A YEAR IN REVIEW

We have officially celebrated one year of living in Croatia! Those of you who are subscribed to our monthly email update received the link to our video update, but we also wanted to share the summary here: 

Highs:

• We now have all of our belongings in Croatia with us and are enjoying our Purple mattress again! 
• Anna has been driving more and is feeling more confident navigating the city while getting used to driving a manual transmission vehicle.
• All four of us now have our residence permits! 
• Now that we are 6 weeks into our new semester, we are still seeing progress in our language learning, despite the challenges. 
• We continue to make friends and grow in relationships that are invaluable and a great blessing to us. 

Lows: 

• Language learning is exhausting. 

Culture/ shocking moments: 

• We love the laid back, coffee- centered culture here. From the cafe in the auto mechanic shop to the public swimming pool, there is always a good spot to stop for a coffee break and a good conversation. 
• We continue to meet so many people who are warm and welcoming towards us! 
• Standard of living is different than in the US. Not in a bad way, but as far as what is typical or expected is different from what we see on the surface. Several of our friends live in an apartment with one sleeping room, and the parents sleep in the living room while the kids share the bedroom. We went a week without hot water and more than one person we mentioned this to shared that they grew up without hot water in their home. 
• There is such a spiritual hunger here. From mysticism, idolatry, animism, drug use, etc, the lack of Gospel truth abounding has left so many people searching for something more. This is a good sign! We are so encouraged to share the Truth of Christ with those who are seeking. 

Thank you for your continued prayers and support. We can't wait to see what this next year brings!