MayCember

I thought that by living in Serbia, we’d somehow avoid the American mayhem that is “MayCember.” This is a term we dubbed years ago, because May tends to be busy in the same way December can be. Between end of the year concerts, recitals, school awards ceremonies, class parties, graduations, and alll of the other things, May tends to be overwhelming.

In Serbia, school doesn’t typically wrap up until the end of June, so May is just another month in late spring – with the exception of May 1, which is like a Serbian Labor Day.

We, however, had a son graduating from UNO (University of Nebraska at Omaha), so we were in Omaha for MayCember. Funny how the world works. lol

All joking aside, it was amazing. Our schedule was too jam-packed to share it all here, but it was truly life-giving. We started our trip to Omaha with friends and meetings and our oldest son’s graduation, and ended with a family wedding. It was a whirlwind, but we had some incredible high moments. And, saying goodbye was difficult as always.

Before we left Serbia, we got to celebrate May 1st with our friends at a wonderful grillout.

Not long after, we boarded flights to Omaha. We got some puppy time, I got to see my therapist in person, and then we did all the things:

1. Alex’s graduation and time with him and family
2. Lots of meals with people!
3. Church meetings with key leaders and the Executive Team
4. Leading worship at two of our campuses and getting to sing in Serbian!
5. An Open House at West Dodge to say hi and thanks to you for your amazing support

We also spent time with precious family and friends, and we even got to celebrate Kurt’s parents’ 50th wedding anniversary, which was such a special time. ❤

At the end of our time in America, we drove to Chicago and then on to Ohio for my little (chosen) sister’s beautiful wedding. Rachel and Jared are two of the best, and it was indescribable to be there with my family. ❤

On the way there, we even stopped at Medieval Times dinner theater, and our knight actually won! The girls loved it.

Shortly after, we got back on a plane and flew back to Serbia. I was concerned that the girls would struggle to adjust after being in America for a month, but they fell right back into their lives here in Serbia without any trouble at all. Kurt also learned that he much prefers working second shift (3pm – 11pm) as opposed to first thing in the morning. I was most relieved not to have 6-8am meetings or call times. Mornings are not my forte and Serbia respects that quite nicely. lol And of course it was so good to be reunited with our friends and Lifegate family here in Serbia.

We are so grateful for our time in Omaha and for all God did for us in terms of reconnection and ministry-related things. We got to have some very important meetings and are feeling well set up for our second year in Serbia!

Thank you all for your faithfulness in prayer and support. We feel it every day. We are so excited about the fruit we will see in this coming year and are believing God for great things.

In case you missed them, here are the links to our:

1. March Update!
2. April Update!

A few prayer points for this week:

1. Pray for continued coverage and provision. God gave us a word through Pastor Mike Ballard that said, like a long, steep mountain trek, God would leave provisions along the way at just the right time and place. We are overwhelmed with gratitude for the support you all have shown us as we’ve continued on the path God has set before us. We also know the sacrifice it takes to sow financially into this ministry endeavor, as the US economic climate has changed quite a bit in the past two years. Thank you all for your ongoing generosity. We are truly humbled and trusting God for every need to be filled – not just in our lives, but in yours as well.
2. Pray for God to show us exactly the best way to fill our time and pour into our community here in Serbia over this next year. We learned from year one that time can fly by, even when the day to day seems normal or even long. We don’t want to waste a minute of what we’ve been given, and for that we need supernatural guidance and direction.
3. Pray for Kurt as he juggles multiple hats and roles. Pray for peace, guidance, and ongoing stamina and grace. We love him and are trusting God to keep us in His perfect peace.

We love you all so much! 🙂 Thanks for joining us on this journey. It means more than you know!

As always, if you feel led to partner with us financially, please feel free to click the button below. ❤