“He is your praise and He is your God, who has done for you these great and awe-inspiring works your eyes have seen.” Deuteronomy 10:21
Our eyes continue to see things that inspire awe, and someday I pray that we will look back on our years here and will see this verse as a fitting description. Since our last letter, I’ve had some good news and some “please follow up at some point” messages. My liver enlargement is due to an anatomical variant, though they found some things in the labs that need to be followed up with non-urgently. We plan to do that here. I had the procedure to break up my kidney stones and it went well. Overall good news.
Fred had a wonderful visit with his friends in Japan and at the family wedding in the Philippines. The kids took turns being sick while he was gone, which meant that I got a lot less done than I’d hoped. But we did drive north from January 20-23. Our flights could not be scheduled when we had hoped, they were confirmed for February 6. So on January 25 we had our commissioning at Peninsula Evangelical Friends Church with our home congregation and several out of town family. It was a wonderful time of fellowship and a wonderful weekend of visiting. Then I got sick, which turned into asthma, and again we were slower getting things done than hoped. But God was faithful, and despite the delays we were able to visit with several dear friends, pack, and leave on time.
We moved a bunch of suitcases and bags, a guitar and baritone ukulele, two cats, two kids, and three adults (my sister, Jennifer, traveled with us), arriving in Split, Croatia on Saturday, February 7th. Minus half of our bags, which ended up being a blessing in that it let us move things in stages. They arrived two days later. God provided an apartment the week before we left that we were able to move straight into. The landlords are friendly and helpful, the neighborhood is bustling and quiet. We don’t have a car, but using public transit and ride shares is going pretty well. We have been attending a Croatian church and are hopeful to be at home there.
Our first few weeks have been packed. Jen got sick our second night here and was out of commission for several days. My asthma got a lot worse the day we left the US, it is finally mostly better. After multiple visits to several government and business offices, we are registered with the police, have Croatian ID numbers, have internet and local phone numbers, and our apartment is coming together. Fred and I have finished three weeks of language school and are enjoying seeing pieces start connecting, even as it feels a bit like a fire hose. We were unable to find a preschool with openings for the kids, but God provided a nanny for school days and that seems to be going well. Jen was here for three weeks and the emotional stress of transition seems to have started after she left. The kids, especially Jael, had a pretty rough couple of week, but now we are seeing steady “settling” in all of us. There is still a ways to go, so please continue to pray for peaceful hearts and grace with each other.
Croatian Adjustments
We have found some familiar foods, which has been helpful for the kids, but even those have slightly different flavors and textures which has been especially hard for Jael. A surprise for the rest of us was that our address is just our building, and then visitors call up or the post office puts our mail in the box with our name on it. We are still getting used to the rhythm of life here, especially that almost everything closes on Sunday. Many ingredients that we are used to are available, but figuring out the Croatian names was a bit of a challenge. Having said that, we are enjoying trying new foods and finding new favorites!
The Kids
Alex and Jael are excited to be home, though they miss friends and family from the US. Having the cats has been helpful. Jael is often seen carrying one then the other around, frequently telling us: “I need to hold the kitty!” She has been singing the alphabet song “H, I, P, T, H, I, P, T, …” and was thrilled to go to the beach. Alex sings “the Croatia song”, that his grandma wrote, all the time; notably while we were walking around the old city of Dubrovnik, to his Sunday School class here, and on several walks around town. He will walk up to random strangers and start with “Hi! My name is Alex, I like dinosaurs!” He gained a new scar on his eyebrow when he split it open on the corner of the table less than a week after we arrived , then the next week got another on his side when he tripped on a sidewalk while running at full tilt. We’ve had some tears about missing home, and also statements of “I like it here” and “I’m glad we live here!”
Praise & Prayer Requests:
- We’re here! God answered so many prayers for specific things about the trip, the apartment, the kids’ adjustment, in the last few weeks. We are thankful for all your prayers to that end.
- The body of believers here has already been encouraging. If you remember a few months ago, I wrote about Fred and I crying during the song “Holy Forever” at yearly meeting in Ohio. We longed to hear the Croatian church singing that song, sharing that prayer. Our first Sunday at the church here, that was one of the songs they sang. The next week they sang “Christus Victor,” which was another song that was something of a them the last few months.
- We’ve been praying, as have many of you, about what the kids should do while we are in language school. None of the preschools that we’ve talked to have any openings. But Jen’s last Wednesday here the Lord gave me an urgency to post on a Facebook page for foreigners in Split, asking for recommendations for a Croatian nanny. Someone connected us to one and she started the next Monday. We are thanking God for His provision!
- The kids are still having sleep disturbances and emotional stress. Please pray for their hearts and minds, for wisdom as we take care of them, and that they will pick up Croatian easily from the nanny.
- Please pray also for our language studies, that we will learn quickly. We are also looking for a language helper to supplement our formal study, please pray for someone who can also become a friend.
- We are starting to connect some with people in our class, please continue to pray that God brings friendships with people who need Him and with people who already know Him. Pray that we will be a faithful witness, even in this transition period when stress levels are high.
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