Relationships Beginning and Others Deepening

 

Summer MiLO

Relationships Beginning and Others Deepening

HiS Print team surrounding our missionary friends from Ukraine

One of the neatest aspects of relationships is the ever-changing needs associated with them. When there is a need for a listening ear, that’s what you do. When there is a need for advice that is what you provide. When encouragement is needed, then you open your arms, heart and home and be there to help, listen, suggest or simply love them.

Saha and Marina Sasha and his bride Marina, their three children and both grandmothers came to HiS House from the Ukraine where they are from and live. They needed a time away from the nerve shattering tension of the war and a chance to be a family. Sasha had reached out to me before I left for Croatia and asked if they could come and stay at HiS House for a few days before they headed to the sandy beaches of Northern Italy.

Debbie and I with Sasha and Marina. We have been friends for over a decade and they are dedicated to serving the Lord in their home country of the Ukraine.

They came the day before the carnival and helped us man some booths during it while the grandmothers took the children around to enjoy the time of peace and fun. They stayed two nights and then headed east to Italy, and when I reached out to check on them several days later he told me that it was such a blessing to be there at HiS House again. Sasha and Marina as well as their eldest have been there several times in the past, but this was the first time for the younger children and the grandmothers. He told me the grandmothers liked being at HiS House but were completely overjoyed by the hospitality of the people there who were so helpful and sharing everything. I can honestly say that is was a real blessing to have them come and stay with us and knowing they felt the love of God through the hands and feet of our team was a blessing to everyone.

A blessing to watch people who meet for the first time and make a connection that can be felt from several feet away.

Above is Roya Mirzayeva. She is seeking asylum from Azerbaijan; she works in a cafe at the tire repair shop, along with several other jobs to support her 5 family members: three children of primary and secondary school age, and a husband who is unemployed and has complex psychosocial difficulties. I have met Roya several times, but it has been a few years since the last time. She is such a breath of fresh air, and her joy is deeply seated in her love for her family. She is an extremely gifted pianist, but she says that is a lifetime ago and now devotes all her attention and love to support her family. Please keep her in your prayers as she seeks asylum to become a permanent citizen of Croatia.

Food Pantry

Food supplies for families we visit who are in need, and it gives us the opportunity to love them.

Every year for the past 10 we have partnered with Dasa and her husband to help refugees and veteran families with food items that they cannot afford themselves. This has become a time of visiting with the family, playing with the children, encouraging them by just coming and listening to them. I think our presence becomes much more important than the food items we purchase and bring.

Food and Prayer Delivery for those in need

Beautiful Soul filled with joy, and we were touched deeper than we touched her she while we visited her.

We usually try to visit more families when our team is bigger and we have more time. It allows us to split up and visit four families and try and go two or three times during the weeks of our MiLO. This year we were limited on time and filled with responsibilities in other places, and since our team wasn’t that big, we only visited two homes for this mission.

New Relationship begins with an offer to marry!

Meet Mrs. Danica Delač, a widow of a Croatian veteran, who lives modestly, lacking in everything. She lives in Stupno, a small village right out of Sisak and her home is the building she rents that is in the back side of the train station. Every few hours the train comes by and rattles the foundation the house sits on. The rent is cheap, but the situation she lives in isn’t. Danica recently lost her husband while being homeless and not getting the proper care needed for the problems he had because of the war. He served in the 1990’s for Croatian independence and developed PTSD. He never recovered from the trauma from the war and had many mental issues that drove him away from all help and his desire to live with his wife.

We were also able to provide money for her to pay rent for several months so she could get ahead a little. We were the first people Dasa had brought to visit her, and she was overjoyed by our visit and willingness to visit with her and pray over her. I am praying God will allow us to visit her in the future and develop a deeper friendship. Thank you, Lord, for crossing our path with her. I would like you to pray for her when the Lord elevates her in your mind. She is lonely and those prayers will go a long way.

Branka a dear friend of 10 years, but Debbie’s first time meeting her. Wonderful love shared

Tears fill my eyes every time I write something about my dear friend Branka. She has been a regular visit for me and our team for the past 10 years and this year was extra special because I got to introduce  my bride to her. Branka, immediately expressed her gratitude for expanding her Texas Family!  Visiting her is always a highlight and our conversations are always centered around Christ. She loves the Lord and tells her friends that the Lord brought her a large family all the way from Texas. Our missions would not be complete without at least once visit to Branka. We met her through Dasa and their food ministry, but we have become such great family that we just go visit her when ever we can and always provide financial and support through giving her food supplies. Thank you Lord, for the joy Branka always has, even in her limited opportunity to do the things she would like to.

Growing in ministry takes growth in faith and trust. None of that is possible without prayer and remaining vertically focused on Him to lead, making the choice to allow the Spirit to take us on His path and the obedience to travel at the speed He desires for us to go. That can include pauses, being still and traveling at warp speed at times. To know where you should be is moving at His pace alone and that allows you to achieve a sacred pace. Have a wonderful God filled day!   Thank you for your support and interest in HiS Print and what God is doing in and through the ministry!  HE DID IT!  David