Do you ever daydream about how wonderful it will be once we are in heaven?

My mind often wanders to this place when we are experiencing a deep relational community. When we commune with friends that visit from the States, we remember our goal here in Croatia. It’s a great encouragement to keep going, learn the language, keep connecting with people and continue our family events in the community.

As our friends from the States visited for a few weeks, they sat with us in our living room until 4:00 a.m., talking, playing board games, spending hours helping Levi learn how to sound out his letters, and hours more helping Abby with a book report she was assigned during her winter break. They blessed us in ways they may never understand. They are friends that became family to us many years ago, and as they visit, they remind us of what heaven will be like. We will be in constant communion, helping one another out, talking for hours, lending a listening ear and pouring into one another.

More than just sharing good times, our community from the States reminds us that we are committed to facilitating spiritual and emotional growth in Christ within the community. We have not lost our community back home, but it is definitely being tested, enduring distance and time. We praise God that this community is still so strong. We praise God for providing friends who encourage, uplift, visit and call us out when we are coloring outside the lines.

They remind us why we are here — to share Christ with everyone we come in contact with and display how wonderful a community can truly be if we model it after Jesus and His friendship with the disciples. We pray that we can show our friends here in Croatia how to seek God and experience a little piece of heavenly community here on earth.

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