Chiara & Co...

2007-12-21T14:37:00.000-08:00

Natalia passing out tracks to some old people without families. These particular folks had sad stories because they had lost everything including families during the war! So it was very special to be able to bring them some Christmas cheer!

2007-12-21T14:33:00.000-08:00

Being silly behind the scenes while waiting for next entry!

2007-12-21T14:28:00.000-08:00

The "Urchin kids" part of the show. And singing "He's got the Whole World in His Hands!" in Croatian.

Christmas Shows!!

2007-12-21T14:05:00.000-08:00

< More recent happenings are the Christmas shows! The show consists of a play, songs, games and magic tricks. The play is a Heaven's Library story called; The Christmas Sand Clock! It's a very touching story and the girls part in it is the "urchin kids". And then of course they also sing and dance a few Christmas songs. They have already done the show in many old folks homes, orphanages, hospitals for children and schools. So many souls have been won!

FD Party!

2007-12-21T13:02:00.001-08:00

A really nice thing that happened at the end of September was that the home decided to throw a little celebration for our rejoining FD status. As you know we had already become FD in July but at that time we were too busy to celebrate. They made it so cool with prophecies and all. The coolest were the cakes; an FD cake for Michael and I and a crown of life cake for the other guy that joined at the same time as us. Needless to say we felt very appreciated and loved. A special blessing after everything we went through! Thank you Home!!

Long Lost Chiara!!

2007-12-21T12:46:00.000-08:00

I know I have failed you all miserably! But I hope you can find it within you to forgive me! And if it can be of any comfort this time of silence on the Blog has been very well invested!WE have done many projects in and out of the home one of which was getting pregnant! Ha! So wish me luck as I try to catch up on the news of the last few months. Since we are also having a lot happening right now, with the Christmas push and all, I will interspers the older news in between some of the latest news. And with that hopefully we will manage to satisfy everyone! Love "Chiara & Co!!

Oink Oink!!

2007-09-08T13:30:00.000-07:00

We really got over-fed on this trip!!Eating 3 meals a day in restaurants not to mention all the snacks!!Croatians just love feeding you, especially kids!! So,finally,at the end of the trip I got visual proof of all the eating!!Enjoy!

Rovinj!!

2007-09-08T13:25:00.000-07:00

Town square and fountain of the place we visited!!

Boat Excursion With Baby Skipper!!

2007-09-08T12:56:00.000-07:00

Michael has a friend,there,that has a little excursion boat. We took the coolest ride!! The boat also had a glass bottom so we could look under the water.We saw so many fish and corals and different kinds of algae.We passed a few pretty islands including a nudist one,lol. I'll let you imagine the scene.It was quite funny!! And then the guy had the great idea to let Natalia drive the boat and Natalia grabs the rudder and steers all the way to the right towards the island and almost crashes us!!!Lol!!We really didn't expect her to do that.Usually kids just hold whatever steering wheel not really moving.Awkwardly,not knowing what to do,but no,not Natalia!Lol!! The top pic is the view we could see from the boat!!Breathtaking!!

More Nice People!

2007-09-08T12:47:00.000-07:00

This is the lady that prints our News Letters,in Croatian and Italian,every 3 months!! She showed the kids around all the printing press machinery!! They were so awed!!Never saw anything of the sort!!Very exciting!!

Where Have We Been??

2007-09-08T12:32:00.000-07:00

Easy to answer!! We went on a witnessing/follow up trip down on the coast in Istria. A beautiful part of Croatia! We have a lot of contacts and friends down there and they have a hard time coming to visit us because of their busy lives with the tourists and all! So we thought to bring them a little of what they miss. Needless to say,they were so happy, and we had a wonderful time.The Lord did some incredible miracles as the weather was terrible and people were hard to get. We managed to see most of them and the sun kept coming out at all the right times!!

Beach Fun!!

2007-08-19T04:33:00.000-07:00

I just realized that we have been going to the beach almost every day. It's become our favorite get-out. And I haven't mentioned it on the blog. So here it is! The water is beautiful and the girls are really learning to swim. I'm so thankful that the Lord has given us this wonderful way to channel their energies, not to mention how healthy it is.

I'm So Happy,la la lala!!

2007-08-12T02:20:00.001-07:00

Ok,I have to start by saying that I know I look terrible and believe me I hate taking pics of myself and much more, posting them!But there is a specific reason I'm doing it.This is a gift to Jesus! He has done so many miracles in my life lately. Dreams, that I thought were in my drawer forever, have been coming true before my very eyes. Without me even asking. So It's only fair that I let everyone know how happy He's made me. At first I thought I would just be writing about it but then someone wanted to catch the moment and took this picture of me.I would have usually said,no,that's what I always do! But it was someone I was witnessing to so didn't want to make a huge deal about it,how smart the Lord is.And when the pic came out I even saw that the sun was shining behind me. So He's even given me the proof to show you all how wonderful He is. Just when you think it's over He whists you away to a new dimension and there arriving you are sure of bliss!!I know there will be many more moments of distress in my life but I hope this lesson will help me not to despair again! And besides,we often go on and on about our difficulties but then when a ray of light shines through the clouds we overlook it thinking of all the clouds that are yet to come!I want to testify of this ray of light and wish it many times over to you all!!

Cutie Pie!!

2007-08-12T02:12:00.001-07:00

This one is just for fun!On one of our trips Natalia was looking so adorable we had to immortalize it!!Enjoy!!

Arts and Crafts!

2007-08-12T01:56:00.001-07:00

Here are the girls again!It's been a month now that they go visit this lady. Her name is Lidia and she has an art association for children with beautiful workshops! She is an AM of the home here!The girls love her because she's always so sweet,encouraging and patient. Besides, they love the kind of art she teaches them. They work with clay, paper,paint and all kinds of materials. They've made beautiful things which I'm going to photograph and then post for all to see! Grandma and Aunties, should be proud!!!

Trying Very Hard!!

2007-08-01T11:42:00.000-07:00

I've been trying so hard to update my blog but just haven't had the time!We went for a week on the road to a beautiful island called Rab!The witnessing was very inspiring. The girls had so much fun. We camped out in this campground that was right on the beach!We're all super tanned now!ha! I think it's the first time ever we get so tanned!Then we took this nice little ride on a boat that took us to the famous prison island "Goli Otok". It was a communist gulag for political prisoners that Tito built after the 2nd WW. The island is beautiful but of course the atmosphere is very sad. Overall it was an interesting experience the terrible thing is that the batteries of the camera ran out right at the beginning of the trip and believe it or not there was nowhere to buy them so if you want to see pics of the place you can go on the website called "Goli Otok" and there you can also find all the info about the place.So these are our recent news. Sorry,that I don't have anything to show for all of these nice places but will be trying to make up for it soon. At least I managed to keep you informed on a few things and I guess its better than nothing!!

Naughty Daddy!!

2007-07-19T05:39:00.001-07:00

This is how I found the kids when I came home!!LOL!!No, Michael and Estie took wonderful care of the kids in my absence!!They visited a castle all together and thought of playing a joke on me!!But I have to admit its an adorable one!! So thanks guys!!

Witnessing Time!!

2007-07-19T05:22:00.000-07:00

Our Camp And Horses!!

2007-07-19T05:15:00.000-07:00

NOVISAD!!

2007-07-19T04:59:00.000-07:00

These are some pictures of the city the music festival was held in!!The stages were in the Castle on the hill!!There were more than 25 stages!!The music blared all day and all night!! But the Lord gave us peace in the midst of the storm in a little camp behind the castle, on a horse farm!!

I'm Back!!

2007-07-19T04:40:00.001-07:00

I made it back from Exit!! Even though I really didn't want to! The Serbs are amazing people! And the witnessing was awesome! Everything about this experience was unique. We had young people wanting to join. They would come to our camp and wouldn't want to leave!This picture shows the kind of wild singing and dancing we had every day.Not one moment of our time was wasted!!Hope I'll be able to go back some time soon!!In the meantime I'll be praying for their happiness; please join me in that!!

Eventful Day!

2007-07-08T13:20:00.000-07:00

Today was an incredible day! So many things happened!The first was that we were notified that we got voted into the home and got welcomed back into the FD Family!!!YAY!! After everything we'd been going through to get to this point we certainly wanted to celebrate!! And if this wasn't enough the home hosted a beautiful cancer birthday party with 5 other cancers!! So sweet!!To top it all off my hubby got a "sweet spell" and did all kinds of wonderful things for me including take me to an adorable little restaurant! SO DARLING!! TX!Sweetheart! And last but not least the home and Michael gave me leave to go to a rock festival in SERBIA for a week of intense witnessing. Something I haven't done in like, (can't even remember,lol) at least 8 years! So I challenge whoever says there can't be heaven on earth! Today was the proof that there can be!Ohh, my I need to pack.Its 10:30pm.Late again!! Well wish me a good time and catch you when I get back! BY the way, haven't forgotten pics of this amazing day,just not ready yet so I'll post them when I get back!!Love and miss you all!!I wish you all special days like today!!

Couldn't Resist!

2007-07-07T18:11:00.001-07:00

Uhm, I really tried to resist and go to bed but I couldn't.So I decided I'll just post it real quick. This is the pic I mentioned earlier of the panna fight. It's just too cute. It's Laura and Pingui! Don't worry thats not his real name its just an alias.His real name is Andrea and he's looking for a wife!!Ha! Just kidding!! But if you're interested drop me a note!!Ha!!He's usually really responsible but he's also a clown so sometimes the clown part gets the better of him! Anyways,I'll try to got to bed again,so bye!!

Happy Birthday!!

2007-07-07T17:55:00.000-07:00

Well,I'm really sorry guys for not having posted anything for ages. I've been extremely busy!! But, I've finally managed to make some time,(It's 3 am,lol!!)So here is a nice pic of MIchael's and Laurie's birthday!! Born on the same day at the same time!! If you can believe that!! Just a different year!!Michael is now 29 and Laura is 16!! Ohh,how lucky you are Laura!!LOL!!They enjoyed a nice chocolate zucchini cake, made by me! Ohh, I can hear you say:: uhuh,gross!! But believe me its delicious!! Everyone agreed! I've already made it 3 times!They didn't fail to have a nice panna fight of which I'll post pics later! So this is it for now, gotta go to sleep.I'll catch ya all later!

2007-06-23T18:47:00.003-07:00

Laura!!

2007-06-18T06:11:00.000-07:00

This is Laura!! She is sweet, patient and kind! If anyone had doubts about that before, (which I doubt) I'm sure they have all been cleared with the coming of my kids!! LOL!!They have tested her on all grounds and she has proven herself over and over again. Thank You!! Besides, she has been the friends they can't have because they are the only kids in this home!!I wish there was a way I could pay you back! Ohh, ya its coming to me:::: I'll try to be around when you have your own kids;;;LOL!! So, I hope life treats you kind, like you have done with us!! Love ya!!

A Few More!!

2007-06-14T12:46:00.001-07:00

I may be outdoing it but I figured better too many than too few!! So you can get a real fill of them!! LOL!! Well it took so long to get it going that we must celebrate!!

For My Mom!!

2007-06-14T11:31:00.001-07:00

So this is for my dear mom. She has the "Get Them To Sing" Syndrome. She cannot be fully satisfied and happy with her grandkids if she doesn't see them singing!! HA!! And after a lot of pressuring'(oops, I meant, inspiration!!) from her, I got the show going!! I have to really thank her,though, because they are a great witness and people love them!! The home here is so thankful for them!! The problem was that they were shy but now they have won that (TG!!) and they rock!! This far they have sang for 2 institutions, handicapped and single mothers, for the weekly Church Of Love, Bible study groups, countless sheep and countless contacts!! So Mom I hope you're proud!!They are officially following in our footsteps!!
And one of their main motivations was to do it for you!! So you would see them and be proud of them!!
We Love you Grandma Ohh Yes We Do.. We Love You Grandma, Our Love Is True...Since You Haven't Been With Us We're Blue!!!! Ohhh, Grandma We Love Youuuuuuu!!!!

Sweet Estie!!!

2007-06-09T06:30:00.000-07:00

This part I will dedicate to Esther! She is a wonderful caretaker. She loves the kids and really makes them have fun! I'm very thankful for her she really lightens my load! She's the Lord's blessing on the kids for having forsaken theyr Aunties which they really miss. Thank you Estie!!
By the way she has a cool sister that also does her part for the kids wonderfully, teaching them art and maybe later math, but right now I don't have any pics of her so I'll have to expound on her later. But don't worry it'll come soon. TX girls!!

HUM!!!

2007-06-09T06:14:00.000-07:00

And here we are in the smallest town in the world!!!!! Its called HUM!!!! Still in Croatia! It is the most adorable little place!! Its got only 18 people!! Everything is very small! The houses are barely 2 meters tall. Its very old! The sad part was that we didn't get to enjoy it much because the kids were a bit sick! That's why we don't have very many pics of this place. Maybe we'll go back and have a better look some other time!

Rjieka!

2007-06-09T06:11:00.001-07:00

The kids on a fountain in the center of our city!!

On The Boat!

2007-06-09T06:07:00.001-07:00

The Kids In The Park! On The Lake!

2007-06-09T05:56:00.000-07:00

Le bionde e i bruni!!

National Park Of Croatia ; Plitvize!!

2007-06-09T05:21:00.001-07:00

Our friends came from Sicily for a visit and we took them around Croatia to see the beautiful sites this country has to offer. The prettiest,in my opinion, was the park. It was full of these incredible water falls. All shapes and sizes. It was breathtaking!!! It really felt like a little corner of Paradise! We had never been to a place like that. It took us 6 hours to cross it all; on the easy route, mind you. And of course walking. But we didn't really get tired because it was like we weren't really there. Our thoughts were drifting away. We were awed!

2007-06-09T04:02:00.001-07:00

This is our home! In Rjeka, Croatia! That day we were on a picnic and feeling a little foolish! Later I found out that the carrot thing was a tradition! Ha! We call these days; Have Fun With Jesus Days!!! These are the memories that last!!! We all love them!!

2007-06-09T03:51:00.001-07:00

Our home really likes going free climbing. And sometimes we go all together. This picture is from one of these times. The girls really like it and its a bonding experience.

2007-06-09T03:31:00.001-07:00

This was a few months ago in the Zoo in Zagreb, next to the lion cage.

I finally did it!!!!!

2007-06-09T02:53:00.000-07:00

I finally managed to do this, hope I'll be able to keep it up! This far its fun. Please everybody bear with me if its not the greatest. I'm just learning! And at least you'll be able to see some pics of us and the latest things we've been up to. (Ha!!! Hope so,not even sure if I know how to post pics!!Lol!!) But,hey, I'm trying!!! So have fun!!!