Made it Home - Mission 2014 Complete

Got home around 6:00 last night (Friday) and great to see my family! Was trying to get a good ole Texas steak but the wait was to long so headed off for some Mexican food. Great to be back and appreciate your support and help for this years mission and team that went to share God's love.

July 17^th Our last night for Mission 2014

Spent most of the day packing all the luggage to make sure we would be ready for the early trip to the airport tomorrow morning. Sis and Brandon went to the store and bought some patio furniture for the new upper patio and we spend much of the morning putting it together and it turned our really nice and we put it up there for people to have another place to sit and talk or to have some quiet time.  Then Brandon, Sis and Robert went off to visit a couple of folks to say their goodbyes and build those lasting relationships. In the afternoon I hopped on one of our bikes we have for the ministry to ride the 3 miles into town for practice with the cadets at the nest. What a mistake that was, because once I got about halfway there the seat decided to have a mind of it own and began to twist and turn so that I had to peddle while standing up most of the way. Great workout, just wasn’t something I was planning on doing. Got to the field early and decided after a break that I would walk the short mile into town to go visit Rat man and Mouse man one last time for some ice cream. On my walk I spent the time thanking God for all He had done through the ministry and the relationships that have been built. About halfway there I met up with Mario who was walking to the field. He turned around and joined me for the walk for ice cream. Mario and I talked about Poland and his role with HiS PRINT and how much he enjoyed going and being a part of the ministry! When we got to Rat man’s Mario offered to buy mine and although Mouse man wouldn’t let us buy it, it was awesome to have him offer, even though he has no job and little money. We sat for a moment and then decided to head back to the field before the players got there and I could spend some time talking with Coach Daniel. Coach got there a little before 6 and we had a good visit talking about the trip and what the needs were for the baseball club. I told him that it was very important that they get some good leadership that was positive to the young players and would nurture them along and not destroy their confidence.

I then took the cadets through a good two hour practice that focused only on defense. I worked them hard and at first they didn’t get it and weren’t putting forth the effort, but after some good talking and making my point the responded with hustle and hard work. After practice they each told me they hoped to see me in the fall and that they looked forward to practice then. I rode the tough 3 mile trek back standing up the entire way but at least it was faster and better than walking and I made it back before dark. When I got back to the house we had several people there to say their goodbyes and I spent the evening visiting with many people and especially a length of time with Lorden and Ivan. They are two young men who are eager to get a business started and have a vision of making a mark for themselves there in Croatia! Joe Page and Jake Baker had spent some time with them earlier in the trip talking to them about their business venture and giving them some good advice as to how to proceed. Dr. Rusty Brooks has worked with them for the past 3 years and since he was not able to make the trip this year we wanted them to have someone there to run their ideas by. They have learned a lot for Dr. Brooks and their respect for them is incredible and they are better prepared to pursue this pathway. They are great guys who love the Lord with all their hearts and are strong in their faith and walk with Christ daily and want to display that in their lives. Every year when we return, those trips to Ratman’s are always a highlight! Barbara the librarian came out and spent some good time with Sis and she came in to say her goodbyes to me as well. She was a huge help in getting the posters out for the carnival as well as making them and our handouts. She is very talented and gifted.

We spent the rest of the late night packing up what was left before hitting the hay for the short nap before heading to the airport at 4:30. I decided to take a last walk and look around at the new developments of HiS HOUSE and ended up on the back porch sitting and staring up at the stars. I wish I could adequately put into words the experience and beauty that I saw, but what ever I wrote would not do it justice. Looking up, there were so many stars that there were few spots in the night sky that were dark and void of stars. Off in the distance in the east there was a bank of clouds building omitted a flash of light every so often from the lighting and the moon was on the horizon, hidden slightly to where you could only see the golden yellow light casting from around the clouds. I sat there amazed at God’s handiwork and wonderful, majestic creation and thanked Him for the many blessings of this trip and the opportunities He continues to open up for HiS PRINT to share His truth, love, grace and gift of salvation. I ended up having a worship service which woke up the dogs in the neighboring village and they joined me with their howling, which luckily drowned out much of the noise I was making, which we could loosely label as singing. I can at least attest that it was a joyful noise unto the Lord. I’m sure He was smiling with His ears plugged. I finally got to bed a few hours before the alarm was to go off at 4. Janko, Mario and Martina came and gave us a ride to the airport and we were blessed by their offer and friendship. We are so blessed to have the friends we do. It is going to be hard to summarize all high points from this trip because there are so many. We will return soon to catch up with our hearts that we always leave behind every year. Thank you God for blessing us with the people of Croatia and now Poland and Serbia. 

Blessings,
David