“You’re telling me that message reached 9,000 people?”

“We’re heading back to America” was how Gabe decided to begin the video he posted on social media. Who knew it would get so much attention?

Gabe has done a great job reaching and connecting with people via social media. When we arrived in Croatia, he decided to create a TikTok account because it’s a great platform to connect with people in our surrounding area that we do not know. He began by sharing a devotional thought each day as well as sharing our journey of living in Croatia. It’s a great way for people to get to know us before they meet us in person.

Our followers on this platform have now grown to over 20,000. So when Gabe announced we would be going back to America to be with his dad in the final season of his battle with cancer, we received an outpouring of support from those following our Croatian journey. Prior to receiving this tragic news we had been sharing our progress on the community center we were renovating (pictured below). So many reached out, asking, “What’s going to happen while you are gone?”

We are so happy to announce that the center will continue running in our absence. It was built for the community, and those in the community will lead out with any classes offered. We have a friend teaching group English classes to young children and teens, as well as another set of friends hosting once-a-week socials for children with special needs.

As we prepare to leave on furlough, we are leaving behind so much, but we know that we are leaving the center in great hands. When we return from the U.S., we plan to resume our worship services and begin Bible studies.

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