2022 Summer MLO Blog 8

 

Summer MLO Blog 8 I was blessed to be asked by the children’s library to come by and read to the little ones. It was such a beautiful time of reading to them and then they read to me. It was a rainy day and no one knew for sure how many would come, if any, but 5 little ones and their mothers came and joined us at the new library. The other library was destroyed by the earthquake. I spent the morning there reading and then afterward, Irena, one of the librarians we have known for years, sat down and talked with me. She told me how hard it has been since the pandemic and then the earthquakes. She said how hard it had been for her and so many others, and how good it felt to see me and to know that HiS Print would be coming back. Irena expressed her interest in the hope that our team had when they visited, and that gave me the wonderful opportunity to share Jesus with her. When we finished, I asked her if I could pray for her and she didn’t hesitate! Keep Irena in your prayers, when God elevates her. She is a real blessing and woman of peace.  I'm praying she says yes to Jesus.

One of the blessings we have had for the past 5 years is a warehouse here in Sisak. We can ship a container full of equipment and supplies, store and organize them in the warehouse, and then distribute to the many countries across Europe and beyond, if possible. The HiS Print "1250 Target" is an area that is 1250 miles around Sisak and covers 55 countries. Those 55 countries can easily come across borders and pick up equipment to take back home. When we host our Coach Clinics in March, we always have the coaches take equipment they can use home with them. Unfortunately, we have baseball equipment that has not been used and we have praying for a home for it. Well, recently one of our friends from Croatia was elected President of the European Baseball Federation. I sat with him on Sunday afternoon and he told me about the push to start baseball in Ghana and that they are in need of equipment. He informed me that the European Federation would cover the transportation costs if we had equipment available. I told him he could have it all! So later this fall, all the unused baseball equipment here in the Croatia Warehouse will be shipped to Ghana to start a little league program.   In the warehouse there are also many tools for the earthquake aid, plus Christian literature and Children’s Bibles to pass out to those who receive the earthquake aid. It's really neat and similar to what we do when we send out equipment to other countries: we always include a sports Bible or two as well as other devotionals.

Relationships are what HiS Print is all about! Our relationship with Jesus motivates us to have relationships with others, by loving them where they are and loving them till they ask why. Loving them in such a way that they do ask why and for us, it’s loving them even if they don’t! This amazing 2022 MiLO has been exactly that:  a time to spend with people who we have developed relationships in the past, and the opportunity to develop some new ones. These past several days have been filled with times of sharing with many and hearing their stories of difficulties as well as their testimonies of victories over struggles. Everyone has asked if we are coming back? When I tell them we are, a smile widens on their faces and even a tear or two is shed. Since I had so many meetings with people it was hard to expound on them all, so I put together a mural to let you know who they are and what they do. We are blessed beyond measure how God has brought these people into our lives and crossed our paths through HiS Print!

Vukasin has become a dear friend, and now brother, through American Football in Serbia and is the organizer and promoter of the Balkan American Football League. Desha and her husband are the organizers of the Food Pantry in Sisak that serves the city and the surrounding villages. They have been a huge help in allowing us to serve through food provision and prayer! They lost their home during the earthquakes.  Neven & Maja are such a blessing to HiS Print. Neven is with the Sisak Storks and so are their oldest son and daughter. We have developed a deep friendship and bond over the years and are always invited into their home on our visits here.  Vladomir is a dear brother in Christ who touched my life deeply the very first year I came to Croatia in 2006. He is a pastor who travels up into the mountains to preach to the people of the villages. Those churches are often set up in old bombed-out schools, no longer occupied since the war in the 1990’s.   Barbara was the librarian of the children’s library in Sisak when we first started doing library programs. She is no longer on staff there, but her heart now belongs to Jesus! Barbara attributes that to how the people of HiS Print treated her and shared Jesus through their words, but more importantly through their actions.  Johnny is the President of the Serbian National Alliance for American Football and is a dear friend. He and Vukasin always travel to Sisak when the equipment arrives to help organize and distribute the American Football equipment we send.  Damir (Croatian Little League Board Member) and Kruno (European Baseball President) have become dear friends over the years. Damir has helped us organize baseball equipment distribution and Kruno is helping us move equipment outside the country to developing countries across Europe and Africa.  Janko! I cannot say enough about our brother and dear friend Janko! He has become such a blessing to me. Janko's friendship is very, very dear to me and to the entire team of HiS Print! Janko always makes you feel welcome at HiS House, and our time together is priceless. I just wish we had more time together! Who knows... maybe one day soon, it will be!  I have asked Brandon to share about his trip down to Split and his meeting with the Sea Wolves and a new brother in Christ God has brought into our lives recently, Pastor Ronnie!

Brandon and Split  I had a wonderful time spending several days in Split. I was able to attend a couple of the Sea Wolves football practices which was so much fun! It was enjoyable, for a change, to sit back and observe the practice instead of having to conduct the practice or a camp. I was able to visit with players on the sidelines as they rotated on and off. I can’t tell you how great it was to connect with them face to face after three years. Some players have gotten married, some have had kids and some did both since I was last here. It was a strange feeling, like a time warp.   I was also able to have coffee with the new president of the team and listen to their goals and dreams as a football club, both on and off the field. The Split Sea Wolves have worked really hard to have and keep a great reputation in the city and community. They are doing things the right way which is extremely hard and extremely rare in this part of the world.   I was also able to visit a facility/space where the Sea Wolves hope to have their own workout facility. They are going to build a small gym area where they can weight train, crossfit, etc. It will be in the Student Center of the University of Split. The university has about 25,000 students, and several thousands of those live on the campus right around the Student Center. They hope to make connections with college students and hopefully attract some future players. They will be working in cooperation with the university to get this new gym project done. Dino, the quarterback for the Sea Wolves and who does sports ministry, is especially looking forward to it because it will be a great place to do outreach!

Split Sea Wolves and the new training area

I also had a chance to visit Gračac which is a small village located 2 hours northeast of Split. It has a population of approximately 3000-4000 people. Gračac is made up of Serbians, Croatians, and Bosnians which makes it unique, because these nationalities all living together in the same town very rarely ever happens. I visited with pastor Roni who moved there six years ago from Split with his family to plant a church. It is the only Bible teaching church in the entire region. HiS Print met Roni and did a baseball camp for the first time there in the summer of 2019. He has continued to learn and then teach the kids about baseball and softball. Pastor Roni uses it as an outreach tool to gather kids of Serbian, Croatian and Bosnian nationalities and play together. Again, because of the the brutal war in the early to mid 1990s this type of unification usually does not happen. On days they are not practicing Roni will invite the kids and parents to movie nights as his house, play games with them, do Bible Studies and invite them to church on Sunday. Roni and his wife are very active in the community showing the love of Jesus to everyone, regardless of nationality, and it has made a HUGE impact!

Pastor Ronnie in Gracac

Thanks for your support of HiS Print through the years.  We are so blessed by your support and look forward to returning year after year, here to Croatia and across the Balkans. Remember Jesus loves you and so do I!  HE DID IT!  David