Bonheoffer, Budapest and the End of the Road

With less than a week to go our family is beginning to mentally prepare for life back home and unlike our last big adventure 3 years ago we are all ready to return. I think this goes beyond just missing Jessica. The big difference this time is that we are missing our community (and Jessica). In fact if there is anything that has been reaffirmed in my life it would be that I need brothers and sisters in Christ to help me live life fully.

Having just finished reading Bonheoffer’s book ‘Living Life Together’ I would say that God is talking to me about His design in all of us to not only share His love, but to receive it from others as well. A month without the ongoing fellowship of fellow believers has left me dry, but at the same time has helped me see the need for more discipline in my spiritual life (a few pushups wouldn’t hurt either).

These past few days have been spent in the amazing city of Budapest. Unlike our other destinations we found ourselves in a large metropolitan city that at first seemed overwhelming, but after a couple days and countless miles of walking we can say that we have seen a lot of this city. The kids may say we saw too much, but Cari and I could easily spend a few more days here just soaking in all the history and culture this place has to offer. I will say that that Meghan and Cole have been amazing sports in regards to the long walks across town just to see another museum or castle which for them all starts to look the same. They even attended an ‘organ concert’ at St. Stephen’s Basillica.

Tomorrow we will take the 3 hour train to Vienna, Austria for a short two days before flying (hopefully without volcanic ash) to Iceland. Below are a few pictures.

-Kurt

Oh Slovenia

I don’t know where to begin when I speak of our time in Slovenia. This country is beyond beautiful. Everywhere you look you see natural wonders like the Julian Alps and the Skojan Caves (the largest underground caverns in all of Europe). I keep expecting Heidi to come skipping down the wildflower hills yodeling. All I can do is praise God for His creation. I will let the pictures attempt to speak of our time. Needless to say we are all smiling.
-Kurt

The Good, the Bad, and the Beautiful

What we have seen on this around the world adventure is more than we could every put into words. For the most part it has been an amazing adventure filled with wild travel plans and enough forks in the road to usually keep us on our toes and leave boredom way behind.

As always it has been the people along the way that have enriched our time the most which I guess is one of the reasons I am now running a little out of steam spiritually. When all I have to think about is what’s next on our itinerary I easily slip into a self absorbed life that has me missing the mark on what’s most important. I remember C.S. Lewis saying something about how ‘it’s harder being close to God when traveling abroad’. I would agree with Mr. Lewis and add that when not surrounded by a purpose greater than one’s self it compounds the issue. Yes, I Have my family which is a great blessing and one that gives me a purpose, but it still lacks that greater sense of community that can drive us all closer to our Maker; all that to say I have been living too much for me. With God’s help I will look past my desires and wishes and see more clearly what He has for me in the days ahead.

Our last day in Dubrovnik was spent celebrating Meghan's Sweet 16th Birthday, which had us shopping and eating well into the night. In fact a large scoop of gelato ice cream (or two) was a part of everyday in this city. Needless to say Meghan and the rest of us had a great time.


Leaving Dubrovnik we piled into our rental diesel Fiat Punto and headed up the coast. As many of you know Cari is amazing in 99% of all that life throws at her, but maps and navigating would be her downfall. This allowed us to spend an extra hour on roads less traveled while I showed the kids what high blood pressure looks like. Just before nightfall we ended up in an overpriced city that we were too tired to explore and ready to call it a day.

The next day was another driving adventure due to several random roads, including their super-highway, closed for who knows what. I will say that by God’s grace Cari and I kept a smile on our faces and were able to use several back roads to finally get to our destination with enough time to explore some cool caves before dark.

Today was one of those days that your jaw drops as you find yourself surrounded by incredible beauty. We spent half the day hiking through the World Heritage site of Plitvice Lakes in central Croatia. This place is a Garden of Eden when it comes to waterfalls and lakes. I found myself thanking the Lord over and over for His beautiful creation. I only wish my pictures could somehow do this place justice.

Our family is doing well, but for the first time everyone is starting to get homesick which really means we miss our family and friends. Having said that we are still geared up for more adventures and God willing we will be in Slovenia tomorrow afternoon for 4 days.

-Kurt

The Pearl of the Adratic

Dubrovnik, Croatia is one of those places that lives up to all the hype. Here our family, ok more so Cari and I, are overwhelmed by the majesty of the place. The sunny days and clear blue waters only help intensify the beauty of this ancient city. I will let the pictures we took make the point more clearly.
-Kurt

A long Way From Romania

Our last day in Brasov, Romania was spent with our new friends that owned and ran the guest house we stayed at. It was such a blessing to be with fellow believers and be bonded by our love for Jesus. In fact we had such a good time with this couple that we almost missed our train.
Did I say “train”? How about 28 hours on 3 different trains that took us through Romania to Belgrade, Serbia and then into the heart of Montenegro. I thought Cole was going to explode or that I was going to strangle him, but by God’s grace we all made it and even had some tired smiles as we got off that last train.
After spending a night in the capital we took the 2+ hour bus to Kotor, Montenegro which sits at the end of the deepest fjord in mainland Europe. To say this place is a natural beauty would be one big understatement. It is one of the most beautiful places on this green earth. To top it off we have been staying the last 2 nights in the Old Town which sits inside the fortress walls surrounded by water. The streets are all cobblestoned and the buildings are right out of the middle ages. The whole area is surrounded by mountains and the one directly above us has an old fort that we climbed the 1340 steps to this morning. What a view!

Tomorrow we are off to Dubrovnik, Croatia. I feel so blessed and thank God daily for such a wonderful trip.
-Kurt

Trains & Romania

There is a lot to be said about trains in Eastern Europe and some of it is good, especially when the windows are clean enough to see out of them. They give you a lot a time to see the country side and for the kids to crawl out of their skin in utter boredom. These trains can travel up to 60 mph, but rarely do and then there are the border stations which can require you to stand out in the cold for an hour at 3:30 in the morning. Having said all this I still like traveling by train and the lazy way they travel through the countryside and towns.
After a 2 hour train delay on the border of Bulgaria we arrived in Bucharest, Romania and spent the night near the station. The next day we took the train into Transylvania and landed in the city of Brasov where we have now made our base camp for the last 2 days. Here we have walked and walked and walked and have seen the cool old town of Brasov, a fortress from the 7th century and Bran Castle (Aka: Dracula’s Castle).
We are having fun and ready to explore more of the area tomorrow before taking the overnight train to Belgrade, Serbia. Maybe in 48 hours I will have another opinion of trains.
-Kurt

Our First Days In Eastern Europe

After a long day of travel for each of us, our family was reunited on April 29th in Istanbul, Turkey. Well most of our family. Jessica is back home working at the dealership to earn some money for college.

We spent 3 days in Istanbul where we walked the Roman Road, visited all the must see sights in the old town. The families favorite was the Hagia Sophia and the Blue Mosque, really amazing! We shopped in the crazy Grand Bazzar and the Spice Market and had hundreds of offers to drink tea and buy rugs :) We spent our final day took a boat ride up and down the Bosphorus which seperates Asia from Europe. We ate our fair share of Turkish Delight and amazing baklava. We capped off our last evening by eating at the Orient Express resturant before catching our overnight train (which was definatly NOT the Orient Express) to Bulgaria. We will be spending the next few days in Bulgeria and Romania and traveling on trains!!

Thailand Wrap up by Meg and Cole

My time in Thailand has been absolutely amazing. I have met and reconnected with so many great people while I was here that it felt like I was back at home. I thoroughly enjoyed my time with Ghan. It is so fun to be around her joyful spirit. She has taught me so many things about the Akha way of life and other great life lessons. It was such a treat to be around her for these five weeks.
I also had a great time on Easter in the village. After an hour and a half of driving up a mountain, we were greeted with great hospitality. We had a nice service in the village’s church (that I couldn’t understand) with communion as closing. Following the service, we had our “Easter Brunch”. It was a bowl of rice with other unrecognizable dishes. That morning was a great reminder of the true meaning and simplicity of Easter. Who knew you could survive without Peeps and chocolate bunnies?
For the first week we were here, we worked intensely on painting the dorms. We started work at 6:30 most mornings to beat the heat, but after 8, we were all drenched in sweat. I had fun painting, cleaning and killing lizards. It felt great to get the job done and see the dorms with fresh paint and new curtains.
All in all, my memories in Thailand will be unforgettable. My time here has been incredible and I hope to return soon!
Meghan

My time here in Thailand has been a gift that is better than any Christmas present or an Easter egg. This month has also been hard for me in some ways because my dog died (that I was really close to) and my great uncle died and my best friend’s dad died. These events at home made me homesick and want to be home yet I realize this is an amazing opportunity that I have here.
I met Rusty and Lynette Polinder. They are really fun people that are fun to be around and you can tell how much they love the Lord. It was nice to see Luka and Ghan again and see their dedication for the kingdom of God. I hope in 3 years I can come back here for I feel a pull to this place and the people and their ministry. Cole