“Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their labor.” (Ecclesiastes 4:9)
Nikki:
The children were shy for all of about 10 minutes, then they were as thick as thieves. We have seen this so many times: how missionary children instantly bond. Ted and I were also thrilled that we clicked with Eileen and Gabe very quickly, because sometimes you can feel alone, away from the world with which you are so familiar.
We had been in contact with the Cardona family but had never met them in person. While they live close to Dubrovnik, we currently live about six hours away in Zagreb as we study the language. So we recently decided to meet in person, about halfway between our towns, in a city called Split. Can you think of a more appropriate name than that?
The Cardonas have been here for about four years; however, we arrived five months ago. They have made so many connections and friends, and we have very few. Since being a missionary is full of highs and unusual lows, it was great to share stories and compare notes on the cultures, discussing the similarities and many differences we noticed between the capital city of Zagreb and Dubrovnik.
It was very exciting and encouraging to hear all that they are doing just south of Dubrovnik. At the moment, Teddy and I plan to move to Dubrovnik once we finish our language studies—this is where the local conference would like us to be—but because of the complexity of the language, we plan to remain in Zagreb until the summer of 2027. Although we do not plan to be on the same project, we will be within 20 minutes of each other. It is nice to know you have someone close you can relate to
Eileen:
Even before we met in person, Nikki and I were calling each other, chatting and praying together. As soon as we found out other missionaries were coming to Croatia, I instantly wanted to connect with them. So when we returned to the U.S. for furlough in 2024, we prayed that we would raise the funds to relaunch, and they would raise the funds to launch to Croatia for the first time.
We had an instant connection. There is something about belonging to the family of Christ that connects us. We also understood the struggles of preparing to launch into a new country and managing the big emotions of the children. When our family launched to Croatia, we took our cat along. Knowing that, Nikki asked me to pray about their cat situation; her girls desperately wanted to bring theirs, too. I could hear the relief in her voice when she realized she was not the only one who had faced this challenge. The Mamoulelis also understood what it was like to raise funds and speak in different churches each weekend.
As Nikki mentioned, there is a special connection made between missionaries, especially the children. Our missionary children instantly understand each other in ways other children never may. And as soon as we met Ted and Nikki, we felt like they understood us. We did not stop yapping until 2:00 a.m., talking about God, life, friendships, culture, and, you guessed it, our children. It is truly a blessing to have this new family in Croatia, even though they are currently six hours away. I think the Lord is doing something great, but for now, we will continue on our journey until our paths connect.
