Christmas!

Merry Christmas to each of you!  We are enjoying our day, the four of us, but missing Kurt.  Thankfully, he is spending Christmas with grandparents, aunt, uncle and cousins.  We are thankful for family, wherever we may be!

The day has been a busy one of baking and cooking - sugar cookies (Kelli and Scott decorated most of them), fudge, chocolate chip cookies, banana bread, Grandma cake, turkey legs, mashed potatoes, Mariah's rolls, green jello salad, green beans,... I can't think what else - just know our tummies are happy!

We did something a little different with our tree this year since we didn't really have space to put a tree - we used our ficus instead!













Most of all, we celebrate Jesus!  We celebrate His birth, His life, His death and His resurrection - all because of His love for us!  He came to give us hope and forgiveness of sins!  We pray that you trust Him!

Happy Birthday, Jesus!!!  Jesus, I love you!!!

Five Weeks!

Less thank five weeks!!!  Kelli will get here!  I cannot tell you how much we miss her and can't wait for her to get here!!! 

 Isn't she so beautiful?!  And, no, Tasha is not coming back with her!  :)  

Continuing to Minister in Kraljevo

As new tremors continue in Kraljevo (3.3 on the Richter scale this morning), ministry continues to those whose homes were damaged.  We spent all day Saturday with two families whose homes share a common wall and will return on Monday to complete work.  This wall "went for a walk" during the earthquake and would sway back and forth with the lightest touch.  It was extremely dangerous and had to come down.  The team of guys demolished the wall then built a wall back up, brick by brick.  This means the world to these families who are very poor. Their homes are two room, very small, very sparsely furnished. Only one home has a bathroom; the other family has to use a community bathhouse (that is quite rough).  We were able to give them New Testaments and read some Scripture to them.  We were able to share the Gospel with them.  We were able to love them and pray with and for them.  We pray that their foundation would be built on the Lord Jesus.

  

Click on the picture above to view the entire album

10-11-11 Kraljevo

  

Click on the picture above to see more pictures of the earthquake damage.  (Karl took these today)

Karl has been going to Kraljevo almost every day since the earthquake hit.  I've gone with him several times.  It's really sad to see the damage.  But, people are making repairs as they can.  Teams of men from Baptist churches in the northern part of Serbia are coming down to help.  We are so thankful!  And Jovica and Katarina are doing a fantastic job of organizing the volunteers, the work and the contacts.  Please pray for each encounter to bring people one step closer to the Lord.

It's an Earthquake!

We were awakened, quite roughly, this morning about 2am by quite intense shaking of an earthquake!  That is a feeling that I do not like!  I grabbed Karl's hand, and we rode it out.  I'm sure it lasted only a minute or two, but it really felt like the shaking would never stop!  My heart was racing!  I ran to the hallway to check on Scott - he came out of his room with eyes wide open and fear on his face, too!  Scott and I laughed, probably a nervous laugh.  Karl wasn't too bothered about it, but checked around for any damage.  Thankfully, only a couple of plastic things fell from some shelves.  Scott told me his legs were shaking.  We all returned to our beds, trying to go back to sleep.  It took a while for my heartbeat to slow back down to normal, so I laid in bed praying.  I am thankful for the Lord who gives peace.  I was soon back asleep, and didn't even feel the two aftershocks (heard about them from a neighbor this morning).  The Lord is good. 

When we got up this morning, we saw the news of the earthquake - 5.3 magnitude, epicenter located about 45 minutes from us, just north of the town where our teammates lived and where we have many friends.  We heard that two people died - the roof fell in on a married couple.  There was damage at the hospital as well.  They are now saying around 100 people had minor injuries. 

Please pray for Kraljevo and the area affected. 

Kelli's Horse Show

Kelli was recently in a horse show!  She placed 2nd in one event and 3rd in two events!  So proud of her!  I so wish that we could've been there to watch her compete!  She had a great time riding Dreamer.  And don't you love how she braided Dreamer's mane?!  Go, Kelli!!!

Peppers and Store Opening

I know I said that I would talk about our trip to Italy, but I have to take a small sidestep for a couple of things that happened when we returned from Italy: my friend Jovana had her store opening and pepper season hit our home!

My friend Jovana has been working at a pet store for several years.  It's not been a good situation at all.  So, when her dad offered her some money to open her own store, she jumped on it!  I'm so proud of her and her mom!  They have worked so hard to make this business a success, and I pray that it will be!  I went to her store opening the evening that we got back from Italy.  One custom here is to throw money on the floor for the new owner - to congratulate them, to wish them success, and to give them a start-up gift.  It was fun seeing the money all over the floor!  Wishing you the best, Jovana!!

 Also, it's pepper season here.  Most people had already bought their peppers to make ajvar, to pickle them, or to prepare them for the winter.  I buy 20-30 kilos to cut up and freeze.  That way, I have them all winter when I make fajitas, jumbalaya, or other dishes.  During the winter, they are much harder to find and more expensive.  So, we've adapted to the "it's available now, in season, and cheaper, so we buy it and freeze it" mentality!  It's great!  Here are two pics - one of my sink full of red peppers and one of three bags of green peppers, ready to go in the freezer.  (I ended up with four bags of red peppers!)  I'm ready for winter!!

Italy Pictures!

Ok, this entry will just contain links to see our pictures from Italy!  Enjoy!!  We certainly did!  I'll talk more about it all in the next entry.

Venice
Florence 1
Pisa and Vinci
Florence 2
Siena
Vatican City
Around Rome
Rome - Pantheon
Rome - Colosseum and Forum
Rome - Catacombs

Sisters' Conference

One highlight of each year in Serbia for me is the Sisters' Conference in Belgrade.  Hundreds of Christian women from all over the country gather together for worship, teaching, fellowship and encouragement.  Ladies give their testimonies and different church choirs lead the singing.  The one comment I kept hearing over and over again was how much love could be felt all over the church!  What a blessing!  There were over 400 women from 40 different cities in Serbia.  I'll put more pictures and video on next week.  Enjoy these pictures!

Slow Week

The past week has been a very slow week for me.  Mostly because I spent most of it in bed!  I was sick with a bad sore throat, having no voice for five days!  Yuk!  Between sneezing, coughing and sleeping, I was able to spend some time just praying.  Just cuddling up on my Father's lap.  It was good. 

And now that I'm feeling better, I'm ready to go out into the world!  I can't wait to see friends, to catch up on what is going on in their lives, to talk about my Father! 

Retreat!!

This past weekend we were blessed to host a retreat at the camp for families who had moved to South Serbia to serve in full-time ministry.  Thirtyfive people (11 families) representing four sending organizations came for some or all of the time!  What a blessing it was to spend a weekend with people of like mind, like heart, and like purpose.  The theme of the retreat was "No One is an Island" referring to our need for one another and for unity among all believers.  We spent time studying 1 Corinthians 1 and 2, where Paul pleaded for unity. 

We all enjoyed fellowshiping together, worshiping together, playing together, sharing our testimonies, and encouraging one another.  There was a lot of down time, during which people talked, napped, watched a movie, played on the trampoline or played soccer.  Friday and Saturday night we enjoyed a campfire.

We also enjoyed wonderful food, cooked by our dear friend Ziza!  She did an amazing job of keeping our bellies full and happy!  What a servant!  Hvala, Zize!

It rained some Saturday, but Sunday was absolutely beautiful!  We enjoyed an outdoor service, singing, studying God's Word and sharing the Lord's supper.  What a joy!  We are so thankful for these who serve alongside us, serving "shoulder to shoulder" (Zeph 3:9).

Conference

This weekend we had the wonderful opportunity to be with many friends at a missions conference at a Bible school in Northern Serbia.  Most of the people at the conference were former students at the school.  It was such a blessing to hear great teaching from Acts 1-6, to worship with brothers and sisters in Christ, and to hear reports from those serving all over Serbia.  What a blessing!  We also made new friends, were challenged, and blessed by sharing communion with our precious spiritual family.  So thankful for a weekend of joy!!

A few pictures (we were so busy talking that we forgot to take pictures!):

With our friend, Igor, who helped tremendously last year in getting the camp ready.

Our dear friends, Sretan and Karolina, with their oldest son, David (younger son Filip stayed with Grandma!).  Love this family so much!

Beautiful afternoon of visiting and sharing with one another. 

Great friends, great times.

Vasar (pronounced "Vah-shar")

Last weekend the Vasar was held in our town.  A vasar is like a county fair, flea market and town celebration all rolled up into one!  It's a lot of fun, and I enjoy going to it each year (missed last year, obviously!).  I liked these hats that were for sale - thought of Kelli.

Again, thought of Kelli when we saw "horsey stuff"!  It really is amazing.  During vasar, every imaginable item is for sale!  Booths are set up all over the place with vendors selling crafts, clothes, toys, plants, food, auto parts, home goods, candy, music, and on and on!  I bought some potted plants and got a great deal! 

Also, there were carnival rides.  Can you see the Uncle Sam on the sign on the right? It was some sort of mini roller coaster - called Crazy Train!  Big hit with the kids!

And with every event in Serbia, there must be food!  Of course, there are roasted pigs, slowly turning over the fire. 

And there are the hamburger (called pljeskavica) stands with lots of grilled meats.  Yummy, yummy!

All in all, it was a great day at the fair!  I got my mums for my front porch, we saw lots of fun things, and we enjoyed another great part of Serbian culture! 

Interesting Sight

The other morning, I looked out the laundry room window and saw this:

There was a BIRD floating in our pool!  I yelled to Karl to go see what was going on. 






Here's another pic of the poor thing:

In talking with our neighbor, we figured out what happened.  See, we have several cats that live near us.  Apparently, the bird was attacked by the cats.  It was able to fly to "safety" in our pool.  It was still alive when Karl went to get it out of the pool, but just barely.  The cats had done quite a number on it. 


We'll just leave the story there.  Not something you see everyday!

Friends and Mountains

We recently had some friends, Ethan and Jan, stay with us for a few days.  It was so great to have them here!  We really enjoyed the time together, encouraging one another.  Ethan and Jan worked at the camp for several weeks and were such a blessing to so many. 

One day we drove them around outside our town - through the beautiful gorge (sorry, forgot to take pics) and up one of our favorite mountains nearby.  Ok, some of our Colorado friends might just call it a big hill, but it's a mountain to us!  Kablar is 886 meters tall (2906 ft).  We didn't climb from the bottom; we drive up almost to the top then walk up the last 20 meters or so (so we're wimps!).  It has such a great view of the other mountains and the river below.  We once took my parents up there, and they thought that we were trying to kill them climbing up it (we walked up about 200 meters)!  Here are some pictures:

View of Ovcar (pronounced Ohv-char), the mountain on the other side of the river.

Jan standing next to the little white building on a ledge of Kablar.  Can you see her?

 View of the river below and our town past that.

Ethan and Jan at the top!

Camp for Roma Children!

This past week was a week of camp for Roma children from several areas of Serbia.  It was an awesome week of fun and Bible learning for the kids.  We spent Sunday morning with them, and we had a great time.  Ziza, our friend, went with us.  It was wonderful!

 When we arrived, they were finishing breakfast.  Several of the young men helped with the dishes.  While they worked, they whistled and sang.  Joyful work!

Several of the kids enjoyed spending time with Ziza.  So sweet!

We enjoyed singing praise songs with everyone! 

 Then we heard the story of Daniel in the Lion's Den.  Wonderful!


It was a joyful day at camp!  And we give thanks for a fantastic week of camp!

Hounding

I'm sure my kids think I hound them.  Kelli probably groans every time she sees another email from me or when Grandma tells her that I'm on the phone for her.  Kurt, I know, groans whenever I comment on his Facebook page (I have cut way back on that! :) ).  Scott groans when I tell him (once again) to brush his teeth or pick up his room.  Some may call it controlling or smothering or being domineering.  I prefer to call it "active parenting."  I remember wanting little input from my parents during my teen years.  So, I'm learning to back off and let the kids make decisions on their own, live with the consequences (good and bad), and experience and grow.  It sure is difficult.

I was reminded of Psalm 23 when I began thinking of hounding my kids.  We all know how wonderful Psalm 23:6 is:  Surely goodness and mercy will follow me all the days of my life.  And I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.  What great thoughts!  I remember my dad teaching one time on this.  He talked about how "goodness" and "mercy" can be thought of as hound dogs.  They are on our trail and will follow us all the days of our lives!  Does that mean that life will be easy?  No.  The hound dogs are following us - goodness and mercy will come from any situation that we go through!  Here's where Romans 8:28-29 fit in!  "And we know that all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to His purpose.  For those God foreknew He also predestined to be conformed to the likeness of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brothers."  It may be rough going sometimes, but goodness, God's goodness, and mercy follow us like hound dogs!  They are on our trail!

Aren't you glad that our Heavenly Father loves us so much to sic Goodness and Mercy on us?  I pray that, as a mom, I hound my kids with goodness and mercy, not control or harassment.  Thank you, Lord, that you hound me with goodness and mercy.  You bring me joy.

Tough Day

I'll admit it.  Yesterday was a tough day.  But, in everything, I was able to give thanks and to, once again, see what an amazing young lady Kelli is and how proud I am of her. 

God gave an amazing blessing when she checked in at the airport - the man just waived the fee for her second bag!  That was a $50 savings!!  Wow!  God is so good!  Kelli looked like a pro going through security and off to her gate.  What an amazing world traveler she is!  :)

She told me that she slept on the first flight to Munich, but wasn't able to sleep on the second flight to Chicago - the long one.  I hate that.  She had to get her bags in Chicago, go through customs and recheck them.  Unfortunately, she missed the easy check-in right after going through customs and left the terminal before learning that she was supposed to check them right back in.  So, she had to get the two 50-lb bags and her carry on to the ticket counter to check them in.  She did an amazing job and got it all done.  I don't know that I would've had the presence of mind at her age.  Maybe.  I'm still so proud of her, especially after a 9 hour flight with no sleep.  

I last spoke to her as she waited for her Chicago-Dallas flight, so I'm assuming that she got there fine.  I look forward to talking with her in a few hours.  Thanks for the prayers for her travel.  I sure do miss her!  I miss all of the crocheting and knitting, horse and dog books and stuff, Animal Cops Houston on TV (no fun to watch it without her!), and just having her here!  She is so special, and I know that God is going to do amazing things in and through her.  What a great daughter!!!

Special Dinner for Kelli

Kelli's time in our town here in Serbia is drawing to a close.  We leave tomorrow morning for a team retreat in the northern part of Serbia until Sunday.  We'll stay in Belgrade Sunday night, and she flies out Monday morning (at 6:20am - who schedules these flights?). 

Here are a few pictures we took at a wonderful restaurant in our town - amazing food! 

Brother and Sister - they'll sure miss each other!

My beautiful daughter!!

Amazing how silly one gets while waiting for the food to come!  :)

Pictures!

Scott, Kelli and I with Karolina, our friend from Nis.  Karolina was a teacher at the camp this past week.

Karolina with her youngest son Filip (16 months).  What a cutie!  Her other son, David, was at the camp with her, too.  He's 4.

Last day of camp = lots of hugs and tearful goodbyes.  The kids had such a great time that they didn't want to leave!

This is Ethan, who came from Macedonia to help at the camp (see post below).  We are so grateful for all that he's done at the camp!

Great big ball field that Ethan mowed with the riding lawn mower!  It looks so great!!

Jan (on the right) is Ethan's wife (again, see post below).  Jan helped Vesna, the camp cook, a lot!  She is bringing so much joy to the camp!

God is so good, and we are so thankful.  The camp is being prepared for a new week of camp starting tomorrow.  It'll be a full camp of 12-15 year olds!  Please be in prayer!

We are overflowing with joy and thanksgiving!!

Camp

Ok, at some point I really need to take some pictures and get them on here!  But for now, let me just thank all of you who have been praying for the summer camps!  It's been so wonderful to be back here and to see and be part of some of the things at camp. 

We were blessed with a riding lawn mower, which we have at the camp right now.  It's been so great to get the large areas of grass mowed in a short time!  Unfortunately, I hit a stump while mowing and bent a shaft, but Karl was able to take it to a machine shop where they straightened it and got the mower going again!  Karl's mechanical abilities sometimes absolutely amaze me!  I'm so grateful to the Lord for him!

Before we got back to Serbia, we got an email from some friends who live in Macedonia.  Because of visa issues, they had to leave Macedonia for three months and were looking for a place to serve.  Karl invited them to come to the camp to help out, and they came!  We're so excited to have Ethan and Jan with us!  Both are hard workers and love the Lord and love to serve.  Ethan has been a huge help to the camp and to Karl - he's willing and able to do so many jobs at the camp (mowing, cleaning, burning trash, digging up stumps - including the one that I hit with the mower! - and whatever is asked of him).  Karl was able to leave jobs to Ethan while we were in the process of moving and getting the house set up.  Jan has been a wonderful help in the kitchen and in cleaning around the camp.  She, too, is such a hard worker and has jumped in and done dirty jobs and serves others.  It is such a blessing to have them here!  We're so thankful, as are the others at the camp!

There are two weeks left of camp - one week for Serbian kids and a week for Roma kids.  Please continue to pray that God would move in hearts.  Pray for safety and fun for the children.

Two Week Recap

Well, it's been quite a whirlwind since we got here!  We've been here just over two weeks, and I'd say I have good reason to be tired!  Here's a recap of some of the things that have gone on the last two weeks:

* Reactivated our old cell phone numbers (such a blessing for all of our friends and contacts!)
* Found a new home in 2 days - that's close to record time!  We are so thankful!
* Moved everything from our old home to our new home.  Took three days to get it all moved over.
* Got other things from camp and Kraljevo (our teammates were storing some things) - stove, refrigerator, kitchen cabinets, wardrobes, etc.  Kraljevo is about 45 minutes away.
* Assembled all of the furniture and kitchen cabinets, sink, and rewired a couple of appliances (not an easy task, mind you!).  Karl is a genius with this - some pieces had to be repaired or parts replaced.  Lots of work, but looks good in the end.
* Began our visa process.
* Spent several days at the camp working to get things ready for teen camp - mowing, fixing, moving things, etc.
* Celebrated my 40th birthday. 
* Hosted a couple overnight before they went to camp to help work.  (It was still a mess when they were here, but, oh well.)
* Went to a baptism service in Kraljevo with a couple of believers from here.
* Met with several friends to visit.
* Met our new neighbors and had cake and juice with one family.
* Got cable and internet hooked up.
* Went to camp for worship Sunday morning with a believer from Cacak.
* Took Kelli out to the stables three times to ride.
* Went grocery shopping (several times at several places!)
* Unpacked many, many boxes and trunks. 
* Gave thanks for all that the Lord has done.

New House!

Here are a couple of pics of our new house.  These were taken when we began moving in.  Hopefully, I can get a few "after" shots in a few days.  Right now I'm just too tired!  :)

Front of the house.  Like the colors?  :)

Back of the house.

 

There is no grass in the yard.  Just brick pavers.  Pretty funny for Karl who loves to mow grass!

View from our front upstairs terrace - a new Orthodox Church!

View from the back upstairs terrace - beautiful!

We are so thankful for this home!