Update # 6 - Thursday morning in Slovenia

Thursday morning in Slovenia. We woke up to church bells ringing and looking out the window, there was the beautiful neighborhood church!! We are staying at the Patty house and they are in a small village on the outskirts of Ljubljana, that capitol of Slovenia. Their house sits on a hill side right above the church. Although it is a little overcast this morning, it is still beautiful.
Yesterday,  we loaded all our luggage into Steve's car in Mitrovitc and headed to the airport. It is always a trick to see how much you can fit into a suitcase and still stay under the allowed limit. Well, going from PDX to Belgrade was no problem....2 x 50 lbs per person....and that is how we did it. We left two of the bags (and their contents) in Serbia and prayed that we would be able to get everything else into two cases....remember, we are visiting a ton of people and you should always carry gifts...so the test came at the Belgrade airport....and we made it... 22.5 kg and 23.5 kg.....(you all get to figure that one out....with 2.2 lbs per kilo). After checkin and another strong cup of Serbian coffee, we headed in through security....this time they found my two crouchet needles...and took them...only  to throw them out...does not matter how much you promise not to use them as a weapon....they were gonners....(guess I have to find some news ones here in Slovenia). After a very uneventful trip we landed in Frankfurt....got our luggage and went through the passport checks....this time I (Rakel) got to use my European Union passport which I literally sailed through with, while Pat had to stand in line with "all other passports". Anyway, with luggage rolling along, we finally found the check in for our next flight....and got ourselves checked in. Our wait was quite long, but it was a good time to just get a few things checked out....such as ....do we get train tickets or rent a car when we get back to Germany next week? Such choices!!
Anyway, the flight down to Slovenia was not too long and after a while it was great to come out of the airport and see Kristy out there and before too long there was Josh with the car. So good to see them. We have already spent the morning talking up a storm....and soon we are heading over to the Mormances. To visit our folks in their own setting....oh it is invaluable....
This morning, as we looked out the window I saw all those white little flowers on the hillside.....and I could not believe it when I realized that they are spring flowers I grew up with in Sweden...and I thought I would never ever see anywhere else....they are the ultimate sign of spring and new life coming....and it was a treat to see. It is very beautiful here with so many trees in blossom...well, I will try to post some pictures also. It has been neat to hear how God gave our friends this house and how He led them to remodel into one of the most beautiful houses around....so glad for them....and so good to see.

 

 The hillside behind the Patty house is full of little white flowers

 The view from the Patty kitchen.

So many trees in blossom here....on the side of the house we found this cool looking bench.

Update #5 Things we will miss in Serbia

Tomorrow, Wednesday, we are heading north and Lordwilling we will arrive in Slovenia some time in the evening. We have truly enjoyed our time with our precious friends Steve and Tanja and their adorable son Bogdan....it has been GREAT!  

We have been introduced to some interesting and also VERY delicious food while here....So, I thought I would end the Serbia updates showing you some of the things we will miss from this place....(not just food)...First we have the most delicious YOGHURT DRINK.....

 Who can forget these monster hamburgers? Grilled over a charcoal fire as you wait, and loaded with all kinds of stuff....beats the American hamburger by far....actually it is like having two meals.

 Lot's of yummy things are to be found in the bakery..... 

 Going to church on Sunday was special and fellowship with the local believers....here we have Goran, the worship leader.

And then there is BOKI, short for Bogdan, 17 months old and a real delight. We will miss you Boki .

 And most of all we will miss our friends, Steve and Tanja. Thanks for hosting us , thanks for yoiur generosity, and the sweet fellowship...we are so proud of you...and will continue to pray for you. Picture from our breakfast outing on Tuesday morning.....we went to the pizza parlour in town.

Update # 4 - Monday afternoon in Serbia

Today the sun has been shining and the cold winds of yesterday are nowhere in sight. But looking out the window this morning....there was frost on the car!! Yes, it was cold. But now we have warmed up and after a morning of great conversations and a stroll by the river, we are resting and enjoying the rays coming in through the window. It would be nice to sit on the balcony, but since there are no rails and just a cement slab sticking out, I think it is better to stay inside....and enjoy the backyard under the cherry tree later on tonight. If it is still warm out there of course....The last two days have been really full....church yesterday was GREAT....what a sweet time of fellowship with the believers here in Mitrovitc. The little church hall was full...and the cool thing was that there were believers from all ages....Rakel got to share a little bit about us (with Tanja translating) and Pat shared a word from Scriptures...and then the Pastor preached from Psalm 103. Tanja did a great job translating us....not so sure that those around us appreciated hearing that....but I guess they are used to having visitors. We got to meet many of the believers after the service and one old lady even came up to us and wanted us to pray for her since Pat has just shared about the importance of prayer in the service. Tonight we are going with Tanja to a Youth Bible study and I believe the study is from the book of Jeremiah....It was great to hear this morning as we talked with Steve about the ministry of Josiah here in Serbia and all the the things they are involved in. God has truly gifted this couple for what He has given them here. Well, here are some more pictures from the last few days....
The top picture is of Steve and Tanja and Bogdan and their fellow co-worker Bojan, who also is the new Serbia country leader. A really, really nice guys!!  The bottom pictures is from inside the main Orthodox church downtown Mitrovitc. Since the Orthodoxi is the main religion in this country, their Easter falls the weekend AFTER our Easter. We leave Serbia on Wednesday to go to Slovenia, so we will have Western Easter on Easter, since Slovenia is Catholic and they celebrate Easter with the rest of the Western world....interesting facts!!

Update # 3 Saturday in Belgrade

To wake up in the morning and  realize that you have actually slept the whole night, wow, ....maybe the  jetlag monster is finally on the retreat. You know it was bad,  when last night I was looking at some of the pictures we had taken during the day...and Pat starts laughing at me...I had actually fallen asleep looking at the computer....so we knew it was time to go to bed...and so we all did. Bogdan had in his own way decided yesterday that a nap was not part of his plan for the day....so by the time evening rolled around, he was exhausted to say the least ....Yes,  yesterday (Saturday) was a full day and such a fun day. We went on an outing Steve, Tanja, Bogdan, Pat and I ....down to Belgrade to look at the sights.

First we had to find a map though...how can you be somewhere and not know where you are? So, after being orientated, we now know that Mitrovic, their town is on the road between Belgrade and the Croatian border....the same route that we drove many, many years ago as we came up from Lebanon to Europe. We have many memories from the former Yugoslavia, but sad to say, we had never really seen anything, just driven through. So, yesterday was a treat. A real treat. Being on outings is also a very good time to just talk and hang out and enjoy fellowship together. And what is better than doing that in the company of friends.
The sun was out and we were excited....and after a little driving here and there, looking at things....(oh there are so many really beautiful buildings in this city...AND also some bombed out left from the war) we had to find parking. And that does not change by being in a foreign country....it is difficult. But we were all rejoicing when one little spot opened up on a small back street close to where we were going. There seemed to be sooooo many people out and about. It was Saturday...and it was sunny....and spring is in the air. The side walk cafes all over were jam packed with folks just hanging out...as was the park right by the river. We got to see where the Donahue and the Siva come together....mighty and impressive...and then we ended our little outing with a late (very late) lunch in a small resturant nearby. And we were also informed that it was here that Tanja and Steve had their first date...and this is the place they come back to for anniversaries and special times. It was small a cozy and the food was great...just one thing was very puzzling...almost everyone in the establishment was smoking!!! Coming from a place where that is a real no no....it thok a while to get used to sitting in a cloud of smoke...thankfully all the windows were open  the the breeze was nice....and we really did have a great time.
Ended the day with a trip to the supermarket with Tanja...a real treat....to walk the streets where they live and work....to be and do what they are doing....that is why we are here....to hang with our friends, to be of encouragement, to listen and talk...so good. And we are so thankful that Pat's health is doing fine...with pills and rest and lot's of prayers, he is fine. Thanks for being on this trip with us.
We cannot in words tell you how good it is to visit and see and experience where our people live and minister....this is so much part of who they are....We are also excited for the team Good Shepherd is sending to serve here in the summer. And next week Steve and Tanja are off on their first camp for the year, down in the south of the country where Tanja comes from. So she and Bogdan also get to visit with family for a while.

Update #2 - Friday evening thoughts in Serbia

Amazing how much talking you can fit into one day, and still it feels like we just got started.  And talking we did today....Pat and Steve spent the morning in town, while Tanja and  Rakel (and Bogdan ) talked over breakfast and morning dishes....

Gone were the warm temperatures we had heard about before coming here…. because today we had everything from rain, cold winds to some beautiful spring sunshine…..  

Around Noon today we all piled into the car and went “down town”. There are some truly very beautiful buildings in this little town….we saw the big down town Orthodox church…even got in on some political rally going on right outside the church.  Rakel was more than happy to be able to take pictures of “European buildings” and other fascinating architectures. It was also  interesting to just sit on a park bench in the middle of town and take take everything in. You really get a feel not only for the city, but also for the culture, the people and the country itself…..    

And tonight we got to go to Youth Group with our friends ....The church is small  (picture above is from the main church hall where we will worship on Sunday), but there is a good group of kids (and a few others). Some know English.....Of course we did not understand a word since everything was in Serbian...but it was so cool to see where Steve and Tanja are involved. Coming home ....Tanja and I were followed by a not so friendly dog. I guess he smelled the left over cake we were carrying....well, we got home safely, had some dinner....and NOW it is time for bed.

Go away Jetlag, we want you to be done with us...(it is getting better and we KNOW a lot of you are praying). Thanks for being here with us!!

Update # 1 from our GO trip in Europe

UPDATE # 1 Friday morning real early  

It is real early in the morning….Friday the 3o of March. It is pitch black out there and sleep has eluded me. I guess one  can blame it on jet lag. At this point both body and mind are working hard at trying to figure out…what day is it? And what time is it where are … or where we have come from?

Well , we are in M, a little town some miles north of Belgrade, the capital of Serbia. We are in the home of Steve and Tanja Brown , Global Outreach Staff from Good Shepherd. And it is 2 in the morning.

We arrived here yesterday (Thursday) after what seemed like a very, very long trip. Departure from Portland on Wednesday afternoon was delayed due to some technical things that needed to be sorted out before  takeoff…….But sitting waiting at the gate had already given us a glimpse of the world….. Fun to hear so many languages and see so many nationalities.  Anyway, after 10 hours in the air we landed in Amsterdam, and there was just enough time for us to quickly walk from one end of the airport to the other and find our gate for the next leg of our journey.

We made it and before long we found ourselves once again at the back of an air craft . This time Pat got a seat that another gentleman also came to claim. No worries, the stewardesses just shuffled some folks around and everyone was happy.  Lots of friendly people and although we think we know a lot of languages, what was said around us ….well,  it was all Greek to us…oh in this case Serbian.  We were no longer in America.

Arriving a little late it was a great relief to once again meet up with all those bags we had checked in at PDX.  We were taken a lot of stuff out for Steve and Tanja….and it all made it. And after customs it was also a great joy to be met by Steve. So fun to meet our folks right in their setting. 

After all the bags got stuffed into the back of Steve’s car, off we went. Another stop at a local gas station to get some water bottles and we headed north. It was a warm day …..and it was noticeable that spring had already arrived with many trees already in blossom. It all seemed so unreal….  

After about 25 minutes we arrived in M and soon realized that although there are about 70,000 living in this little town, it is no metropolis. We stopped at the bakery and then we arrived at home of the Browns. Right now they are renting a house right in the middle of town, but they hope to be in their own home before too long. 

Tanja had prepared a beautiful Serbian dinner and it was  joy to just sit there and eat and enjoy fellowship with our dear friends. After a while Bogdan, their 17 month old son woke up and what a joy to get to know this delightful little guy. 

Well, jetlag got the better of us and after unpacking suitcases and delivering gifts and all….and talking and talking and talking….we told our exhausted bodies that it was time to go to bed….and out we went….only to wake up two hours later ….early. No fooling an Oregon adjusted body here. Not yet anyway.

Bags are packed and we are ready

Yes, the bags are ready and we are ready for our European tour. We pray that you will be able to follow our adventures and PRAY for us....thank you.  Our first stop is a visit to Steve and Tanja's house in Serbia. More later....