Goodbye and Hello

Four years ago, a wise friend told us we were embarking on a life of hellos and goodbyes.  We did not understand at the time, but four years later we completely understand.  We have had so many visitors and great teams form the States and have expereinced many hellos and goodbyes.  But we are on the leaving end this time, and that's different.  It's much more difficult to leave.  So many new changes coming.  Jen and I have learned to role with it, and God has proven faithful, but the kids struggle more  We have made some great friends over this time and as excited as we are to say Hello to family and friends, saying goodbye here has been more difficult the Jen and I thought.  Miki has amazing friends and she is so sad to leave them.  The parents and her teacher from he school through her a surprise party on Thursday and it was great to see her interacting with the people she has come to love.  Our kids have become such a part of the community and God has blessed our friendships through them. 
Friday we hosted a big party for the kids friends as well as for our friends.  It was so much fun to see so many people that we have grown close to over the years come to wish us "srecan put" - happy travels!  The night was amazing as we talked and shared coffee one last time, but then it has to end.  All of us were doing great until my sweet Miki began to say goodbye to here friends.... well my heart broke.  God has been faithful to surround us with friends and he will be faithful to keep taking us where he wants us to go.  Here are some pics from our party:

Throwback Thursday: All about Wilson

The biggest change in our family over the last four years has been the addition of Wilson.  Adding a boy to the mix has been a daily adventure and we can't wait to see what God has in store for my buddy.

Throwback Thursday: All About Miki

When we arrived, this kid was a toddler.  I can not believe how much she has grown.  Most importantly this little lady has given her heart to Jesus in the time that we have been in Serbia.  Here is a look back at Miki over the last four years. 

Before we left the States, 3 almost 4

5th Birthday

6th Birthday

Little Sassy Lady

First Day of 2nd Grade this past September

Reflections: Friendship

This is Miki and her best friend on the way home.  They were just riding in the car.  God has blessed us so much in the past four years with amazing friends.  I think this picture just sums up how much we have come to love our Serbian friends and look forward to seeing God use those friendships as we are away.  As God has brought us friends we know he will rekindle those friendships in U.S. that we are so ready to be a part of.  Who knows, maybe we can all ride in the car together and hold hands.  

Throwback Thursday: All about Kyleigh

Four years ago when we arrived in Serbia my Kyleigh was just a girl.  In three weeks when we leave we will be leaving with a young lady.  God has done much in her life over the past four years and we are so proud of who she is growing up to be.    Here is a throw back in pictures of my girl becoming a lady.

8 years old and ready to leave America

Her First Birthday in Serbia

10 and not very much girl left here

11 and breaking daddy's heart

Spring in Instanbul

Summer of 12

Serving with volunteers her last summer of this term

The First Annual Stevens Family Fall Festival (a.k.a. Jen's Big Idea)

This past weekend we hosted a fall festival in the courtyard of our building.  This was an idea Jen had to do next year as a way to reconnect with our neighbors.  Then she decided this year to have a little carnival for her AWANA group and in true Jen fashion it grew and grew and GREW.  So with some help from our colleagues Jen's dream became reality.  This is one of the things I love most about my wife, when she Dreams it is big and she loves to make those dreams come true.  So for a week she created carnival games from scratch. I was amazed at the amazing games she made with household items.  We also got to introduce Serbia to some favorites like bobbing for apples.  Now carnival games would not be enough so we had a bounce house and a clown.  The best part of the whole thing was when the kid's figured out that the tickets they got from the games could be redeemed at the prize table.  GREAT FUN watching them choose from all the lute I got at the Chinese market.  I look forward to watching this event grow and become a way for our family to be a city on a hill.  On a side not Monday at school Miki's friends wanted to know when the Winter Festival was... guess it was a big hit!

Throwback Thursday: One of my Favorites

This post is one of my favorites.  We don't live in this neighborhood anymore but when I run, I often pass this spot.  It's one of the best places in town to me because it meant so much to us early in our time here.  God has continued to bless us.  Read about my brave girls here.  

Reflections: Getting the girls in school

After arriving we had a ton of things to do.  Find a language school, gets visas, get the girls in school so we could go to language.  This was on top of just learning to live (you know like buying groceries, navigating public translation, paying bills...). 
To be honest school for the girls was the scariest thing I think I had done up to that point in my life.  We were in a new place, we did not understand one thing around us and here we are trying to put our 3 and 7 year old in school.  Again God brought a peace to Jen and I that was indescribable.  He had brought us this far so keep trusting was how we were living.

So what to do with Kyleigh?  Our landlord had told us about the best neighborhood school, Dusko Radovic,  so we headed over to check it out.  We went in and told the first adult we saw we wanted our daughter to go to school here.  Shock- that is the only way to describe the look on this ladies face.  We spoke no Serbian and not very many people in the school spoke English.  Finally they found an English teacher (Vesna) who got us to the office to meet with the principal.  Most of this day was a blur but I remeber being asked several times "you want her to go to school here, not the international school"
"Yes we want her here, with Serbs, learning"  Again shock.  Finally they brought the 2nd grade teacher down who spoke a little English and they told us what supplies we needed and to bring Kyleigh back tomorrow for her first day.  I think on January 18th 2010, my Kyleigh was the bravest girl in the world - she hugged my neck and walked right into that school - fearless.  Fearless because at 7 she knew she was not doing this alone, the God of the universe walked with her.  On the other hand I was a wreck - but one day at a time, following was all we could do.  That school has become one of my favorite places in all of Serbia.  It feels right and my kids feel at home there

Now Miki's school was alot different.  One of our neighbors had told us about a good private Kindergarten in the neighborhood, and so we contacted the owner and set up a meeting.  It was a great place. 18 kids, three teachers and they all spoke English.  Miki was nervous about a new school but she loved Sunacne school - and we loved here teachers and friends.

As I look back on the last four years, I would do things differently, but these two decisions, I would not change a thing.  Our kids have made great friends, we have been accepted by the community and Jen and I have made some dear friends through these relationships.  Miki goes to Dusko Radovic now and has the same teacher K had.  We love that school, the people there have impacted our lives in such a phenominal way, and I pray we have impacted them. 

Throwback Thursday: Moving to our own place.

Upon arriving we were provided with a great apartment.  But with the addition of Wilson it was just a little small.  So we got approval to move then went through the crazy process of moving with our company.  The best part was the moving company we were required to use.  Lets just say they were not Pros... check out the whole story here.

Reflections: The Arrival

Two months from today the Stevens family will be back in America for the first time in nearly four years.  God has completely blessed our time in Belgrade and as much as we look forward to getting home to the States with friends and family, we will miss this place and these people very much, but will return in August of 2014.   Over the coming weeks I'll be posting some reflections on events and people that have shaped our time here.  Today we will start from the begining with THE ARRIVAL


THE ARRIVAL

If you look at the blog archives the story of our arrival is conspicuously missing.  At the time I figured if I wrote about my parents and Jen's parents my become unnecessarily worried.  Nothing bad had happened it was just so foreign... we had no idea how to frame it.  So here goes....

Dec. 31 2009

After 20 hours of travel time a very worn out Stevens family of four arrives at Belgrade airport.  Little did we know at the time that that is the busiest part of the day at the airport, so as the frosted doors slide open, their are hundreds of people standing there, but no one for us.  Jen and I push our carts loaded with 12 suitcases, 4 carryons, and 4 backpacks through the throng of people as our senses are assaulted with new sights, sounds and smells, and huddle in a corner waiting for someone to come get the shocked American family.   A few minutes later our supervisor showed up and all was well.  We loaded up his van as well as a colleagues and headed to our new home.  It was cold and rainy, not quite cold enough for snow, but that would come. 
We pulled up to our apartment and well I had no idea what was happening.  There was no parking lot, it was gravel, and a mud pit.  Since people did not want to park in the mud pit, they parked everywhere else.  After moving past the parking situation I noticed our building.  GRAY, DINGY and covered in Graffiti, then I noticed everything was covered in graffiti.  I silently prayed the first of many times "Ok God you're in charge".  (on a side note graffiti is not a big deal here, its everywhere, not gang related and we learned not to judge a building by the outside). 
We got all our bags up, entered our new apartment and loved it.  Like I said cant judge a building by the outside here. 

We stacked our bags in the corner and went exploring (after a quick stop at MacDonalds where we learned no free refills and you had to buy your catchup).  After some exploring and another bite to eat - not at MacDonalds- we returned to our apartment.  Our supervisor left us and headed home to a different country.  So here we were, new years eve, new country, alone.  It was pretty overwhelming. Luckily we had Disney channel and English and were able to watch Hannah Montana and feel kind of normal.  Then the fun began... a city of two million people began ringing in the new year. 

Mixed between what I call American fireworks (light up and are pretty) Serbian fireworks (make loud explosions that sound like bombs) and actual gunfire we tried to sleep.  I remember laying in Bed thinking "the bags are still packed, I could find a taxi and get to the airport" then I said that prayer again and you know what...

God is in control and his plan is perfect!

Throwback Thursday: Wilson Arrives!!!!

The biggest change on our lives over the last four years has been the addition of Wilson.  There were two entires in the blog about this glorious day.
To get my perspective click here
and for a better perspective and to read Jen's thoughts click here

hope you enjoy

Throwback Thursday: A Serbian Tradition

One of the (O.K. the BIGGEST) thing that has happened in our last four years is the birth of our son, Wilson.  The next few throwbacks will focus on that.  This week we look back at the party we helod for our friends - Serbian style - after the birth.
Click here to read all about it.
For a crazy video of the night by our Norwegian Friend Kristian watch the embeded video below

Throwback Thursday: My very first time ... Car Registration

Registering cars has been one of my least favorite things.  I had no idea that I would end up importing and registering 6 cars in four years.  Here is a look back at my first experience.  It has not become easier but I am able to do it a little faster now!
Click here to learn about the very first time

The IRS - the world wide leader in efficiency and customer service!

I may have mentioned once or twice in the past four years that Serbia is the master of Bureaucracy.  You can count on everything taking twice as long and usually several days to get all the completed paperwork turned in.  I thought this was the worst, until I had a little run in with America's won IRS.

In April we recieved a notice that our refund had been changed to $0.00.  You are reading that correctly, the IRS had reduced our refund to nothing, nista, nada.   So on April 22 I made my first of 12 calls to this well oiled machine.  After over an hour of holds and transfers (this would be the norm) I was told that we did not qualify for the Child Tax Credit.  But we did, so shockingly the IRS made a mistake which was admitted to on the third phone call.  (Basically some auditor misread our W2, don't lose hope America).  This was going to be easy all we needed to do was fax our Tax return to them. I chuckled and said "you meant scan and email, right, not fax".  The reply "sir we do not have access to email".  So apparently I was supposed to hop in my time machine and go back to 1988 so I could have access to a fax machine, because the huge agency that the IRS is does not have access to email.  (I understand people use faxes still, but I know no one in Serbia with a fax machine and if they had one they were not going to let me fax a 15 page document internationally).  So our company in the states faxed the documents twice, because a subsequent call told me the first one did not make it (or was misplaced is probably more like it).  After that we were told our paperwork would be reviewed and that would take 6-8 weeks.  So it took two weeks to steal my money and will take two months to get it back... well played IRS.
I made a few calls just checking on the progress and write before our 8 weeks was up we received another notice that it would be 40 more days.   Remember this was not to get the money this was to review the paperwork to see if we qualified for the money that they had already admitted to was ours.  GRRRRRR!

Finally this week the deadline passed and I called the IRS for the 12th time (and lets be honest not the last time).  I was told that we did qualify for the refund!  I said then the check is on the way, correct.  Nope not correct, they were waiting to see if I called before they mailed the check.  They gave me the lame, we needed an address excuse.  So the address I had given you the past 11 calls and that is on my tax return, surely that would have worked. I was very kind and happy to know that in 4-6 weeks we should receive our refund.  The IRS - the world wide leader in efficiency and customer service!

So to review our tax return was filed in February and we hope to receive our refund in November, about two months before we file again!

As a side note if you have to deal with the IRS and a MRS. Nelson answers your call, hang up and start over.  She is the rudest lady in the entire organization.

The First Day Of School

This year we celebrated two first days of school, one for home school (World Net Academy) and one for Serbian School (Dusko Radovic).  Both Girls are doing home school this year.  Kyleigh will do only home school every day and we will continue that next semester on our stateside.  Miki is doing Serbian school every day and every other week she is doing a full home school day also (those are long weeks for the kid but she loves school).  We started home school back in August so we could get ahead and have flexibility when we come to the U.S. for our stateside.  I love the fact that both my kids get to spend hours every day learning form the person that loves them the most and wants the best for their future.  I am blessed to have a wife that gives up time she could be doing something else to make sure our kids get everything they need.  Wilson is not doing any school but he does spend three morning a week with Mira and that is all Serbian all the time.  Here are some first day pics.

First day of World Net Academy

Wilson was ready for school... poor guy has to wait

First day at Dusko Radovic - 2nd Grade

K caught up with her friends on their first day

REUNITED

Wilson going on a walk with Mira - his school day

95 DAYS!!!

100 day countdowns are way overdone so I am giving you the 95 day warning.  The Stevens family, all five of us will be standing on U.S. soil, together, for the first time in 4 years in 95 Days.  Our lives have changed so much, I have no idea how we will react to being back in the U.S.  We have had a great four years in Serbia but are looking forward to a time of recharging our batteries.  Over the coming months, provided I have time, I'll be writing some reflections as well as sharing old posts on Throwback Thursday.  In the mean time, this is a song we are singing alot write now at home.  We do miss "our southern comfort zone"

Throwback Thursday: Language

As I have gone back through our blog, I wrote about language ALOT!  I was terrible at and am still terrible at it.  Things are better but I do not know if I'll ever be good at this.  Here is a short blog form 2011 with a little language explination.
 LANGUAGE!

Throwback Thursday: The Great Crate Adventure

I know its Friday so if it makes you feel better call today Flashback Friday...
This week I am linking you to the blog about our crate arriving.  It was a true Serbian Adventure.  I can not believe we brought all this stuff across the ocean. If we knew then what we do now we would have done it very differently.
Click here for part 1
Click here for part 2

Thanks for following this crazy group and hope you enjoy it as much as we do looking back at it.

Throwback Thursday: Laundry In Europe

Doing laundry here is very different.  The machines are smaller, they take longer and the dryer is really a fluffer, so everything has to hang to dry.  This is not so bad in the summer but on wet cool day like today, clothes may never dry. 
Not much has changed in the 3+ years since this post, I've just gotten a little grayer.
Click here and enjoy

12 years.... I can not belleve it.

So this past  Sunday my  baby girl turned 12.  I can not believe that the girl that made me a dad is almost a teenager.  Watching her grow and mature has been a pleasure.  The grace with which she has handled all the changes in her life over the last four years is a lesson to all of us.  I get so much inspiration form the brave kid that she has grown up to be.  She is not jaded or cynical, but brave and attacks every situation knowing God is on her side.  I could write forever all the great qualities she possess but I am most proud of the Godly young lady she is becoming.  Her dreams of growing up to serve God, however he may ask her, challenge me to have faith like her.
Here are some pics of my almost TEEN!!!!

Last day as an 11 year old

The big 12

Throwback Thursday... A visit to the zoo.

So in honor of this beautiful weather we are having I thought I would share the story of our first trip to the Belgrade Zoo.  San Diego it is not.  Click here to journey back.
HAPPY FOURTH OF JULY!!!!

Freeeeeedom (please read like you are in Braveheart)

"Sasko is free"... these are the words my friend Sam told me as Jennifer and I entered a benefit concert for Sasko. 

We were shocked, amazed, thankful.  We could not believe it.  There have been so many obstacles that have kept Sasko in jail that it was becoming very easy to believe he was going to be there a while.  This was a totally unexpected event.  Earlier in the day he had had visitors and there was no indication he was going home.  With the little I know around 2:00 pm his cell was unlocked and he was told he was free to go. 

As Sam was telling us the story I could not help but think of Acts 12:5-10

5 So Peter was kept in prison, but the church was earnestly praying to God for him. 6 The night before Herod was to bring him to trial, Peter was sleeping between two soldiers, bound with two chains, and sentries stood guard at the entrance. 7 Suddenly an angel of the Lord appeared and a light shone in the cell. He struck Peter on the side and woke him up. "Quick, get up!" he said, and the chains fell off Peter's wrists. 8 Then the angel said to him, "Put on your clothes and sandals." And Peter did so. "Wrap your cloak around you and follow me," the angel told him. 9 Peter followed him out of the prison, but he had no idea that what the angel was doing was really happening; he thought he was seeing a vision. 10 They passed the first and second guards and came to the iron gate leading to the city. It opened for them by itself, and they went through it. When they had walked the length of one street, suddenly the angel left him. 

Now I realize that a literal angel did not appear in Sasko's cell, but the same God that loosened the chains of Peter, swung that cell door wide open for my friend.  The God we see in the Bible, is the same today... He is still full of power and wonder that we can not imagine.  And when we wonder He shows up in magnificent ways.  

As this ordeal has unfolded it has been easy to blame a crazy legal system and to just question what is happening but we have always known that a sovereign God is in control and he just reminded us last night. 

The ordeal is not over there will still be a trial so we will continue to pray and we will pray boldly for even more miracles.    

Throwback Thursday... School System

OK so Thursday got away from me.  It was my last day of Seminary for the summer and we took the kids to the river, so throwback Thursday comes to you on Friday. 
This post was about the school system in Serbia.  At the time it was just K in school but now she has transitioned to home school only and Miki goes to this school with the same teacher.  Miki loves Serbian school, her language is great and she is excelling there as well as doing a part time American home school.  Click here to read about school in Serbia and get a little grasp of what our girls did and still do. 

Summer Interns

Last summer we had our first summer intern, Kristina:

She did an amazing job and really helped me form what a good summer program would look like.  We knew we would need more interns to reach out to College Students and jump start projects for us.  Also last summer we started a partnership with Summit Church in North Carolina.  They sent us these guys for two weeks:

We had prayed that we could build a long term relationship with Summit and this summer they came through with these guys (plus Carly an awesome young lady from Tennessee that is creating an amazing video for us):

So in one year we went form 1 to 7 interns.  They have been here for nearly two weekd or so and have been doing great.  They are doing four different English classes with over 100 people attending, they are playing basketball, hanging out with college students and leading a bible study or two.  I am so excited to see how their summer unfolds and look forward to growing partnerships with Summit and Grace Community. 

Throwback Thursday... My Strong Tower

As our time has passed here, I have held close to Psalm 63 For you have been my refuge, a strong tower against the foe.  Belgrade was settled around a fortress and we have spent many days there.  Read here to learn about our first visit to this ancient fortress and how it has strengthened our desire to cling to the strong tower that is our refuge and our security.  

Throwback Thursday's... Sledding Fun

This was our first big snow and we loved it.... for a little while.  Then we realized playing in snow Awesome! Living in snow LAME!!!  We love looking at the pretty white stuff, but it is hard to get around, it is cold and after four years it has lost a little of its charm.  We still like to play in it, but even the kids kind of groan as it pies up and we know the long hard winter is here.
Click here to see video of the great time we had after that first huge snow fall!

The Big Family Night Reveal

Jen and I have been dreaming about a trip to Disney World upon our return to the States for a while now. This past week we pulled the trigger and booked our trip. Our original plan was to tell the kids when we got on the plane to head home that we would be delaying Dallas for a week because we were stopping in Orlando for a Disney Vacation.  But we realized that half the fun of going to Disney (well maybe not half but a good portion) is the planning and talking about it so we decided 6 months out would be a good time to reveal it to the kids.  Now since I have an uber creative and fun wife we could not do this by just saying "Hey kids we are going to Disney!"
We will be staying Animal Kingdom Kadani Village, so Jen planned an African themed family night with a "safari" scavenger hunt, an African themed menu, and a viewing of the Lion King.

Asante Sandwhiches, Circles of Life (chips) and Squash Banana Pudding

So after we ate we started the Safari.  Jen had collected all the "wild" stuffed animals that we had (which was a surprising number considering we have had about three major stuffed animals purges).
Each animal had a clue leading to the next animal ultimately leading to a box with Mickey and a poem revealing the vacation.

Grandmother and Grandfather joined us since they will be at Disney with us

Found the Lion leading too...

... a surprise box

with a letter from Mickey letting us know he can't wait to see us in December

Surprisingly it took us explaining what Mickey was saying before the kids got super excited and realized they were going to Disney World in 6 months.   Then jumping and dancing erupted throughout Stevenski Grad.  For me the best part was how excited K is to go see princess.  She is still my little girl.
Thanks to Jen for a great night and a great reveal.  Disney here we come... in 187 Days!!!!!

Throw Back Thursday's - The Daily Schedule.

This month marks our 6 month mark till we return back to the states for our Stateside Assignment.  I thought it would be fun over the coming months to look back at some of our adventures with some new insight so in light of a more original name... I give you THROWBACK THURSDAYS (I know it's Friday but our internet is broken). 

This first post is from early on and a look at our daily schedule.  We really thought this was busy but now we would love to have the slow pace of those early days.  The biggest difference between now and then is we don't have language class but that time has been filled with many other things.  We also have adjusted to living here and can do things much quicker although it still takes a long time.  So click here and travel back to those early months. 

I'll be bringing a new/old post your way every Thursday, through December.

Leadership from an unlikely source

I like to read about leadership and study people who have been historically good leaders.  The past few weeks Wilson has revealed to me on of the worlds unsung leaders.  Who is it, you ask.  It's MICKEY MOUSE.  After watching 100's of hours of the same 20 episodes of Mickey Mouse Clubhouse I have become a serious student of the leadership stylings of M.  Indulge me for a minute and let me convince you that Mickey is a great leader who can teach us all a little about working with people (or ducks, mice and dogs).

First let me explain the concept of the show.   Mickey and his gang always have to solve a problem (usually caused by one of his pals) and they have to think, work together and problem solve. THEY ALWAYS SOLVE THE PROBLEM and MICKEY ALWAYS LEADS THEM IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION.

Lets look at the folks Mickey is working with.  If he can get along and work with these guys and girls all of us can a learn a thing or two from him.  

Minnie:  This is his girlfriend (at least last time I was at Disney World they still had separate houses).  She is a little flighty and seems to get herself into dangerous situations way more often then she should. Mickey has to keep her happy, prioritize saving her, and do whats best for the group.  That is a challenge.  Obviously he does this well because they are still together. 

Donald: This guy is a toughie.  He is jealous of Mickey and wants to be number one. It's his desire to become king of Disney and have his own show (trust me at Disney World he signs his autograph Donald #1 every time).  He has a short fuse, he acts inappropriately, he throws fits, he rushes into things without thinking... basically he is a train wreck.  But he is a duck of action, so he gets things done.  Mickey has to balance this guy, channel his energy and get him working with the team, all the while not getting into arguments over petty jealosy.  Big job and Mickey handles it well. 

Goofy: Wow, if it can break Goofy is going to break it plain and simple.  Goofy's specialty is messing up a good plan.  Mickey has shown great restraint over the last fifty years or so by not firing him. 

Daisy: Daisy is alot like Minnie.  She finds herself in bad situations and needs help.  There is the added layer of dating Donald (we think) and knowing that Daisy wants her man to be the top duck.

Professor VonDrake:  This is the guy who is rarely around but when he shows up he has all the answers.  But he is really smart and really does have all the answers and Mickey in his wisdom defers to him and heeds his advice.

Pete the Cat:  Pete is not on Mickey's team.  In fact he is against Mickey, and is always trying to foil the plans, or at the least add a layer of difficulty.  

So now we know the cast of characters Mickey deals with, what can we learn from Mickey.  
1.  Often times we don't have a choice who we work with so make the best of what you have and find the strengths of those around you.
2.  Be full of Grace.  Mickey never loses his temper, he always works patiently with those around him and even when Donald loses it, Mickey is gracious and works with him.
3.  Use the tools you have.  Mickey always takes the right tools to complete a task.  We can see this as both figuratively and literally. 
4.  Be positive.  Despite the perceived direness of the situation, Mickey is always looking at  a full glass. 
5.  Rely on others.  Mickey is no Lone Ranger.  He works hard looking for others strengths (which means he knows his weakness's) and making sure others shine in their giftedness.
6.  Celebrate everyone.  Mickey always ends his adventures mentioning how "we did it".  The credit is shared with everyone who was a part of the adventure.  Everyone has ownership in the success and that means they are ready to go for the next adventure. 
7.  Love your enemies.  Mickey loves Pete.  He works hard to integrate Pete into the plan and he is always cooperative with Pete's outlandish demands (like insane admission into Mickey Park.  It is Mickey's park he should not have to pay)
8.  Do a dance.  When you have success DANCE.  Mickey and the crew always celebrate success.  We should all do a Hot Dog Dance!

There you go leadership from the worlds foremost mouse!

I have a confession to make

This past week has been huge in the living a lie department.  The first male team athlete in the U.S. came out of the closet.  This has given me the shot of courage I needed to make my own confession.  Now I don't have fame or notoriety so no ESPN/SI for me only this simple blog to make my announcement to the world. 

You see I have been living a lie.  I'm not 100% sure when it started but moving overseas certainly sped up the process.  In my line of work, it's not OK to be like me.  People have the expectation I'll be like them.  In a personality inventory it was even pointed out to me by a colleague I was different from everyone else (and I got the feeling that was not acceptable). 

The pressure of living the lie has become to great. Constantly pretending to be something I am not.  Living overseas has pushed me to the edge.  I can no longer hide it.  I have slowly been acting out and doing things that are more natural to me and the pretending has just become to difficult.   I have to be honest with you and with myself.  I AM AN INTROVERT. That's it, it is out now.  That's right I like quiet, small crowds, a few friends, and my battery recharges with time by myself.  This does not make me antisocial, it makes me social in the way God created me.  It does not mean I don't love people.  It means I love people the way Christ sometimes showed his love, to small intimate groups.  I did not choose to be an introvert and love books and reading, and thinking.  God made me this way and I am proud to live out my life to the fullest in the way God created me. 

I by no means want to characterize Christ as an introvert or an extrovert, He was and is all things.  But he did leave us a model as an introvert (he models for the extrovert too).  He got away, he connected to the Father, he sought refuge in quiet.  I would argue that being fully God he did not need to do any of these things, he did it as a model for us. 

I hope you can accept me, I hope that you can accept me living the way God truly created me

The First of May

The first of May is a big holiday in Europe.  It is like our labor day in the U.S., as people get a day off form work and like to relax and spend time with family and friends.  (Although in Turkey, Greece, and France this May 1st people chose to protest unemployment, low wages, and austerity measures so that's a little different from the U.S. I suppose).  People in Belgrade like to get out of the city and into nature.  So being the city folk we are we joined some great friends and headed out for adventure (one of the many reasons these friends are so great is like us they, like the city, so nature means someplace with chairs, tables, a nice restaurant and shade as opposed to tents and roughing it).

We headed to a village about 30 minutes outside of town where there was a horse.  At the horse farm was a restaurant and a place to play for the kids and they got to ride horses!  We had an excellent day eating and eating some more (really we ate for three hours and finished with the greatest cherry pie ever) while the kids played and just had time with their friends.  Jen and I enjoyed the fresh air and great conversation with our friends.  God has been so good to us to give us good Serbian friends to spend these times with.

In the Stables

"those horses are this big!"

resting in the shade after way to much fun

happy girls waiting to ride horses

"I want down... I want down... I want down"

This girl likes riding horses

and so does this girl

great day with friends