Bohall Ministry

We often pray that God gives us discernment and guidance as we try to figure out what parts of our ministry to let go of and what possible new things He wants us to be involved in. One of our biggest prayers is that no part of our work ever exists because of tradition or because of our own desire or need for it. We aim to work in accordance to His will. Family and marriage ministry is not something either of us really considered much when we first started working here but God has really been leading us and it is increasingly becoming a bigger part of our work. As we mentioned in previous newsletters, we began a couples small group. We are now privileged to be just one of the almost 30 small groups that meet all over Croatia in affiliation with the organization ‘Family Life’. The Croatian ‘Family Life’ team has been a huge help and blessing to our marriage and family ministries. Together we were able to organize a one-day marriage seminar in October that 17 couples attended. The re...

It was around the time our Slovenian leader informed us that he would be handing leadership over to me that I repeated the question I asked 15 years ago in Marine Corps boot camp; "What in the world have I gotten myself into?" Of course a Christian scout program in my home town isn't as physically demanding or life-altering as the military was. I didn't have a drill instructor constantly yelling at me. I didn't have to run miles in the South Carolina heat. Still, the National Training Camp I experienced on May 1st weekend was a challenge. First there was the language barrier. Although I've made a lot of progress speaking publicly, the fact is that it's still difficult for me to speak Croatian off the cuff in front of people. Adding to the challenge was the fact that I don't know a lot of scout terminology. This was the first time I was using words like "torch", "pine tree", and "outpost" in Croatian. But there was...

During each of the last four winters we've been able to spend some time at a thermal pool in Slovenia with Petra's parents for a few days. There are various slides and attractions for young kids so it's become a highlight for our children. This year it was an especially timely visit as it allowed us to relax as a family before our busy winter schedule started. When we looked back at this picture, we realized it's an excellent illustration of the newest phase of our ministry. Over time, the focus of our ministry has begun to center around mentorship. The word "mentor" doesn't have a Croatian translation. By many accounts, the concept is missing here. Numerous experienced pastors and leaders have no one to pass the baton to while most of the strong younger leaders have had to learn by themselves. Our observation is that a lack of mentorship is one of the biggest issues facing the Evangelical Church in Croatia today. That's one of the reasons I...