L'nae Allen's Archive

On Monday we went to a water park in Slovenia with a large group of missionary kids, it was so much fun and there were hardly any lines since school is still going on. On Tuesday we had ”discipleship” with Addie, the Massay’s 15-year-old daughter. This will be an ongoing meeting/devo time that Madison and I really enjoy having with Addie. We also have morning devos with Erin that are building us up spiritually. That night we attended a flute concert for Cameron which was really good. Wednesday we all sat down and came up with a tentative curriculum for Sunday mornings. Afterwards, Myself, Madison, and Cameron went into Zagreb to further explore the city. While there I was finally able to try some famous European ice cream…oh… it was sooooo good…dark chocolate flavored… I wanted to bless the shop when we left. The following day Madison and I went to help prepare for a summer camp by folding and stuffing brochures. When we were done I went and babysit for a missionary family. THe following day we did the same.  Here is a brief description, given by Roger, of what we are doing this summer “[Madison and L’nae] are being discipled, and are discipling Addie, teaching in our kids classes, will help in summer camps and making contacts and they spend time each week in cultural adaptation and even will help in the garden … if it ever stops raining.” Saturday was a day to remember. We had fun from beginning to end. It started with Cameron’s soccer game, they won the championship. It was really interesting, seeing a European soccer game because, despite the fact that it was for 12 year olds, all the fathers got really into it. From the beginning to the end, they were attentively watching the game while drinking their beers and yelling encouragements/ rebuffs at the players – very interesting. We then went to a type of art show that was put on by Roger and Ian’s ceramics class. While there we all got to make a piece of pottery, I attempted a jar with a lid – we will see how it turns out. Still later we went to a friend’s house and picked about 10 lbs worth of cherries. You wouldn’t think that climbing an incredibly tall tree and reaching across wide gaps to grasp at cherries would be that much fun, but it was a blast! The friends didn’t speak much English, but the Masseys translated while we ate dinner. Afterwards we were shown the vineyards in the area along with a beautiful view of Zagreb. We went home full, sleepy, but very happy. Sunday was church. I helped with the kids, we learned about Jehoshaphat and praising God. Later that evening we handed out brochures for a camp we will be putting on in a few weeks. Monday, Madison and I went into Zagreb, I think we are finally getting used to the tram. While there we met with a young woman Roger wanted us to talk to and we went to get ice cream – YES! We talked to her  about ACU, because she is interested in their masters program, but we also talked a bit more about Croatian/American culture and the differences between the two. Later, Cameron played his flute for the mayor of Samabor, a nearby village, and received an award for doing super duper well. Yesturday was very relaxed with lots of rain and discipleship with Addie and Erin. While with Erin we talked about listening to God’s voice and what it means to be a long-term missionary. Today we helped by babysitting and painting the town red. Fun fact:  Apparently Croatian men are very proud of their bodies and love to wear speedos.

Picking up where Madison left off…Monday night we both slept like champions, I got 12.5 hours and still had to be woken up. We spent most of the next day getting to know the family and exploring a nearby village. Tuesday night we decided to break in our Croatian running skills. The weather is fantastic for running! Cool, 60 degree nights with the slightest breeze and my legs were grateful for the exercise. Wednesday, Roger took us into the heart of Zagreb and we received a quick tour of the capital as well as a breakdown of Croatian culture. We also sat down and planned out our calendar for the summer. I learned that we will be assisting with three different summer camps, teaching Bible lessons, and helping several different families with various needs. Thursday, we started off with what will be an ongoing devotional with Roger’s daughter, Addie. We then had our own devotional time with Roger’s wife, Erin. Madison and I also had our first “cultural immersion” experience. We went to a nearby village for the afternoon by ourselves. It was difficult, but not impossible to get around the town. While we were there we saw an old European cemetery and tried a very popular dessert called something like “cremeshnitte” which tastes like a doughnut. We also learned that when you are at a restaurant in Croatia you have to ask for your bill; yes, we sat around for a long time wondering if it would be considered rude to ask for the bill. Friday, we spent most of our time getting acquainted with and helping out an American missionary family here in Croatia. They are preparing to move back to the states and they need help watching their three young girls. The girls were all endearing and funny, especially the four-year old who tried to cross her eyes. We then went around the city handing out flyers to promote one of the summer camps that we will be helping with. Yesterday the Massey’s took us to a beautiful castle. After we toured the castle we decided to walk what around the seemingly small lake, the lake ended up being VERY long – exercise, right? Today was our first church service with TRANSFORMA, while there we met a large portion of the congregation, roughly thirty loving people. I attended  service for a short while before I was called away to help with the children, but while I was there I saw a congregagtion who truly loves the Lord.  Fun fact about Croatia: the toilet paper is colored and scented.