Happy Anniversary!

How do two people know they love each other? You could say that if you stay together 18 years that means you love each other, but that wouldn't prove anything. Commitment and duty could hold two people together even without love. So how can you tell that two people love one another? I think the answer is you stay together 18 years and you still desire to be close to that person. I think when you feel incomplete when that person is not near. I think, no I know this is what Tori and I have. Today is our anniversary. We have been married 18 years today. Today Tori has lived with me as long as she lived with her mom and dad without me. I can honestly say we have true love. For when we are apart we long to be together. Tori is my completer and I am truly incomplete without her. Outside of the Lord Jesus she is the love of my life. I don't tell her enough that I love her! She is my friend, helper and completer! She is a gift from God to me! People talk about a match made in heaven, and I can say that we are! God knew what He was doing when He put us together. Tori is a proverbs 31 woman. She has followed her husband to the ends of the earth as I try to follow God! She does not complain. She is committed to the will of God! I love her and today I want to wish her a happy 18th anniversary!

I wrote this song for her on Valentines day. I'm not a song writer, but it expresses how I feel about her.

New Hobby!

Well I gave up on rollerblading. I'm to old to take those falls. It was hurting to bad. Golf didn't work out, because it is way too expensive in Europe. Then I tried tennis, and realized my knees really are bad. So now I have taking up fishing. I can say that this sport is my speed. I sat and waited and ate. Boy I like that. My wife thought it was funny because I took more food with me than fishing equipment. It was nice out at a small pound, very quite and peaceful day. I even caught my first fish! Well when I was a boy I went all the time and caught many fish. Let's just say this is my first fish in Croatia. I would have done this sooner, but it takes and act of congress to get a fishing license in this country. You actually have to take a test to get a license. However, I was able to bypass the bureaucracy and i finally got a license.

Today was my big fishing day. It's a good thing that the stores are still open because if they were not my family would have starved. I did catch a fish. In the picture he looks big, but in reality he's about 3 inches long. He swallowed my hook, and I'm not happy about that. I had to perform an operation to save the hook. The operation was a success, but the patient died. Sorry if there are any fish lovers out there. Well 3 inches today maybe 4 tomorrow!

Almost Finished!

For over two years now we have been translating the New Testament into the Croatian language! Yesterday, Bro. Rich and I met, as we do every Teusday, to go over the text that has been translated. We were able to cover the last 4 chapters of Revelation! When we read the last Amen, we just stopped and praised the Lord!

We have one more step in this process. He will begin to read the new translation at home, and I will do the same. This will be done fairly quickly. Then we will get together to fix anything we find. It then will be sent to Myra Noel and she will format it for us and get it ready to print. Then Bro. Treadwell in India will print it for us!

I cannot begin to tell you how excited we are! Our people need a Bible that they can trust! Just yesterday Brother Rich and I found a major mistake in the other two Bibles that are supposed to be translated from the correct Greek text. In Revelation 19:8 the KJV says, "for the fine linen is the righteousness of the saints". In the two Croatian Bibles and I might add the American Standard version they read: " for the fine linen is the righteous acts(works) of the saints."

My robe is because of His righteousness, not because of my righteous works!

This is one verse out of many to illustrate to you the need of a Croatian Bible. It will not be long now and we will have a Bible in the hands of our people to emphasise Jesus' righteousness and not man's righteousness!

Camping fun!

We have three children, and have been married almost 18 years and we have never been camping, until now. Yes for the first time in our marriage we went camping. I must say it was really a lot of fun, well kinda? I didn't like sleeping on the ground, or listening to our dog cry all night, but other than that we had a blast.

We only stayed a day and a night, but for us that was enough. We spent our first camping experience on the river Mura. This was a beautiful spot, out in the middle of nowhere.

We tried our hand at fishing. Didn't catch anything, but I was able to loose about 15 hooks. I'm not sure why we didn't catch anything. It could have been the can corn I was using for bait, yes we forgot to buy bait or it could have been our dog who couldn't stay out of the water. I knew we should have got a chihuahua.

I can say we had a great time and we'll probably go back sometime in the next 18 years!

If you are wondering why there are no pictures of Tori it's because she wouldn't let me post any.

Praise the Lord!

Last night I got a call at 3:30 in the morning. Whenever the phone rings in the middle of the night you always think the worse. So I stumble around looking for the phone, and my good friend James Rasbeary was on the line. For you that don't know him he is the Pastor of the Lighthouse Baptist Church in Wylie, Texas.

Anyhow he told me that we don't need to worry about our rent payment on the church building! Their Church raised it all and then some! He can call me at 3:30 every morning with that kind of news. He told me before that he was going to try and help with 500.00 of our payment, but his giving people had other plans! Thank you, Thank you Lighthouse Baptist Church!

I might say Brother James was not trying to wake me up at 3:30 in the morning, normally the phone is down stairs, and he was going to leave a message.

All I can say is praise the Lord! Last week I was in the valley today on the mountain top. I can honestly say that I thank the Lord for both places. The mountain tops wouldn't be so great if there were not valleys!