June 28 update from David

Debbie,


I am going to write this morning and give my voice a break. After camp yesterday my voice is a little  on the weak side. The allergies are hitting me pretty hard again this year and the combination will make it to difficult to spit the words out. If you would proof I would be grateful. Love to express myself through word but it takes me so long and not always sure I get my point across! Thanks so much for your wonderful help and dedication to helping us serve HIM!


Hope all is well back in Houston. Things are fast and furious here! Great things are beginning to happen and slowly but surely we are getting things accomplished. The camp is going great and today we head back to the orphanage to do a baseball camp for them and play other games with them. Thanks for the prayers.

Yesterday was another one of those wow days. Probably because it was the first day I actually got a chance to get on the field and spend some time with the campers. The past two sessions I have had other administrative things go on and have missed most of the coaching time!

Let me see if I can run down all the major highlights, there were so many!

First Dalton, Chris, Robert and Rusty along with the Storks did camp in the morning. They had a few kids not come back and some new ones show up so they had about 25 again which is awesome! I went to pick up Brandon from the airport and Shannon took the women up to Zagreb to show the new people around the capital and take a look at the culture - and of course do some shopping!

While going to the airport I got a call from Stefan and he said they figured out the amount of concrete needed for the stage and how much all the materials would cost as well the amount of time it would take with our small cement mixer. The cost was about $680 US dollars and the amount of mixes we would need to cover the area would be about 120. So I told him to get some quotes for a truck and if we could get it for around $1200 we would do it. The first quote they got was well above that and the second quote they got was for about $980. He called back and I told him to do it. They needed my credit card, and the place to get the cement was right next to the airport so they came to the airport and greeted Brandon with me and then we headed to the cement place. By the way, Brandon's luggage didn't make it with him so we spent time in the luggage black hole office giving them his information and Janko's information to have it sent to.

Stefan,Martin and Alan came to the airport and gave Brandon a real Storks greeting! When we got to the cement place we ordered the truck went to pay the bill and the total amount ended up being alittle less than $720 dollars.  Praise God that the dollar has strengthened this trip to a little over 6 kuna to the dollar! God is really working things out.  This saved us 20 hours - not only saved our backs, but also allowed us to focus on the camp and the campers. The truck showed up right around 2 and it was done around 2:30.  They smoothed it and leveled it for us as well! Huge savings on all aspects!!! Thanks for the prayers and keep them coming. Getting this done allows Rock to start the stage as soon as he gets here.

The locker room floor was also leveled and looks really good.  It will be ready for Colin to start work on the lockers on Monday when he gets ready to build. Please pray that both those building projects will get accomplished in the week's time they will have to build them. They can be done and with Gods help and your prayers they will be done!

For the evening camp session we had over 35 players and the fun we had was incredible! Teaching them this game of baseball is a joy and sharing the love of Christ through the gospel was incredible. I gathered the campers around and shared with them why we were there and that because of God's love for us, we come to share His love with them. Because of what Jesus Christ did on the cross for us and everyone of them, it is our desire to share that with them, for them to understand that message and to accept Him as their savior as well!! Then we played ball and the smiles grew on those faces and the joy of learning was in their hearts! My prayer is that the joy of Christ will fill those hearts as well!

After camp the girls brought out the watermelon and we enjoyed a time of fellowship and laughing! We cleaned up the equipment and then headed to dinner and of course ice cream. I am beginning to figure out that the reason everyone is excited to come to Croatia on this mission trip is to get some of that great ice cream! But really it only takes a hug from one of the Storks or a warm smile from one of the campers or orphans that locks up your heart with a desire to come back! It has taken 7 years to break down most of those hard walls but each year the love we have for the Croatians and the love they have for us grows deeper and deeper! Short term missions over a long period of time breaks down walls, plows soil and allows for seeds to be planted. This year the Fields of Faith is an avenue which Christ is going to be presented to the masses and I won't be surprised if we see a harvest that will surprise even us! Praise God for all he has done and for what He continues to do here with this ministry.

Pray for the trip to the orphanage and the chance to share with them and for the building of the brick dugouts! We are so excited about having the dugouts being bricked, to show that the Storks are there to stay and the NEST will be there to stay! God has taken a field of weeds to a Field of Dreams and this year to a Field of Faith! The soil has been plowed, rocks removed, seeds planted and the field watered! Through the Fields of Faith, the Christian rock bands, the praise and worship time, the testimonies of Josh Hamilton, Lance Berkman and Andy Petitte, and the gospel presentation by Saleim from HBU, watch out for a harvest that could over flow the baskets!!

Pray for Colin, Wyat, Erin, Sharon and Rock as they prepare to travel today and join us tomorrow for the next phase of the mission! Thanks so much for each and everyone of you! You are the prayer glue that keeps this all together, to help us stay together and on course when we have the struggles that come and the disappointments that mount! We are knitted together with the love of Christ and you go with us in each of these mission activities.


Have a wonderful God filled day! HE DID IT, Let's Do IT!

Our steps leaving HIS PRINT!