2019 Summer MLO Blog 11

When God created the heavens and the earth and called it good, He was definitely looking at the coastline of Croatia! Wow, I wish the words and the pictures could do it justice, but they simply cannot. Words fail to describe the extreme beauty that God created, and the pictures fall well short of capturing the enormity of that beauty. For three days I was blessed to have the opportunity to slip away to take my bride and enjoy some time on the coast and some alone-time with each other. It was so refreshing to go from small villages enjoying the sights and sounds of each, to swimming in the gorgeous waters of the Adriatic. Our friends took us to an uninhabited island to jump off the rocks and enjoy some snorkeling one evening, and we spent a couple of nights in the most beautiful apartment and town in Pirovac, Croatia. We caught a small glimpse of heaven in those three days and enjoyed God’s creation that left only wonderful memories and a desire to return. 

Here are but a few of those pictures that can only give a small taste or view of what we experienced. Debbie and I are so thankful for that time spent together and the opportunity to talk and share with each other and play catch up on the 6 weeks we have been apart. We are blessed and rested for sure, and extremely thankful for the blessing of Damir and Natasha Karin for their gift of staying at their apartment and with their family. It was a huge blessing of accommodation but an even bigger gift of friendship and relationship! Enjoy the pictures, but you need to come and see it in person if you want the complete story of beauty! 

 

Prior to leaving for the coast, we had a full three days of baseball with the Croatian National Little League team. It was a blessing to coach with Bootsie and participate in the Friendship Cup with teams from Dubai and Hungary. Although we didn’t win, the team fought hard and were able to come back in the championship game. We lost to Dubai by only one run! The team fought hard and improved a lot throughout the tournament, and I look forward to working with the team again next week. They have invited me to come up to Karlovac and work out with them. 

My bride & I were also blessed to experiencing our first Croatian wedding. We have received many invitations over the years and sincerely wished we could have attended each of those in person. However, this one fell at the beginning of the MLO and Debbie was able to get off work to join me. It was another experience that we will never forget, and the blessing received by attending will be forever etched in our memories. The groom, Marko Kricka, is a former Sisak Storks baseball team member and is currently the Vice Mayor of Sisak. He has become a dear friend of mine, as well as a huge advocate for HiS PRINT, so to be able to attend and participate in celebrating this joyous occasion was precious. Again, words cannot describe what all goes into a Croatian wedding, but just know that there is a lot of food and drink and goes for a very long time! I never ate so much food in my life, and had we stayed as long as most (well into the start of the next day) we would have eaten several more times! It was a memorable experience and a great time with Maja and Neven. 

Take care! The real craziness of the summer MLO starts today with the rest of our visitors and team members arriving, and the headcount at HiS HOUSE will rise to 80. Man, I can’t wait ‘till the HiS Kitchen and Café are completed and we can have more room to spread out and enjoy the fellowship of one another! 

Blessings and remember Jesus loves you and so do I! 

HE DID IT! 

David