Team at Calvary Chapel of Split and Clay
Here are some highlights of the ministry we did while we were in Croatia.
Ladies Bible Study with the locals
Meri, Karla, Katie
The team did street evangelism to those hanging out on the Riva
Split, Croatia – where we lived!
Summer and Elaina, a beggar she met during street evangelism. Summer visited her daily and got to pray that God would heal Elaina’s back. During one visit, Elaina was excited as she stood up straight to show Summer that God answered prayer. Summer wasn’t able to put coins in her hand, but she shared the love and joy of Christ.
Matko, Boris, Milos and me
These guys became great friends to us while we worked at the cafe. God used a select group of people for 6 yrs to do life with and disciple Matko, who remained resistant until Gods appointed time. Only by Gods divine plan, sense of humor, and creativity did he used Xbox and the love of “gaming” to build a instant connection with my teammate, Aaron, and through that relationship, conversations with the team, and prayer – God stirred Matko’s heart til it was ripe for harvest. He gave his life to Christ and we were amazed seeing a dead heart rise to life. Read more Matko’s story here! Milos and Boris are strong in the Lord and Milos was a constant encouragement and probably the smartest and tallest teenager I know.
Girls and their ice cream. Hanging with our new Croatian friends and local missionaries!
And I discovered my favorite – Fruity Bosco.
Suzana, the last one on the right, is an amazing woman of God and my new LOST buddy. If you ever shy away from street evangelism because you don’t think it’s worth the time, or you assume people won’t want to listen to you share, or you feel uncomfortable walking up to strangers… ITS WORTH IT! Suzana came to Christ several years ago as a result of a street evangelism outreach effort led by Tim, our Croata contact and local missionary/Pastor. She has a vibrant spirit and is now part of the Calvary team. Another similar story is that of my first Croatian friend, Neno.
Neno, a former drug dealer, has a very colorful past which involved life on the streets, guns, drugs, women and alcohol. Going from one high to another and finding nothing, God found him and gave him the greatest high he’ll ever find… a new life! He experienced forgiveness, hope, and love from Christ. He was also reached through street evangelism. Neno’s now a vital part of the team as God uses him to minister to those from the life he was saved from.
Tiho is a regular at the cafe and came in daily sometimes to critique and perfect our cappaccino making skills, and other times to share good conversation, challenge us in our faith as he questioned why we believe what we believe, and he shared great friendship.
It was originally a difficult month for me as I experience some immense spiritual attacks and believed every lie I heard from satan and took every arrow he flung at me. It forced me to pray even more and to cling to the promises in God’s word even when I don’t believe it or feel it. Its still truth. I ended up seeing God work in amazing ways through my team, and God weeded some crap out of my own life and exposed areas of sin in me that I didn’t realize were there. Stuff like pride, selfishness, a need to be recognized and heard. These times of stripping doesn’t feel god, but I’m grateful I have people in my life that can be my mirror. Nothing like a little healthy dose of reality and rebuke from the Lord through teammates and friends. As Howard Hendricks says, “you need a soul brother, somebody who loves you but is not impressed by you.”
God used it for good. He gave me a new lens in which to see through. I saw some teammates differently. He let me see the lies I was believing and picked me up out of my own lil’ pit it make me fight harder to listen and believe the truth, and he revived me and rejuvinated me for the remaining 2 months of the Race.
Hebrews 12:6 It’s the child he loves that he disciplines; the child he embraces, he also corrects.
