. I'm a little apprehensive but know that He will show me the way. I'm a firm believer that God will get us where He wants us to go no matter how we get there, remember the story of Jonah? ;-) I am very grateful for everything He has put in my way, I wouldn't be the person I am right now without the paths He has laid out before me whether they were fun/happy/sad/hi/low/or whatever it may be.
Today is our last full day in Varazdin, it seems like we've been here longer than just a few weeks, like this is our home, it doesn't feel temporary though there is the knowledge that it is gnawing at the back of my mind.
Today will be our last full day in Varazdin. It had been in our plans to visit a National Park famous for it's waterfalls, but that was not the plan of God and I can now see why. Ray will finish the storage building today with his new friend Darko. The kids and I are looking forward to time in the square looking for a present for Keri. It will be a nice slow day - something we all need, though I'm certain the falls would have been beautiful - maybe next time.
Yesterday was our Big American Meal after morning services. Morris and Rod were happy to have 7 readers come. Several even came to worship as well. Mladen asked us to share with the congregation something meaningful about our time here. There were many tears from both our teams as well as the members. Some we have formed deep bonds with in just a little time. Especially Ray and Kristin have built close new friends. We made tacos for lunch again by Mladen's request. They seemed to enjoy them, though some were skeptical.
After saying all our goodbyes and an afternoon nap, we all enjoyed dinner together at a restaurant on the park. You can eat outside and it's nice, but Matt didn't bring a jacket (hence the FB quote) so we were inside - still nice. Dinner was followed by ice cream and we walked back to the church through a few cold rain drops.
Previous to yesterday was baseball. We spent two hours on the field practicing and playing a game. Even the adults present took a turn hitting in the end. It was a fun afternoon and the kids seem to enjoy seeing us and playing again. They wondered where Morris and Michelle were. (He had another Migraine/vertigo spell). Afterwards we enjoyed pizza at Mladen's with several church members who came to play baseball, as well as the lady who organized baseball last year.
I believe that is all for now. Thank you all for reading the blog. I often felt like Kavan, 'writing far too much for far too few' - but I know those who are close to us, or have been here are interested and I thank you for that. I apologize for possible grammar and spelling. I usually didn't have time to re-read my typing. What a blessing technology is! Knowing we could share stories via the blog and hear your comments and encouragements was wonderful. Thank you again. See you soon!
(If time allows, I will try and post a few more pictures this afternoon or evening.)
Yesterday was our Big American Meal after morning services. Morris and Rod were happy to have 7 readers come. Several even came to worship as well. Mladen asked us to share with the congregation something meaningful about our time here. There were many tears from both our teams as well as the members. Some we have formed deep bonds with in just a little time. Especially Ray and Kristin have built close new friends. We made tacos for lunch again by Mladen's request. They seemed to enjoy them, though some were skeptical.
After saying all our goodbyes and an afternoon nap, we all enjoyed dinner together at a restaurant on the park. You can eat outside and it's nice, but Matt didn't bring a jacket (hence the FB quote) so we were inside - still nice. Dinner was followed by ice cream and we walked back to the church through a few cold rain drops.
Previous to yesterday was baseball. We spent two hours on the field practicing and playing a game. Even the adults present took a turn hitting in the end. It was a fun afternoon and the kids seem to enjoy seeing us and playing again. They wondered where Morris and Michelle were. (He had another Migraine/vertigo spell). Afterwards we enjoyed pizza at Mladen's with several church members who came to play baseball, as well as the lady who organized baseball last year.
I believe that is all for now. Thank you all for reading the blog. I often felt like Kavan, 'writing far too much for far too few' - but I know those who are close to us, or have been here are interested and I thank you for that. I apologize for possible grammar and spelling. I usually didn't have time to re-read my typing. What a blessing technology is! Knowing we could share stories via the blog and hear your comments and encouragements was wonderful. Thank you again. See you soon!
(If time allows, I will try and post a few more pictures this afternoon or evening.)
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