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Weary and Tired

Updated: Apr 29

“Today we headed to Brussels. In town we entered a huge cathedral which truly took my breath away. Between the stained glass, architecture, and how it reminded me of home- I was tearing up. I also pinpointed how I’ve been feeling- weary and tired. The past few weeks of constantly going really caught up with me. So, I prayed throughout that cathedral that God would fill my cup and give me joy. And he did!” -04/01/25


Our ministry schedule this past month has been FULL. In the course of 3 weeks, Fokus received 3 mission teams from America, followed by my team heading to Belgium for a week of ministry. We have been moving and doing a lot, and it caught up to me. God has been so gentle in showing me that I’m incapable of doing anything on my own, by my own strength. He’s taught me about dependence every single day of my gap year, and it’s especially true for right now. 


I share this perspective to remind you- as well as myself- that fatigue is human. When we’re trying to succeed at our own plan by our own strength, it leaves us tired and empty. I share, partly to give you a realistic picture of how this year has felt at times. However, God has always given me the strength, joy, and ability to do the work he has for me. He’s also been kind to call me to rest, and I’ve been learning to listen to his voice. 

“But they who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint.” -Isaiah 40:31

In this post I’ll give insights to what ministry has looked like in Belgium, Croatia, and some ways I’ve seen God move recently. I hope and pray that you are as encouraged by the work God is doing as I have been. 


CROATIA

I would categorize our job into 2 categories: outreach and connection. Outreach- We do things on Campus (such as advertising for events, playing games, or handing out flyers) to introduce people to Fokus. Connection- We follow up with students, host events, and apply ourselves to building relationships. 


Additionally, during the end of March, Fokus received 3 teams from America (one of which I wrote about in my last post). Our ministry looked different during these weeks because our role was centered on leading them around Zagreb, assisting them with outreaches and events, and continuing to follow up with students. An AIA (Athletes in Action) team of students from Berkeley hosted a successful volleyball tournament event which attracted so many students. We’re continuing to follow up with students we met during this week, and we saw God orchestrate some incredible conversations. 


Outreach:

  • Game Tables: While the AIA team visited, we used sports games to engage students and advertise for their events. We played cup pong some days, and a mini basketball shooting contest another day. The AIA team I was with did an incredible job using the games as an opening to talk longer, sometimes grabbing coffee afterwards. 

  • Blessing Tables: The past two weeks we’ve done crafts or activities near the student dorms to give students the chance to do something fun! Unlike American universities, they don’t have clubs, events, or college activities. Because of this, doing something fun on campus is unexpected and exciting for them. We did 2 Easter tables before the holiday which allowed us to ask, “How do you celebrate Easter?” (An immediate entrance to a spiritual conversation)

  • Lake Jarun: This lake, located a little ways behind the student dorms, is where everyone likes to gather once the weather warms up. Whether we’re interviewing students for a social media post or playing lawn games, we’re able to meet students who are eager to talk. 

  • Lunch: Occasionally, we head to a University cafeteria to have lunch, sitting down next to random students to have a conversation. Sometimes we go in with the intent of having a spiritual conversation, but typically it arises naturally as we explain why we’re in Croatia and who the organization is that we work with. For example, we met 2 cousins our second week in Croatia in a cafeteria, and are still in touch with them today. 

  • Surveys/Tools: Some days we go to a college campus with the intention of having spiritual conversations. We go with a tool- such as a brief survey, perspective cards (which is like a game for identifying someone’s worldview), solarium cards, or worldview posters.


Connection:

  • Coffee Dates: Any Croatian will tell you that getting coffee with someone is a common and central part of their culture. Because of this, it’s normal for us to go get coffee with people we’ve sometimes only met for 10 minutes in passing. My team and I have been following up with students from the American team outreaches as well as students we’re meeting on campus! I got coffee with 3 girls I had met on campus and was so refreshed by our conversation. It’s incredibly easy and natural to approach serious topics, despite not knowing them for very long. They were all in different places with religion, but one girl’s earnestness to talk about her faith and be in community with other people was so encouraging to hear about. 

  • Fokus Events: Fokus has a weekly meeting where we’ve been going over who Jesus truly is. I had the opportunity to share parts of my testimony one week. Our team works with the staff to help plan games, welcome students, and engage with students during and afterwards. 

  • Fun Things: Relationships are central in this culture (hence coffee culture, emphasizing the importance of conversations). While students are often comfortable with discussing their beliefs about things such as politics and religion when we first meet, they have no reason to trust or believe anything we claim to be true. Over the past two months, we’ve gotten to build relationships with students and friends through going to the zoo, game nights, a pizza-making party, going to the opera, and making Croatian pancakes (known as palačinke).


BELGIUM

Our team had the unique opportunity to join a separate Cru High School Missions trip to Belgium for a week. In Antwerp and Brussels we were able to meet with students, speaking in 3 high schools and a youth group. We saw God MOVING even in such a short time. For starters, a month before we assisted local Cru staff in beginning a High School outreach, several of the opportunities that we got to do were closed doors. However, God had a plan and we were able to do so much with the Belgian students! In the classroom, 2 of us shared our testimonies, we had a Q&A time about American culture, and we used a tool called Soularium (photo cards) to ask students about themselves and their religious beliefs. Let me tell you, these students were incredibly honest and eager to talk about anything with us. One day, I sat in a circle with Protestant, Catholic, and Muslim students. It was the most comfortable, considerate, and encouraging conversation; we shared with honesty, listened with respect, and recognized that our faith impacts our life, despite believing different things. These students had an openness to hearing the gospel in a way we haven’t seen before. It was incredible. One student was nearly in tears as we shared our stories, and he later shared that he felt “too far” for God to love him. These kids need the love of Jesus, so it was an honor to encourage and speak truth into them. 


We hosted a night for students who wanted to learn more about sharing their faith, and more than 30 kids came! We trained them in how to share their testimony, how to use The Four bracelets to share the gospel, and reminded them that God has always used young people to impact the world. Our final night in Belgium we attended a Church’s worship night which SO many people attended. It was truly awesome to see people from all tribes and tongues gathering to praise our gracious God. 


The week after we left, Cru High School hosted it’s first weekly meeting in Antwerp. We’re excited and prayerful to see how the Lord continues to work in and through that ministry.  


GODSENDS

  • While exploring a new University Campus, Jill and I found ourselves in an engineering firm lobby. We asked the security guard at the desk where we were and ended up talking with him for a bit about our faith, his struggles in Catholicism, and why we’re here in Croatia. This man was devout in his faith, however, we could see the weight of temptation and sin upon him. It was the first time I met someone so upfront with the realities of being a Chtholic, and it was heartbreaking to see how his view of “conditional grace” affected his life and relationship with God. We shared what we believed, prayed over him, and gave him a resource before we left. While we have no idea what happened to this man, I pray that God planted a seed in his heart that day to learn what Christ’s sacrifice truly did for him. 

  • During the AIA team’s visit, me and Shawn (from AIA) were approached by a man just moments after sitting down on a campus bench. We sat down so I could teach him how we use a survey tool to engage students in spiritual conversations. The man, Phillip, ended up being an American who was on his way to the embassy because he needed a US citizen as witness to sign his voting ballet for a state election. As he explained his situation, the three of us queickly realized there were too many “coincidences” for our meeting to be chance. He’s engaged to a Croatian who takes her faith very seriously, whereas he seems to be walking parallel to God- recognizing his existence but it doesn’t impact his life. Shawn really connected with him, shared his testimony, and was able to pray with him. 

  • The entire Belgium trip was a miracle in so many ways; including students coming to our training night and expressing ways they felt chanllenged and inspired afterwards, the opportunity to speak in 3 schools, our team being able to go at all, and countless conversations we had with students. 

  • While in Belglium, our team had a meeting in our hotel breakfast area. Afterwards, a worker came over and asked us what we were doing. What resulted was a 40 minute conversation about our faith and his upbringing in a Catholic school to where he is now. He had the BEST questions and most earnest responses to what we shared. I wish I could capture this conversation and share it with you all, because it was beautiful. We connected him with the church we had attended and gave him some tools before we left. 



In 3 weeks, my team and I will be back in the states finishing our debrief for the year. Because of this reality, we want to be purposeful with our remaining time, helping the local staff as much as we’re able to. Our primary focus will be on meeting new students, advertising for Fokus events, following up with students, and continuing relationships with students we’re already connected with. God’s been so good to give us a friend group with students who love the Lord or are open to growing in their faith. One of Fokus’s student leaders invited us to her home for Easter weekend and we got to experience Croatian Protestant Church fellowship for the weekend. It was a beautiful taste of home which made me all the more excited to see my family again. 


These next few weeks will be a whirlwind of emotions, packing, preparation, final hangouts, and trusting the Lord through it all. Moving back to America will be a big adjustment for us all, so I ask for your prayers as we complete our time doing missions overseas. 


God is so gracious!


Prayer Requests:

  • For Megan, Kamise, Maja and I as we finish ministry and transition home

  • High school ministry continuing to grow in Belgium

  • For Fokus to reach students this summer during Summer Missions Trips

  • For our relationships with students, and the ability to have Spirit-led, intentional conversations 

  • The hotel worker, Sam, to go to church again and explore a relationship with Jesus for himself




 
 
 

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