italy!

krista's wonderful picture for our creation drama

book table and distribution

our new friends from the church

kwanga singing for us

preparing for international night - pumpkin pie (from scratch)

our countries "traditional" dishes

we love you guys and will miss you!



God is good - all the time

I went to Italy for a 2 week outreach with very little idea about what I would be doing. I had questions about how God would use me and how effective my time would be. I didn’t know the language or the culture, and I certainly knew nothing about the ministry of the church we were to work with. But I trusted God, because He knows I want to serve Him and He wants to use me to bring glory to Himself.

On Friday morning I went with 2 girls from the local church to the university where they are studying. We went armed with a small table, evangelistic literature and the desire to share the Good News. God gave me amazing opportunities. I met some students who spoke English. They were so warm and friendly and were genuinely interested in me and the message I had to share. As we were leaving they asked to see us again and we jumped at the chance.

The following Thursday the 2 girls and I met 3 of the students for coffee. We some spent time laughing and getting to know each other a little more before turning the conversation to the real reason we had come to meet them. I knew that I would probably never see them again and I had a burning desire for them to hear and understand the Gospel. As they were conversing in Italian I looked around me and had an idea to use the things on the table to help explain the Gospel to them. Starting with creation, I began to share with them God’s love for mankind and the coming judgement. I used the napkin holder to represent God (it was the biggest thing on the table) and various other items to help them understand.

It was such a privilege to have that opportunity. One of the girls translated for me and the 3 students listened intently and asked questions about things they disagreed with. I could see that they were really considering what they heard.

One of the students wants to know more. He has arranged to study the Bible with the girls! While this may be quite ‘normal’ in the country I come from, it is not in Italy. This is a miraculous answer to prayer, praise God! Another student we met also expressed the desire to study the Bible. Again, praise God! Please pray for these 2 young men, and also for the girls, that they would have sufficient courage and wisdom.

changed heart

We had the most amazing time in italy. This is one of many stories of how God blessed us and our conversations.

We were privilidged to be able to work with 4 of the girls from the church who took us into their universities to have book tables and just chat with the students.

The first time we went into the university there was a class of international students’ who didnt speak any Italian, which as you can imagine was perfect. At the end of the class I was able to talk to one of the guys in the class. This man at first wasn’t interested in taking a gospel tract as he was an atheist. However throughout the conversation God changed His heart as I told him the gospel. We spoke about why there was sin in the world and what God had done to fix it. The confidence the man once had in his belief was stripped from him as God broke down the barriers of what he once thought was true. At the end of the conversation I was able to give him a bible as he asked me which one he should read and which one was the truth. I told him to pray that God would reveal himself to him. It was amazing to see this man go from completely against the idea of there being God to wanting a bible to read and considering the idea of praying to Him, praise God.

Please continue to pray for this man.

Ooooh LA LA!

Finally in Paris! 

We arrived Friday night after an AMAZING 3 weeks in ITALY.  Our time there was definitely encouraging and each of us left with a renewed outlook.  The youth and local church were incredible.  They were with us each step of the way as we worked on outreach.  More stories to come! 

As we drive along the bumpy roads of North Croatia, we see children run alongside our van just as one would see in the movies. These children are so excited to see their faithful friend, Patricia - a lady who lives and breathes the grace of God as she visits these children in the Roma camps weekly. There are 700 children in one village - more than half the population of that village.

Little curious faces watch us as we pull up, wondering what these strange people are doing in their village. As soon as we get out of the van with a soccer ball, the boys are ready to play. Little girls carry their baby sisters around, taking as good care of them as possible. They flock to the camera and laugh gleefully as their photos are taken. For many, it is the first time they have been able to see their gorgeous little faces.
Sharing God’s love with these children who are so quickly neglected by others was a wonderful experience. We told them Bible stories and much to their joy, sang a song in their language. The smiles on their faces filled us with a sadness as we realised that they had nothing - not even the most important thing, Jesus Christ - in their hearts.

Our hearts break for these children who just want to be loved and cared for. More than anything they need to know that God loves them, that they have a hope - something that is so much more than this world can offer, something that will last. That they have a Father that loves them perfectly. Just how they are.
Not being able to speak their language was one of the hardest things but showed us all the importance of showing love through actions (1 John  3:18)

How powerful God’s love is. It knows no bounds. No language barrier will stop His love from penetrating through to the heart. What a big and glorious God we have. What a big and important job we have.

Proclaiming the Word from the Mountain Tops!

Webster's dictionary defines Croatia as: an independent country SE Europe; a constituent republic of Yugoslavia 1946–91 comprising Croatia, Slavonia, & most of Istria & the Dalmatian coast ＊ Zagreb area21,829 square miles (56,537 square kilometers), pop 4,437,460. OM Europe's Transit Team defines Croatia as: beautiful, sea, hot, holidays and mountains. As you can see we all have different opinions but there is one thing we all agree on-CROATIA NEEDS GOD!

It has been amazing to see how God wants to use us here in Croatia. Every morning at 6:30 A.M. sharp we hike up to the top of a mountain that looks over Split. To see God's creation with the sun rising over the city is breathtaking. We want to share with you a few stories on how God is using our team. Here's Carrie's story.

We have been looking at the prayer life of Jesus and how often he went up the mountain to pray. Most times he wanted to be alone. One day I decided to stay at the top to do my daily devotions. I was sitting on the edge looking out into the city when a lady approached me. She said to me seven simple words, "Are you a follower of Jesus Christ?" I was completely blown away that 1. a Croat approached ME first and 2. asked me about Jesus. I managed to get out "WHY YES I AM!!" (probably a little to excited) From that point on the conversation was nothing but questions and answers. God gave me the opportunity to present the gospel and pray with her. Praise the Lord! I saw her a couple more times throughout the week and a relationship was built. How amazing is our God!

Please continue to pray for our team and our time here in Croatia. All the Glory be to GOD!

PRAYER REQUEST

This week we have been having lectures on Evolution vs. Creation. Dr. Charles Jackson, a Professor from the United States, is leading these seminars. We want to ask for prayer from all of our follwers around the world as tonight is the last night of the lectures. As you can imagine, there are not many creationist in the crowd. Please pray for physical and spiritual safety for Dr. J, that the evolutionist's hearts would be open, and that God would reveal himself to these lost people.