Big News!

We have some exciting news!  After 7 years of service here in Zagreb, Croatia, we will be moving into our next post in missions work serving at the base of operations for Share Life Now Int'l (SLNI) in Ft. Worth, Texas.  Almost 2 years ago, the possibility of an upcoming move and transition from our roles & responsibilities within our Zagreb church plant began to come up in our prayers.  The church had grown to a certain point in maturity and we began to see that the time was approaching where Croatians would be able to take over our responsibilities in the church.  We believe that our moving on makes more room for local leaders to grow and develop into the leaders God has intended them to be.  Though this was the plan from the time that we arrived, when it comes down to making this move, it’s not easy.  Zagreb has become our home and we have developed life-long friendships, as well as, a love and appreciation for Croatia & the Croatian people. In Acts 21, it says that the Apostle Paul and the Ephesian Christians had to tear themselves away from each other because of their great love for one another…and we can relate to that feeling in this season.  Despite this tearing, we believe that it’s the right time for us to make more room for a new era of Croatian leaders in Transforma, our Zagreb church plant.

As we began to sense that the time to transition out was approaching, we prayed about many different opportunities for continued service in missions.  During this time of prayer, we saw that God was both confirming in us and opening up opportunities for us to do something that has been on our hearts for some time…that is working in the area of church planting training, support, & care.  We see that our experience over the last 7 years, along with our unique set of giftings has prepared us to serve in this area.  Our vision is to help catalyze, equip, send, and care for workers going to, in, and returning from the field. 

After a season of much prayer, we have decided to move to Ft. Worth, TX to serve with Share Life Now Int’l (SLNI) which is the missions organization of our sending church, Christ Fellowship.  They are in need of a full-time worker(s) not only to facilitate the sending out of future church planters, but also to work in the area of training, missionary support & care, and organizational development.  We are excited about this new opportunity to use our giftings and experience to serve SLNI. Even though this is a move back to the States, we see this as a missional move for our family.  We continue to explore and stay open to possibilities of missions back in Europe at some point.  Please pray with us for God to clearly reveal all He has for us in the years to come.   

2011 Winter Camp - Maribor, Slovenia

Last weekend I was away in Maribor, Slovenia working at a winter camp for 55 (!!!!) Slovenian teenagers.  The camp was organized by our dear friends, Andrej & Nina Lovse and they're amazing Josiah Venture team.  Check out the blog later for an update on what all happened during the camp.  It was really an amazing weekend and God used it to effect these young lives.  Just click the link below.  Enjoy!

2011 Winter Camp - Slovenia

January 2011 Newsletter Pictures

The men of the church bought 16 tickets to see Zagreb's hockey club play and invite as many of our friends as possible. We had a great time and had 9 guests there with us!

We have just received permission from the city of Zagreb that we can use a few rooms in this building on Friday nights from 5-7pm. We plan to eventually hold workshops and seminars there to reach out to the community around us. We also hope that in the near future we can use this building for our Sunday meetings. This building is a 3-minute drive from our apartment!

Davor and I at the Christmas party.

Packed out dining room at the Massey's during our Christmas party.

One of the monthly women's workshops around the holidays for the women of Transforma and their friends.

Update January 2011

Welcome back!! We know that we've been away from our blog for quite some time, however we've decided to start using our blog again for updates in between newsletters. Our hope is that we can more frequently update you on what's happening in our ministry in this part of the world. Be sure and read this entry as well as the one above which will include pictures with short explanations.

Happy New Year (Sve najbolje u novoj godini) to all of you! Laura and I were able start out 2011 with a focused time of prayer dedicating the year and ourselves & our family to the Lord, making goals for the year with our children, and asking God for His heart for Transforma (the Zagreb church plant). That time really proved fruitful and we experienced some wonderful times with the Lord, both as individuals and as a family, by setting aside time for prayer at the beginning of the year.

Christmas party at Transforma this year was once again a successful evening for hanging out together, celebrating the birth of Jesus, and inviting friends! Roughly 40-50 people packed out the Massey's house outside of Zagreb. Some close friends of ours and their children were able to make it to the party along with roughly 15 other guests. The evening started with a FEAST of epic proportions (potluck style), singing of both traditional Christmas and contemporary worship songs, a short message, and a Christmas ornament exchange. Praise God that He continues to use these Christmas celebrations for drawing others into a relationship with Himself and His community.

In January, the men of Transforma went to see Zagreb's hockey team, the Bears (Medvescak), play in the new arena. We bought 16 tickets and invited as many friends as we could! We had a great time together despite the Bears loosing in overtime penalty shots. Next month the men are going bowling at a local bowling alley that hosts free bowling on Mondays! Wanna come?

The women of Transforma are holding monthly creative workshops and having a great time inviting and meeting new friends, as well as, making something beautiful. This has become a great tradition and our hope is that out of this a cell group will emerge.

February will prove to be a month of travel and learning for us. February 5-8th, James will be helping put on a ski/snowboard camp outside of Maribor, Slovenia for the youth of Maribor. Right now there are 55 youth signed up for the camp. In this part of that world, that's a large number! They were only expecting 30 to sign up. The vast majority of these youth do not yet know Jesus but will be presented the Gospel in both words and actions.

The next week, Laura will be taking a quick humanitarian-aid related trip to Dallas. She will be escorting a 20-year-old young lady from Kosovo who has hearing disabilities back to the States as she has just received a visa to study. Love In Action, Int'l has worked with this girl for years and we're thankful she has a visa to study at the college level in America, as well as, take advantage of speech therapy and follow-up for her cochlear implants available to her in the States. We're also thankful that Laura will be able to take Ella with her on this trip to give Laura's parents (especially her dad who doesn't travel so much these days) the chance to see the new improved 1-year-old version of Ella...as she is changing all the time!

Finally, at the end of February, James will be heading to northeast Czech Republic with our Slovenian church planting friends (Andrej & Nina) as well as 150 other church planters in Europe. There, in a small village on the Polish border, church planting expert Steve Timmis (author of "Total Church" & other wonderful books) will be speaking to this group of church planters, educating us, and sharing his experiences from years of work in Europe. We look forward to a wonderful time of learning and community.

Please be sure and look at the entry above as well for pictures related to this update!

The Forgotten Ways

http://www.amazon.com/Forgotten-Ways-Reactivating-Missional-Church/dp/1587431645/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1269312298&sr=8-1

Above is a link to Amazon for a book that I would like to recommend. It's called The Forgotten Ways by Alan Hirsch. I've really just begun to read it and am only now nearing the 100 page mark, however I still believe that with confidence I can begin to recommend to any of you out there with an open mind to understanding the church in our culture in a more full way. Since I have not completed the book I could not tell you that I wholeheartedly agree with everything in the book, instead what I feel is worth the read is the way it challenges our views on the church in this changing culture of the west.

There have been only a few times in my life when I have had my world view shaken and changed...and I came out on the other side of those times better, wiser, and more fit to continue on in this life. The first time I understood the concept of cell groups when I went to a cell church conference hosted by Antioch Community Church in Waco, TX was one of those times. Another time was when I began to understand that God blessed me so that I could be a blessing to the nations. This truth has obviously changed the direction of my life. And now, as I read this book, I sense the Lord changing my entire view of the church.

Hirsch very simply explains in the book a basic church history specifically in terms of how the church functioned in the early church, the Christendom era, the modern age, and now we have entered the post-modern age. His challenge to us is that since we have entered another "age"...a huge shift in the underline cultural current in the west. Due to this change, would it not be appropriate and wise to change how the church looks and expresses itself to fit that change?

My answer is a hearty "yes"!

I would like to recommend this book to you so as to give you the opportunity as well to be challenged and think through why we do the things we do. Enjoy!

Bekah's Extreme Creek Jumping - Summer 2009

I just wanted to show this hilarious video of Bekah we shot this summer. First the Massey boys started jumping off a little drop off into this creek (seen in the 1st video). Well, Bekah decided she should do this too (seen in the 2nd video). Enjoy our funny daughter!

Lucia's Baptism

Yesterday our dear friend and sister was baptized. She's a college student in Zagreb who is from Zadar (on the coast). She has been attending our congregation while in Zagreb, but was actually converted in Zadar and attends a congregation there when she's back home. It was a beautiful day complete with perfect weather, pine trees swaying in the wind, the sea gently lapping the shore, and 3 girls displaying their love for Jesus (2 others were baptized). The event was watched by both our congregation (Transforma), the congregation in Zadar, along with other random beach combers and tourists who happen to be at that beach at that time. (Afterwards I was able to share the Gospoel with an on-looker and explain what just happened there!) Enjoy the pictures! God is on the move in Croatia!