There is great difficulty in communicating when you do not know a language.  When there is little or no connection it is next to impossible.  Before I left I downloaded an application to my phone that translated English to Italian.  I figured I would not have a problem.  I would simply talk into my phone and then hit translate and they could either read what I wanted to say or there was a button that was optional for the phone to say what I wanted said.  Problem is internet is iffy if available at all.  Coffee shops all have internet access but you have to buy coffee or something in order for them to give you the password.  No problem right? Well there is when you walk away from the café and lose your connection.  You come to Italy to shop and look at the beautiful sights and for the most part one step away from café and internet signal gone.
Then at the hotel who ever heard of only being able to connect to the Internet through Facebook?  Free internet but no Netflix, no Bible online, No Viber?????  Well this is the case with the “free” internet at the hotel.  They should just say free Facebook. 

All this has educated me for when traveling and taught me a great lesson.  People think their connection with God is wonderful.  Perhaps it works for them in church. But what happens when they walk out of church?  Does their connection drop them and leave them to themselves?  I do not want my connection with Heaven to only be a temporary post and then no conversation.  I want to be able to call upon God and He will answer me.

Isaiah55:6 (NIV) Seek the LORD while he may be found; call on him while he is near.”

While I have been here we have lost a good friend and many things have occurred.  We desire to communicate with those we love and care for.  The impossibility of communicating has caused great frustration.  It makes me want to pray for the lost all the more.  The day is coming when it will be too late to call upon the Lord.  I know I will be home soon.  I know my disconnect is only temporary.  Those that do not know the Lord have a permanent disconnect. 

Today join me in praying for the lost.  Time is short.  

Pastor Rena had a post for today, but somehow when I went to publish it, the draft is empty.   I"m going to share the link of her Periscope this morning from Venice!   We'll have to catch up more on the trip tomorrow!!

They drove from Croatia to Slvenia and then to Italy.  First stop in Italy is Venice.   If you can see the Periscope that I'm sharing a link to below, you'll hear PR talk about how commercialized Venice is.  The people there don't like to speak English. Many of the people live upstairs of their shops.  Some of the balconies are beautiful and have live flowers on them.  They are finding wi-fi at the Cafe's and are able to keep in touch with us. 

Until tomorrow!  - Carol on behalf of Pastor Rena 

www.periscope.tv/w/1jMKgnVawkYxL

Today is our last day here. The weekend went very fast because of course my husband and I preached at different churches, ate with different people and visited different places.  We even got to spend the day watching a very popular soccer game.  I realized football is football in any country.  Many people wore their team shirt with pride.  They waved their towels. Ate their popcorn and snacks and jumped up and down and shouted.  Except for the fact these teams wore no helmets or protective wear and used their heads and feet to “play ball”, it was America.

I realized people are people all over the world.  We are all not so different. We live, love and laugh and we want to do it all with family.  God makes us all family.  We may speak different words and have trouble understanding what one another say but our eyes and our hearts express what we long to say. 

It has been wonderful to speak our heavenly language together.  In the Spirit we all sound the same and our Heavenly Father understands us perfectly.  The songs sound the same only the words are different.  However, it is very hard to sing in English when they are singing in Croatian and they far outnumber us. It takes great concentration and focus to keep singing in English and not forget the words.  Father was talking to me and He said that is why the world and the devil scream so loud for our attention.  The enemy of our soul wants to drown out the voice of God in our lives. 

Keep your focus.  Sing the songs of heaven.  Enjoy the presence of God no matter where you are.  Cherish family, friends and fellowshipping with one another.  But….don’t let the voice of God be drowned out by the voices of the world. 
 
 Hebrews 3:7 "Therefore, just as the Holy Spirit says, "TODAY IF YOU HEAR HIS VOICE,..."

Today we went to visit the home of friends.  It was wonderful to see the photos on their walls and all of the things that mean something to them on their shelves.  To see them in their surroundings showed me a different side of them.  We ate together and then took a walk through their yard.  There were different fruit trees, grapevines and berry bushes.  They were delighted to share the fruit of the trees with us.  We ate. We laughed. We shared.

God wants that for us.  He desires not just to share what He has, but what He is.  He is the fruit of the Spirit.  He is love, gentleness, kindness, patience… He desires for us to taste and see that He is good.  It is His goodness that leads us to repentance.

Galatians 5:22 (NKJV) “22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,”.

Psalm 34.8 (NIV) “Taste and see that the LORD is good; blessed is the one who takes refuge in him.”
 
Romans 2:4 (NIV) “… not realizing that God's kindness is intended to lead you to repentance?”

Today I want to dedicate my blog to "Love".  Not just any kind of love but the love the Father has for us.  I was reminded of His great love for us us when I saw the Stork today while driving through the country of Croatia.  Our good friend and driver pointed out to us the stork in the nest above the road.  He had told us this is where the Fiddler on the Roof was filmed.  Having seen the movie I rehearsed the plot.  Man has daughter--daughter falls in love.  The part that stood out was when he told us Storks mate for life.  The he shared the famous story I will now share with you.

http://www.total-croatia-news.com/lifestyle/3050-klepetan-and-malena-croatia-s-most-unusual-love-story

I was so moved by the story that these birds of a feather stick together..."pun intended".  When the times we are living in are more like the song by "What's Forever For".

Even when you have been somewhere before it is a new place when you visit again.  In 2014 I visited Croatia.  I was not there long and did not even attempt the language.  I am here again and this time I want to learn the language.  The difference you ask?  The first time I traveled with others from the United States and we stayed in a hotel.  The employees of the hotel spoke English. When I needed or wanted something all that I had to do was speak to the staff.  This time I am staying with a lovely lady named Dea.  She speaks very little English and I speak no Croatian.  It is very difficult for us to communicate. It is not impossible but it is difficult.  My desire to get to know her and communicate my gratitude to her is a motivation for me to learn her language.

It is the same with my Lord Jesus Christ.  I desire to get to know Him more and to communicate my gratitude to Him this motivates me to learn His language.  He told me long ago His word is His language.  To know Him more I must know His Word more.  Daily I read His Word and meditate on what it is He is trying to communicate to me.  I am less frustrated than when I began this journey in 1984.  Before 1984 Jesus was my Savior but He was not yet my Lord.  He was my fire escape but not my master.  I wanted only for Him to keep me out of trouble and insure my entrance into Heaven when I die.  I was content to speak to His staff (the pastors or priest) when I needed something.

Today the Lord is my Master. I will go where He sends me and do as He leads me.  I no longer call the shots in my life but wait for His direction and instruction.  Life has gotten more exciting and I am much more content.  The one who created me has the right to tell me what to do.  I do not feel like a slave but I feel freer than ever.  When I could not communicate with Him myself—then I was a slave to those who knew Him.  Now I know Him for myself.  It is a joy to speak His language and now He walks with me and He talks with me and He tells me I am His own.

So as if packing to go somewhere wasn’t difficult enough once packed you’ve got to carry those suitcases.  Trying to figure out what they weigh is a trip in itself. Let’s see stand on scales then hold suitcase while standing on scales. Now do math.  Did I mention I don’t do math.  I am a writer.  The wrong side of the brain is involved in math.  Well the wrong side of my brain. Oh get one of those scales hold with one hand and try to look at what it weighs? Right who can do that at 5 foot 2 inches?

So then you are off to the airport.  Suitcases in the trunk. That was a challenge considering you have to lift those 50lb. suitcases half your height into the car.  Now it is time to get them out.  Ahhhh now you have to get them up on the scales.  If that were not enough you find out rules changed yet again.  Now you are not allowed 2 suitcases even if you are leaving the country for 3 weeks.  Oh I take that back you are allowed but they charge you upwards of a hundred dollars.  They tell you it would be better to upgrade and then tell you there are no upgrade seats available.  I feel as though I am on a yo-yo. 
 
So now here I sit with 2 hours before my plane takes off wondering if the clothes I washed, ironed, packed, carried, paid for will ever make it to my destination.  I should have just bought clothes it would have been easier, cheaper and more fun.  I am learning.
 
Lesson learned:  God will take care of me.  Pack light and carry as little as possible.
 
Psalm 55:22 (NIV) “Cast your cares on the LORD and he will sustain you; he will never let the righteous be shaken.”
 
Matthew 6:28 (NIV) “"And why do you worry about clothes? See how the flowers of the field grow. They do not labor or spin.”

We are always in a process of learning and growing.  I look forward to the day when we can just be caught up in the air in the twinkling of a eye.  Now that’s air traveling first class.

1 Corinthians 15:52 (NIV) "It will happen in a moment, in the blink of an eye, when the last trumpet is blown. For when the trumpet sounds, those who have died will be raised to live forever. And we who are living will also be transformed."
​

 Jesus tells us to love our enemies.  When we are obedient to the word of God there is a supernatural peace that we have in our hearts.  When we read the word we find that people had issues with Jesus.  Jesus obeyed His Father and in that obedience the Father protected and trained His son.  God wants to help us become just like Jesus. Being at peace with our enemies’ takes training and that training needs to take place in the presence and power of God the Father and Jesus His son.
 

• Matt. 5:44 (KJV) “44 But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you;”

 
Matt. 5:45 (KJV) “45 That ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven: for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust.”
 

• Prov. 16:7 (KJV) “7 When a man's ways please the Lord, he maketh even his enemies to be at peace with him.”

• Romans 5:10 (KJV) “10 For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by his life.”

 
We are never more like God than when we pray for and love our enemies. Remember the words of our Savior:
 
Luke 23:34 (NIV) “Jesus said, "Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing…”.
 
I am not making excuses for people but in reality many people hurt people and do not realize they are even doing so. Let’s so seeds of mercy towards others so we might reap mercy when we need it.