Left Right.

Every year my parents host all of the grand-kids for a Christmas sleep over and then family breakfast the next morning.  With my parents serving full time in Serbia this year, Anna and I decided to host it so that the tradition doesn't get lost and it made sense since we are now in their home.  We started polling the kids to see what they enjoyed about the sleepover so we made sure not to leave something out and found out that one thing they loved was the exchanging of white elephant gifts to a Left Right Story.  So I thought I would take a little more time this year and I came up with this story...I hope they all enjoy it.  (p.s. please don't share with them before the party if you happen to read it before it happens.)

Not too long ago in a place not too far away lived a young boy named Nathan Buchanan.  Now Nathan was a good kid but let’s be honest he was a little LEFT of normal but he had been taught RIGHT by his parents and had learned in church to always Choose the RIGHT.  Well, on one cold and blustery morning Nathan LEFT his house to go to see the Christmas decorations RIGHT in his own hometown.  He walked down the block looking LEFT and RIGHT and then LEFT again to make sure there were no cars coming down the road and that is when he ran across the street only to realize he had LEFT his gloves at his house and would have to go back.  Typical Nathan, thought his older sister Gabby as she hurried out the door with his gloves which she LEFT open letting in a lot of cold air.  Gabby’s older brother Braxton had watched the whole thing as he lay there watching vines on his phone and promptly got up to shut the door and lock it.  He didn’t do this to keep the cold air out but rather to teach Gabby a lesson and to be the pain he was best at being.  Gabby quickly turned after handing over the gloves and making sure Nathan put them on his LEFT hand and on his RIGHT hand and hurried back to the now closed door.  She banged with her LEFT hand and her RIGHT hand and then for good measure gave the door a good kick with her RIGHT foot.  Once Braxton determined she was cold enough Braxton opened the door,  laughing as he did…that is until Gabby kicked him with her RIGHT foot which she already had raised to kick on the door again.  “Serves you RIGHT” said Gabby as she was the one now laughing.  It was at that point that they realized they didn’t know what crazy Nate was up to and decided to follow behind him dodging to the LEFT and to the RIGHT so they wouldn’t be seen when he looked back over his shoulder.

But let’s get back to Nathan and his big plans…

Nathan now with his LEFT and his RIGHT hand warm hurried down the street turning RIGHT at the corner.  He could now see the large Christmas tree looming RIGHT in front of him and his eyes traveled RIGHT up the tree to the very top and that is when he saw the commotion.  Standing on a high ladder were Mason and Tyler and in Tyler’s LEFT hand was the star.  Now the star hadn’t worked in years but still it’s place was on top of the tree.  Mason said something in Tyler’s LEFT ear and they both laughed manically and started down the ladder.  Again, Nathan had been taught to Choose the RIGHT and knew RIGHT away that these two were up to no good and it was up to him to save Christmas.  He knew these two were crafty and couldn’t be trusted and he needed help and fast.  Putting the pinky from his LEFT hand and from his RIGHT hand in his mouth he whistled as loud as the hills.  From his LEFT he heard what sounded like a troop of Elephants charging him and before he knew it Cooper and Duncan were at his side and from his RIGHT he heard galloping feet and a high pitched giggle and before he could say the word Afton was standing at his RIGHT with a huge grin.  Now as we said before, Nathan was a little LEFT of normal but when paired up with this gang they were a lot LEFT of normal, most people would say a little crazy.  Nathan felt better that he had support and again they were off to save Christmas.  Seeing the three join Nathan, Braxton and Gabbi decided it was time to reveal themselves and quickly joined RIGHT up with the troop.

 

Meanwhile across town Ally and Meg were shopping for the perfect gift for their favorite uncle Daniel.  They had looked all year but knew this gift had to be just RIGHT because they couldn’t love anyone more then they loved their uncle Daniel.  As Meg held up another reindeer sweater for Ally’s opinion they saw Mason speed by in his car with Tyler hanging out the window shaking his fist in the air at someone who obviously was RIGHT behind them.  Ally grabbed Meg and LEFT the store to see what was going on.  It was only then that they saw a pack of kids (some might say animals) in hot pursuit of Tyler and Mason.  Ally and Meg never wanting to be LEFT out ran to their bikes and began following RIGHT away.  

Mason whipped his car into a dark alley hoping to lose those crazy kids that were throwing snowballs LEFT and RIGHT and he could have sworn he saw Ally and Meg now leading the pack.  Just then Tyler got hit RIGHT in the face with a snowball he could have sworn was thrown by Braxton.   Tyler and he quickly grabbed the star and headed into the seedy looking shop to their LEFT and immediately shut the door RIGHT  behind them so they wouldn’t be seen.  They rang the rusty bell sitting on the desk, Mason nervously chewing the fingernails on his RIGHT hand.  To their LEFT a hand was extended from behind a dirty curtain and a boy in black appeared his face cloaked by a dark hood.  “You got the star?” he said.  “RIGHT here” said Tyler producing the star in his RIGHT hand but just then the door rocketed inward as if thrown by a whirlwind and Tyler and Mason quickly realized RIGHT then that the pack had found them.  The boy in black didn’t skip a beat and snatched the star out of Tyler’s RIGHT hand and disappeared behind the curtain.  Nathan watched him go and although he didn’t see his face he could have sworn he saw some sandy brown hair RIGHT under that hood.  Mason and Tyler shouted after him because they had been promised a blizzard for their troubles in retrieving their star and now the boy in black had disappeared with the star and they didn't have the promised blizzards.  Nathan glared at Mason and Tyler but again he had been taught to Choose the RIGHT so he quickly forgave them and told them to join the pack to which they quickly agreed.  The pack dashed through the curtain and found themselves in a dark maze but this is where Cooper, Duncan and Afton came in handy as they were expert trackers and took the lead.  They ran through the corridors turning LEFT and RIGHT and LEFT again until they burst into the snow filled light of day.   Ahead they saw the hooded boy running through the snow leaving footprints behind him.  “Let’s save Christmas with a Ho Ho Ho” shouted Nathan and the now rallied pack yelled RIGHT back in response “ho ho ho and Let’s Go!”

The hooded boy dashed around the corner hoping to lose this pack but knew Cooper, Duncan and Afton were expert trackers and would be hot on his heels.  He stooped low to enter a sugar coated gingerbread house.  Inside three little girls hovered over a cauldren of hot Cocoa stirring it slowly with large peppermint sticks.  The one with the wild eyes looked up at the hooded boy and said “stop RIGHT there Alan”.  Alan gasped in surprise how did they know it was him.  RIGHT then he removed his hood and brought out the Star with his LEFT hand.  “Sophie, Molly and Lucy, “ he gasped, “I need your help and we don’t have much time” the girls looked at the star and knew what had to be done taking each other by the RIGHT hands they formed a circle around the star and began to sing “Star of wonder…Star of Light…Star of royal beauty Bright”.  RIGHT then the star began to glow growing brighter and brighter as the girls sang.

Outside Cooper, Duncan and Afton although very good trackers had lost the trail of the hooded boy, but just then to their LEFT light started to glow out of a gingerbread house.  “RIGHT there” shouted Nathan and they quickly LEFT the spot they were in to hurry over to the hut.  Nathan grabbed the door and flung it open and his breath LEFT him as what he saw was a Christmas Miracle.  The star that hadn't glowed in years was glowing inside the circle of little angels as they sang and swayed to the LEFT and RIGHT.  Just then they let go of their RIGHT hands extending their little fingers outwards to hold hands with the pack of kids who had burst in.  The pack in hushed silence took each other's RIGHT hands with their LEFT and formed an even larger circle.  They began to sing with the girls “Star of wonder, Star of light”.  Slowly the star rose into the air RIGHT then and there glowing even brighter as the pack now joined in the singing.  Slowly it rose up up up out of the little house and RIGHT to the top of the tree where it landed ever so gently. 

 “Alan,” asked Nathan looking RIGHT into his eyes, “how did you know?”  It was then that Alan took Nathan by the RIGHT hand over to a little manger where Parker lay sleeping and Alan said “Long ago I was told to always Choose the RIGHT and to remember that it’s not about the presents under the tree but about a baby lying in a manger”  he looked down at Parker.  “Nathan,” he continued “having Parker in our family reminded me of the baby Jesus so long ago and I knew that together we could save Christmas and we did!”  Nathan looked at him flinging his RIGHT arm around him and then his LEFT hugging Alan.  Nathan turned to the group and said, “Merry Chirstmas to all”  to which they all said RIGHT back “and to all a good night”!

Lessons Learned in Serbia

On Sunday I was asked to speak in church and to give an update on my parents mission.  Below is the basics of the talk.

For those of you that don't know, Anna and I recently were  blessed to have the opportunity to visit my parents in Serbia and tour Croatia, and Slovenia which are both a part of their mission as well.  In reflecting on this trip I realized that I learned three valuable and eternal lessons while I was there.  

 Lesson #1:  This one happened right out of the gate as I saw my parents and they saw us and we embraced at the airport.  In that moment I was amazed at how familiar this felt and throughout the remainder of our trip this feeling kept coming back to me.  I never thought that I would have an “aha” moment in an airport in Belgrade Serbia of all places but that is exactly what happened.  It was then that I understood  what the Lord meant by Eternal Families and how familiar it will feel one day as we cross through the veil and embrace our Heavenly Mother and Heavenly Father.

As we traveled into the countryside of Serbia, which looks very much like Idaho Falls area (very flat with a lot of farm land and rivers), we began to understand a little more about what the people of Serbia face on a daily basis.  As my parents introduced us to various members or friends in the community we saw the truth of the situation in Serbia and I learned Lesson #2.

Lesson #2:  Let me start by relating a quote I try and keep close to my heart which states “Be kind for everyone you meet is fighting a hard battle”.  In Serbia this was reconfirmed and I learned that everyone has trials in their life some more visible than others but the Lord has not left us alone to fight them.  In fact the Savior himself in some of his last comforting words to his disciples in his mortal life stated “These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace.  In the world ye shall have tribulation; but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world” (John 16:33).  We witnessed this in Serbia and my parents have had front row seats as they have seen people’s lives changed as they have accepted the gospel and let Christ into their lives.  

One man we met named Giovanni showed up on the steps of the church one Sunday morning.  He told my dad that he was from a town 9 miles away…well my dad looked around for a car or a bike of some sort as surely he had to have some way of getting there only to learn that this man had set out in the predawn morning and walked to their church because he had heard of the good this church had done through humanitarian work and through the example of the Branch President who lived in his town.  Now think about that…9 miles…if you were to set out and walk nine miles from our church steps south on 400 west you would keep going until you reached Beck Street in Salt Lake… and he walked it.  After the meeting my dad asked what he thought and he said “I want to be baptized…it is so peaceful here I want that peace”.  Well I’m happy to say that the week after we left my parents in Serbia he got his wish and was baptized.  My mom said she had never witnessed “Such JOY” and others commented that his smile was too big for his face.  He now has a bike but still travels 9 miles without fail each Sunday for his meetings and was recently made a Priest.

My parents have also had a unique experience in the fact that their mission covers 5 countries and in Serbia where there are only 64 members of the church they are seen as mini Mission Presidents and deal with all that entails.  Their days are spent firming up Visas for missionaries and shuttling sick missionaries to doctors across the country and organizing youth groups to visit temples.  One thing that has been both a challenge and a blessing is helping young men prepare to go on missions.  They have sent out one Elder now serving in Ukraine and are working with two more to prepare them.  The difficulty is that although the Church provides a Missionary Fund to help pay for their mission there is no funds to help set these missionaries up with suits, white shirts, scriptures and everything else it takes to get ready to serve including doctor’s visits and where the unemployment rate is at 45% and annual incomes range between 2 to 5,000 dollars annually this can be a barrier that keeps many from the field.  But again, the Lord provides his own ways and in some cases missionaries who go home leave behind their used gear for these young men and women to use on their mission or in the case of the Elder serving in Ukraine the missionaries  families back home in America are willing to help and outfit these good young men and women.

Lesson #3:  This all leads me to the third lesson that I learned in Serbia and I shouldn’t be surprised being raised by these two great people.   The third lesson is the power of unconditional love.  My parents have always believed in this principal and have showed it in so many ways to us as their children and to anyone they come in contact with causing many to adopt them as “parents” in some form or another.   As my parents prepared to leave we were blessed as sons to be able to give them blessings and in one blessing my mom was blessed that the people of Serbia needed my parents simply because they needed to know what unconditional love was and the power that it held.  

When my parents arrived they were assigned an area that hadn’t had missionaries in years because of wars and before that the Iron Curtain.  They entered a town where people wouldn’t look you in the eyes let alone let you into their hearts.  Slowly my parents have reached out and are serving these good people and have seen the ice beginning to melt.  In one instance they visited a family with grown children who wanted their names removed from the Church’s records.  Upon being greeted at the door the father told them to leave and take the names off the list.  My parents agreed but said “we just need to do a little paperwork can we visit with you so we make sure we have everything right.”  The mother let them in and they were introduced to Alexander who was 23 years old and their youngest child who again confirmed that they wanted their names removed from the records.  My parents agreed and left and invitation to come to church on Sunday and that they were missed, not thinking much about it.  To their astonishment on Sunday Alexander showed up for church and told my parents that after they left he felt something and it made him remember what Christ had said about searching for the lost sheep and how he was a lost sheep and my parents had searched him out.  Alexander is now one of those two young men my parents are helping prepare to serve a mission and doesn’t go a week that he doesn’t pay his tithing.  He is now working with the Elders to teach his older brother and sister.  

Serbia is very Orthodox and our church isn’t very respected in Serbia, in fact many see it as a cult.  My parents in an effort to help change the image of the Church put together, with their small branch, Humanitarian Kits for a school in the area with the basics because many children don’t have the things we take for granted everyday like toothbrushes and soap.  They presented these to the school along with some used desks the Church arranged for them to donate.  They said they have seen a difference almost immediately as people, recognizing the white shirt and badge, will now look my parents in the eyes and tell them hello or to have a good day.  It may not seem like much but to a defeated people this simple gift of love to their children is melting down walls.

My parents are much too humble and feel that they aren’t doing enough to make a difference but in visiting them and their branch you see the love the people have for these two senior missionaries and you see the love my parents have in return.  They have now been asked to visit with other senior couples in their mission to teach them how to make a difference in the area you serve this in addition to serving in a branch presidency and as Branch president in another Branch an hour away.  Of course they feel unprepared and unqualified to do this but after spending two weeks with them on this vacation I can say that I can’t think of better people for the job. 

Moving Madness

So this past weekend was one of moving and moving and cleaning and moving.  Over the past several months we have bought my parents a new townhome and B has been working around the clock (or so it feels) serving as the general contractor to get the place remodeled.  She has worked with several contractors and continually coordinating to get things done on schedule and to perfection for my parents because we know they would do the same for us.  Well, we finally got it to a point where we could move my parents stuff from their storage unit (our basement) to their new home.  So we sent out the call for the troops and they responded.  On Friday night Rick and Alan came over to help start the weekend of Moving Madness along with Brent Schick, a lifetime family friend.  We were able to get all of the living room moved and started on the floor to ceiling tetris game my dad had compiled in the basement. 

On Saturday, B and I were over cleaning in our ward house so I left around 7:30 to go open the church and get that started and she joined me shortly thereafter with the girls.  We then went straight from cleaning to moving with the family on Saturday where we had Ben and Kelli and their whole clan, Becki and Lucy representing the Buchanan's and my best friend Zac Harris who just moved back from Vegas helping us move.   The move seemed endless at points as we lifted and heaved these antiques through tight corners and up narrow stairways (no lightweight IKEA furniture for my parents no they want the good stuff!).  At several points throughout the day Ben and I would have to stop and let our muscles stop spasming so we could continue to move.  Ben almost smashed his fingers off at one point but managed to not drop the furniture and stopped just short of swearing at the top of his lungs.  We got it all moved, except some bookshelves with loads of books still on them and into their new home.  I won't post photos of it yet because my parents want to be surprised when they come home...besides it looks rather awful at the moment as we haven't organized a thing but fits all rather nicely.  Hip Hip for great family and friends and
all their help!

Fall is in the air!

Fall has officially hit Oak Hollow and that means that we not only have begun winterizing the yard and house but also pulled out our Fall/Halloween decor and B has also been canning up a storm.  Here are a few shots of what Oak Hollow looks like this time of year.

 

 

 All of these pumpkins and corn were grown in our very own garden.  What can I say...I'm like my mom in that I insist on some of the garden going to ghords and pumpkins for decor and stuff that can't all be canned in the end.

 

As mentioned before fall also means winterizing the yard and we broke out the rototiller and after getting my dad on the phone in Serbia and my trusty neighbor Wayne to come over we got it started again.  Why does it always seem to be such a process to start this machine?  I went around the garden and then B wanted a go so I let her at it and she was a pro minus the white sneakers with black pants but that is an inside joke between us.

 

B also was busy cutting down half of our Apple tree which had died (yeah she did it on her own to suprise me and take it off my plate...WHAT A LADY) and we are hoping we can save the other half and spray next year to harvest our own apples which I don't think we have done in my lifetime.

For FHE we decided to bake Apple pies for the Bishopric with the Apple Pie filling B had made and a few bottles didn't seal.  I had begun to write cards for the Bishopric and their families to go with the pies when I looked up and caught real life in action and managed to get this shot.  Typical night at Oak Hollow.  Molly is a climber like no other.

Later in the week B got sick and so I took the girls and with Becki and Lucy we went to Gardner Village to see the witches and get our fall fix in.  Here is a photo to capture the day with Becki, Lucy and Sophie...just kidding Becki!

To cap off the fall festivities we have begun to build fires in our very own fireplace which we love having.  Here Sophie and I are building our very first fire in Oak Hollow.

Yeah I guess you could say we are feeling blessed!

Trip of a Lifetime! (Part 2)

So last I left you we had just finished an exhausting but oh so fulfilling day in Florence, Italy.  We took the train back to Venice where we immediately went to bed on our 5 inch foam mattress in the Hotel Bologna (let's just say the bed felt like I was camping minus a rock in my back but there was no bouncing on the bed in this hotel).

Venice

We woke up early and took a short train from Mestre to Venice and then boarded a Vaporetta (water taxi) to go to the opposite side of Venice at San Marco Square and work our way back to the train station on foot.  The views were breathtaking as we approached the square itself and my level of excitement increased as I supposed this would be an experience like Florence all over again.  

 After all, before me lay the Doge's Palace

 and one of the most incredible cathedrals I had researched!

 

Well that is until I realized the crowds...no crowds doesn't quite do this justice...the teaming hoards of people jostling to look at the same thing as I was.

We snapped our 2 minutes of photos of the scaffolding covered cathedral and what we could see of the palace.  We tried to breath as we moved through this mass of people that was quickly taking on the feeling of a giant beast breathing in and out, in and out, pulsating, ready to overtake us if we let our guard down.  Sometimes it is good to be tall, and we are, so we dashed (quite literally) into the maze before us without a second glance back.

I have to give it to Venice once you left the main plaza and entered the confusing dank corridors the crowd was diminished.  B and I began to wander, her stopping at every cheap Murano glass ear ring shop and me at every church, they were equally as numerous.  We split up for two seconds as B backtracked to a bridge so I could snap this shot.

I told her I would meet her on the other side just up the street thinking, stupidly, that it would join up a block or so only to wander and then heartbeating walk to a fast paced trot of "where is she? where is she?" only to see her up ahead calmly shopping in, you guessed it, a Murano glass ear ring shop.  We didn't split up again for my sake.

We really just walked the city as there wasn't serious stuff that we knew had to be seen other then the city itself.  We walked down tight claustrophobic alley ways.

Ate at Italian Pizzarias run by Asians (who knew)

Took photos in front of funny statues

and stumbled into beautiful courtyards of hidden chruches.

We started to feel like the pioneer children who sang as they walked and walked and walked wondering if we were ever going to reach Zion (which the train station was rapidly becoming in our eyes).  We saw the Rialto bridge

 and took a classic shot of Venice with the lone gondala on the canal but don't let this fool you...

 that living breathing hoard had found us so we did all that we could and scurried back into the maze leaving the bridge far behind us.

B and I both said we are so glad that we saw Venice and saw it together so we never have to go back again.  It was nice, it was an experience but it was no Florence.

Croatia
Rovinj

 

 After Italy we met back up with my parents who picked us up in Trieste and we traveled over to the Istrian Peninsula in Croatia that is in the Adriatic Sea.   We checked into our modern hotel and decided to take a walk down to the old town to get a view of what we had been told was a jewel on the sea.  Old town used to be an island where the Venitians would come on vacation and to escape the plague but over time the gap got filled in and now is a peninsula that juts out into the sea.  You enter Old Town through a gate and begin your climb to the church on top.

 Along the way there a little shops and artists selling their wares.  So we climbed and shopped not really find much that we needed along the way.

 Every once in awhile you would catch a glimpse of the church tower looming above you as a beacon calling you from the shaded claustrophobic streets to it's salvation and views ahead.  

The views were breath taking with exactly what you would imagine in a place like this.

 

We rested for a few at the top and then contented ourselves with returning to our hotel to rest and play cards.  All in all Rovinj was beautiful but it could have been a stop on the road for an hour or two rather than a whole day experience.

Plitvice Lakes

 This had to be one of the most beautiful places on earth to visit but wasn't the most convenient of places to get to.  Never mind that it is in the middle of nowhere and that you have to drive through village after village down winding roads and tight switchbacks.  The memorable delay to us was when we came around one such bend to be stopped dead in our tracks with a line of cars parked and their occupants all standing on the road ahead of us.  B and I wandered up to the front of the line to see what the hold up was, only to be greeted by tape across the road and a wooden sign painted with a skull and crossbones.  Upon asking a German couple at the front what was going on, they told us that some unexploded landmines from the war had been found and needed to be exploded and we would need to wait for 45 minutes until they exploded them and it was safe to travel again.  So we waited, what else can you do?  We got out our Skipbo cards and played a game on top of our car until we were let through...it was worth the wait.

We arrived at the park and took a shuttle to the top of the lakes and then proceeded to walk roughly 8 miles down the mountain on a wooden plank path no wider then a sidewalk.  It would be an understatement to say our breath was taken away at the beauty of what we saw.  At least a hundred waterfalls, each magnificent on their own pouring over moss covered hills into crystal clear turquoise tinted water below.  Had I not been there I'm sure everyone would have thought they had died and entered the Celestial Kingdom but seeing me they were comforted knowing I wouldn't be there if it was.  The lakes and waterfalls were surrounding by towering century old forest.

 This forest reminded my parents of the Fruska Gora that they drive through at least once a week as they travel between Sremska and Novi Sad.  It reminded me of the Sacred Grove and you could feel a spirit there. 

Everywhere you turn there were waterfalls and you got so used to the sound that once we moved away from the park it seemed so silent because there wasn't that roar.

 

The water was so clear that in this next photo you see the duck on top, the fish in the middle and the log resting at least 15' down on the bottom of the lake.

This was such a great way to balance all the cities we had been in with a great dose of nature.

Zagreb
Our last stop before returning to our home away from home was the now Capitol of Croatia.  We didn't spend a lot of time in the city but drove by the mission office and mission home clicking photos out of our window.

 

 We stopped at the Zagreb Cathedral which was impressive if not only in size but in detail.

 It all looked too good to be true that this Cathedral has stood through the centuries in such good condition.  That is when we saw these...

The one on the left is the original spire showing all the decay and wear over the years whereas the one B is leaning against shows the same spire restored to its original grandeur and detail.  They are slowly repairing the entire Cathedral stone by stone and it is incredible.  

Serbia
Sremska Mitrovica
Back "home" in Sremska we lugged our bags up the 3 flights of winding staircase to my parents apartments.  About an hour out of Sremska my mom spoke my thoughts by saying "you are already dreading the stairs aren't you" and I was.

 We unpacked all of our goodies and set about doing our laundry to pack for the trip home.  Doing laundry in Serbia is no easy task as the washer is only big enough to wash a few items and pauses several times during the cycle needing to be reset so it takes several hours to wash those few items.  B was practicing her hand modeling skills in this next shot to give you and idea of the small size of the washer.  I told her it is a good thing that she has a husband to support her because she lacked the flare necessary to be a hand model. 

We ate dinner and tried to not think about parting ways the next day.  B and I tried to do dishes whenever we were able to give my parents a break as it isn't as easy as loading a dishwasher and walking away.  Think doing dishes when you are camping and you get a general idea of what we had to do.  I had to kneel because although people in Europe are supposedly tall this apartment was made for hobbits.

The rest of the night we packed and played Skipbo together as I drank myself silly on Fanta Lemon because I loved it and knew I couldn't get it in the states.  

 My dad gave me and B father's blessings which I needed and will cherish.  He blessed me that I came on this trip to prepare me for a future where I needed to understand other cultures and the struggles.  I thought either I'm getting a dream job in LDS Philanthropies or I'm going to work for the D.I. 

Right before I went to bed I snuck out to my favorite spot on my parents patio and looked over this little town, breathing in my gratitude to my Father in Heaven for letting this all be possible.  For my parents courage to serve and say "I'll go where you want me to go dear Lord" never thinking Serbia.  For the people in Sremska who love and take such care of my parents.  For the woman by my side and that answered prayer.  Thank you Serbia for everything.  You will forever be a part of me and I'm better for it.