From Theresa...

Hi!!Last week in Croatia we enjoyed some nice hot sunny days. Us kids spent much of the time playing soccer on the local field and unfortunetly as a result lost our soccer ball on the roof of an old building. Everyone especially enjoyed swimming in the ocean. It was not as warm as in Greece but of course still so enjoyable...Who doesn't like to swim. We were in a small town called Makarska. Our hosts were very nice Croation people, It is always good to feel welcome as a big family. You never know! Makarska is just one of the beautiful towns and cities along the coast. Many of them have little marinas and it was interesting to watch some of the boats come and go. Sailig must be a very big sport here in the summer because there are over a thousand islands that dot the Croatian coast. Many even have their own beautiful towns and beaches. We were able to experience the Mediteranean atmosphere with the many water front cafes and restaurants where of course our mother would enjoy a nice cappuccino. On one day we went on a drive and hiked up the coastal mountains, the Biokovo Range, were we enjoyed a spectacular view over the Adriatic Islands.
Before we headed up north to Vienna via beautiful Slovenia, we picked Stefan up from the airport after him being in Canada for a week. The whole family is very happy to have him back on the journey again. So on the way to Vienna we stayed a night in Ptuj, Slovenia and then moved on the next morning. After Slovania there are no more border cosssings because now we were back in the European Union...too bad, its always fun getting a new stamp in our passport. We arrived in Vienna on Friday and were given some contacts of people that are from a church here. We are staying in a guesthouse primarily for missionaries. It has been very nice. The large kitchen facility and everyone having their own bed has been especially good, since the last place we stayed we shared with three in a double bed...kind of tight. We also have a very comfortable living area where we can spend the evenings reading or even watching a movie. This has only been the second time on the whole trip that we've been able to watch a movie. After a couple of weeks of travel and tight accomodations it feels good to get some important things reorganized,such as sorting through dirty laundry, suitcases and the car. On sunday we went to a German service in the morning and an Iranian service in the evening that we were invited to by an Iranian family that lives next door. Most of us didn't understand much and the Iranian music was different but it was still great to be a part of their worship. Everyone was so welcoming. There are many refugees in Vienna from Iran, Afghanistan, Africa etc. Some of them are a part of the Iranian church. Papa and the boys will be visiting the Oasis Refugee Centre today, where refugees can come for help, get information, encouragement, find housing,clothing etc.. We were also able to be tourists in this historical city of Vienna for a day so far with its incredibly beautiful architecture. Mozart and Beethoven both lived in Vienna for a time and the musical history is evident everywhere. We walked downtown through the busy streets, window shopping and visting an old cathedral called the Stephans Dome. On the walk through town we came upon a shop with tradtional Austrian clothing. Stefan tried on some good looking Lederhosen and I(Theresa) tried on a gorgeous Dirndl. We had lots of fun:) Towards the evening we went to visit the very famous palace called Schoenbrunn Palace. This is where the queen of Austria spent much of her time during the 1850s. We only had time to walk a part of the huge gardens outside, and still hope to visit the inside another day. Today the boys are off doing some electrical work at a church that is being renovated. Us girls will be going for an afternoon walk through the town where we are staying. The weather hasn't been as nice as we would like it to be but thankfully it is not raining today. We hope you are all doing well.

The pics...
Makarska, Croatia
Soccer in Makarska
Ptuj, Slovenia
Stefansdome Vienna, Austria
Pulling out the lederhosen...and dirndl

From Mama...a bit of an overview

Where to start? Every day brings so many different encounters and experiences with people in very different countries and cultures, from those we live with at home. Travelling through Germany, Italy and Greece, on the first half of our trip, allowed us to see some incredible, historical sites and enjoy the geographical diversity from mountains to rolling hills to oceans. The grape vineyards and apple, orange and lemon orchards in Italy, along with endless hillsides of olive trees in the whole region were a common site. The Mediterranean Sea in Greece was the most clear, turquoise colour I’ve ever seen. If you can imagine the beautiful landscape, very quaint old towns and beautiful old cities, and watch the people in their daily activities, from the simple farmer who still herds his sheep and goats by foot over the mountains where donkeys are still used regularly in the villages for transport, to the very elegant men and women walking the streets, then you’ll get a little feel for the diverse sites we’ve had so far. The next part of our journey has been more of our missions journey, meeting up with Christian groups, but still enjoying Europe’s countryside. Crossing the border into Albania made me a little more nervous due to other peoples’ unsubstantiated stories. The traffic was a little chaotic and the potholes, open manholes everywhere, and broken streets were out of this world. Thanks to a very good driver/navigator/husband we were able to inch our way along most of the time. All the people we met were very wonderful and generous. The visible difference between rich and poor in Albania was a stark reality. The skyscrapers are being built all over the place while the infrastructure of the towns and cities is quite bad. In Durres, Albania we stopped in to visit David and Valbona Pennoyer. (His parents Keith and Viola used to live on the ranch just before Rock Creek with all the blue roofs). It was great to see them and get a little glimpse into the work they do at their Christian centre; programs for children, food distribution, 2 Sunday services, midweek studies etc. They are a great asset for the community and the city of Durres. We found the best and cheapest place in Durres to eat gyros and Italian ice cream. They were about 1 dollar each. The portions were plenty and delicious. We crossed the border from Albania to Montenegro and the language switched from Albanian to Serbian. Again it was a quick language lesson in being able to say thank you, hello, and goodbye. That’s as far as we got. At least the letters were not like they were in Greece where you can’t even decipher anything by looking at the words. They still have a different alphabet for Serbian but most things are written with our common alphabet also. The border crossings have always been good so far. The border guards have always been a little curious about the stack of nine passports they receive each time. “All one family?” they usually ask or wonder. Germans and North Americans are well liked in these Balkan countries. We travelled to the city of Bar, Montenegro which is a city on the Adriatic Coast. We met another cool, very international, Christian group. There were Germans, Koreans, Americans and one Serbian. The group was nine in total. They have a little tiny cafe in town called “The Living Room” where they offer German and English language nights and host children’s groups etc. Franz and the boys were also able to finish the flooring for a family where the mother had recently passed away. The grandmother, father, and his four children lived in a very tiny house. Hopefully they were encouraged by the small improvement. It’s always hard to say goodbye. During the day the kids and I went for walks through town, went to the beach, bought groceries, and did schoolwork. You can find stores almost every 500 metres through the whole town. The basics, plus fruit and veggies can always be found. The local bakery is always a treat. The lady that we stayed with had some animals that the kids loved. They fed the chickens and played with the dog and cats. Our travels continued to the country of Kosovo. We had made contact with some Christian missionaries ahead of time, so our destination was the city of Peja. Wow! The first site of it was a little shocking. The broken roads, rubble, and remnants of bombed houses, were the evidence of the Kosovar crisis (war in 1999). The ugly Communist structures don’t make the city anymore beautiful. The streets were very busy though with much building and business. The friendliness of the people quickly softened the effect of new surroundings once again. One shop owner was so thrilled to have us in his store that he led me through his whole store asking me if I needed this or that. I’ve never experienced anything like it. He also helped the kids cross the street safely and treated everyone to an ice cream on another occasion. Our activity here in Kosovo was mostly doing some work at a Christian camp, started by a couple, Keith and Pam, from Iowa. The camp has been hosting kids and teens for about 8 years already. They started out in a couple of tents in a gorgeous, mountainous region. Now they are working on a building a little at a time as funds and help are available. Franz and the boys did some concrete work, framing, and pouring. The kids and I helped out with a couple of odd jobs, getting things ready for the busy summer camp season. We slept in a big refugee tent. It was quite cool the first few nights with some rain and frost. We used every blanket we could find. Some of the kids slept in their clothes but still liked it. Pam’s cooking was fabulous and that made the hard work and cold mornings with no showers more manageable. Every few days we headed down to town for other activities. The road up and down to the camp was something else. The few gravel roads I’ve travelled on in Canada, and even Mexico, were nothing in comparison. This road had boulders to dodge, streams to drive through, and a very rickety bridge that crossed over a fast flowing river. Besides one flat tire, and a few clunks on the bottom of our van, we were fine. The locals drive their cars up and down these roads every day. It’s quite amazing. Keith took Franz, the kids, and another family, on a very long hike that took them up to an ice cave and gave them some spectacular views. They got back about 8 hours later and were very wet and hungry, yet still satisfied. The funny thing here though is that you can still get cell phone reception on the highest, farthest peak. Canada’s a little different in that way. We’ve crossed back over to Montenegro and now Croatia. We’re in Makarska in Croatia. We are once again enjoying some beautiful coastlines; some of the nicest so far. We’ve got about a week to ourselves before we head north to Vienna. Hope all is well!

From Daniela...

Everything has been going great so far. We have finished our time in Montenegro. It was raining a bit so we were inside a lot but on the last few days the sun came out and it was nice and warm. Every morning the hostess Lubinjka would come and give us lemons, and talk to us in skip even though we had no clue what she was saying. On the sunny days we would go out into the town and check out a few new things. The OM team is nearby and have been very generous. They have washed loads of our dirty laundry, helped us find our way around town, and invited us over for a delicious meal. The next day our family brought some of them to the old town of bar for lunch. We ate at an old but restored restaurant. The waiters made us a variety of Montenegrin food. Everything tasted delicious except for the raw chicken, and corn bread with spinach. After we finished eating we went up to the castle of the city. It was very interesting! The second last day we went to a city about an hour away and went into the old town part of the city. There were people living there and they had restaurants for tourists. We were thinking of going to one but unfortunately had to go back to bar. The next day we said good bye to Lubinjka and made our way into Peje, Kosovo.

From Daniela...and Papa

Hey everyone. I had a great time in Greece. Our last visit was on an island called Lefkada. We didn't actually stay right in the city of Lefkada but we did stay in a beautifull place just a few minutes away. Every day we either went for walks in different towns or we went down to the beaches.They are very steep and one time we had to climb down 380 steps to get to the beach.It was a goog work out. The weather was very warm and so we could jump in the ocean and ride the waves.The sand is so white and warm. It's beautiful. The host's son, Spartakus, and his dog Hercules were very nice.It helped because Spartakus told us where the best places were to go. We had a real good time here and I would have loved to stay longer, but unfortunately we had to leave Greece because some people from OM(Operation Mobilization) in Albania were expecting us.So we packed up our things and headed north. Here we are helping the O.M. team in a city called Lushnje. We have done many fun things with the group. We have gone for pizza, played games at one of the couples house, gone to lunch at a Canadian girls place and a man named Eddie,the pastor of this local church, took us out to play soccer. We played on a turf field, indoors.It was really fun.After the game he took us out to have a drink and a piece of cake.The cake was delicious.Later on in the day he took me,Alex, Stefan and Theresa to go watch Bayern Munich vs. Manchester United in a coffee bar. The game was very exciting and thankfully in the end Bayern won.Between The peopleall the fun we helped clean or fix things aruond the yard.Which also turned out to be fun sometimes to.The People here are very generousand we will miss them alot.Next we will be going to a city called Durres which is about an hour away to visst a friend of ours from Rock Creeek.His name is David Ponioer.It will be lot's of fun. I'm having a great time and I hope you are too.See you all in 2 mounths and days.


Now this is Daniela's Dad telling you a little about our time in Albania.
This country has changed so much since I was first here in 1994 with our daughter Rebecca. Then the old regime had just fallen and the people were very disoriented about what to do and the future in general. Today you can see smiles on many faces. These mediteranean poeple are very industrious today.
Despite being still quite isolated from other parts of the world they seem to have hope for the future. Prices for most things are lower then in the western world. Albanians have many products made in Albania and one has to adjust to different foods.Coming from an atheist dicatorship Albanians are looking for a new identity. Islam is the largest religious group, but not very strict. Orthodox Christianity is present mostly in the south. Our group is mostly motivated by showing
the love of Jesus to these people, helping gypsies through sport programms because they are a shunted minority in this country. Also women and children are traditionally having a harder time and the team tries to help out with practical and
emotional support, such as Kindergartens, visitations, practical help, advocacy and other things. The influence of consumerism and societal pressures becomes apparent when you see that young people spent money rather on classy closing than food. The unemployment rate among young people is very high and facilities for alternate activities only exist here and there. It is humbling for us to see individuals and couples from all over the world giving up their affluent lifestyle for many years to help this nation. This team here is comprised of people from South Korea, Canada, Australia,Ecuador,Paraguay, US and Albania. We as a family were able to help with practical things such as electrical and plumbing repairs. The girls cleaned the facility which is small and simple, but will house up to 35 people later in this year that come from other parts of the world to be involved. The boys played a lot of soccer and found the Albanians to be quite competetive! Janet was busy with sewing new bedsheats. The children weeded the garden and cleaned the yard. Alexander was able to be involved with music, playing his guitar at several occasions, which excited the young people the most. We are heading to Durres next, were we will meet David Pennoyer who has a ministry there. David is from the Rock Creek area. Later we plan to continue through Montenegro and into Kosovo to help build a summer camp for youth in the Mountains outside of Peja (Pec)
Everyone is in good spirit. The van is running ok. Please keep us in your prayers. Driving here is an adventure in itself!!

From Alexander and Stefan

Ok. Daniela's too general. We just posted her last two entries. Yes, we're in Greece. It's not really like My Big Fat Greek Wedding but our host at the place we're staying, told us we should stay here for Easter because in the streets they'll be roasting lamb and dancing. And then he showed us how they dance. Opa! It's true. The finger snapping and all. Well, we're in Nafpaktos (hope it's right). We checked out a castle on the hill above the town. It was closed but we found a hole in the wall and crawled through. Our mom stayed behind. She didn't want to break the rules. Oh Mom! Anyway, we explored the castle. It was sweet. Last night they had an outdoor concert with an orchestra here right out by the harbour. It was an environmental event. For some reason they turned off all the lights in the city for an hour. Either way, it was a good show. We hiked up above the city and enjoyed the show while sitting on the edge of a huge stone fortress wall. Either the people here can speak English really well, or not at all. They definitely aren't influenced as much by American culture and music which is cool to see. Our host hunts octopus with a trident spear every morning. He showed us an octopus he caught this morning. He had it hanging on a tree outside his house. He said he had eaten two legs already. He had six more to go...I guess. Many of the local folk around here have grown up on the ocean working for the ferries or as fishermen. They say that when they retire, they have to retire near the ocean. It's too much a part of their life. They can't go inland. We all went out to eat some real Greek gyros today. They were awesome. The lady spoke English; she actaully worked in Canada for many years and is Canadian. She told us to come back again someday. Everyone loves our huge family. They all say to our parents, "good job." I guess the Greeks are into big families...same with the Italians. When we came across to Patras on the ferry, it left at 7 pm and arrived at 9 am in Patras. We didn't book any cabins so we carried everything we needed from our van (we weren't allowed to go back to it during the sail) and camped out in the lobby or wherever. We actaully all ended up sleeping in different places. Daniela and Antonia slept right in the middle of the floor in front of the reception desk just with sleeping bags. We set up a few tables and chairs as beds on the outside deck, and slept there too because it was warm enough. Matthias was on a wicker table. Everyone else found a place too. I read my book most of the night but then got two hours of sleep on the floor in the TV sitting room. Papa and Mama and some of the others found couches. Stefan was in the TV room with me. Seisa and Christina were called over by a few Italian teens on the outside deck that were heading with their class on a trip to Greece. They wanted them to play cards. Only one guy spoke a bit of English. It was hilarious. I still don't know what they were playing...we kinda got the hang of it. Anyway, it was all fun. They all wanted to add us on Facebook after and of course, take a picture. We're Canadians, so it's understandable. Well, that was some of our ferry trip...and we've got more stories, but that's all for now. Adios!...and goodbye in Greek (whatever that is)

From Daniela...From Greece (Current)

We have now finished our stay in Italy and have left to Greece. After a great breakfast, we packed up our things and went to the ferry. We arrived early in Brindisi where we got our ticket for the ferry. Then when it was time to leave, we went on. It was a very long trip, especially because we were going through the night and I didn't have the greatest sleep. Finally it was morning and we were almost ready to get off. We landed in Patras and from Patras we headed to a small town near the ocean. We're having a lot of trouble understanding the language (duhhh...it's all Greek to me). We went to two places so far. Today we experienced Palm Sunday in Greece.

From Daniela...From Italy (An Old Post)

Hello everyone! I know I have not written lately but things have not been going so great with the internet connection. Things are different everyday. We have been through Florence and have gone to Rome and seen many ancient ruins, one being the coliseum. Now we are in a very warm area of Italy. We are staying in a beautiful B&B called Al Vecchio Pioppo which is named after the last poplar tree in this town. We have done so much. We've gone to the beach everyday, gone to see some old ruins, walked through many old towns, and hung out with the owners and their kids, Mikaela and Flavia. We've also been able to try a very filling, big, delicious Italian dinner that our hosts cooked for us. I'm having a great time in Italy. The weather is wonderful, the food is great, and the scenery is amazing. Hope things are going great.

ps. can't put any pics on right now. We're at an internet cafe in Greece and don't have any pics with us.