Zagreb, Croatia

Mar 83 min read

A little gap year update! Three weeks ago, we arrived in Zagreb, Croatia! Adjusting from Thailand to Croatia has been a little hard but good at the same time. The first week here I missed Thailand so much and all of our friends there, but God has been gracious because I have enjoyed experiencing a new culture. And God has made our time in Zagreb special so far. Some of my favorite things about Croatian culture is that they LOVE their cafes. Although this love for cafes really stems from a love for their communities/friends. People at all times of the day will be sitting in a cafe with their friends talking for hours. You’ll find cafes on every street. I just love seeing grown men talking with their friends and witnessing students hanging out at cafes, because in America it is very uncommon to see people set aside the time to just talk. Because this common activity is so ingrained in their culture, it creates really good conversationalists. They are naturally very curious people and are very good at asking you questions so that the conversation is never one-sided. Another thing that I have enjoyed about Zagreb is the public transportation. The city has a tram system, which makes getting around really easy. Also, sidewalks are everywhere, so it is common to walk or ride bikes to places. It's the best thing ever! Oh and people here are so stylish! Funny enough, they never leave the house with wet hair - they kinda view that as a crime hahaha. Ministry in Zagreb looks a little different from in Thailand. We are joining an already established ministry called Fokus Student. We get to be a part of their team for the next three months. Fokus is technically a part of Cru, but they have a different name due to cultural reasons because “Cru” translates to nothing in Croatian. Because Fokus has been established for many years, they have a lot of contacts with university students who they have met from past outreaches. So my team and I get the pleasure of building relationships with those students and pointing them to Christ. We also get to help plan and through fun events for students to hear about Jesus and to see that Christianity is not just a religion but its a personal relationship with God. That whole concept is foreign to them because Croatians are predominantly Roman Catholic - with the mindset that to be Croatian, is to be Catholic. Although, Croatians are more commonly non-practicing catholics. But I know God has amazing plans for our time in Croatia and it is evident that He is already softening the hearts of Croatians!

Today is exciting because a team of 25 Americans are coming for a short term mission trip! I can’t wait because this next week will be full of activity, and I already know God will radically change a lot of students’ lives. Please be praying for this next week and that Jesus would be magnified in all that we do. Pray that we would operate out of God’s endless, perfect love and that students who come to our events would feel welcomed and valued for who they are. Also, pray for specifically my team and I as we are constantly learning and growing more into the women God has created us to be, which can be challenging at times because that means we are getting pushed outside of our comfort zones a lot. Pray that we would be able to easily make deep friendships and build a Christ-centered community here. Lastly, pray that God would raise up future Croatian, Fokus staff from the students we meet, and that they would on fire for the Lord and passionate about reaching the next generation!

Thank you all for your prayers! It makes me feel so encouraged to know that people are praying for my team and I! I love you all so much, I hope that you are all doing well and that you know how deeply Jesus loves you! May the Lord bless you! ♥

Here’s a little photo dump of the past few weeks…