Priceless!

But Jesus said, Suffer little children, and forbid them not, to come unto me: for of such is the kingdom of heaven.

One thing that have always been important to us in ministry is children. When we were first saved the very first ministry we had was running a bus route and praise the Lord for bus workers. There is nothing like the bus ministry and we loved it. While Johnny ran the bus ministry forever when we lived in the states I always worked in children's church and loved it. I love children. I love the light in their eyes, the thrill they get from hearing something new and the true devotion they offer when we just love them a little.

So I'm gonna introduce you to just a few of my blessings;
These two little angels are both Croatians. The little girl on the left is Adella and she's so sweet. The little beauty on the right is Rebeka, she is the national pastors 2nd child and she is a joy to me. She has the sweetest spirit of any little girl I have ever seen. Please pray for her. She is forced by the government to attend public school and her innocence is being stolen. Pray that God will protect her and her siblings. Their parents have petitioned the government without success. It's illegal to home school in Croatia. Hey be thankful we still have that freedom in America, I have a feeling it won't be around for long. Rebeka has an older brother, Ruben is 9 years old, almost and he is such a joy. This kid loves the Lord more than most adults. Pray that he will be the next generation of preachers in Croatia.
Oh yea and with him is Bro. and Mrs. Holcomb's daughter Trinity. We're loving having her in SS too. We have two brothers that come faithfully, Denis is one of them. These brothers are a handful but we love 'em.
Antonio is Bro. #2 and he's the more lively one. This kid is so naughty at times you can't help but love him. Most bus workers have a squeaky wheel that gets most of the attention, well Antonio is ours.
This little sweetie is Andrea, she's 5 and comes on my little route. Pray for her and her family, her mom is suppose to come to church on Sunday, please pray she'll get saved and that it will trickle down in the family and they'll all be saved.

Anyhow, I guess it was natural for us to fall back into the bus ministry and children's church here in Croatia. Johnny started the church here and as soon as it was handed over to a national we went back to what we love, working with the children. Johnny runs a van route to pick up Croats and into one of the local Gypsy villages. I run my little route to the other side of town and into another Gypsy village to pick up 3 children and then onto pick up some Croats also.

Johnny and I teach SS and love it. These kids can be a huge handful but what a blessing they are. I don't even think they know what blessings they are. We love them and we praise God that He has allowed us to work with them.

Oh this one is for fun, it took some work to get them to all smile at the same time and they did
(see above photo) so this was the fun one, click on the photo for a better look at Bro. Johnny! He loves these kids as much as I do, if not more.

Hey, if you are one of those churches who is about to decided that the bus ministry isn't worth it and those little snotty kids are too much trouble, shame one you!! Maybe it's time for a little repentance and getting back to love what Jesus loves!! Walls can be repainted and carpets can be replaced but the soul of a child is priceless.

Ministry Notes

Just thought I would pop in for a sec and give some insight to what's going on here in Croatia at the moment. Where to start?

Well on New Years Even the Holcomb family came to live and will be working as partners with us. We have prayed for so long (almost 10 years) for God to send us some American co laborers and He has.
the Holcomb have already been a blessing to us and we're looking forward to a lifetime of ministry together here in Croatia.
Oh yea and guess what, Mrs. Holcomb loves to shop, now is that from God or what??? We went to Graz, Austria the other day for some shopping and had a really good time. It's been so long since I had someone to shop with, I'm thankful for that small blessing. I can foresee many fun filled shopping trips in our future.


Lets see, what next. Well both churches are doing well. The attendance is a little down on Wednesdays in the church in Čakovec but I can see it that it's only a little lull. This happens sometimes especially when sickness hits our town.

The church in Varaždin is going great. We are few in numbers but with the addition of the Holcomb family we are already in need of a larger building.

We run two bus routes on Sundays to the church in Čakovec. We have been having real stuggles with out van for the in town route and actually couldn't even pick folks up for last weeks services due to mechanical problems. It broke my heart to tell our little Gypsy kids that they couldn't come to church. Praise the Lord the van is back from Ford and it only cost $400 to fix instead of the $2000 we thought. Yea! So the van is back and running, thank the Lord!

Last year when Bro. Sam Ward was here thousands of Gospel tracts were passed out daily for two weeks. Many people had the opportunity to be saved and many took the opportunity and found their names written in the Lamb's Book of Life!

A few weeks after Bro. Sam left we got a call from a Gypsy man who got a tract from another man who received a tract and Deon wanted to know if he could come to the church in Varaždin. Well duh, of course he could come, we couldn't wait to meet him. He did come and to our utter dlight he was so ready to be saved. His first meeting with us he accepted Jesus as his personal Savior and he's been a blessing ever since.

Oh yea and please pray for Bro. Sam. He is coming as a missionary to Croatia but first he must sell his home in the states. Pray that he sells it soon and gets a good price. We can't wait for his arrival and enthusiasm for winning souls.

Two weeks ago Deon brought his friend to church and Bojan also received Jesus as his Savior. Last week Johnny talked to Bojan about being baptized and he agreed to be baptized this last Sunday. Well Saturday rolled around and Johnny got a call from Deon saying that Bojan had gone home and told his family he got saved and was going to be baptized and they weren't rejoicing with him. Being baptized here is a major thing for Catholics. It essentially means leaving the Catholic faith and that holds a huge weight. After he told his family his brother beat him up a bit and they had to call the police. He is going to wait a bit before he's baptized since they have threatened to kick him out if he goes through with it. Please pray for Bojan, that he would get the courage to be baptized and that God would soften the hearts of his family.

Also Deon has had a burden for his village for a while and recently we decided to start another work this one being in his Gypsy village. Now working with the Croats is difficult sometimes but a Gypsy work is a totally differnt type of work. The Devil has such a strong hold of these villages that he fights tooth and nail to keep them under his control. So anyhow, we found a man out there willing to rent us two rooms in his house to start a work and then eventually a church. We were due to start next week and several men in the village found benches for the building and made a pulpit and a platform for the main room. Sadly a few days ago the man with the rooms called and said he didn't want to rent to us any more. So we're checking out some other opportunities in the same village. Please pray for this work, it's hard an many times the conditions are almost unbearable but God loves the folks. He died for them, please pray that we could get in there and snatch as man souls as we can from a future in a burning hell.

Anyhow, we still have our work with the Gypsy children that I could spend another 20 minutes telling you about but I can't. I have laundry to do and the house is a mess. Kids are fighting at the kitchen table when they should be doing their school work so I guess I better go moderate.

Thanks for all the prayers for our work His work. God is so good to let us have even the smallest part in His big plan.

Wiener Woman

click on the photo for a better look at the insanity

Okay so the other day we took a small shopping trip to Austria and I found this enticing advert decorating the window of a gas station. The woman pictured, Sarah Wiener, appears to be out of her mind for this wiener burger. Okay a sandwich made from wieners, okay is it just me or is that just wrong?? And it boasts of being NEU AND BIO, is that like bio-hazardous? Check out the enthusiasm on her face, for a wiener burger at that. Anyhow, I thought it was funny in a warped sorta way.

Sole Reader!

Okay so if you haven't been over to Kristi's yet to see the Sole Reader, you've missed out. I'm sure she won't mind me sharing it with you here, she's a hoot! Kristi is one of my favorite bloggers, if you don't know her, run over there and check her out!

SICK-O

Well, the winter yuckies have finally got to me. Actually I'm on the back end of the whole sick thing and that's why I'm actually blogging today. I have slept so much the last several days that I'm surprised I can sleep at all at night. Actually I didn't sleep much last night but I'm up with coffee in hand.

It never fails when something big is about to happen here in the ministry the ol' devil turns up the heat. Last week was a nightmare with trying to run our two bus routes. Actually I didn't get to run my route and 5 people weren't able to come to church, I was so sad. Anyhow, after locking our keys in one of the vans while trying to jump off the other van, the nightmare mounted. The we came home after the small church attendance and found that our new fridge had decided that it didn't want to work any more and all the meat and stuff inside had spoiled. Oh Joy! Then the next day I became sick and during my 3 day stand I watched a small stomach virus make it's way through the house. Wow, when it rains it pours. Anyhow, it's all okay. I have learned to Praise Him even when ol' slew foot is attacking.

Well I'm on the upswing and the van is in the shop, the virus is gone and the fridge is chillin'. God's good, the Devil loses and all is well!

I'll be back soon with a new post! Have a great end of the week!

Where will you leave holes?

Last Tuesday we stood in a snowy cemetery as we said goodbye to Dinko, our brother in Christ. Dinko was 44 years old and in good health at least that's what we all thought. He was found in his chair dead and thought to have been there for several days.

A month before we got the news that yet another brother had gone to be with Jesus after battling cancer and losing.

Lately death has really been on my mind, not that I in anyway am afraid of death, on the contrary it's gonna be glorious when it finally does happen because I'll be able to look on the face of my wonderful Savior. With all the dying going on around us I've been wondering and observing what happens to the loved ones and acquaintances left behind. What changes in their lives. Do they totally have to reorder their daily lives. Do they have to pick up the slack left from the deceased? What sorta holes are left in the lives of the ones left behind from the passing of this person. Does this death change the world in any way. Will anyone miss this person? Will things get undone because this person is gone? Were there any holes left in the world from the absence of this person?

When it's your time to physically leave this world, where will you leave holes? Will your death actually change the life of anyone other then your immediately family. Have you actually been important to anyone? Have you made a difference in the life of someone less fortunate? Have you share the blessed Hope with someone and your death will sadden their heart? Is there someone who has their day brightened just because you exist?

We never know when it's our time to go. Dinko and Bro. Vlado had no idea that they were about to go, they didn't have time to go out and make a difference. What was done was done, it was too late to think about how many people would actually care that they passed. They couldn't change how many people would be at their funeral and how many just didn't care.

Wow, my sleepy eyes have been opened. I want to make such a difference in my little world that my passing will seriously effect some folks. I want to leave all sorts of holes in the lives of my loved ones. I want to leave holes in the ministries of my church, so much so that it will momentarily cripple my church. I want to have such a crowd of souls at my funeral, souls who had their lives made better because I existed. I want to leave holes!

Making a difference isn't hard, it's actually pretty simple. It just takes a little forgetting about me and mine and thinking about others. There are enough hurting souls in this world that we could make a difference in hundreds of lives simple by being kind. Stop being so selfish with your hugs and give some to some little bus kids who don't know real love is. Stop spending your money on junk you'll never use and find someone with a need and meet it. Hey giving up coke for a week and taking the money a giving it to a needy family would make a world of difference. There isn't a better feeling in the world than giving and making a difference.

So I ask you: how many holes will you leave when you go or will you leave any???

Pillow Talk

Okay so I'm joining in with the fun over at Shanty 2 Chic and the "I made it without my Hubby" link party.

I'm also joining Charity over at Fresh from the Cheri Tree for Finished Object Friday.

Okay so remember yesterday's post about Love inspiration, well I was inspired!

I got out my button can and started rummaging for some material to make the button heart pillow I found over at Kate's Nesting Spot. Okay so I didn't have enough buttons to make the heart so I settled for a letter L to represent Love then I remembered that my last name was Leslie so it works either way!! I'm so smart, yea right!

Anyhow, I sewed the buttons on continuously so there weren't very many start and stop places and it actually went pretty fast. I watched some online news clips and then before I knew it I was finished. i LOVE it!!

LOVE inspiration

Okay so with Valentines Day ***please don't write to me and tell me about Valentines Day being a Catholic holiday and how Christians shouldn't celebrate it, I'm celebrating Love not St. Valentine!*** on the horizon I'm thinking that if I'm gonna make it in time for the holiday I'm gonna need to start thinking and planning for it now. So I went on a great internet hunt for some LOVE inspiration and here's what I came up with:

Lookie lookie, how cute is this??? Jeanne Winters came up with this great wreath for Valentines Day since all real LOVE comes from Jesus anyway.



What a really neat craft for the kids! Cindy over at Skip to my Lou made these really neat crayon shaving hearts.


Kate over at Kate's Nesting Spot made this super cute heart pillow. Go check it out!




Cindy over at Skip to my Lou made this cute heart hanging thinggy. How easy is this and something the kids can make too.




Lindsay over at Living with Lindsay made this really cute wreath for her door.




Better Homes and Gardens as usual have some great ideas to sweeten your home for Valentines 2010.








Emily Call Designs has this cute idea with burlap and honestly who doesn't love burlap.

Well I'm gonna go gather up all my buttons and felt, burlap and crayons and some hot cappuccino and start decorating.

It's a Winter Wonderland...

... or we're gonna get snowed in and can't get to the store and we'll all die from starvation! Okay that was a bit of my drama queen coming out but still. We're in for the most consecutive days of snow that I ever remember. It's already snowed for two days and we have almost a week of snow left.Hey I'm not gripping, I love the snow and I love the excitement of weird weather too. I remember living in the DFW area in Texas and when there was a tornado warning I loved it. I know I should have been concerned with all the people who would be negetively effected by the tornado but I wasn't, I loved the excitement of having to go to a safer building and all. Anyhow, now you know how warped I am.

Anyhow, look what the weather page has to say for us, SNOW!!! I'm pretty excited about it and the kids are even planning on taking a sledding trip to the castle in the near by town. Usually where the moat would have been there are great sledding hills so guess I better think about bundling up. The only thing I don't like about the snow is that it makes getting to church a tough endevor so for that I'm sorry about the snow. Pray we don't go off the road in the process.

Anyhoo, I just wanted to share my good fortune with all you snow lovers and freak out all you warm blooded folks.
It's gonna be fun.

A Bucket List

We were lying in bed the other night and I was talking as usually and Johnny was pretending to be listening as usual. I asked him if there was anything he wanted to do before he died.[[[[I know we aren't near death or anything but we're near 40 and that's pretty close]]]] He said there weren't any things he really wanted to do that he hadn't already done. I was like, "are you kidding?". He didn't want to do anything he hadn't? Nothing?

So I roll over and tell him that I so want to do somethings before I die. I have some things that roll around in the back of my mind, some things I would love to experience just one, just so I can say I did.

Anyhoo, the next day we picked up the Holcomb Family at the airport and on the way home we started talking and the same subject came up. I asked her is she wanted to do anything that she hadn't. She said, "Yea, I have a bucket list." I was like, "what is a bucket list?" She informed me that a bucket list was a list of stuff you want to do before you kick the bucket. NEVER heard of it before but it was basically the same as what I was talking to Johnny about. A list of things to do before you die.

Now let me say for you super spiritual people out there. I know that the only things that will last are the things we do for Christ, I know that but as we're passing through this pilgrimage of ours who says we can't have fun? I mean come on, laughing is one of the most incredible gifts God gave us so He obviously wanted us to enjoy ourselves.

So I've been thinking about what items would be on my Bucket List. What do I want to do before I'm too old to do them? What would I like to see or what great activity would thrill me? Well my list isn't long but it's a beginning.

Tori's 2010 BUCKET LIST

1. I would like to skydive!
2. I would love to see Istanbul, Turkey. Don't ask me why, I dunno.
3. I think I would love to bungee jump.
4. I would love to hike to the top of one of the mountains in the Swiss Alps.
5. Wanna go white water rafting.
6. Would love to learn to ski.
7. I would love to see a musical on Broadway.
8. Would love to go on a trail ride in Texas.
9. Wanna see Big Ben and make the guard laugh.
10. I wanna see the Holy Land, just once.
11. I would love to visit a missionary in Africa.
12. Wanna kiss my husband on our 50th anniversay.

Okay so that's my Bucket List. Obviously many of those will be a little challenging in a skirt so some creative modesty would be needed but I think they are totally possible. I know they're just things, happenings in an eternity but I wanna do them. I don't think I'll be sad or disappointed if I don't make it to all 12 but I can dream. The only one that is a must is number 12. If I have nothing else in this life or experience anything new, I still have the love of my husband who makes life fun and exciting every day. Yea, I wanna make it to number 12, at least!!

So the Bucket List was new to me but is it new to you? Have you thought about a Bucket List? Do you have some things in life your heart desires to do?

Go ahead and share them with us, please!!

Old Year Fun

Well the Old Year, what they call New Year's Eve in Croatia has come and gone. We had our Wednesday night service Thursday and had our prayer meeting also. After the service and praying for the new year we ate, as all good Baptists do. We played some board games and WII and then headed to town together as a church to watch the fireworks.

Oh yea and I almost forgot, we have a new family in the church, okay they aren't really just a family but the Holcombs are finally here and we're really enjoying them.

Bro. Holcomb spake to our people and then he sang. He can sing!!

Bro. and Mrs. Holcomb.
Some of our people and their family members.
Holcomb boys and our boys up to no good I suspect.
Johnny!! My sweetie! and Bro. Alen, a faithful member and soul winning in the church.
Fireworks!
Fireworks!!
Fireworks!!
and more fireworks! It was so much fun and our little town puts on a great show.

So it's 2010 and I'm so excited to see what God is going to do this year. It's gonna be fun!!!