Croatia!🇭🇷

When people hear the name Croatia, they don’t always know what to picture or imagine. But I can tell you — Croatia is one of the most beautiful countries I’ve ever been to. Its coastline shares the Adriatic Sea with Italy, offering some of the bluest water I’ve seen and rockiest beaches I’ve ever stepped on. I never could have imagined the wonderful experiences that living in Croatia would bring me.

Coming from a very welcoming and loud country (Thailand) — one often called the city of smiles — to a more reserved culture in the middle of their winter was harder than I expected. I’m from a hot state where the sun shines year-round and the cold rarely sticks around, so living in the cold for longer than five days took a hit on my mental state. Long walks around the lake near our apartment helped, and thankfully, spring came soon after.

When we first arrived, the students were in the middle of exam season, and all the Cru meetings were on pause. Instead of sitting around, our leader LeAnn sent us on little trips around the city to explore and learn how to use the tram system. What we didn’t know then was that in just a few weeks, we’d be the ones leading incoming Cru teams from America, showing them around and bringing them to the places where students hung out. I had never lived in a city with public transportation before, and I grew to love the tram system.

One of the big reasons the Croatia team wanted us in the spring was so we could help with follow-ups after American teams hosted fun events that drew university students in.

It’s been so fun being on the receiving end of these American teams and seeing firsthand all the preparation that goes into making a week run smoothly. For each team that came, we did more street evangelism than I’ve ever done on any mission trip. Three teams from different states came in total, and it definitely pushed me out of my comfort zone. We all learned how important it was to be filled with the Holy Spirit every single morning before stepping into the day. I would wake up feeling anxious and weak, but by the end of the night, I’d be in awe of how God met every single one of my needs and how each conversation with students went far better than I imagined. Even on days when I didn’t interact with many students, I would hear stories from other leaders about amazing conversations and students wanting to meet for coffee to learn more. And even though those weren’t my experiences, God gently reminded me that He was moving in all of our lives and working through us as a team — and that was a huge win.

Each morning started with going to the university campuses, handing out event flyers, and trying to start spiritual conversations. Some students were curious; others walked by pretending we didn’t exist — but either way, it was great rejection therapy. And every night, we were surprised by who actually showed up. Sometimes it was the students who seemed the least interested.

Coffee culture in Croatia is a big deal, and it’s been one of my favorite parts of building friendships. They love their espresso — sometimes with three shots — and I learned my lesson after a few jittery days and switched to decaf. One of the sweetest moments was when a student invited all four of us to her home for Easter. Her family was incredibly hospitable, and even though the church service was in Croatian, it was such a blessing.

From hosting game nights and movie nights in our apartment to having picnics by the lake, we made genuine friendships with students who kept coming to our events, making it so much harder to say goodbye to Croatia.

Living there taught me so much about myself and deepened my faith in God’s plan for my life. Every time we were pushed out of our comfort zones, it was for our growth and confidence in what God was calling us to. I’ll forever be grateful for this incredible trip and the amazing people I met along the way. I’m blessed to have a Father in Heaven who provides, protects, and makes a way when I don’t see one.

“Remember not the former things,nor consider the things of old. Behold, I am doing a new thing; now it springs forth, do you not perceive it? I will make a way in the wilderness and rivers in the desert.”— Isaiah 43:18–19