Made it Back Safely to Sisak - Off to Poland Tomorrow Morning!

Well it has been a long day and now I am ready to hit the hay! I made the drive back safely to Sisak from Split and after an 4 hour drive in the rain most of the way, the afternoon packing bags for Poland and for Serbia, I am ready to let the eyelids close. Before I do I would like to share a brief update on what happened last night and this morning and then I am going to let Shannon (Sis) share a story or two with you and what has been happening with her and the team that was in Sisak with her while we were doing football camp in Split.

Last night I had the opportunity to share the gospel message with Tomislov.  It was an incredible experience to watch his facial expressions change from one of question to one of satisfaction. He is really searching and with a few more walls in the way he is not ready to commit his life to Christ but has agreed to keep searching and beginning to read John! Last night Edo, a young man who is an atheist, asked me to go for coffee in the morning which we did and spent a couple of hours together! He and I have been talking on Facebook for the past year and he has been asking some really good questions so this morning we talked about grace and whether he knew what that was. We talked about our relationship with God and the reason for Jesus. He listened intently and not once did he try and interrupt me or turn a blind eye or non listening ear. He would make a few comments on he just can't believe but we left each other with him agreeing to at least read the Bible and ask God, if he is out there, to reveal himself to him. I am in the process of getting one of the missionaries there to get him a Bible and be ready to answer any questions he may have. 

This has been an incredible time and as I was being lead out of town by Mario, I was thankful for God bringing me here to Split and Croatia! Mario pulled over once I was on my way out of town, we hugged, we cried and we prayed for one another. Incredible witness on the shoulder of the freeway for those who were driving by. It meant so much to me that he would stop and do that!

Also, just wanted to let you know when I go to Poland tomorrow we will be staying in a school out in the middle of a very small village and don't think I will have Internet connection so this may be the last time I speak to you till I return back to Croatia on July 16. I will do my best to try and get some word out to you all. Appreciate the prayers and encouragement.

Here is Sis's story and you will be blessed if you have the time to read this wonderful story of sharing Gods love with a total stranger!

Blessings

David

Shannon’s Blog (Sis)

This was another fantastic week. We spent 2 days, Tuesday and Thursday, at the handicapped organization. I brought jewelry making supplies for them to work on. Our hope is they will be able to make the jewelry and sell it to make money for their organization. They have several times a year that they sell crafts to raise money for their organization. I brought supplies for them to make necklaces, bracelets and earrings. We had so much fun working with them. One of the ladies shared that she wanted to take a jewelry making class in Zagreb and now she was so happy because she wouldn’t have to take the class. We showed them the very basic steps and knowing these amazing people, they will make some beautiful jewelry. It is truly a blessing to know them and to work with them. They said we have a standing invitation for “forever”. Most of these people don’t speak English. There was a translator there and she was amazing! We are looking forward to spending time with them again next year.

 

Today we had an awesome experience in the grocery store. We were standing in line at the cash register when a dirty, elderly man started yelling at us in Croatian. I told him, in Croatian, that I didn’t understand what he was saying but that didn’t stop him from yelling. After several moments, we assumed he wanted to lean on the counter as he was not able to walk well. This seemed to satisfy his yelling. As I got to the cashier to pay, I felt compelled to pay for his item. He had a chicken for 30 kuna (about $6). NO ONE SPOKE ENGLISH…as I tried to explain that I wanted to pay for his chicken, I think he thought I was taking it. He yelled some more. A lady in line behind him realized what I was trying to do and explained to everyone what was happening. The hard stare from the man immediately turned to a smile as did the cashier’s face and the lady in line trying to help. The smile was the look of joy and gratitude on a face that seemed hard pressed to find joy. It was an amazing experience and one that I will never forget. This was an opportunity to react in second to a nudging from God. An opportunity to love without borders or barriers. Trust me, the language barrier was enough to make a scene but the nudge from God was so strong and quick, I had no time to second guess the decision to pay for the man’s chicken. 

I have grown a lot through this ministry and I am eternally grateful to God for showing me how to shine HiS light. I am quicker to act and less concerned about the response or looking stupid. I am God’s hands and feet and so are you. Who’s chicken will you pay for today? When you speak the language of the heart, amazing things happen. Barriers and borders don’t exist and HiS love is spoken through you. Be generous with a hair trigger and that will give you the freedom to love expecting nothing in return and this genuine love from Christ to another person will never return void.

In HiS love,

Sis