Hope & Joy Abounds

Hi friends! We have so many happy things to report to you in this May update!

I hope that each of you had an incredible Easter! In Croatian, Happy Easter is Sretan Uskrs! The holiday was a great organic opportunity for us to talk about Jesus with those around us. Jeremiah had a great gospel conversation with our German neighbor, and he and his family even came to church with us on Easter! Their four year old daughter enjoyed it so much that she is already asking her parents when they can come again! We also celebrated with our American colleagues and Canadian friends, and sitting around the table filled with grilled meat and potato salad was a precious moment that was reminiscent of home and family. More than anything, Easter helped us meditate on the blessings in our life and the kindness that the Lord shows to His children. 

We began May by celebrating my 28th birthday! May 1st is Croatian Labor day as well, so since everyone had a day off of work anyway, I did as the locals do and threw myself a birthday party. It was a great way to get in some language practice and connect with friends that I haven't been seeing so often since Silas was born. We then packed up for a trip to Germany. Our conference in the German countryside was a sweet time of connecting with colleagues, the girls loved their “VBS”, and we were able to process our experiences so far while getting information and inspiration for what lies ahead. 

Our summer will be jam packed as our families will come visit us, we are hosting interns, and we are working hard in our language classes. We now have an end date in sight for language school, so we covet your prayers for that! Jeremiah and I will take the government’s official B2 exam for Croatian language the first week of September. Please pray for us to remain focused and retain words as we prepare for the exam. We would love to be done with our classroom work so that we can pursue more ministry opportunities. 

Another exciting update is that we have begun planning for our stateside visit next summer. For several weeks next summer, we will be in the US visiting family and friends, and visiting churches who so generously give so that families like ours can focus on full time ministry abroad. If there is an opportunity for us to come visit your church and share what God is doing in Croatia, we would love to do so! 

Having dates on the calendar and big goals to work towards has us feeling motivated and inspired! The hope and joy of the Lord abounds in the life of our family, so as always, thank you for your prayers, your love, and your support!

-Anna 

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