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.

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!

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.

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.

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.

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.

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!

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.

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!

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.

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.

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!

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. :-)

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