Handing off the Baton

Despite the fact that it began in the U.S., I hadn't heard of Royal Rangers before I moved to Croatia.

But as of this writing, I've been serving as the Croatian National Coordinator for 11 years. It was a role I was reluctant to take on at the beginning. In fact, I accepted only becasue it was the only way I could use Royal Rangers as a tool in our local church where there were a number of pre-teen guys I was discipling. 

I also qualified my agreement by expressing my desire to hand it off to someone from Croatia one day. I didn't feel that it made sense for a foreigner to lead this ministry long-term. 

That moment came in early November when my good friend Danijel officially became the National Coordinator of RR. 

Danijel's been working with me from the beginning. Together, we attended our first training camp in western Serbia in 2011. He has been a trusted friend and advisor, always ready to help in whatever way he possible can.

Handing this ministry off to Danijel has been rewarding. With the Lord's guidance and Danijel's and others' help, we have used RR as a tool in our endeavor to make disciples of Jesus Christ. I am excited to see how the Lord continues to use Danijel and RR for his glory. 

Once in a Lifetime

August was a once in a lifetime experience. There have been various combinations of Bohalls that have visited the U.S. from Croatia. But this was the first, and perhaps the last time we went as a family of seven. 

We began our trip in the Boston area, visiting Jeremy's family and seeing the Gordon College and Conwell campuses (where we met and were married), among other things.

In front of Wilson Hall at Gordon College

We then spent two weekends with Jeremy's relatives in Brooklyn. Experiencing the Big Apple was a highlight for the kids. 

In between the two weekends we made a quick trip down to Washington D.C. 

During these first three weeks, we were joined by our pastor and his family - also (and still!) close friends of ours. This was the first time his wife and kids had been to the States. It was quite the adventure for the 11 of us to travel around the northeast. But of course these will be memories we will never forget. 

Towards the end of our trip we visited good friends in Buffalo, NY where we experienced Niagra Falls, then went to Cooperstown. 

Jeremy has always said family and friends are what he misses most about the States. During this trip we were able to reconnect with many of our friends - some who are not specifically mentioned here while introducing our children to some of the most important places and people in the U.S. We even got to take in a couple MLB ballgames - firsts for all of the kids. 

It was certainly a trip to remember!