Summer MiLO Blog 1

 

Summer MiLO Blog 1 Surprise, Surprise, Surprise I remember the old TV show “Gomer Pyle” and his response to things that happened around him that took him by surprise: he’d shout “Surprise, Surprise, Surprise!”, with a big ole smile on his face that would light up a room. It literally brightened up my day when I was a kid and I’d keep coming back to the show week after week just to see Gomer’s smile. Well, I feel that same smile creep across my face every time I return to Croatia, my second home. And most times it’s because there is a surprise that awaits me on every visit.

Welcome Porch - a great place to sit

His House - a great place to visit!

I arrived here on Tuesday and have been in recovery mode most of that time to today. We have a team of 9 coming on this summer’s MiLO and they start arriving this weekend. I came ahead of time to get things in order and prepared for camp, the carnival and to help prepare the baseball field, The NEST, for the upcoming 15U European Qualifier Baseball Tournament. Well to the most pleasant of surprises, the field is in immaculate condition. The city of Sisak has really put in a lot of money and resources to make the field in excellent playing condition and Coach Daniel and Neven along with several Storks and their parents have put in the work to make the field as good as many in the states. It is an absolute blessing and amazing to see this.

The tournament will be held from July 15-20 with 6 countries being represented. His Print is blessed to be one of the sponsors of the tournament and I will remain here until its conclusion.

Press conference to announce the tournament. HiS Print is blessed to be one of the sponsors.

It was also a very pleasant surprise to see Solomon’s Porch have some work done on it, to make it enclosed. His House is our home away from home and these small additions allow for more meeting spaces so groups like ours can use it throughout the year.

There is a mission team team here working with the Roma (gypsy) people and they had 10 members of their team stay here and then had two days of bringing kids here to participate in games and time of singing and Bible stories. It was perfect and enjoyed by all. I would have taken more pictures but with young children, I didn’t want to take pictures without their parents permission.

Janko makes HIS House available to all that want to come and need a place to meet or rest. Its comfort is felt throughout the house by Janko’s welcoming spirit and most would say they feel the Holy Spirit’s presence as well. It’s Home Away From Home and blessed every time we come.

Two other team members are in country but presently on the road visiting our football coaches around the Balkans.  Mike Norman and Brandon Hoybach are currently in Serbia and will be traveling for the next 10 days encouraging the coaches we have developed relationships over the years.

Brandon and Mike in Belgrade, Serbia with Serbian American Football Coaches.

I’ll try and keep you posted every couple of days and would appreciate your prayers. God has richly blessed us these past 18 years and this year is no different.  HE DID IT! David