Hills and Valleys

If you noticed our absence in your inbox last month, please forgive us. We were riding a roller coaster of emotions, and frankly needed a little break. 

As many of you know, we took a big language exam at the end of February- and we passed! We are so thankful to have met our language requirements and be done with our official language study. To say that we were nervous is an understatement. Since our first day in Croatia, our supervisors have reminded us that as excited as we have been to start serving, focusing on language acquisition in this first term will set us up for long-term success. Passing this exam means that we can shift our focus and re-structure our time to focus fully on ministry. Passing the exam also came with a breath of relief for our children as they have survived the demands of language school with us. We waited nervously for our results for about seven days, and as soon as we got the news, we took off to a family hotel and in-door waterpark to celebrate. A single night away probably wasn’t enough, but we had to acknowledge our victory while also confronting the reality in front of us. 

In addition to wrapping up work before our visit to the states, we are ever-aware of the task before us and the God-sized vision we are pursuing. We are praying about and brainstorming ideas of how we can become more established in our town and help our local bible study group form into a healthy- reproducing church. Please pray with us about the details and logistics of this vision. Pray for the existing believers in our town and the health of our group. Pray for unity, growth, and mission mindedness among the group. Some of the local believers have become hardened to and have lost hope for the salvation of their neighbors. Pray that we would remain hopefully optimistic about what God is doing and that He would grant us strength and perseverance. 

Despite some discouragement concerning the local church, we have to celebrate the friendships we continue to build with locals. Most of our close friends here are non-believers, which I suppose is a good thing. Admittedly, it comes with a certain heaviness and an urgency to pray for their salvation. However, amidst play dates, birthday parties, and Sunday lunch, we have been able to continue sharing our faith and hope in Jesus with them. We even visited our friend’s farm and learned step by step how to select and return home with a fresh ready-to-cook chicken. 

On a final note, I (Anna) will be attending a training next week which Jeremiah attended back in October. As our team and regional colleagues as a whole attend this training, we are prayerfully pursuing a more bold push for Evangelism and reaching the lost here in Europe. Pray for me as I will be away from Silas for the first time, but also for Jeremiah as he will be alone at home with three kids for the first time. Pray that we will have good health and strength to take on this week. 

I know I have shared a lot of prayer requests through-out this blog. I ask that you would really pause and pray for us. Even if only now, but as often as you remember us, please pray. We are feeling the weight of the work these days and we acknowledge the power of your prayer support. 

With love, 
Anna. 

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