Where is she? I thought to myself.
I was in our rental van with two sleeping children while Nikki went into the apartment building to get the keys to our Airbnb. She had been in there longer than I thought necessary, and when you are sleep-deprived from jet lag and awake for over 24 hours, your mind does not quite work like it should. Shortly after deciding to go in, I saw her descending the stairs. We unloaded the car, and the girls went straight to bed.
I headed to the store to buy some food for breakfast the next day. Next to the store was a traditional restaurant that made krumpiruša, a Croatian pastry filled with diced potatoes, onions and seasonings, which we had first learned about while still in the States.
Before drifting off to sleep, I told Nikki my concern that the girls would wake up at 2:00 a.m., all ready to go. Most of the time, I like to be right, but at 1:00 a.m., when the children came into our room telling us they were hungry, being right was not a concern. I figured I would get them a midnight snack, and they would go back to bed. I was wrong. We were all up for the day.
Getting to Croatia has been an amazing journey, filled with highs and lows. It takes a while to get settled, physically, mentally and spiritually. Part of that process is getting your bearings. After we had rested in the morning, we went out to explore our new home, Zagreb. We visited the main square and farmer’s market, the cathedral and some historic streets—typical sightseeing, exactly like we learned to do in training: act like a tourist for the first few months. We noted patterns and behaviors, listening to the people around us, watching how they interacted with each other, observing the clothes they wore, and learning their history, all to help orient us to the people and the culture.
Not only do we need to think like a Croatian, but also speak like one. AFM had suggested we begin our language learning while still at home, but working full-time, finishing home renovations, and fundraising took up all of our time. Our language learning was minimal. Luckily, we learned an essential phrase: Govorite engleski? Do you speak English? That has helped us more than a few times. Thankfully, we were able to enroll in language school and obtain the necessary books before our first day of class at the end of September.
Zagreb is a beautiful city with many historical sights, statues and squares, filled with ornate buildings and churches. Juxtaposed with this are huge apartment buildings in the brutalist style of architecture, characterized by sharp lines, blocky shapes and lots of concrete. Tucked away amongst them all are quaint neighborhoods with parks teeming with families.
Please pray for us as we look for a person of peace and for ways to reach others for Jesus while we become accustomed to the city, the country, the culture and the people.
