2019 Summer MLO Blog 16

Words cannot grasp, and pictures cannot capture  Where to begin? That is extremely difficult because no matter where I start, much will be left out and wherever I stop, not enough will be said! I am overwhelmed with joy and emotions that wash over me every time I try to sit down and put into words all that is going on right in front of us, as well as much more that is happening behind the scenes; at least the scenes that are going on around me or I’m involved with! HiS PRINT has so much going on right here in Sisak; while one team is working at baseball another team is going to the food pantry and another team is heading off to the library. And while we are doing ministry here in Sisak Croatia, there is a team of coaches doing ministry in Poland and another group of coaches sharing in Serbia and Bosnia. God has really kicked open the door and created opportunities all over The Balkans and Eastern Europe for us to use our steps to leave HiS PRINT! To love those we come in contact with right where they are and love them till they ask why and even if they don’t ask why! The footprint of the ministry is always visible, and no matter where we go the people know we are serving Him. It has taken many years to develop those relationships that trust and open up to asking why and now those why’s are being asked more and more often and in more and more places!

Baseball Camp: Poland Here is a quick report from Joe, who is the leader of our team at Baseball Camp in Poland: English class was a great addition to our camp this year and was a nice chance to interact with community outside of the baseball family. The weather did not cooperate on the first day of camp, but we worked around the rain and had a great day. It has been chilly and we are thankful to have packed long sleeves and even jackets. We did run into a challenge of needing two camps (one for for little T-ballers and one for the stronger skilled older group) but again we worked through the problem and were able to provide a camp that was challenging for both sets of players. In full HiS PRINT Baseball Camp tradition, we closed the camp with our Baseball Olympics.  The players always enjoy the event and even got Coach Joe to run the course this year!  Coach Robert's family treated us to an incredible breakfast and fellowship time on our last morning, and we were blessed by sharing our walks with the Lord.

Football Camp: Northern Serbia Here is a quick update from Brandon, HiS PRINT Football Director, after their first camp: In Northern Serbia: Novi Sad was awesome as usual! Vuk took great care of us! We had about 35 players representing 3 teams from Serbia and 2 teams from Bulgaria. In Kraljevo the weather was rather toasty. It has been a great three days of camp.

Baseball Camp: Karlovac Stefan and I are up in Karlovac Croatia working with the 12U Croatian National Little League Team. We are spending the better part of four days with them and had a ball teaching the game and pouring into Coach Bootsy and encouraging him. He has become a dear friend since the Croatian Migration and our time together in the states. The kids are getting better each day and Stefan is getting chance after chance to share with the coach and players about his experience in the states and why HiS PRINT keeps coming back. There is excitement in the air for the future of little league baseball and to build into the older teams in the future to keep baseball alive in Croatia. What a blessing it has been to be here for me and work with the team and share my love for the game.

On Wednesday, the Little League team went to a professional psychiatrist's office to talk about focus, concentration, reaction and control. I was most impressed by the attention span and interest of each of these fourteen 12 year-old players. No fidgeting, complaining or falling asleep. The presentation was a big breath of fresh air!

While in Karlovac and working with the Croatian National Team, I ran into two players who had attended several of our camps in the past. They are now 16 years old and playing for the senior club in Karlovac. I was overjoyed that they came over to say hello and I got a chance to visit with them.  These seeds of relationship that were planted several years ago are still growing many years later!

HiS House While all of this is going on, much is also happening around HiS HOUSE. There is a lot of rather unpleasant but necessary work to be completed as we prepare for the next phases of construction projects. The first big job on the list was sorting and moving items from the space that will become the café and kitchen. Take a look at the "before and after" pictures below to see the enormity of the clean-up and organization project completed by the team who stayed in Sisak these three days. These team members were incredible and selfless servants as they worked in very hot conditions and a very unpleasant job. It was an amazing amount of selfless cooperation!  Everyone is tired and has been on-the-go with ministry, and I am so thankful that they continue to answer the call every time the bell rings and they are asked.

Future HiS Cafe before.... and after!

Future kitchen before.... and after!

He Did It! David