Činta Family Camp 2018

There's something beautiful about family camp here - it's more like a huge family vacation than a coordinated, scheduled camp. Most of our time was spent in having fun together: swimming in the morning and evenings in the beautiful sea, walking to the city center nearby for pancakes, playing card games, meeting brothers and sisters from the other churches in the area, and sharing our lives with each other. We were joined by our sister church from Varaždin, as well as members from other congregations around Zagreb.

This year our theme for family camp was "Carry Your Cross." Each day after lunch time we all got together in groups - kids, teens, and adult groups. I worked with ladies from our church to lead the kids group, while Zach worked with our friend Andrej to lead the teen group each day. We talked about what it means when Jesus commanded us to carry our cross and follow him, as he commands in Matthew 16. We focused on the love of Christ - the love he set as an example for us in taking up his own cross for us when we were unworthy. And from his example we looked at the people Jesus loved, and how his love made them worthy - those who were unloveable, those who needed help and were abandoned, even those who rejected him.

We ended our camp week with Kids' Olympic Games, and a talent show! Though the games were for the kids, the whole camp watched. And we had amazing performances at the talent show! We had a pianist, the kids sang a song for us and taught the whole crowd how to "floss," a beautiful scripture reading, and Zach was even part of a quartet performing "Candyman"!

And most wonderful of all - at the end of camp we got to celebrate a brother joining our number in baptism!

-------------------------

As soon as we arrived home from camp, we got to greet the Cooper family who has joined us here in the Croatia ministry! John, Susan, and their two boys Ash and Van have come to help in the evangelistic ministry here - working with the families we have met through children's camps, the LST program, and hosting home Bible studies. God has already been working powerfully through them in other countries, and they have decided to commit their hearts to God's work here!

Zach also had the opportunity to preach this last week on the power in fasting. Fasting has largely become lost on our culture; we may wonder how something so physical helps us connect with the spiritual connection we have with our Lord?

Zach helped us realize how powerful a tool fasting can be - it puts us in a state of humble need. We understand we are hungry, but we are so much more hungry for God. It puts us in a mindset of awareness for how desperate and needy we are for God's sustaining presence. When we fast, our whole body is saying only to think of satisfying ourselves. However, if we are able to receive and give God's love while we are in this condition, where our whole body longs for us to be selfish, how much more will we be able to love in the midst of our comfort? August has been full of rest, joy, thanksgiving, and preparation! We have been planning our events for the fall and we are excited to start a kid's Bible-based English weekend program that we are coordinating with a couple families from the church here! We are excited for the families we'll be able to reach through the relationships here.