The playground was a great surprise to all the kids.  

They had a wonderful afternoon playing!

Today we begin our final full day in Varazdin.  Late last night we returned from a quick trip to the coast and island of Krk.  It was beautiful, but very much a tourist attraction.  The kids swam in the Adriatic sea and we saw a lot of the beautiful countryside on our 5 hour bus trip to and from.

This afternoon we will make our "Big American Meal" for the church members.  I guess we should call it our Big "North" American meal because we are making Mexican food!  The members are excited to come and we are excited to do something for them since they have done so much for us.  It has also turned out to be a great chance to invite non-members to an event at the building.  The lady who organized baseball in Brezje will come too.  We are getting ready to walk to an open air market for our fresh produce for the meal.  

Ray is putting together the playground this morning as a surprise to the kids at the meal today.  As I type, he is walking to a Home Depot-like store for a wrench.  So since he is not looking over my shoulder I will take a moment to brag on him.  I know you have been praying (and fasting ;-) ) for him.  It's been obvious.  Those of you who know him, know this trip was WAY out of his comfort zone.  He has clearly been touched by the Spirit to not only function but participate wholly in this trip.  We have had great team dynamics and the Spirit has used that as a witness to others.  We have heard comments several times about how special it is we came as an extended family and how well we get along.  Even though several generations typically live together in the culture, they don't always get along well.  This has been a great example to the many we've come into contact with.

That is all for now.  We will be very sad to leave tomorrow, but we really look forward to sharing more with you when we return home.  When I have my own computer I will be able to easily post more pictures too.  Thanks for being patient.  I know there are several of you who are anxious to see the pictures. :-)

Thank you too for your prayers and comments and notes of encouragement.  They really do mean a lot.  It's nice to know someone on the other side of the world is thinking of us.  Please continue your prayers for safety.  We will begin our journey home after church tomorrow morning and should arrive in Kansas City around 5:30 Monday evening.

Good evening from Croatia.  Today was a great day for us.  We began with our third session of Bible and Baseball in Brezje.  The lesson of the day was casting your cares on the Lord because He cares for you.  I was really excited to see the light come on for some kids as I explained the concept.  They then continued with baseball.  It is so fun to watch them play and practice.  The littler ones play at one end of the field with the tee.  The bigger kids play with Ray pitching.  We added in a few more rules today and they are absorbing it all amazingly well.  We continue to add in more children.  Our total today was 73!  Everyday other kids from the village come stand along the fence to watch.  We invite them to come the next day and they usually do.  Adults often stop and watch too.  Two men watched for quite awhile this morning and asked Mladen a lot of questions about the rules and positions.  The local soccer team was getting ready for practice and watched too.  This is so exciting for Mladen.  He is really excited for the visibility of Americans teaching the Bible and baseball.  This will give him a great way to begin conversations with more families in the village.

After a traditional Croatian lunch, we shopped for the playground materials for the Varazdin church.  This was a challenge as pressure treated lumber doesn't exist here.  All their construction is brick and concrete.  We were all very excited to make our purchases.  We ended up with something that simply needs to be assembled.  To say Mladen is very excited may be an understatement.  As we waited for our items to be loaded he said (with his hand on his heart), "It is so amazing.  Last year we had nothing and we were renting a building.  This year we have a building, renovations, and now a playground."

Tomorrow will be our final day of baseball practice before Game Day!  We are also making lunch for Mladen's family - Ham and Cheddar Rolls.  We're thinking of trying a Croatian McDonald's for supper tomorrow.  The kids are doing well but are starting to drag.  Two more intensive days before our schedule relaxes a little.  I thank those who are praying for them.  They have each REALLY done well with the unusual food, language, people, beds, cars....God has touched them to be quite the little missionaries.  We're half way there.  Please continue to pray.

Happy 4th of July from Croatia!  Here are some pictures of the trip thus far.  It is a chore to get them to this computer so I don't know how many I'll be able to share.  We are having a wonderful time.  Thank you for your prayers.  We look forward to sharing stories when we return.  The second day of baseball provided a great scrimmage game.  The older kids, especially the boys, are really catching on quickly.  They are doing a great job of hitting.  The fielding is a little more challenging.  A batter is usually assured getting to third base with each hit.  :-)  Our lesson today was Fruits of Spirit.  Patience was the focus of the day as the children waited for their ice cream.  We may need to review that concept again Monday.  :-)  Tomorrow we will begin work with the Varazdin children in the afternoon.  Children from Zagreb will join us as well.  This means we will have been in contact with approximately 80 different children from four different towns or villages.  This is an amazing number since we originally thought we may have 15 to 20 at the very most.  I can see the Sower's Seeds flying in all directions being carried by the Spirit's Wind.  We pray they land on fertile soil in the hearts, homes, and villages of these warm, open, receptive, and impressionable children. 

Our team with the Dominic family.  This is the day we arrived.

Childrens' laughter is the same in all languages!

Rachel and Hannah making American Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies.

Thumbs up for baseball!

Mryna our catcher, she's a natural.  She taps her shoes with the bat before 

she hits - says that's "just like in the movies".

Safe on first, ready to run!

Wet from a downpour during the first scrimmage. 

Having today's 4th of July treat, ice cream!

Pitcher Ray

Jonathan drew a picture of a boat for this kid.

We've nick-named him Harvard because of his long hair.  :-)

Our classroom.

End of the game High Fives.

The little ones practicing throwing.

The middle aged group practicing catching.

The cowboy hats.  And yes, we wear them while we play - sometimes.  :-)

Top of the First!

And so baseball has begun.....it was a really wonderful day.  When we first planned for baseball we were told to expect 15 to 20 kids.  Later we were told maybe 30 kids.  Today we counted at least 65!  We had a great time.  Baseball is a hit!  (ha ha)  They are excited to learn.  After introductions we taught them Deep & Wide.  Lots of smiles and giggles.  We started with catching, throwing, and hitting with the kids divided into three groups.  Some of the boys really caught on quickly.  They were all excited to know they could come back tomorrow for more.  We're told the newspaper and television were called to come watch our game on Wednesday.  

This afternoon we were treated to a great meal by Mladen's father.  It is exciting to tell you his mother and father have recently attended worship services with the Varazdin church.  The church members are so thankful for us being here.  We are looking forward to a meal with the congregation and some members from the Zagreb church on Sunday.  Tomorrow Jura has invited us to his home to celebrate the 4th of July.  He is excited to cook for us since he knows this is a big day in the US.  We are looking forward to spending time with his family and some of his military co-workers.

We can't thank you enough for your support and prayers.  The Spirit is listening to you and speaking through us.  I will try and post pictures from Jura's home tomorrow.  Thank you all!

Good morning from Varazdin, Croatia.  We have safely arrived.  The kids traveled very well and slept a full night last night.  That is a great blessing.  We had a nice sharing time with the church members last night.  They are all very happy we are here.  It was special to watch them greet mom and dad after not seeing them for a year.  We will meet with Mladen today for our "marching orders" for the week.  Baseball will start tomorrow.  Thank you for your prayers.