Week 1 Update!

Zdravo!

This is a milk brand, apparently, but it also means “Hello!”

It’s hard to believe we’ve already been here over a week. I know this time in the Balkans will just fly by, especially once the team gets here for the Rock and Roll Camp.

We’re settling in well! After several desperate nights of sleeplessness, Vienna sorted out her days and nights. Everyone is sleeping really well here in our home-away-from-home. It’s a beautiful, peaceful retreat for us.

We’ve conquered power converters/adapters, grocery stores, currency exchange, and even driving! Lifegate Novi Sad is letting us utilize a 9-passenger Volkswagen Van (which happens to have a manual transmission – vroom vroom), so we’ve experienced a new sense of ownership in this city.  It has felt much more like our home and less like we are visiting.

 

Last Thursday, Kurt and the big kids went to help prepare the new Lifegate property for our Agape meal the next night.

Chaba fished the Danube and made a delicious fish stew which was served over noodles. Vienna especially loved it. The kids had so much fun making new friends and exploring the lots where the new Lifegate facility will be.  I don’t know all of the details of what this new property will entail, but I know it will serve more than just the city of Novi Sad. I can’t wait to see how God will develop this dream.

On Saturday night, we had the opportunity to visit the new location of Lifegate Beograd (Belgrade) and help lead worship there. It was so fun to walk in and recognize faces we’d met back in January. We stayed after service for the League Championship Futbal game (soccer), but the kids needed to head home before we saw the final score. We did get some amazing pizza and Nutella “pancakes” though. So. Yummy.

Sunday evening, we helped lead worship at the Lifegate Novi Sad service. The big kids came bounding down the stairs afterwards and asked to go get ice cream with their friends. I could have cried, it’s all so perfect. There’s a shop just down the street where they can walk to get treats whenever they’d like. (The ice cream cash is going to have to be earned through chores, however.)

This week, we’ve been settling into more of a routine. We attended a staff meeting on Tuesday morning and discussed our upcoming trip to Macedonia, which will end up being this Friday through Monday (June 9-12). We also discussed a Lifegate Acoustic Night we will be putting on in the City Center next Wednesday (June 14), and a youth event next Friday (June 16).

Personally, Kurt, Amber, and I are all figuring out what our needs are and how to articulate them in order to balance work, ministry, caring for kiddos, and time for ourselves and Jesus. We’re discovering boundary lines and have set up a grown-up worship and devotional time every evening to help us stay unified and centered.

All in all, it’s a great adventure, and we are offering up whatever we have for His use and glory!

Love you all! Thanks for partnering with us in prayer and financially. I’m not sure the exact figure, but last I heard, we were still around $3,000 short of our goal. If you feel led, we can still receive contributions online through my.discoverlifegate.com!

Thanks for praying. We feel absolutely covered by the grace of God, and you all are a huge part of that.

Check back for more updates! 🙂

Emily

To Read More:

1. #WagonersGO
2. Skopje!
3. Halfway Point!
4. Update 5! ROCK ‘N ROLLL
5. Final Update!