Sharpes in Serbia

2008-08-19T15:17:00.003+02:00

It has been almost two weeks since we returned to the States, and I have officially run out of pictures of our time in Serbia. I didn't want it to come to an end, so I've been spacing out the pictures some. :-)
Thank you for keeping up with our blog. It has been a privilege to share with you about our time in Serbia - especially being able to "introduce" you to the family and friends we met there. It was also fun to share the blog with our Serb friends; many were quite "famous" and featured often! We will always treasure our time there, and Serbia will be a part of us always. We are not the same people we were - we have been changed for the better. Of course, Tim maybe should have left some of his "Serbism" in Serbia - he is a little more direct when dealing with people now. :-)
This morning as I was having my quiet time, I read the part in the Bible where Jesus encouraged us to have a childlike faith - to completely depend on Him for EVERY part of our lives. That's where we are right now - in His hands - following Him as He shows us what is next for the Sharpes. If you would like to keep up with us, stop by www.sharpesinhishands.blogspot.com whenever you are free. I hope to improve the design of the blog later once we get more settled in. May God bless you and thank you again for your encouragement, friendship, and love.

2008-08-19T13:34:00.002+02:00

Here are the last of the pictures of our time in Serbia. We had some sweet friends to come by at 1 a.m. on Thursday (our last day there), and Marija even brought Tim a chicken sandwich to eat. Then some of the football guys came to see us off and to give Tim a certificate of appreciation. Dobrivoje and Zora also came by to say good-bye. I still get tears in my eyes thinking of how Zora helped me put the kids in the van to leave. We miss everyone so much!

2008-08-12T16:39:00.002+02:00

Here are a few more pictures from our last day in Serbia. Members of the baseball team came by and presented Tim with a team picture and a baseball bat. Other friends and neighbors stopped by - lots of tears but also lots of hugs! Our friends also gave us some precious gifts that we will always treasure.

2008-08-11T03:25:00.002+02:00

We are back in NC, and each day has been packed with seeing family, eating yummy food, and also handling details like buying clothes, looking for a car, etc. I wanted to post a few pictures from our last day in Serbia. That was a packed day too! :-) First on the agenda on my last day, go shopping with Marija! Before we headed out for another "Mission Impossible" (this is what Marija called our shopping adventures together), she gave me the most precious book she had made for me - filled with pictures and notes from her. What a treasure! Our family also stopped by one last time to see Caleb's teacher and old classmates. Caleb had a fun time playing with the guys again. Later that afternoon, the calvary came to Cacak - the Hepners!- to help us with some last-minute cleaning and packing. It was so much fun to see their kids again; we will miss them. Packing up the kitchen seemed a little overwhelming, but with Kristen it was fun and finished in a jiffy. Here are some shots Caleb took of us trying to get a picture of the two couples (and two little ones) together.

2008-08-05T20:38:00.002+02:00

Ahh. . . the ice cream in Serbia. The best I've ever tasted! We took Ziza out for ice cream and to say good-bye. We will miss our Serbian grandmother very much, but she will always be a part of our lives. We're so grateful that the Lord brought us together.

2008-08-05T20:36:00.002+02:00

It is so much fun to watch Tim and Zora joke with each other. She truly does treat him like the son she never had, and it's always funny when she tries to "mother" him. Here she is pretending to explain to Tim (again) that we are spending too much money on the electric bill. But compared to the States, the bill was usually really cheap.

2008-08-05T20:32:00.003+02:00

Moving and saying good-bye are just not easy things to do, but the kids and our friends keep us smiling. We ate at one of our favorite places with our friends today. We will miss eating at Remini's!

2008-08-05T07:12:00.003+02:00

The guys came over for one last game of ping pong with Tim. Because we were out of town on Friday, they came over on Sunday evening. But I think on Friday evenings, a part of me will always think of those guys that would come. I could hear their laughter from the basement, and I will always remember the look on their faces when we would fix cookies or brownies. :-) They were also like big brothers to Caleb, and he always looked forward to when "the boys" were coming over to play. We will miss them very much.

2008-08-04T08:04:00.002+02:00

The hard good-byes have started! On Sunday, some dear friends came to visit me. It was hard not to be so sad, but we shared some laughs and exchanged presents. It was like Christmas! I love the T-shirt and hat that Mirela, Dragana, and Jelena gave the kids. How I will miss my friends in Serbia!

2008-08-04T07:17:00.002+02:00

On Saturday night, some of the guys took Tim to one of his favorite restaurants (one that serves lots of meat). One of his closest friends, Tomic, was back in Cacak for the weekend. His summer job is in a different town, and we have really missed seeing him.

2008-08-04T07:09:00.001+02:00

The kids enjoyed the walking street in Belgrade and on Saturday we went to Ada so the kids could play on the playgrounds there. It was a sad good-bye at the airport, but I'm so grateful that Heather came and could see my home for the past two years.

2008-08-02T21:34:00.002+02:00

On Friday, we went ahead to Belgrade so that we could see a few sights there before they headed back to France on Saturday. Because of the heat, we decided to hang out at the mall and let the kids play that afternoon. We decided to try bowling, and the kids did great. The worst part was that Heather hurt her knee there helping Kylie. Please pray for her that her knee would recover quickly! After bowling, we went to the movies and saw "Kung Fu Panda." It was Samantha's first time watching a movie at the theater!

2008-08-02T21:28:00.002+02:00

Thursday night we hit the town center to see some friends and some sights. Heather loved the walking street, and the ice cream was a big hit with all three. Caleb and Tanner had a blast with the electric cars; Kylie was a little nervous of the Serb drivers and decided to just watch. :-)

2008-08-02T21:22:00.002+02:00

Thursday was packed with fun - from climbing on dirt piles to rockin' and rollin' to taking care of a stray kitten.

2008-08-02T17:35:00.002+02:00

On Wednesday, we headed to Jagodina to the water park there. We went once last year, and Caleb LOVED it. He was really excited about going there with Tanner, and those two had a blast. Kylie was so brave and went down all the slides too. Samantha was not so happy with the pool, but we had fun watching the kids play. We also got to spend some time with the Hepners - it's always a blessing to be with them and I was glad that Heather got to meet them.

2008-07-30T22:27:00.002+02:00

The kids had fun on the slide at the park; there's a new play area there. Samantha thought she wanted to try it, but then she got too scared. Wowser. The Serb owner of this playland climbed up the ladder to rescue her.

2008-07-30T22:23:00.001+02:00

We also had the college students over for dinner; Tim grilled some yummy cheeseburgers. These students did a great job this summer, and we're so glad that they were a part of our team. Tim and I were privileged to be mentors with two of the students. Here is a picture of me and Miranda. Tim and Adam are pictured below.

2008-07-30T22:17:00.002+02:00

On Tuesday, we had a fun day together! Because of the heat, we've been sleeping downstairs. Here's a cute shot of Tim and Samantha together. Tanner and Caleb have played a few games of Sequence together; Tanner is the master! We had fun showing them the park; they couldn't resist getting their feet wet.

2008-07-30T22:06:00.001+02:00

2008-07-29T00:01:00.002+02:00

On Monday, it FINALLY stopped raining for a few hours so we headed out to the park. I saw my friend Dragana there; we were in the same aerobics class. I had never met her daughter before; she was a cutie! Kylie and Tanner enjoyed the park and the water fountain; we hope to go to the river this week too. Caleb is so happy to be able to show his buddy around Cacak. It's really a blessing to see them together, and I am so blessed to be able to spend this time with Heather. What a precious gift from the Lord!

2008-07-28T23:58:00.001+02:00

On Sunday, my friend Marija came to visit us. She has been in America for the past month, and Heather and I enjoyed hearing all her stories. The kids had fun singing together, dancing, and jumping on beds. They all played really, really hard and were pretty tired that evening. I couldn't resist taking Kylie's picture!

2008-07-28T23:41:00.002+02:00

Heather only brought one suitcase, and unfortunately that suitcase didn't quite make it all the way to Belgrade on time. But it arrived on Sunday in the afternoon, and the kids were so excited to give Samantha and Caleb their surprises! Heather gave me some wonderful lavender soap and perfume from Paris! It has been amazing to hear all three of them speaking French. They moved to Grenoble, France this past November when Heather's husband Matt was offered a new position there.

2008-07-28T23:10:00.003+02:00

2008-07-28T23:04:00.003+02:00

On Saturday, we headed to Belgrade to pick up my friend Heather from the airport. She is one of my dearest friends, and her son Tanner is Caleb's bestest buddy. We were all really, really excited! She was so wonderful to come spend a week with us. Caleb wanted to be at the very front of the line; I just wanted Samantha to stand beside me rather than me having to hold her. She's not exactly "light" anymore! The boys were so excited to see each other! One of the first things they giggled over was seeing a woman going into the men's bathroom. When she came out, she winked at the boys, which only made them laugh even more.

2008-07-28T22:57:00.002+02:00

The neighborhood is changing! Just across the street, a gas station is being built. It should be finished in about three months. We used to walk across this field to go to our favorite little store to buy eggs, milk, and cookies.

2008-07-28T22:54:00.001+02:00

Sometimes in the morning, this is the view outside the window in my kitchen. I will miss seeing this cat in the window!

2008-07-23T17:51:00.002+02:00

We had a fun time earlier in the week at the park. We met a sweet family there - a mom, her daughter, and her daughter's son. Samantha and I were sitting on the bench waiting for our friends, and the mom asked if we were sisters. This sweet Serb lady became my new best friend! I will miss our walks in the park and the dear Serbs that we meet there.

2008-07-21T09:00:00.001+02:00

Check out these cute cards from some of Caleb's friends back in America. We're so grateful to have friends and family looking forward to our return. I especially love the card with Caleb dropping out of the airplane into his new home. :-)

2008-07-19T15:04:00.002+02:00

"Look what happens when I push this button. . . it makes even louder sounds!"

2008-07-19T14:53:00.002+02:00

Last week we were able to spend some time with our favorite Serb couple - Jelena & Budimir. We had a lot of fun catching up, eating ice cream (look at Tim's banana split!), and watching the kids play. Caleb tried out the motorcycle for the first time. Samantha chose a safer ride but a much louder one!

2008-07-17T06:42:00.002+02:00

Our teammates Chris and Becky left for the States early Tuesday morning. We had dinner with them on Monday, and it was so hard to imagine not living in the same town with them anymore. They faithfully served and loved deeply the Serbian people. Their phones were ringing constantly with Serb friends saying good-bye. The football team sang songs outside their home in the early morning hours before they left at 2 a.m.(!), and they even had a friend who lives in Belgrade say good-bye to them at the airport. And what dear friends they have been to us! We shared a Christmas together, Becky and I both had sisters who had new babies while we were in Serbia, we endured discouragement together, and we kept each other focused on God and His amazing goodness. They also invested time and poured out their love on Caleb and Samantha - something they did not have to do. My kids had a devoted aunt and uncle during their time here. Please keep them in your prayers as they transition to life back in the States. They are expecting their first child at the end of August.

2008-07-16T07:09:00.003+02:00

Here is a clip of Samantha going for a ride! To enjoy this clip, turn the volume completely down on your computer. If you don't, you will hear me screaming at one of the stray dogs who started chasing them. Believe me (or you can ask Tim), it is much more pleasant not to hear me scream!

2008-07-16T07:01:00.003+02:00

This past Sunday, we had friends over for a time of Bible study and fellowship. Tim encouraged them with some verses from Hebrews to continue meeting together, and we pray that they will in the months ahead. What a privilege it has been to meet together with our Serb friends. After the study, some of us played with water balloons. It was also Chris and Becky's last Sunday with us. Don't you love the shirt Jovana made for their baby? Samantha also had a great time. Our teammate Matt took her for a spin around the neighborhood!

2008-07-15T08:39:00.002+02:00

Here is a super-short clip of the kids playing with the kitten. I love the look on Samantha's face!

2008-07-15T08:35:00.002+02:00

Last week, we had some animal visitors that brightened our day. The first picture is of Maddy; she's a stray that likes to visit us just about every day. The second picture is of a pup that lives nearby (we think). And the last ones are of a kitten I took home from the park (not such a good idea I know). She didn't stay very long at our house, but the kids had a great time playing with her.

2008-07-13T14:59:00.002+02:00

We enjoyed a great visit with our Serbian mother Ziza recently. She was very brave to try a few American dishes - she even tried carrot cake! She gave the kids some cute clothes (Caleb is wearing his new shirt), and she also gave us a picture of her to take with us back to America.

2008-07-07T10:21:00.003+02:00

We had a fun Fourth of July with some of our teammates. Tim grilled some delicious hot dogs, chicken wings, and burgers. We also had some yummy apple pie and peach cobbler! The kids had fun together, and the adults shared a few laughs watching the hot dog eating contest.

2008-07-05T09:24:00.001+02:00

Earlier this week, the neighborhood kids played tennis in front of our house. It was fun to watch them play; it's really nice outside later in the evening.

2008-07-05T09:22:00.001+02:00

"It didn't work! Mommy says I'm going in time-out for two minutes. Why didn't I just say 'thank you'"?

2008-07-05T09:20:00.003+02:00

"I'm still not going to say 'thank you' but maybe if I pout a little I can still get out of it."

2008-07-05T09:18:00.000+02:00

"Hmm. . . I think mommy might be serious about this time-out thing."

2008-07-05T09:11:00.002+02:00

We had a wonderful time last week in Greece, but since being back the kids have really tested us! Being parents is always fun! Tim thought it would be funny to "document" one recent episode of bad behavior. Hope you enjoy the pictures!
We were eating breakfast together, and Samantha dropped her fork. Caleb picked it up for her, and I told her to say "thank you." She looked me right in the eye and said "no." Then she thought if she smiled at me in a cute way, then I would not put her in her crib for "time-out."

2008-07-02T14:31:00.003+02:00

Here are some pictures of the kids and two of our good friends Josh & Kristen Hepner. We had a great time with them in Greece. I also love this picture of my favorite spot on the pier and one of a ship passing through.

2008-06-30T15:50:00.001+02:00

Here are some pictures from our trip to Greece last week. We had a wonderful time at a beautiful place - what a blessing! Do you like the view from our room? Goats would travel across this hill once or twice a day. It was fun to watch. Tim and I were able to spend lots of free time while the kids were in their classes. I enjoyed water aerobics, and Tim played water polo just about every afternoon with the guys.

2008-06-29T11:42:00.003+02:00

Here are some pictures from our trip to Belgrade to see the Cacak-Kraljevo game. We lost the game 20-19 in 2OT, but the guys played hard. The kids and I enjoyed some time together at the park eating ice cream and Caleb even got to play a game of putt-putt.

2008-06-21T09:45:00.001+02:00

This week, our landlord and our friend Dobrivoje celebrated a birthday. We enjoyed some yummy cake made by his lovely wife Zora. Caleb snapped a few pictures of the happy couple, Zora's mother, and the cake. Samantha decided to dress up for the occasion!

2008-06-20T08:54:00.003+02:00

This past Saturday, the kids and I enjoyed a fun afternoon with Lydia, our teammates' little girl. The kids especially had a great time playing with her. They threw balls at each other, played hide-and-seek, and served each other tea.

2008-06-19T10:50:00.003+02:00

This past weekend, we had some fun family time as Caleb built some new things with his Legos and Samantha tried sleeping in big brother's room. Caleb said that she kept him up talking and then she woke him up at 6:30 a.m. ready to play. So we'll see if we try this again this upcoming weekend. . .

2008-06-18T08:19:00.002+02:00

This past Saturday, we had a fun ladies' softball practice followed by a practice softball game for guys and girls. Tim did a great job organizing everything, and it was fun to watch him play. The girls are doing great, and it was good experience for them to play in a game. It's also a blessing to have the college girls helping with the practices. I love the first picture of Kelly (in the red shirt) getting ready to catch a ball.

2008-06-15T14:00:00.004+02:00

Earlier this week, we were invited to a local language school as a few of the English classes had "end-of-the-year" parties. Becky and I have had the privilege of being guest speakers for a class of young teenage girls. We grew to love these girls and have enjoyed seeing their performances this past year, talking with them about topics from story-telling to fashion (not my specialty!), and even had them over once for a scrapbooking party. We will really miss them. Chris and Becky have also helped with one of the adult English classes at the language school.

2008-06-13T16:45:00.002+02:00

This week, the English Club officially re-opened for the summer. The Mosaic Cafe is a new addition this year; the cafe is open after the evening classes and many Serbs have stayed to enjoy the free coffee and fellowship time. The students have learned how to make different kinds of coffee, and our Serb friends have declared the coffee fit to drink. :-) Miranda, Kelly, and Adam are doing a great job, and the other college student Brad (who is involved with sports) has also been a great help at the English Club. We're off to a great start!

2008-06-12T06:59:00.001+02:00

Here are some pictures of the neighborhood gang. The kids only have a few days left of school. And then the summer fun begins!

2008-06-11T06:59:00.002+02:00

It's always a treat when our teenage friends stop by for a visit. Most schools in our town will end for the summer this week or next.

2008-06-09T08:18:00.003+02:00

Our first watermelon of the summer! Our Serb friends were a little disturbed because you're supposed to wait until July before you eat watermelon, but we couldn't resist. The one Tim picked out was delicious! Samantha is still not sure if she likes it or not, but she can't help but try it when she sees her big brother devouring piece after piece. Here are some pictures of Caleb teaching Samantha how to "retrieve" the ball for him. :-)

2008-06-06T12:35:00.002+02:00

Last week, I was invited to Kaca's graduation ceremony from middle school. Her grandparents and her great-grandmother were so proud of her. At the end, the students released heart-shaped balloons into the air.

2008-06-05T08:16:00.001+02:00

Last week, Samantha and I visited some neighbors and had a great time. Zoran and Natalija even had a chair just for Samantha. I also think their dog Mickey is just adorable. We really enjoyed our visit together.

2008-06-02T09:18:00.004+02:00

When the doorbell rings, sometimes I never know what I will find when I open the door.

2008-06-01T08:39:00.002+02:00

Here is a picture of the kids wondering how much longer mom has practice. They were troopers! The other picture is of Dragisa, Marko's mom, getting ready to hit. She is one of my most favorite Serb ladies. I'm so happy that she is coming to the practices.

2008-06-01T08:30:00.003+02:00

Here are a few pictures from our first softball practice. The volunteer team was able to work one-on-one with the ladies who came, which was a huge blessing! We had a lot of fun together, and we even have some sluggers on the team already!

2008-05-30T08:55:00.002+02:00

Here are a few pictures of the volunteer team at one of the schools. Cookie (our Serb friend) is in the top photo. The students seemed to enjoy learning about baseball, and we're hoping that more will start coming to the youth baseball practices.

2008-05-28T09:39:00.002+02:00

Earlier this week, we walked to the park and Caleb's two buddies joined us. They decided the "island" needed a little repair work. Samantha chose to just watch them instead of joining in the work.

2008-05-27T11:44:00.002+02:00

Here is Samantha dancing to a Mario tune. She's got some moves!

2008-05-25T17:35:00.002+02:00

Our volunteer team arrived this past Thursday, and they have stayed busy with baseball tournaments, baseball clinics, meeting people at the English Club, etc. Today some of them went to the football game in Jagodina. We've really enjoyed seeing Bobby again (pictured here with Marko) and meeting the new folks that came for the first time.

2008-05-25T17:32:00.001+02:00

Here are the kids in their summer jammies! Summer is here - temperatures are supposed to be in the 80s this week.

2008-05-22T07:57:00.002+02:00

This past Saturday, a flag football tournament was hosted by the Cacak team. Here are a few pictures of the teams and one of the Cacak team practicing with our Serb friend cookie. Caleb had a great time seeing his buddy Dayne at the tournament. Dayne found a small "pond" near the field with tadpoles in it!

2008-05-21T13:00:00.002+02:00

This past Saturday, my friend Mirela met me at the park with her nephew Srdjan. Isn't he a cutie? Samantha enjoyed strolling with them, but then she wanted OUT and DOWN. She had a great time, but I had to stop her when she started trying to shake the trees.

2008-05-18T07:44:00.002+02:00

This past week at the English Club, we said good-bye to one of our favorite students, Nenad (in the center). He left for the States on Saturday and will be working in the D.C. area for the next several months. In the front row, Jovana and Becky are pictured. Stevka, Nenad, and Ratko are in the back row. We wish Nenad all the best!

2008-05-16T07:20:00.002+02:00

On Tuesday night, we had some friends over for Mexican food. It was fun to watch them "chow down" - some of them tried it for the first time. We also played some cards later; I actually won a few hands at poker (my dad would be proud). We didn't play for money; Tim just dumped out all the change in one of our drawers and collected all of it (we think) at the end. :-) Marko tried to intimidate us by wearing sunglasses, but the Americans won (Tim says that he won but I think it might have been me). We were also grateful to spend some extra time with our friend Gagi. He will be leaving in a few days for the States to begin working there. We will miss him!

2008-05-14T07:02:00.002+02:00

Here is the song the kids performed for me on Mother's Day. They love to watch this DVD of the Backyardigans, and there is one episode about the animals pretending to be samurais. But instead of training to be warriors, they are instead learning how to make apple pies. It's a little hard to explain but hope you enjoy the song!

2008-05-14T06:58:00.001+02:00

On Sunday, Tim and the kids gave me some beautiful roses for Mother's Day and Caleb drew me a picture - I'm queen of the house according to him. Caleb and Samantha also performed a song for me.

2008-05-14T06:26:00.002+02:00

Here is a very short clip from the game.

2008-05-14T06:24:00.000+02:00

2008-05-14T06:20:00.000+02:00

Here are some pictures from last Saturday's football game. We won!

2008-05-12T07:03:00.003+02:00

This past week, Becky did a great job teaching American cooking classes at the English Club. The students learned how to fix twice-baked potatoes, tacos, potato salad, and brownies. I was so excited because two of my friends came to the English Club for the first time! Everyone really enjoyed the classes and liked sampling the food. I have a pictures here of my friend Ziza learning how to make tacos and of Jovana enjoying the brownie batter. One night I took the kids and Hayley decided to take another chess lesson from Caleb. She is so good with the kids. It's hard to believe that at the end of the month she will be returning to the States. We are going to miss her so much!

2008-05-10T06:49:00.002+02:00

This past Tuesday, our Serb family invited us to celebrate their slava with them. A slava is a celebration in Serbia honoring a family's patron saint. Dobrovoje & Zora's patron saint is St. George. Last year we were also invited but this year was much less stressful (for me!) because I knew what to do. JUST SIT AND EAT LOTS OF DELICIOUS FOOD! Zora's daughter Mileva was there from Montenegro, and we enjoyed catching up with her. The kids had a great time; Caleb ate a lot of cake and Samantha ate a lot of bread.

2008-05-09T08:49:00.002+02:00

At the birthday party, music was a big part of the festivities! Sorry this is sideways but hope you enjoy this little taste of Serbian music.

2008-05-09T07:53:00.002+02:00

Last Saturday, we were invited to a birthday party for Aleksia (shown here with her dad). She turned two years old! The party was held at a very nice restaurant that also had a play area for the kids. The food was delicious!

2008-05-08T08:59:00.002+02:00

Last Saturday, the youth baseball team participated in a tournament in Belgrade. They won second place! Here is a picture of Cookie (the president of the baseball club) receiving a trophy and one of the whole team. Also below are pictures of another team and one of all the teams together.

2008-05-07T07:45:00.002+02:00

Here are some pictures of my new niece - Claire Elise Whitley! She is pictured here with her big sister Caroline, my beautiful sister Amber, and her husband Matt. Claire was born on April 29th - 7 pounds, 19 inches. She is a sweetheart!

2008-05-06T07:48:00.002+02:00

On our last day in Belgrade, Mirela started off the day with a yummy breakfast of French toast. We then headed out to the zoo. Hayley had never been to a zoo before, and it was so much fun to walk with her and look at the animals. Becky was disturbed by this camel; she said that he should not be so fat. :-) After the zoo, we ate at McDonald's for lunch (Mirela is a true friend), and then went back to her place to get our things. Our last stop of the day was Ada Ciganlija, a park/recreation area in Belgrade that has a man-made lake, walking trails, baseball fields, and even a golf course. The sunset was beautiful to watch from this park.

2008-05-05T07:37:00.002+02:00

I also really enjoyed seeing Kalemegdan, the most popular park in Belgrade. This park has a fortress that is centuries old. Kalemegdan had incredible views of the river and beautiful walking paths. I was so glad that I finally got to see visit one of Serbia's most beloved places.

2008-05-05T07:28:00.002+02:00

In Serbia, May 1st is a holiday (similar to Labor Day in the States). Becky, Natalie, and I took a bus to Belgrade and met our friends Mirela and Dragana for some sight-seeing. The weather was absolutely beautiful - gorgeous blue skies and spring temperatures. One of my favorite places was the Cathedral of St. Sava. It is the largest Orthodox church in use and is dedicated to the founder of the Serbian Orthodox Church. We also saw some beautiful parks and visited another church (pictured below). A wedding was being held in this church, and we were able to watch the ceremony from a distance. It was my first experience as a wedding crasher.

2008-05-04T07:50:00.002+02:00

This past week we were blessed with some little visitors. Zora's grandson is pictured above; he is a cutie! He really liked playing with the Easter eggs. It has also been a blessing to spend time with our new teammates - Matt & Cyndi. Pictured below is Lydia, their precious little girl.

2008-04-30T08:08:00.001+02:00

Here are a few pictures from the Easter egg hunt. Here were the winners - Mirela found the most eggs; Marija & Jelena found one silver egg; and Cookie found the other silver egg.

2008-04-30T08:03:00.002+02:00

On Easter Sunday, we celebrated the day with our friends. Caleb and Samantha made a special treat for the group (thanks to Mimi and Papa for bringing the supplies), but I think Samantha ate more than she helped. We were also given some beautiful eggs!

2008-04-29T07:35:00.002+02:00

Our dear friends Jovana and her mom Nevenka helped organize a precious opportunity to give Bibles to patients in the oncology department last Friday. Jovana is wearing the pink shirt and her mom is the lovely lady on the far left. Mirela (second from the left) also came with Becky and me. The other ladies pictured are nurses who work there.

2008-04-28T08:22:00.001+02:00

On Thursday, our Bible study said "good-bye" to Natalie (third from the left). She is travelling back home today to the States. Please remember her in your prayers. We are so grateful for the chance to get to know her these past few months.

2008-04-27T07:51:00.003+02:00

On Wednesday evening, Caleb's friends from the neighborhood and from the football team came over to celebrate his birthday. Dusan & Milos' mom made this terrific Mario cake for Caleb - isn't it fantastic? More came to the party than we were expecting so our plan to "just let the kids play" didn't go over so well. The rain outside didn't help that plan either. But Caleb had a blast with all the wildness surrounding him (surprise), and it was a blessing to meet some new neighborhood kids. We were also able to invite them to the Easter egg hunt on Sunday. During the party, I realized that I hadn't seen Samantha for awhile and hoped that she was with Tim. I finally found her in a box of balloons - playing with one of the toughest football players on the team - Jovan.

2008-04-26T21:27:00.002+02:00

2008-04-26T11:50:00.002+02:00

2008-04-25T15:20:00.002+02:00

We were so grateful that the rain held off until the late afternoon. The kids had been learning about Easter traditions in America, and they all started jumping up and down when we told them we were going to have an Easter egg hunt. Caleb literally just kept running around the house. It was crazy! I think his friend Kosta found the most eggs. The kids had also learned a song to sing for Caleb about party music; it was really cute. Then they played a game that involved balloons, stomping, and running and the classic musical chairs. What a blessing this school, teachers, and kids have been to our family! We will miss them so much.

2008-04-25T15:09:00.002+02:00

I don't know how it happened, but somehow we have a seven-year-old running around our house now. We wanted to share a few pictures and videos from Caleb's special day. Caleb's classmates and teachers came to our house for his party, and we really had a great time together. The kids were so well-behaved, and his teachers helped make everything go smoothly. His teacher Jelena is shown here pulling his ears (gently) - it's a Serbian tradition - but not one of Caleb's favorite traditions. All morning before the party, Samantha kept yelling, "Cake! Cake!" She was one happy girl when she finally got her piece.

2008-04-22T14:37:00.003+02:00

Tomorrow is the big day . . . Caleb turns 7! Here is Samantha practicing "Happy Birthday." Instead of saying "Ka-ba" for his name, she actually says "Kay-web" when she sings. She's getting close!

2008-04-22T14:25:00.002+02:00

On Friday, we received a package from Albert & Judy - it was such a nice surprise & wonderful timing! The kids almost tackled Tim as he walked in with the package. They sent us a boxful of treats, birthday gifts and clothes for Caleb, and some clothes for Samantha. She really liked her new dress and kept calling herself a "princess."

2008-04-20T16:18:00.002+02:00

On Thursday, the kids also enjoyed an indoor Easter egg hunt. Mimi and Papa put money in their eggs, and Caleb was thrilled about finally having money of his very own. Samantha also enjoyed the egg hunt, but she kept saying, "E-gg, where are you?" She didn't really understand that she would actually have to look for the eggs. Later that night, Dobrovoje stopped by to say "good-bye." He and Zora really enjoyed seeing Tim's parents again, and it was obvious that the good-bye was tough to say. He shared how Tim and I are like his children and how much he respected the Sharpe family. No surprise - but I couldn't help but have tears in my eyes.
Thank you so much for all those who prayed for Tim's parents as they travelled back home. They arrived safe and sound and with all their luggage. We miss them, but we are so blessed that they had a great time here.

2008-04-20T16:11:00.002+02:00

After lunch, we stopped by the English Club and visited with Natalie, Hayley, and Mirela. Tim's parents didn't see the English Club last year when they visited. We also were able to see Chris and Becky that afternoon - they had only been back a short time from their vacation in Egypt. The kids were especially excited to see them; I think Caleb sat as close as he could to Chris during their visit. Below is a picture of Caleb being tickled by Chris and Samantha. I also took a picture of the beautiful flowers Wayne and Susan bought for me. They were (and still are!) simply gorgeous.

2008-04-20T16:07:00.002+02:00

Before lunch on Thursday, we also visited with Jovana and her mom Nena. We had a "girls' party" since the guys were handling lunch and also planning to start working on the lawnmower. They have a beautiful yard, and Samantha enjoyed playing outside and picking flowers (but not the tulips!). Jovana also showed us money that was used when inflation was so awful in Serbia in the early '90s. Some of those bills have 9 or 10 zeroes on them!

2008-04-20T15:56:00.002+02:00

This past Friday, we had to say good-bye to Tim's parents. They left at 5 a.m. so really we said good-bye on Thursday. But Thursday was packed full with fun memories! That morning, we did some last-minute shopping as Ms. Susan picked up a few goodies for our family back in the States. The kids also got some goodies - Caleb loves his bow and arrow & Samantha might take up playing golf.

2008-04-17T08:19:00.002+02:00

Yesterday we stayed around the house while Tim was at his practices. Caleb enjoyed playing with his legos (thanks Gamma & Papa!) and Tim's dad also showed that he is a pretty good lego-builder. Samantha decided to show off her Dora dancing skills.

2008-04-17T07:59:00.003+02:00

On Tuesday, we headed to Belgrade for some sight-seeing. Although the weather was rainy, we had a lot of fun at one of the malls there. The kids had never played in the children's play area before and boy did they have a great time. Tim was very sweet and stayed with Samantha since she was too young to be by herself. I have too many memories of climbing up those tall slides at McDonald's and Burger King to "retrieve" Caleb because he didn't want to come down. Samantha loved playing in the balls the most. Tim and Caleb also enjoyed a few games of bowling.