Croatia Recap

Our flight there was absolutely amazing! We flew on the longest day of the summer (solstice), which meant that the sun never actually set while we were in the air. Some of our team members took pictures of it throughout the entire trip. After a six hour layover in Frankfurt, and another hour and a half plane ride we finally arrived.

My first impression of Croatia....HOT! We were blasted with 95+ degree weather as we walked out of the airport that never seemed to go below that mark for the entire time we were there.

We were dropped off at our host family's house, and within an hour we were whisked away to the Activity Center (where we would be holding camp) for dinner. The church was hosting a Youth Conference the weekend we arrived for Christian teens from all over Croatia and some of the surrounding countries. It was so fun to see teens worshiping together from all over Europe on our first night there.

Camp began on Monday. We were banking on 100 kids, and praying for 120. We definitely hit our goal for the year! My small group consisted of 6-9th grade students (with a 4year old, 2 year old and first grader tossed in for fun!). Together we worked on memorizing daily Bible verses, discussing the large group message, completing crafts together, and simply building relationships. My group was the best! It was so fun watching the group work together during the week. It always amazes me how students can live so far apart, and yet act the same no matter what continent they are on. Here is a picture of me and one of the girls in my group (who is also one of my newest Facebook friends!) during the ice cream social on the last day of camp. One of the most amazing things during the week happened on Thursday. After our large group drama, Boris was giving a message about Christ's love and forgiveness for our sins. He mentioned something about reading the New Testament and seeking the Truth of Christ (it was in Croatian...so I don't know exactly what he was saying!) After he was done speaking, a little boy from Michelle's group asked him where he could get a copy of that New Testament thing. There is a picture of him (and some others of the group) on the church website under the outreach page (global, Croatia).

Once camp ended, our team headed off to the coast (about 3 hours away) for a few days of sight seeing. Croatia is absolutely one of the most beautiful countries I have ever had the privilege of experiencing. We stayed in a beautiful coastal town that I still cannot pronounce properly, but we had the most amazing view of the Adriatic Sea from the balcony of our room. We spent one whole day touring cities on the other side of the bay. There is so much history, and culture to explore in the country. We even visited a Roman Coliseum in the town of Pula. Many of my team members had previously visited the one in Rome, and they confirmed what Boris, the Croatian missionary and very knowledgeable tour guide, told us. The one in Croatia is better preserved than the one in Rome. It was an amazing site. Hannah and I had an amazing time laughing and having a private photo shoot while we were there. (Those pictures will be posted later!)

Lastly, I have to admit that I can't find words to express how absolutely amazing our host family was! Angela H. and myself (yes, the two Angela's were together...) had the priveldge of staying with Rahela, and her parents (Anna and Ivan). They were so hospitable, and loving, which made it very difficult to leave. Rahela and I decided that we wouldn't say good bye. A simple "see you later" worked fine for us. I really enjoyed our late night talks, and I really miss watching American Blue Grass Gospel greats with her dad! (Someone gave him the Dvd and although he doesn't understand any of it, he watches it all the time!)

There is so much more that I could blog about, but in all honesty I could be typing for ever! I would love to share more pictures with you, and talk more about our trip. So, if you're interested, please ask!

Overall, God is amazing! His artwork never ceases to amaze me! Croatia is some of His finest work!