Fifty Years!

Camp in Orahovica was the single biggest reason Petra wanted to come back to Croatia when I first met her at Gordon College. She has gone to camp every summer since she was eleven years old with 2020 being the only exception because of the pandemic. Even when she went to high school and college in the States, she came to Croatia every summer to volunteer at camp. This year marked the 50th anniversary of the first camp. Petra's been to the majority of them. 

Our slogan is "a meeting place". "Encounter" would be another way to translate it. Camp in Orahovica is a place where thousands have encountered the Lord. Throughout its 50 year history, God has been faithful. He has used his people in this place to call campers to himself and renew their relationship with him. 

It's also a place where valuable relationships with others have been fostered. This year we had a couple speak at our family camp from Belgrade, Serbia. While the husband had never been to this part of Croatia, his wife was in one of the pictures of kids camp in the 80's. She had been at kids camp 40 years ago. This sort of story is very common. Camp in Orahovica is a highlight for many Christians in the former-Yugoslavia. 

We are thankful for the Lord's faithfulness in this small but significant pocket of eastern Croatia!

 

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!

From One Generation to the Next

"One generation shall commend your works to another." - Psalm 145:4

Royal Rangers workshop at Kids Camp Orahovica 2022

Jeremy here. Although I wasn't at Kids Camp this summer, the picture above jumped out at me as I was looking through the highlights on social media. Besides the fact that it was taken in Orahovica, a place we lived for nine years and have spent most of the summers since, the man on the right is a friend of mine and a significant part of the time we spent in Orahovica. His name is Filip and he was six years old when we moved to Croatia. 

Filip was one of the first boys in our baseball ministry back in 2007 when I invited whoever wanted to come to the local soccer field to learn how to hit and play catch. He was a young teenager when we began Royal Rangers in Orahovica. And this past week, he led the Royal Rangers workshop at Kids Camp. We're thankful for Filip and his desire to commend the Lord's work to the next generation. 

To be clear, this is not our doing. Filip and others like him are the result of his Christian family, local church, camps, other ministries and ultimately the grace of God. But it's these sort of stories that we came to Croatia to be part of. We don't see ourselves as disciple makers, but rather as members of the Body of Christ that makes disciples. And so it's this sort of example that excites and energizes us to continue the work. 

Today, as Teen Camp begins, there are 6 leaders from our local church in Zagreb, including our pastor who leads camp. The goal of camps throughout the years has been to provide a place and an opportunity for each person, leaders and participants alike, to have an encounter with God. We invite you to pray with us that this would indeed be the case throughout the next 3 weeks of camps. 

A Significant Day

I'm convinced that, like masters of any other profession, if we're disciples of Jesus Christ, we need mentors. Today wouldn't have necessarily seemed that special on the surface level. But going into it, I had made plans to get together with two guys whom the Lord has used in significant ways. 

My mentor, Tom Foley, who I've known now for the last 10 years, was visiting Zagreb from the States. Throughout 2020 and 2021 he didn't visit as much as he had in the past so I've begun looking forward to these face-to-face visits even more. There's always the potential that he'll ask a tough question. Tonight it was a softball, "So what are you reading in the Bible these days?" But it could have just as easily been, "How are you and Petra doing?" or "How's your relationship with the Lord?" The questions themselves aren't tough. But he knows how to help me dig into territory that may not be addressed much. Everything's on the table.

Tom and Jeremy in Hungary 2020

Earlier in the day I got together with Tomislav, a guy who I began mentoring soon after we came to Zagreb. He's become a good friend and a young leader in our church. 

Jeremy and Tomislav in Croatia 2020

Tomislav is the sort of guy who will come to others who are older and have more experience, pick their brain and ask for advice. He's open, genuine and transparent - characteristics that have helped him grow to be more and more like Christ. 

I'm so grateful to be in the middle of these two generations. It may not seem like a big deal, but it took several years of living in Croatia to find a guy like either of these two. The lack of having a mentor and having someone to share my experience with was a huge motivator in my drive to learn what it means to make disciples of Jesus Christ in Croatia. 

In the end, that wasn't merely an academic exercise. It's one I've been learning about "on the job". Tom and Tomislav have been a huge part of that. 

God Keeps His Word

In contrast to the ways in which we often fail to keep our promises, God keeps his Word. May we be encouraged by first narratives in Luke's Gospel this Christmas season. God indeed keeps his promises!

 

The Gospel Coalition Conference in Croatia

 In late October we had the privilige of being part of a Gospel Coalition conference in Osijek, Croatia. 

The Evangelical Theological Seminary in Osijek, Croatia

As we've emphasized at various times, one of the things Petra and I are excited about in our work with our local church is its emphasis on the testimony of Scripture being central to our faith. That may sound obvious. But many Catholics (in this predominantly Catholic country) and many Pentecostal evangelicals (the denomination we work most with) have shifted their emphasis to tradition or charisma respectively. 

This is one of main reasons we were eager to support the efforts of various evangelical churches in Croatia as they organized this conference. New Testament theologian D.A. Carson was the main speaker. Musicians from different parts of Croatia joined together to lead the congregation in worship. And participants joined from at least 5 different countries in Europe. 

New Testament Scholar D.A. Carson

The theme of the conference was Living a Life Worthy of the Calling. Carson preached 6 times on Ephesians chapter 3 through 6. He provided a thorough study of Paul's epistle to the Ephesians while offering a model of expository preaching that preachers in the room could follow. 

Participants of the Gospel Coalition Conference in Osijek

The conference included exuberant worship in song, breakout sessions led by local leaders and plenty of time for coffee and fellowship. Petra spent a lot of time and energy organizing the conference in the town she grew up in. Her investment was well worth the effort as the conference was regarded a success in every way. I even had the chance to brush off my trombone and join the worship team. 

Praise the Lord for the opportunity to hear God's word proclaimed and celebrated! Here's a 4 minute summary video of the conference.