I have made it to my ninth month on the World Race. I am surprised to find that the closer I get to end of the Race, the more homesick I become. My excitement to be reunited with family and the need to make plans for reentering the States has created a fog in my mind that distracts me. It’s as though there is a divide in my soul. Part of me is on the World Race, and the other part is sitting on a comfy couch in Roseau, MN. It’s a daily struggle to reconnect these dueling sides and keep focused on the day’s tasks. I am split and ironically, that is exactly where God has me: Split, Croatia. Thankfully it is a beautiful city. It helps keep my head out of the clouds and back in the present. And the present is an amazing place.
My team is serving at a coffee shop called The Global Cafe. The cafe was opened by an American couple about five years ago. They came to Croatia as missionaries and wanted to play an active role in the community. They started the cafe with hopes of meeting people in the community and forming relationships to share the gospel. Now the cafe is a common hang-out for the local High School students. Saturday nights the cafe is open late for movies, games, and karaoke. Sundays are reserved for church and English camps are held during the summer months. The Global Cafe has since been transferred over to a new missionary couple, Tim and Grace. But nonetheless, the cafe has become a beacon of light just as the missionaries had hoped.
The students and the community are not the only ones to be drawn to the light of the cafe. I have too. I have loved spending my days at the cafe making coffees and chatting with the students who have skipped class just to come hang out. I have loved being a part of a church community again and am looking forward to teaching English during camp next week.
My mind still wanders at times and I know that my focus is split. But it’s okay. I know this is where God wants me to be and like I said, it’s a beautiful place.
