Bohall Ministry

Since we've lived in Orahovica, there has never been a lack of things to do - which was one of the things that confirmed our calling in the first place.  There has been a growing list of opportunities both in the church and the community that are well worth our time and effort.  Never has that been more apparent than this spring. With the wonderful news that camps will return to Orahovica comes a new set of challenges for Petra.  A growing baseball team means that Jeremy can invest more time into training kids and teenagers who are over the initial hump of learning the basics.  Two expanding youth groups give us new opportunities to disciple teenagers at various points in their spiritual lives. We count it a privilege to be busy.  God is a God of action.  From his call to Moses, to Jesus' command to his disciples, God has always urged us to "go!" as we obey the Great Commission (Matthew 28:19). But Jesus also withdrew at times duri...

We are excited to announce a small but significant change in our ministry.  We have become partners with Christian Educators Outreach (CEO) - a nonprofit organization for the spreading of the gospel of Jesus Christ.  Please take some time to look at their website - especially their Story, Practice and Core Beliefs section .  The reasons we made the change can be summarized as follows: 5. Connections.  The head of CEO - Tom Foley - has been to Orahovica, met our pastor and his wife, and preached in our church.  He is familiar with how ministry works here.  In fact, he brought a team over 5 years ago to begin English classes in Slatina - the same English classes Jeremy now teaches.  In other words, CEO has already had an influence on our ministry without our knowing it. 4. Finances.  New Europe Vision - our former organization  - was primarily designed to send humanitarian aid to the former-Yugoslavia.  NEV ...

It's impossible to overestimate the importance of prayer in our lives.  We often try to calculate various things in our ministry:  How many lives are we influencing and to what extent?  What aspects of ministry are most worth our time?  How much have our donors given this month? Sometimes we give too much weight to those sorts of questions. But prayer is different in that it can't be calculated.  It is invaluable.  So when we tell you, our supporters, what our prayer needs are, and constantly ask for your prayers, we do so genuinely, knowing that prayer is the most important way you can support us.  We’ve seen our ministry blossom because we have such strong prayer partners.  The Lord has directed our paths through your prayers.  What an incredible thing!   So please continue to keep us in your prayers - it's the most powerful way to be part of our ministry

Ian Rahim Bohall was born on Wednesday, January 13th at 1:40 pm local time.  He and Petra are doing well as they both recuperate in the hospital.  At 8 lbs. 1 oz, he is more than 2 lbs. bigger than Enoh was when he was born!  Ian means "God is gracious" while Rahim means "compassionate".  We feel blessed beyond measure with the birth of our second son.  Thank you for your prayers and support!

On Sunday, Croatia will vote for their third president since their independence 20 years ago. I’ve learned a few things about Croatian politics, but one of the things I appreciate most is what happens the day before citizens hit the booths on Sunday. Today is called the day of “election silence”. Neither candidate will speak publicly, debate or campaign at all. Laws demand that we don’t hear anything from them for 24 hours before voting begins. A day of silence from the voices of the candidates gives us the perfect opportunity to pray for His will to be done "on earth as it is in heaven".  Please pray for the future President of Croatia.

Christmas season at "Betanija" church in Orahovica includes giving away thousands of Samaritan's Purse Christmas shoeboxes.  This year we put together a puppet show and a short presentation before distributing packages in each location.  We began in Đurđenovac where a new church plant began just a year and a half ago.  The church was filled to capacity 3 times. Puppet team before the show in Đurđenovac Distributing shoeboxes in Đurđenovac We also had the opportunity to offer shoeboxes to the children in the elementary school where Petra and I teach English in Mikleuš.  Altogether our team traveled to six locations and gave out over 2,000 packages before Christmas - including the annual Christmas Eve celebration in our church in Orahovica.  The amazing thing about Samaritan's Purse shoeboxes is that they not only provide a Christmas present for children who may not otherwise receive one - they ...

Seasons like this confirm God’s sovereignty in our lives and ministry! This fall has brought along completely unexpected opportunities that we are excited to share with you! During the week Croatian students were heading back to school, we received a phone call inviting us to come to the high-school in Orahovica and be guest English teachers. They asked us to teach 2 classes a month for each of the eight high-school classes –making a total of 16 hours each month until Christmas. If you remember, two years ago we were in the same high-school offering after- school English workshops for those who wanted to stay and practice their English. Though it has been nearly two years, they remembered what we had done and wanted us to supplement the current English program with the same sort of English activities we did back then. Having more experience now, in addition to already knowing several of the students through baseball has opened more doors than we imagined. In many ways we feel l...