news http://www.send.org Copyright 2012 SEND. All rights reserved <![CDATA[Actic Edge Winter Retreat]]> The DPB House Winter Retreat was snowless, but the energy coming from the house was AMAZING! My dad and I arrived on the last day of the retreat to pick up my son Joseph and his friend from school. I was blown away to see campers singing choreographed songs proclaiming, "only the Lord is God," reciting Bible verses that they had learned, and having a wonderful time together. Thank you for your prayers for the volunteer staff that did a fantastic job communicating the love of Jesus through their words and actions! Thank you for praying for the campers whose lives were impacted by God's word and this experience as they share: 

  • "I liked everything about this retreat! The leaders are great, especially Mike.  The Bible stories inspired me. This place is really amazing and I would love to return!"
  • "I loved the camp! It was awesome! ... I loved the games and the Bible study groups. The songs were great! I've learned a lot, a lot about courage. This is one of the best camps I've been to (at Severin)! It was a great experience."
  • "This camp really awakened in me a longing for God and Jesus! I'm also thankful that I met new friends."

Please continue to pray for the campers, that they would put into action the things they learned.

]]> Mon, 23 Jan 2012 12:00:00 EST <![CDATA[Ten years of blessing at The House]]> It is ten years since we held the first summer camps in Severin. Since then, over 150 summer camps and weekend retreats have been held there, organised by DPB and SEND International.The original small house and garden was extended over the years and gradually transformed into what it is today. Looking at old photographs, it is hard to believe it is the same place!
 
The House is important, but the people who have passed through it are even more important. They include children, young people and adults, who have participated in events organised by DPB and SEND, and many volunteers, who have freely given of their time, effort and prayer support for the ministry. During the celebration, we had the opportunity to listen to testimonies given by campers, parents and volunteers. We heard about changed lives, decisions to follow Christ (often made around the campfire), and the blessings which came through serving others. We also saw how some campers have now become leaders, on camps or in their local churches, married and started families, and even become missionaries abroad. Here is one of those testimonies.
 
From Camper to Missionary


I remember the day we bought The House (I was 11).... It was such a tiny house, just a couple of rooms, filled with cobwebs and dust, surrounded by overgrown bushes and weeds... it wasn't at all clear to me why this house had been bought. Now I thank God that the leaders at the time saw something in it which I couldn't see – God's great plan.
 
During the next few years in Severin, I met so many different people who affected me in so many ways....
 
Sometimes it is hard to put into words just how much Severin changed my life. At first, I did not know God, and it was not particularly my goal to do so but the leaders changed that. I saw God in them and wanted to know him for myself. In Severin I learned to read the Bible, play games for the sake of joining in, not just winning, to expand my lungs and breathe deeply, and to laugh. I learned that we are all different, but equal, that each of us is valued and special and loved – I can say for sure that I learned what love is in Severin.
 
Not everything was wonderful. I learned about myself, too. Gradually, I realised I had faults, weaknesses and sins. For the first time, other people rebuked me and tried to explain why I couldn't do exactly as I wished and say exactly what I thought. I remember getting detentions. At first it was hard, as I didn't understand why the leaders and my friends needed to correct me. Later I understood they did it out of love, wanting the best for me, believing that God had great things for me and my life. My leaders corrected me with so much love and respect that it changed my life.

In Severin I came to know God and realise that he had great plans for my life and the lives of my friends. I needed years to accept everything He was offering, but when I did, I did it whole-heartedly. I truly believed that with God, nothing was impossible. From the beginning, he knew my dreams and ambitions, however crazy they were. He convinced me that nothing was too crazy for him. My first huge step of faith was moving to South Africa for three years. That is a whole new story – but it would never have happened without Severin. My second, even bigger step of faith is happening right now, in Thailand, in a totally different world. Some people think I'm crazy; some think I'm brave. I agree with them all, but I would add that I am a child of the King and in His name, we can do anything.


I want you to know that God sometimes works slowly, but thoroughly. He never does small things, though we may think they are small. He sees us as we truly are and wants us to develop, be cleaned up, stretched. He wants us to know how much strength we have in Him. We all discover these things in different ways. Me? I discovered these wonderful truths growing up in the house in Severin.
 
A young Croatian

]]> Fri, 14 Oct 2011 10:00:00 EST <![CDATA[New Summer Ministry - CREW]]>
I want to thank you for the opportunity you gave me to serve at MK camp as crew. It was a great new experience, because it was not like being a camper. It was like a close family! And I feel like it was the burden of all the work that brought us together. I loved the closeness we had as crew, because we could share so much with each other. I needed this, to be able to share my thoughts about God, life and everything with other Christians. The most important lesson I learned at camp was humility, because I saw that that was lacking in my life. I now love helping my family, and being encouraging around them, because it brings a smile to their faces :) and I know its pleasing to God. I really feel like I benefit a lot from MK camps, because I feel like I come home more mature.

Thank you for praying with us as we have served in God's work this summer through the DPB Kuca (House)!]]> Tue, 16 Aug 2011 04:18:00 EST <![CDATA[Building Bridges through Baseball]]> I just got back from Koprivnica and I am pumped for how sport builds bridges into people's lives. I borrowed some equipment from a local baseball club last minute, which gave me a chance to meet new people (long story). I brought it up north so that a local youth group could play baseball for the first time ever, and afterward we hungout at a weekend getaway cottage and had pizza, talked, and sang songs.

A few of the kids were new, and are not church kids, and they enjoyed a fun time connecting with a group of believers. I hope and pray that these small events and relationships will lead to more brothers and sisters repenting for Jesus.

When I played little league, I remember we used to practice with these rubber base-sized mats, and when I was in Jr high and Sr high, I remember we used to play with these ragballs that were really soft and you didn't need gloves. So I’m asking if anyone has any old flat base-mats, a couple ragballs, and an old bat, this would greatly benefit the ministry of this young church up north.

If you have baseball equipment for this youth group in Croatia, visit Juice's webpage and fill out "Contact Justin (Juice) and Beth."

]]> Wed, 29 Jun 2011 04:29:00 EST <![CDATA[Father Son Retreat]]> "After coming to this retreat, now we know what we have been missing! We are going to make this a part of our annual family schedule. Daniel's talk about getting up when you've been knocked down meant a lot to me and God gives us new opportunities to do that every day. I really enjoyed hanging out with my son in God's creation away from the noise and the distractions of Zagreb... where we could take a walk through the forest and actually see so many stars at night. Dad, we even got to see deer : ^ ). The food was excellent!!! Wish we could have stayed longer."

-Comments from various dads and the one about the deer is from our son Daniel.

So many of you prayed for the Father Son retreat and we want to say thank you!  God answered many prayers: The DPB House was full! The weather was wonderful! The talks challenged sons and dads to depend on God and be ready to spend time with Him, to forgive one another and to get up again when you have fallen. Please pray that the dads and sons who attended will put into practice the lessons they learned from God's word.

]]> Thu, 7 Apr 2011 10:54:00 EST <![CDATA[A Present Stolen]]>
Unbeknownst to him, this would be his last ride on his bike. In a matter of moments, when he was only 15 feet away from his bike, a young man jumped on the bike and raced away. Jonathan chased him, but the man on the bike was too fast for him to catch up.

As Jonathan walked in the door, it was obvious that something was wrong, but then when he shared his story about what had happened, he told us the following:

At first, I was angry with what happened and the walk home became an opportunity for me to talk to God about my stolen bike. While I was walking, God brought to mind an illustration I recently heard in a sermon at church. It was about the Bible commentator Matthew Henry when he was robbed. He wrote in his journal, "I thank Thee first because I was never robbed before; second, because although they took my purse (my bike) they did not take my life; third, because although they took my all (my bike), it was not much; and fourth because it was I who was robbed, and not I who robbed."

Although, Jonathan misses those bike rides, his story about his bike helped us all gain a different perspective about thanksgiving in the face of adversity. As we walk through 2011, we are thankful that no matter what it brings our lives are in Jesus' hands.]]> Wed, 2 Mar 2011 02:20:00 EST <![CDATA[Strujah: Equipping Students]]>
Last January, about 15 kids showed up for Struja, our youth group at Malešnica, and had their first taste of youth group. It was a great experience of growth, fun, and laughter for the students and for the leaders. It has been going strong since then. Dan has been heading it up and Bonnie started on the leadership team but has chosen to be a volunteer for the current school year.

Struja currently consists of:
  • two girls groups for girls ages 11-14 and 15-17 meeting three Saturdays per month
  • a boys group (shorter Bible Study and activities) for ages 15-17 meeting twice a month
  • a boys Bible Study (focused on how to study the Bible) for ages 13-17 meeting once per month
  • a large group meeting for ages 11-17 once per month
Our purpose is to draw the students toward God (personal growth), toward community (life of the church), and toward the world (evangelism). With three leaders and a handful of volunteers, it can be tough to pull this off, but things are moving along well.

This youth group is extremely important for the students. Here, the school system consumes nearly every available bit of free time the students have. Struja gives each student a chance, once a week, to receive spiritual input and to meet with other Christian students. At school, our students are often the only believer or one of two or three believers in their school. The time that they have with youth group is a huge encouragement to them and an opportunity to invite some of their friends to a place where they can be introduced to the gospel in a way that speaks to their hearts. Through our Bible Study groups we encourage the students to develop a lifelong habit of Bible study and to teach them the value of staying in God’s word.

I have been challenged in my thinking lately by reading about David and Solomon and the temple David desired to build, but was told to leave to Solomon. For youth group, I consider our task to be one of equipping these students, by any means possible, to be ready to build the church that God places in their hands one day. As youth leaders, we will have a significant impact on how these students are equipped as temple builders.

Please praise God for the 20 temple builders we have, ask him to guide us as we equip them for life, and ask him to draw them ever deeper into an understanding of what it means to follow Jesus Christ.]]> Sat, 22 Jan 2011 02:55:00 EST <![CDATA[Reflecting on Christmas, and an invitation]]>
I showed up, a little out of my element, and the priest and a couple people my age welcomed me in. I felt like a Mormon at a Sunday night college group back home. That night they were talking about protestants. I did my best to answer from my heart and at other times, on behalf of the Christian community amidst 313 million Americans.

That evening is when Christmas kicked in. It hadn't till then. I hadn’t prayed, I’d been feeling down and spiritually constipated, and yet there I was, being interviewed about my faith and beliefs by 11 of my own peers plus a priest.

You just never know what will come from a bus encounter.]]> Sat, 8 Jan 2011 12:00:00 EST <![CDATA[Winter English Retreat]]>
Please join with us over the next 3 days in prayer for the following requests and themes:
  • Thursday: Focus on Jesus (John the Baptist)
  • Friday: Know the Plan of Faith (Jesus)
  • Saturday: Pray, Serve and Act out your faith (Priscilla and Aquila)

Please pray for God's protection from injuries and sickness and for campers to hear and obey God's word.

PRAISE God with us for:
  • A full retreat!
  • Mike Marten's safe arrival from the states (He is the program coordinator for this retreat and the retreat speaker) and for Chapel Hill Church who donated a great VBS curriculum for the staff to use with the campers: "Game Day Central"!
  • Leaders and cooks for camp (Jenny is serving as the head cook).

Thank you for partnering with us in God's work in Croatia through prayer!]]> Thu, 6 Jan 2011 01:15:00 EST <![CDATA[Doing Devotions in Croatian]]>
I knew what I was stepping into from the beginning, but I figured, “Hey, how better to share God’s hope with someone than be transparent.” Sometimes when I start typing, it’s hard be honest with God knowing that someone I’ve only known for about a year, and doesn’t relate to Jesus the same way, might be reading it the next day or so. However, I remember what it’s like to be around friends who are genuine in their faith, and so the sharing is worth it. 

The times when I’m writing prayers of confession out to God are always interesting. Usually my friend asks questions like, “Wait, that’s a sin?” or, “You have a problem with that?” or, “Come on man… you are way too deep into this.” 

Well this last time had a funny response: “Oh… that’s a good sin. Yeah… those are good sins.” 

At first I didn’t know how to respond, but I‘ve found when I stick with honesty and reality, the Lord always guides our conversations down good paths.]]> Fri, 26 Nov 2010 09:00:00 EST <![CDATA[Finding Love at Camp]]> "Don't be afraid, for I am with you. Do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you. I will help you. I will uphold you with my victorious right hand." Isaiah 41:10

This is one of my favorite passages in the Bible because I know God was faithfully beside me guiding my life. When I look back into my life God was working in amazing ways that I was not aware of at the time. Those things formed me into the person I am today. Growing up in Croatia during the war, without a strong Christian community and friends on many occasions I often felt lonely and alienated. Even though I had strong support and knew my parents loved me and were strong believers, something was missing. In my school, teachers and students did everything they could to communicate that I am not loved, valued or accepted because of my faith.

You can imagine my joy when I was 13 and got to go to my very first English camp in 1999. I was surprised to find myself accepted and appreciated as a person through the messages and conversations that were shared. I learned what it means to live my life as a follower of Christ. Through messages at camp I realized how practical life with God looked like and that I could find my value as God's child no matter the circumstances. I also had a lot of fun. We played a lot of new fun games I had never played before and it was also very helpful to learn more about American culture and language. I felt so loved and I never wanted to leave.

However, coming back to reality was so much easier knowing that I was loved unconditionally by God and by other believers. Steve and Jenny Meeker continued to work and invest in my life maybe not even being aware of how much love and support they offered. It was much easier to face my life with such great support and care. Through this I can see how my life was changed forever.

God drew me not only to Himself but to the youth ministry as well. I realized how valuable my experience was and I see how important it is to reach youth especially at a young age. I am working with young girls at my church and it has been such a blessing and encouragement to see God work in their young heart. I have shared my experiences with the girls and explained my favorite verse. Yes, life is hard but God is good and He is always with us.

- Miriam]]> Mon, 13 Sep 2010 08:30:00 EST <![CDATA[pass, punt, kick!]]>
Justin has also been busy working on the pee-wee football league that he is starting up as an outreach to kids in the area.  The first Pass, Punt, Kick competition is scheduled for October 3. Pray that a number of youth workers and youth from the church will participate with us as a show of God’s love to the community in Zagreb. We are praying that this competition will serve a number of purposes:
- to get the youth in the church together and perhaps be a catalyst for the beginning of a “youth group” at church.
- to be a light to the community that shows God’s love in a practical and fun way.
- to spawn interest and participation in the pee-wee league so that kids will be introduced to Jesus through the medium of American football.

The Pass, Punt, Kick Competition is scheduled for October 3rd. Pray that kids will come, the community will see the love of Christ, and that this program will bring the youth of the church together as well.]]> Thu, 26 Aug 2010 11:40:00 EST <![CDATA[Camp: a Highlight of Students' Summer]]>
The season started off early for Bonnie and Lydia. They both helped out with Camp A for 6-10 year olds. Before any camper arrived, Bonnie was hard at work, ensuring that the camp program was not, "over the heads" of the campers. Here's how Bonnie describes it...

"What do tetherball, baseball, a water slide, cinnamon rolls, and the song 'I Wanna Be Like a Tree' have in common? They were all new activities for Camp A this year – we added an American flavor to our youngest Croatian camp. This was my first year at the 6 to 10 year olds Croatian camp. It was lovely to work with my favorite age group for a whole week and we had a great staff who was mostly from Split, a Croatian coastal city. I led the English electives, did the rock climbing instruction and assisted Kate Wurzberg, who was leading the camp for her first time. It was a great week of fun with a focus on the Kingdom of God. We had some good conversations come from the Bible study and evening talk times."

Next was camp B. This camp is for ages 11-13. This time Bonnie, Lydia, and I all served at camp while Ellie Beth attended. Bonnie spoke one night about God as our Mighty King. She also served as a girls counselor and had a great room of girls who she enjoyed connecting with. I had a room of 6 guys and spoke to the campers about loving God above all else.

This age group is a lot of fun to work with and it is exciting to model a life of loving God with these campers throughout the week. What strikes me at this camp is a comment a parent made to me last year. He said, "you sure do love our children, I appreciate that." It's funny how sometimes we can reach the parents through their children. That family sent their children to camp again this year, and we'll be visiting them later this week on our vacation.

One of our highlights of this camp was getting several hugs from campers as they went home. Our prayer is that our lives impact these campers in such a way that they clearly see Jesus.

I was the only member of my family to serve at Camp C. To be honest, this was the most difficult camp I have served at. A number of the campers were from a local foster home/orphanage, and it seemed that at any given moment there were two groups of campers doing something wrong. This required me to try to stop both problems while also trying to lead an activity. This constant need for discipline kept me from having the opportunity to play and interact with the campers. At one point, I simply felt that I had little or no connection with the campers. But, by weeks end, they started coming around.

I spent a lot of time getting the campers to know that I expected respect for camp leaders and camp property. In time, a number of them started to get the idea that if they followed the rules, I would give them freedom and have time to play with them. I think that week was a good start to a relationship with these campers, and I look forward to seeing them next year.

Our theme at camp was faith factor. I spoke the opening night from Hebrews 11:1 and encouraged the campers to spend a week exploring faith through Jesus Christ. On the fourth night of camp I was asked to fill in for another speaker. With a couple hours of prep time, I spoke on Rahab from Hebrews 11:31. I challenged the campers to see that even though God had sent the Israelite's to destroy Jericho and all inside, that Rahab still took faith in God that she and her family could be saved.

In spite of the difficult week, I am ready to hold camp C again and look forward to future opportunities to engage with these young people regarding who Jesus Christ is.

Finally, we had MK Camp. Bonnie served as assistant cook and I served as camp director. Lydia and Ellie Beth were campers. The theme at MK Camp was also Faith Factor. Prior to camp, we had two days of staff training and getting to know each other. Then the campers started arriving from all over Europe. Again, I started the camp with a challenge to the campers to spend a week exploring faith, and to consider following a simple process of Listen to the speakers and Bible studies; Communicate with others about the topic of faith; and then take Action on what they had learned.

The defining trait of MK Camp is worship. These campers get together each night and worship the Lord in English. It is exciting to participate with them as they praise God in their native language. It seems that they hold nothing back. At one time during the week, nearly the whole camp chose to have an extra worship time rather than free time. What a blessing that was.

If Facebook is any indicator, many of the campers are saying this was the best MK Camp ever. At the end of camp, we ask campers to help us explain what MK Camp means to them and one camper wrote this, "MK Camp is an encouraging, spiritually-renewing week filled with the people who understand you the best. It was one of the highlights of my summer". I guess the campers say it best.

Now that the camps are over, we start our retreat season. There are several retreats coming up and lots of planning to do as we continue to move in the direction of broadening our reach through camp. Please keep our family and our ministry in prayer as we move into the fall season.]]> Mon, 16 Aug 2010 10:25:00 EST <![CDATA[Football Made It Possible]]>
In spite of its popularity in the US, American football has been slow to catch on in Europe. So when Justin (Juice) Ortiz discovered a local football team shortly after his arrival in Croatia, he was excited to participate.

Juice has taken every opportunity the football team has thrown at him. He has played with them against teams from other countries. He has refereed games, traveling to villages on the edge of Croatia’s border. He has encouraged team members to attend a Christian football camp in Michigan. And now Juice teaches a weekly football class to 12-20 boys as well as helping with football presentations for local schools.

American football has even lead to opportunities off the field. One Saturday he spent several hours visiting with relatives of one of his teammates in a distant village. Another time, the father of one of the players invited Juice to a café to discuss the details of his son going to a football camp in Michigan. Spending time in the café is foundational to relationships in Croatia and Juice was “stoked” to get to know this parent better.

The next play in Juice’s playbook is to start a pee wee football program for 9-13 year olds called Football of Piglets. The goal is to develop the sport of American football and, more importantly, to build relationships and open doors into the lives of the youth.

You see, relationship is what it’s all about for Juice—relationship with God and relationship with people. Yes, he loves playing football but it means absolutely nothing without Jesus in his life. Football is a tool that God is using to connect Juice with Croatians and create opportunities for sharing the gospel. Juice has moved to Croatia to reach these youth with God’s love.

This process can take a long time and it may be years before Juice sees anyone come to faith. But God is already at work. Two of the kids from the program are brothers. The first couple of weeks of practice, their mom was not very personable. But after a couple of months, she now greets Juice with a smile and is happy to see her kids being able to enjoy something fun. God is breaking down walls and preparing the way for the gospel.

“[My wife] Beth and I have come for a purpose, and it’s to reach into the lives of Croatians who are far from God. Please pray for our football friends, and that our relationships and conversations with them will count for Jesus. Please pray that their hearts will yearn for God in their own lives.”]]> Thu, 15 Jul 2010 11:00:00 EST <![CDATA[Camps in Full Swing]]> Tue, 6 Jul 2010 09:14:00 EST <![CDATA[Childen's Camp Kicks-Off]]>
In the past this camp has lead to some Croatian children making decisions for Christ.  For many, it is a step in that direction and proves foundational to their faith.  This camp is also the first chance for the new counselor helpers to serve. 

Please pray for the camp volunteers and staff that they communicate God's love and truth through the camp program and through their lives. Pray also for the hearts of campers that they hear and obey God's word.]]> Mon, 28 Jun 2010 08:30:00 EST