Here are a couple of related reflections I wrote down the other day: The Power of a Smile “Thank you for your smiles,” one sweet immigrant said as she passed by. In the chaos of the moment, other volunteers were rushing back and forth, too busy to personally engage the thousands of migrants that were... Continue Reading →

I'm not done reflecting on the time in Croatia - I could write for days about it!  But in the meantime I wanted to go ahead and give you some ways you can respond to the refugee crisis - and specifically how you can support what's going on in Croatia. The best things our U.S.... Continue Reading →

It was a test case for unmet expectations. This group had come to Croatia, sacrificing their time and their own resources to volunteer at the refugee center. Of course they had expectations of what they’d be doing, who they’d be helping. In the face of uncertain events, we almost always create some idea for ourselves... Continue Reading →

Some of you might have seen pictures and tags of me (Jon) on Facebook the last few days, while I was in Croatia. Only a couple of weeks ago we learned a group of Virginia Baptists (mostly from First Baptist Richmond) were coming to Osijek to work at a refugee camp/center. Because we have a... Continue Reading →