09 June
2023

perry@bizg.hr

I’m writing to update you on the work that you, through your gifts, have been doing in Zagreb over the past few weeks. You are making a significant difference in the lives of dozens of precious people from Ukraine, and it is our honor to be used by God to assist in this work with you.
The children from Ukraine arrived in Zagreb almost a month ago. Since their arrival they have been settling into daily life; schools, doctor visits, shopping for clothes, learning about their neighborhood in the village of Sveta Nedelja, playing “nogomet” (soccer) in the yard, etc.–lots of normal “kid stuff”.
The children and their caretakers have been visited by a non-stop stream of government officials, examining the house and interviewing everyone involved on our end of the relief effort. Some weeks have seen as many as three official visits. And (of course), when a government official visits, they expect everyone to stop everything that they are doing and be present and available at the official’s convenience.
In Croatia as in America, government agencies do a good job of living out Matthew 6.3: ”Do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing.” So the same questions get asked of the children and their caretakers, over and over, because the agencies don’t talk to each other or share work.
Another part of the work that I may not have told you about is our support for Kuća Nade, “House of Hope”, a community center sponsored by one of the Baptist churches in Zagreb. Kuća Nade is being used as a “halfway house” for refugees, who spend 2-3 weeks there while the Red Cross processes them and the various agencies find work and long-term accommodations for them. Then they move on to those accommodations.
About 50 Ukrainians have gone through Kuća Nade since the beginning of the crisis in early March. The center provides “dormitory” housing for 14 people at a time. At the beginning of the crisis, in late February, they reached out to us at Biblijski institut and asked if we could help with an immediate financial need. Due to your generosity, we were able to provide them with funding to purchase a commercial refrigerator and clothes dryer, and two commercial washing machines for clothing. You can see the pictures of YOUR handiwork below!
Please pray for the children. Pray for our Ukrainian brothers and sisters, both those who are refugees in Zagreb and those left behind in Ukraine. Pray for the ministries involved in this work–Nešto više (Steve Taliaferro’s organization), Biblijski institut, and the Amruševa and Kušlanova churches. Pray for Kuća Nade and their director, Goran. Pray for the war to end, for God to break the madness and evil behind it. And pray for God’s people in Croatia, that we will be faithful with the opportunities God gives us to serve and love and be the hands and feet and voice of Jesus.