A Heart for Croatia

Great morning with Jurica Lazar hearing about the ongoing work in Croatia and Serbia. It’s so exciting to hear what God is doing. 🇭🇷♥️

Sretna Nova godina!🎉
Happy New Year to our friends who have already crossed the 2022 finish line! Here’s a little glimpse of some of our favorite moments earlier this year. 🇭🇷🎉♥️

Love these two and their story!! Great Facebook memory today. 🇭🇷

An update from the Bible Institute in Zagreb on their care for Urkainian children.

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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.

UKRAINIAN RELIEF
SPECIAL NEWSLETTER
9 March 2022
CROATIA FOR CHRIST Inc. & VARAZDIN CHURCH OF CHRIST
“UKRAINIAN RELIEF”

Dear Christian Brothers & Sisters,
We are all witnesses of the brutal and tragic aggression into a sovereign country by Vladimir Putin and his regime.

Our worst nightmares came true and now it will be very hard to stop this war machine. No one can predict the outcome of all this, but one thing we can be sure of; a lot of innocent people have had to leave their homes for safety.

Up to this day, over one million people have left Ukraine running away from the war.
The estimated number of refugees will be around six million. That’s why Croatia for Christ Inc. and Varazdin Church of Christ has set up an effort for Ukrainian Relief humanitarian aid.

Croatia for Christ Inc. ministry and Varazdin Church of Christ have turned our church property into a refugee center. From Varaždin, Croatia to the Ukrainian border is 5 hours by car.

As I am writing this newsletter, the first family of 5 people from Ukraine are on their way from Budapest to Varaždin and they will stay in our church building.

❤️ We will work with the people who are running away from Ukraine.
❤️We will immediately provide a warm and secure roof over their heads.
❤️We will put those people under our church protection in every possible way.
❤️We will provide accommodation, food and clothes for them.
❤️We have already started to search for a more private and permanent place for them to stay, if needed.
❤️If they decide to move from our church building to the place we will find for them, we will continue to take care for them.

Our church, as a legal entity in Croatia, will work with our government in order to provide education for the children and health and dental care for the refugees under our protection and responsibility. During their stay under our protection, we will provide psychological and spiritual care to the best of our corporate abilities. With God’s help, if this war ends and if our guests decide to go back to their homes, we will provide transportation for them back to Ukraine. There will be no pressure on them to return to their homes, whatsoever. We will let them decide what they want to do, when and if, this time comes.
PLEASE JOIN US AND HELP THEM !!!

On Croatia for Christ Inc. web site
www.croatiaforchrist.com
you can donate online or you can help by mailing a check to:

Croatia for Christ Inc. 2700 Cypress Creek Pkwy Houston, TX 77068

We believe that with your financial help and our “boots on the ground” working together we can show Christ love to the people in need who are innocent victims of a ruthless mad man.

Croatia for Christ Inc. is registered 501(c)(3) non-profit organization.
We are thankful for your help !!!
in His service, Jura Lazar

Croatia for Christ Croatia for Christ All the churches of Christ send greetings. Learn more Romans 16:16 Who are we? “Croatia for Christ” is a Church ministry founded within the Churches of Christ in Croatia. Our mission is well defined; to promote, direct and aid local Church communities that decide to be a part ...

An update from the Bible Institute in Zagreb:

December Earthquakes
Croatia has been hit by one strong earthquake and three moderate earthquakes over the past 72 hours. (Picture below of the aftermath of today's earthquake from CNN.)

The epicenters have been near Petrinja, a town 15 miles south of Zagreb. The quake yesterday (5.2) was felt in Zagreb and did minor damage (pictures falling off walls) there.

The quake today was 6.4, more than thirty times stronger than the quakes of the past few days (and the quake that hit Zagreb in March). Our people in Zagreb report being quite shaken by it, and the damage there (while still minor) was more serious than yesterday's. HOWEVER: it's cold in Zagreb (high in the 40's) with rain. Earthquake protocols call for people to wait outside after earthquakes. And the electricity is out in parts of Zagreb, so some of our people do not have heat.

As I said, Petrinja was hit fairly hard. The evangelical church there did not suffer much damage to its building, but several of their people had severe damage to their apartments or houses. One of our professors, Danijel Časni, is on staff at the Baptist church in Dubrava, a suburb of Zagreb. His church has a "social relief fund" that will help the people in Petrinja.

We (BIZG) will be sending financial support to Petrinja through our partnership with the Dubrava Baptist Church.

If you want to help with this effort, or to support BIZG, contact me at [email protected].