Vacation in America

We are back in Croatia after a great 2 week vacation to see family in the States. Our return was on Sunday evening around 5:30. We are still jet lagged and sleeping at strange times. Two nights ago, Bret, Ryan and I were all up at 3 AM. Elise, for the first time ever, has adjusted the quickest.

Connecting with family was wonderful! Our first week was spent in Weatherford, Oklahoma. My parents and grandmother live there and both of my brothers took a week off of work to be there for the whole time.

The middle brother, David, had just recently returned from a mission trip to Africa to help with Buckner International Ministries. David is a GREAT photographer! I knew he was interested but had no idea how good he is. This was his second trip to help orphans in Kenya. The ministry is called Buckner Orphan Care International and he is planning to go back, possibly as early as this spring. I’ll post some of his pictures or at least links to them when they are available. My youngest brother, Steve, had his three year old son, Luke, with him and we had a great time getting to know him. We only wished his wife, Diane, could have had more time off work as well. It was great to see everyone after a two and a half year absence.

We were able to worship at First Baptist Church of Weatherford on December 24. Their pastor did a role play as one of the shepherds the angels appeared to. It was great and very effective in calling to mind what God did for us in sending His Son.

We traveled to Austin, Texas on December 29^th and spent one week with Elise’s dad and his new wife, Barbara. We were so happy to spend some time getting to know Barbara. She is a wonderful woman who is a great blessing to our family. I told Elise’s dad that he had managed to marry way over his head for a second time. He agrees. Barbara’s son and daughter-in-law, Mike and Tracy, met us there with their two sons. We are appreciative of their efforts to be there and greatly enjoyed meeting them and getting to know them. God has all sorts of unexpected blessings for us in this life.

Elise’s family is big and very close. I mean, think about the movie, My Big Fat Greek Wedding, and you are getting close. They have a big family reunion, the Fortner Roundup, in Brownwood, Texas every summer. I still get confused on who everyone is and Elise and I just celebrated our 23^rd anniversary.

Well, Elise’s mom, Ann, and her dad hosted an annual New Year Eve’s dinner and party for those in the Texas area. There are a lot in the Texas area. Elise and her dad hosted the party in 2003 when we live in Austin while on Stateside assignment. This year, Barbara got the opportunity. She seems to have survived! Thirty – one people made it for the dinner, including five from Arizona and one from Hong Kong. Six thousand miles traveled and we did not even win the longest distance traveled award.

The next day, Elise’s brother, sister-in-law, and nephew, David, Linda and Kenny, arrived after an all night drive from Denver. They were late due to the snow storms in Colorado and definitely had the hardest trip of us all. We are so appreciative of their hard work and sacrifice to be there. It was great to reconnect with so many people.

I learned some important things on this trip and some not so important. I will share those in the days to come.

Thank You for Your Love, Prayer and Generosity

December of each year is the time Southern Baptists collect the Lottie Moon Christmas Offering. It is one of the two major ways the IMB is funded. This offering plus the regular giving of local churches, we call it the Cooperative Program, enables 5,000 plus missionaries to have all that is needed to live and work overseas. There are several links below that will help you find more information if you would like to; however, a personal word may also be helpful.

Your love, prayer support, regular giving, and the Lottie Moon Christmas offering all combine to make our life possible. I often say with great thankfulness and truthfulness, your generosity is the key and that without it we cannot do what we do.

This morning, Bret is next to me in the office working on home school via the internet. Your generosity has made the opportunity possible. Ryan left this morning at 6:30 to take the bus to Zagreb, a tram to the center of Zagreb, and a bus up the hill on the other side of the city. All, so that he can attend high school at the American International School of Zagreb. The school blessed us with a great discount that made it possible for us to even think of him attending there. Your generosity made it reality.

Last night, we drove to Petrinja to lead the sixth seminar on Walking with God. Today, we will run several errands in our city and in Zagreb as we prepare for our trip to America over the Christmas season. Daily, we drive wherever is needed for life and ministry.  Your generosity provided the car and funds to operate the car. I woke up this morning and began a fire to help heat a house you have provided. Earlier this week, we hosted Baptist Union leaders and our two local pastors for an American Christmas party in the same home.

All of these examples are but the tip of the iceberg of all you do for us. We could not be more thankful, so let me say it again. THANK YOU FOR YOUR LOVE, PRAYER SUPPORT, and GENEROUS GIVING. WITHOUT YOU WE CANNOT DO IT!

Click the link for more information on Lottie Moon  or about the International Mission Board . Through these links you can discover a world of information and resources about this offering, how it is used and about our sending organization.

Click here to watch an IMB – SBC video that helps us think about the task of going to the world with the gospel. Forgive me for my lack of YouTube expertise. I could not figure out how to get the cool YouTube screen on my blog but the link will work for you.

Broken Stuff Still

Please take the time to read this incredible story about loving others and God’s work in this world. Click here to read the story.  It is from the December 17^th blog of another Okie.

Our broken-stuff-everyday-all-day experience continues. I thought I set up square space, the blog server I use, to publish 5 days in a row automatically. I am the broken one on that; square space works fine if you set it up right. You missed some great stuff which I will rework and get out over the Christmas holidays.

Elise broke down in our car in Zagreb this morning. Well, the car broke down while she was attempting to drive into the Zagreb to have her hair done in preparation for our Christmas trip to America.  I drove a friend's van to the city to rescue her; I was able to drive our car back to the Opel dealer. It died literally as I pulled into the parking lot. Thank you, Lord, for getting us that far.

Last week, Thursday through Saturday, I fixed heating units (that means I arranged a heating expert to come and fix the systems) in two of the three houses the IMB owns in the Zagreb area. On Sunday, a man called to say the heating in the other house was broken! Turns out, thankfully, the guy just did not know how to start it and I was able to get it going yesterday. Our colleagues who are coming back to Croatia in 9 days, after a six month furlough, will appreciate that.

This evening we are traveling to Petrinja to lead our sixth seminar with the Baptist church. Please continue to pray for this church, their walk with the Lord, and their outreach to their community.

When Everything Breaks

I mentioned in my last post that during the time of fasting we had a lot of stuff break. Following a couple of years in which almost nothing broke, it seemed like everything did!

Our email server has been toast, or some interesting variety of toast, for what seems like ages. For five days it did not matter because our ISDN and, thus, our fancy dial-up service (with two lines dedicated to it, I could hit speeds of up to 28.8k), was broken. I shared with you in an earlier blog about the joy of fixing that one. I finally broke down and bought a new mobile phone and it broke down within two weeks! About a week ago, my work computer had a fatal Windows XP Pro error requiring reformatting of hard drive. And the joy of reinstalling EVERYTHING!

I almost went and bought an Apple! The problem is a known power management error and my computer guru friend was able to look up the solution on the Microsoft help site! By the way, he rescued the computer and all my data; I back up fanatically but he got it all. One of our colleagues began having big computer problems that ended up in the purchase of a new system. Finally, our car broke. Somehow, the alarm system now thinks we are thieves and every once in awhile imposes an electronic block. Not being a thief, I am not sure how to work around this. It resets after 24 hours so can conveniently be driven or stolen the next day!

Almost everything is back up and going, though the car alarm system is proving problematic. There are other things: heating system is broken at another IMB house in Zagreb that is empty and my responsibility, a visit to the tax authority that did not prove to be profitable for our organization, and a few other little administrative things like, “Where is my one-year visa?” But, I put it all on the table to say that somehow during the time of fasting, none of it was a big deal.

There was a sense of recognizing what is always true: God is in control! None of the broken things caught Him off guard. He intended to use all of them for the schedule, plans, vision, objectives, goals, strategy, and appointments He had for me. The car breakdown provides a good example.

We had a problem. Sunday, December 3^rd, our car would not start when we returned to it following our church’s worship service. No big deal, you say. It is when you are parked in zone 2 of downtown Zagreb. Parking there is free on the weekends but you have to pay beginning at 7 AM on Monday morning. And, there is a two hour limit. I was able to pay for the parking through my mobile phone – they have a system that lets you pay that way. Still, two hours was the maximum I had.

The problem was compounded because the tow-truck driver could not get to the car until noon. Around 9:00 AM, I called the Zagreb parking authority. I explained my predicament to them. The parking police had already ticketed me (seems to me they were rather anxious to give the foreigner a ticket) and ordered the dreaded “spider.” The “spider” is the local word for the tow truck type of vehicle that comes in and lifts an offending vehicle out of a tight spot. The service is not free; if “spidered,” we could expect a fine plus impounding fee of around $300! After my explanation, a very kind customer service representative was able to get the ticket removed and the “spider” cancelled. He gave me until noon.

During this “beg-for-more-time” phone call, which was made on my newly-restored-to-health mobile phone, our neighbors called. They have never called. The woman needed a ride to the Children’s Hospital. Her new baby, Petar, needed an emergency room visit for a condition which they knew would later require surgery but had, overnight, taken a sudden turn for the worse (he was scheduled to have the surgery yesterday, by the way). Just a side-note, the hospital is a five-minute walk of where our car was broken down.

I am not a rocket scientist and am often about as sharp as a marble but even I was beginning to see God’s hand in the details. Normally, we have one car. Right now, we have four cars. Usually, a breakdown means walking and public transportation. However, right now there are three families from our area who are in the States and using our house for free airport parking. Elise had her choice when it came to taking our neighbor and Petar to the hospital.

How did it end up? Elise had a great visit with our neighbor and was able to be a big help, which has been a significant boost in our relationship with that family. I was able to keep a 9:30 AM appointment with DHL to express my year-end expense reports and to meet my neighbor at his new job; I opened an account while I was there. It was his first. For those who like to monitor IMB personnel for wasteful spending habits, this account comes with no obligations.

Oh, by the way, while Elise was downtown, she wisely decided to park in a parking garage and check out our car. It started! She called and we agreed that driving it immediately to the Opel service in our town was the wisest course of action. I met her there, got the car in for service, and took her home. Then, I walked to the bus station in our town, only 10 minutes, and rode the bus back to downtown Zagreb. There, I got the car Elise had left in the parking garage, kept another appointment I had with a guy who is interested in the gospel and going through an outreach Bible study with me, and drove home.

Our entire day went on a schedule not of our making. God built relationships, gave opportunity for sharing the good news, allowed us to keep some appointments, taught us more about trusting Him, rescued our car, and disappointed one tow truck driver. He provided everything we needed, even when we did not know we needed it. He took what was intended to discourage and hold us back and He used it for good in our life and for the sake of others. He used the “bad news” to build His kingdom.

God is the blessed controller of ALL THINGS.

Report on 40 Day Fast

First, I am sorry for the weeklong absence from the blog. I have lots of articles finished and ready to put out there for your amusement, enjoyment, and/or challenge. I need to report on some great things God is doing in our midst.

Some of you will remember that our field leader (in our region he is called a strategy associate or SA) called us to a 40 day period of fasting. You might remember that I invited you to join us and some of you even took us up on the offer. There are lots of different kinds of fasts and most, of course, chose a moderated one.

Did God do anything as a result of the fasting period? I don’t know! But, let me tell you what has happened here and you be the judge.

1. There was no spiritual high for me. I have fasted before and never experienced the lack of spiritual refreshment I did during this fast. Why? I have no idea. Probably it was my fault but I really couldn’t say. My teammates’ report was a mixed bag in this regard. For some, it was great; for other, at best, neutral.
2. I am more insightful into people’s lives and the truth of situations. Also, much to the discomfort of some, I am much more bold and capable in speaking that truth in loving and kind ways. Is this the result of fasting? Once again, I don’t know but the timing certainly is interesting. Maybe God has done something in me, even when I did not have the feelings of personal revival.
3. Ministry went better for our entire team during the fasting period than at any time since we have been here. We did not change our approach or methods. We did not suddenly become brilliant or fluent. It is just that, well, God brought things to us. Let me give you a snapshot:
1. Five outreach groups started during this time. That is more than the last two years combined. Some of the people have dropped out or not finished but many have shown significant interest in the Bible and what it has to say about their life and relationship with God.
2. Home groups have grown closer and more effective than at any time since we have been here. I could give you pages of specific details but let me just say that people have grown in their relationship with God, are taking leadership within their group, are ministering in missions and evangelism in ways never considered before, and are inviting others to join the home groups.
3. We were asked to come and lead a church in three seminars on how to walk closer with God. The church asked us in early November. They have now asked that we extend for three weeks before Christmas with a series on growing closer to one another and then a series of three in January on reaching out more effectively. Is this God’s work? I don’t have any idea but it never happened before.
4. Our team seemed much more natural, efficient, and prolific in sharing their faith. I could not believe the monthly reports that came in for November. We gave out hundreds of Bibles, New Testaments or scripture portions and we shared the gospel with well over 100 people. And all of this without any emphasis or program. At times, it was as if people were coming and asking to know. Is it God? Unless you have great blind faith in coincidence, it certainly seems to be.
5. All of the sudden, like a light switch being turned on, our neighbors are open to us. I don’t know what got into them but it sure is nice. They have always been friendly; well, in different measures, but at least they have not been hateful or mean. Now, they want to talk and get to know us better.

i. We went to visit a neighbor last month to bring their new baby a present and to congratulate them. They had never been very open to us. You would have thought long lost and dearly beloved cousins had shown up at the door.

ii. Yesterday, they needed transportation for the baby to the hospital and called on us. In the midst of one of our most horrific transportation days, subject of the next blog, Elise dropped everything and had the woman and baby in a van within ten minutes.

iii. Another woman, who has lived next to our IMB house since the IMB bought it in the late 90's, came into this house for the first time in her life. They are people who have been friendly and open but very quiet in their relationship with us and those who lived here before us. It is as if they suddenly decided more friends might be nice.

iv. I can give other examples but let me stop. Is this God at work? You be the judge.

4. Finally, we have experienced more problems than at any time I can remember. I will fill in the blanks in the next blog. A short list includes but is not limited to: email server down for the better part of the fast and continuing to ‘work’ in interesting ways, phone service and all internet connection gone for five days, new mobile phone not working right, fatal Windows XP Pro error requiring reformatting of hard drive, teammates computer system having significant problems, a car which has never broken down since we have been here broke down two days ago in the center of Zagreb in one of the worst places possible, and now, a registered letter from the tax audit department which says, “Get here, now!” Is God at work and the enemy resisting? In the next blog I will tell just how He has worked in these situations.