July 7, 2010

We have made it home and glad to be here. The mission trip was incredible and God opened so many doors. Shannon, Erin, Heidi and Seth remain until the 18th so we will need continued prayer for them. Our trek home was somewhat of an adventure but we are just thankful to be home and we praise his name for protection and guidence. Praise God for the Storks getting the pitching machine and for our return safety and for the team back here in the states praying for us each and everyday. Without this prayer teams support we would not have been able to do what we were able to. 17 were there physically but each and every one of this team were with us. WE, YOU showered the people of Croatia with His Love. We went to love them till they asked WHY, and it was so exciting to hear them begin to ask why.

Thanks and continue to pray for God's direction and protection for the team that is still there!

God Bless

HE did, We'll do it!  New motto we used while we were over there. HE (Christ) did it (loved us), We'll do it (love others)!

Your Friend

David

Earl,

I talked to David this morning. He and Neven went to Zagreb again and he said they did not release the pitching machine. They are having to resend new paper work from the shipping agent here in Houston and it will have to go to France then Zagreb for stamping before they can release the machine. They require another shipping payment again to do this and also payment for the storage time the machine is sitting in customs. Joe Page is working on it from his end as well and thinks that what there are doing is not legal. Please pray they can get the paper work sent through by fax or e-mail and that it will be accepted so the machine can be released to the Storks baseball team. Also, praise for the time David has been able to spend with Neven driving back and forth to Zagreb dealing with this. In their conversations, Neven has expressed that he now understands the importance of a relationship with Christ. He and Majah are both realizing the importance of that relationship and how it can change their lives and impact many other. God is taking a frustrating situation and using it for His glory! ....Again, please pray this machine gets released from customs.

Also pray that flights are on schedule for the members who are set to return home on Friday. Croatian airlines are contemplating a strike and will decide today if they will strike or not. If they do strike, David said they may not be able to leave on Friday. Please keep this situation in your prayers.

The well they were building at Janko's for his farm has been finished. There were some delays due to difficulty and the heat, but Robert, Zack and Timi got it finished. Also the weather has cooled of considerably, so they were thankful for that. It is around 70 degrees now!

David has had a blessed time with the many families he has visited the past few days. He has also eaten some tremendous meals. As Neven said this morning...."he will come home with souvenir from Sisak...a few more pounds". There are lots of people in Croatia that would like to visit Texas one day and thank you all for sending this team!

David had the opportunity to share with Mouse Man (not his real name). He is the son of Rat Man (not his real name) that owns the best ice cream shop in Sisak! That was huge and David was excited that he asked him about why we came here every year....he opened the door and seeds were planted!

David has also been invited to Johnny's brothers wedding. His father doesn't speak English but said if David would be there, he would practice English 24/7 for three weeks. Johnny's father is very appreciative of David and his friendship with Johnny and thanked the team for being there in Sisak.  David said that over the last few years he has been coming to Sisak, he has seen a difference in the relationships between some of the parents and their children here. The parents seem to be more interested in what their children are doing and are showing some compassion for them. This is something you don't see a lot of in this culture. Pray that this continues and that they are not afraid to show this openly to others in the community.

Praise that Majah and baby had a doctor visit yesterday and everything is going good. There had been some concerns because the baby had Ecoli.

Tonight they plan to have a BBQ at Janko's. Branko says they will have roast pig! That is special in Croatia. They are looking forward to a last night of fellowship with friends and brothers and sisters in Christ!

Again, Thank you for all your prayers and support.

Debbie for David