When Clara wakes up from a nap, I stand at the doorway and quietly watch her, waiting for her to notice me. I love to watch her play after she has been asleep. She rolls around the bed, lifts her head and chest off the mattress and looks around, studying everything as if she is seeing it for the first time. She pushes her knees under her body while on her tummy, makes raspberry noises, and then rolls and flops onto her back. When she finally notices me, her eyes light up, she grins from ear to ear, and her body language insists that I come near and touch her. It is like a magnetic force drawing me there. There is no way I could stop and turn away from her sweet baby scent, plump little legs, and her chubby cute baby face. A baby to love and hold is the sweetest joy I have ever known. Nursing her brings us both such utter contentment. It is easy to see why children are a gift from the Lord. There is nothing He could give me (other than the joy of my salvation) that would bring me greater joy in this life.
As I write this, Clara is taking a nap. I eagerly look forward to the end of her nap so we can go snuggle together and tell each other how much we love one another!
Marla
Monday, May 29, 2006
Sunday, May 28, 2006
Sunday in Croatia
We attended a Baptist church this morning. There were probably about 75-100 people there. The pastor gave his sermon in the Croatian language, but with earphones in our ears we were able to hear the simultaneous English translation. We sang praise songs, many of which we were familiar with. Usually the first verse was in Croatian, the second verse in English. It will be a great way to learn how to prounounce Croatian words. Two talented ladies led us in the singing, accompanied by a piano, drums and a guitar.
Even though I could hear the English translation of the sermon, it was hard to concentrate on it. I would look up and see and hear with my right ear the pastor speaking Croatian, and at the same time in my left ear hear the English. I suppose this will take some time to get accustomed to. Somehow I will have to watch the pastor and his mannerisms, however focus on the words he's saying in English and not in Croatian. He spoke on the theme of giving God the glory for our talents and abilities, rather than glorifying ourselves.
They have the custom here, as they did in Sweden, to fellowship together and have coffee and cakes after the church service. After the service we went out to eat at an Italian restaurant. I had a chicken risotto dish that was very tasty. I also sampled some grilled squid for the first time! For me, that is definitely stepping out of my Midwest meat-and-potatoes comfort zone! It was good, though I'm not sure I'll be ordering it anytime soon.
It was good to be in the house of the Lord today. We met a missionary family who homeschools and several other American families who are here because of their jobs. It is incredible to meet Christians on the other side of the world who worship the same risen Savior, who sing the same songs, and who believe in the same Word of God. I'm sure the Lord has us here for a reason. I am excited for Him to reveal, day by day, how we can serve Him in this place!
Marla
Even though I could hear the English translation of the sermon, it was hard to concentrate on it. I would look up and see and hear with my right ear the pastor speaking Croatian, and at the same time in my left ear hear the English. I suppose this will take some time to get accustomed to. Somehow I will have to watch the pastor and his mannerisms, however focus on the words he's saying in English and not in Croatian. He spoke on the theme of giving God the glory for our talents and abilities, rather than glorifying ourselves.
They have the custom here, as they did in Sweden, to fellowship together and have coffee and cakes after the church service. After the service we went out to eat at an Italian restaurant. I had a chicken risotto dish that was very tasty. I also sampled some grilled squid for the first time! For me, that is definitely stepping out of my Midwest meat-and-potatoes comfort zone! It was good, though I'm not sure I'll be ordering it anytime soon.
It was good to be in the house of the Lord today. We met a missionary family who homeschools and several other American families who are here because of their jobs. It is incredible to meet Christians on the other side of the world who worship the same risen Savior, who sing the same songs, and who believe in the same Word of God. I'm sure the Lord has us here for a reason. I am excited for Him to reveal, day by day, how we can serve Him in this place!
"God be gracious to us and bless us,
And cause His face to shine upon us-
That Your way may be known on the earth,
Your salvation among all nations.
Let the peoples praise You, O God;
Let all the peoples praise You.
Let the nations be glad and sing for joy..."
Psalm 67:1-4
Marla
Thursday, May 25, 2006
Guest writer:
My son ~D~ shares his thoughts...
It is boring here. All that we have is the Gameboys, soccer
and basketball, TV, PS2, food, and other stuff. It may seem like a lot but it isn't. Mom keeps telling us to go outside and play when all we can and want to do is stay inside and lay around doing nothing for some reason.If me and N just had our rollerskates and skateboard we would be outside all day long! Today we are going to look at the internationl school here.I already saw the outside of the school at the
garage sale that some other people had there. most of them were American.My idea was
to do what we did in Sweden.Go to school the first year and homeschool the next so we had friends and knew where they lived.I still didn't like leaving my friends in Virgina.
It is boring here. All that we have is the Gameboys, soccer
and basketball, TV, PS2, food, and other stuff. It may seem like a lot but it isn't. Mom keeps telling us to go outside and play when all we can and want to do is stay inside and lay around doing nothing for some reason.If me and N just had our rollerskates and skateboard we would be outside all day long! Today we are going to look at the internationl school here.I already saw the outside of the school at the
garage sale that some other people had there. most of them were American.My idea was
to do what we did in Sweden.Go to school the first year and homeschool the next so we had friends and knew where they lived.I still didn't like leaving my friends in Virgina.
Day # 13
Yesterday, our sponsor took us downtown for a sightseeing, get-out-of-the-house, rainy-day adventure. Remembering what we learned in Sweden, we put on appropriate clothing, armed ourselves with umbrellas and went out regardless of the drizzly grayness of the day. It was wonderful! Clara was happy in her Baby Bjorn carrier and caused many a stir from the ladies we passed by.
We rode the bus and the tram. There is no subway, like there was in Sweden, and the trams are always crowded. Passengers were kind though, and every time we rode the tram someone gave up his seat so that Clara and I could sit. But the boys had to tough it out, standing up and packed in like sardines. I'm not kidding! They didn't even need to hold on to the rail because people were packed in so tightly there was no chance of falling down. Standing people swayed like they were one person when the tram took off or stopped!
The outdoor market in the center of town would have been a beautiful sight on a sunny day. While we were there, everyone had umbrellas up and so we learned the art of umbrella navigation. Several times the boys opened umbrellas in crowded areas and nearly poked each other's eyes out! There were booths filled with flowers, fruit and vegetables, and souvenirs unique to Zagreb.
This day happened to be the last day of high school, and there was a frenzy of excitement in this area. Groups of newly graduated kids were wearing brightly colored t-shirts, blowing whistles, singing, and celebrating with each other. We were warned to be careful of kids throwing flour and water at each other. No one threw any at us, but we saw kids with white powdery flour on their clothes. Seems like an unusual way to celebrate. At first I thought the kids would throw the flour, then the water, and I wondered if it would be pasty! But then it made more sense to throw water, then flour, so that the flour would stick better on the person! The customs of other countries seem so strange!
Many more stories of strange happenings are sure to be told on this page. Sound like fun????
Marla
We rode the bus and the tram. There is no subway, like there was in Sweden, and the trams are always crowded. Passengers were kind though, and every time we rode the tram someone gave up his seat so that Clara and I could sit. But the boys had to tough it out, standing up and packed in like sardines. I'm not kidding! They didn't even need to hold on to the rail because people were packed in so tightly there was no chance of falling down. Standing people swayed like they were one person when the tram took off or stopped!
The outdoor market in the center of town would have been a beautiful sight on a sunny day. While we were there, everyone had umbrellas up and so we learned the art of umbrella navigation. Several times the boys opened umbrellas in crowded areas and nearly poked each other's eyes out! There were booths filled with flowers, fruit and vegetables, and souvenirs unique to Zagreb.
This day happened to be the last day of high school, and there was a frenzy of excitement in this area. Groups of newly graduated kids were wearing brightly colored t-shirts, blowing whistles, singing, and celebrating with each other. We were warned to be careful of kids throwing flour and water at each other. No one threw any at us, but we saw kids with white powdery flour on their clothes. Seems like an unusual way to celebrate. At first I thought the kids would throw the flour, then the water, and I wondered if it would be pasty! But then it made more sense to throw water, then flour, so that the flour would stick better on the person! The customs of other countries seem so strange!
Many more stories of strange happenings are sure to be told on this page. Sound like fun????
Marla
Saturday, May 20, 2006
We're Here
We made it to Croatia. So far, everything is good. Trying to adjust to the time difference, experiencing a wee bit of culture shock, and wonder if I'll ever figure out how to use the oven/microwave that has a thousand settings that make no sense to me. Baby is in my lap and I don't know how much time I have left to write before she decides it is enough and wants to move on to something more exciting. Her and I both have colds so we're not feeling the greatest.
Well, time's up, she says. We're going outside for some fresh air now!
Well, time's up, she says. We're going outside for some fresh air now!
Wednesday, May 10, 2006
2 Days till Departure
We are officially packed out of our house and temporarily homeless. Ha! Its a weird feeling to watch all your stuff be boxed up and loaded onto a truck, then driven away by people you do not know and wondering how you can possibly be reunited with your belongings in a foreign place thousands miles of away! But it happens, and we trust it will all go well for us.
On Friday, we'll run back out to our house and corral our kitty into her carrier. At least, that's the plan. Most cats aren't up for "vacations" of any kind, since that usually involves travel by car, or plane. Both are no-no's for sensitive kittys.
I counted our bags. We have 18. That counts my purse. We have to add that we will be carrying a cat in a cage and somebody has to hold the baby!
Well, time is short and no one is interested in this stuff anyway. Just wanted to let you know we're all alive, healthy and excited about what our future holds. While it is sad to leave behind so many wonderful friends, it is exciting to see how God will "cause all things to work together for good."
All for His Glory,
Marla
On Friday, we'll run back out to our house and corral our kitty into her carrier. At least, that's the plan. Most cats aren't up for "vacations" of any kind, since that usually involves travel by car, or plane. Both are no-no's for sensitive kittys.
I counted our bags. We have 18. That counts my purse. We have to add that we will be carrying a cat in a cage and somebody has to hold the baby!
Well, time is short and no one is interested in this stuff anyway. Just wanted to let you know we're all alive, healthy and excited about what our future holds. While it is sad to leave behind so many wonderful friends, it is exciting to see how God will "cause all things to work together for good."
All for His Glory,
Marla
Monday, May 01, 2006
Bye bye, computer!
Tomorrow, our computer will be boxed up and we won't see it again for about a month! I hope to blog short updates here and there. I don't have time to write much now. I need to finish sorting out our express shipment stuff and packing our luggage! (And its extremely challenging with little Clara wanting to be everywhere, see everything and do everything with me!)
Happy Spring!
Marla
Happy Spring!
Marla
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