Road Trip! Yes, a nine-hour drive to allow Gabe to speak for 20 minutes.
We had previously been having some trouble finding resources for the children’s service we lead every Sabbath, so we started making phone calls to the conference here. One person connected us to another, and we eventually ended up chatting with the children’s ministry director. We expressed our need for resources such as Bible story cartoons, fun songs, and books to lead the service in the Croatian language. As he shared a few things that other churches created, we began a great friendship.
The children’s ministry director had such a heart and passion for the children of Croatia and wanted us to be a part of the ministry, so he invited us to the annual Slatina Children’s Festival. He wanted Gabe to be the speaker for the Sabbath service and wanted our family to experience a weekend of worship with believers in the small town of Slatina in the northern part of Croatia.
Early Friday morning, we packed our bags and began the long drive. While the festival organizers thought we would be a blessing to them, they were actually much more of a blessing to us. They fed us so much, not just physically but also spiritually. It was so encouraging to openly talk about God and how He was using each of us to spread the gospel. They prayed over us and shared how they admired us for being in Dubrovnik, as it is a very challenging area in which to share the gospel.
On Sabbath, Gabe shared a message about the Good Samaritan and encouraged the congregation to reflect Christ through their kindness and compassion. We shared how our community has grown in Dubrovnik through simply showing love, patience, and joy to those with whom we come into contact.
Our children enjoyed the people of this small town so much that they did not want to leave. Another blessing that came from this trip is that our family learned some new Croatian songs, which we were able to teach the children in Dubrovnik. Just last Sabbath, a young girl requested that we sing the songs again. This was the little getaway our family did not know we needed.
