I was face down on a surfboard about half a mile off the beach at Waikiki. I had always wanted to try to ride the Hawaiian surf, but out here among these giant green swells I suddenly didn’t feel very adventuresome.

“This is far enough,” said the brown-skinned beach boy who had accompanied me on his own board. “Now turn and face the beach. When a wave lifts your board, paddle hard. Then stand up.”

 

Stand up? “Tell me,” I croaked, trying to keep the panic out of my voice, “what’s the main thing to remember?”

“The main thing?” he repeated with a smile. “Don’t look back!”

The next wave lifted the board. Ahead of me a great chasm seemed to open in the sea. The board tilted down and plunged deep into an emerald precipice that seemed almost vertical. I tried to stand up. Behind me, I knew, a million seething tons of saltwater were poised above my head. In that instant I forgot what the beach boy had said—I looked back. …

Well, I didn’t drown. Not quite, anyway. I stayed there, floating in the Pacific while my board went plunging away by itself, until finally I summoned the courage to try again.

I’ve always remembered what the beach boy said: Don’t look back. At past mistakes. At lost opportunities. At hurt feelings. At grievances, real or fancied. No, look forward. Face forward. Concentrate on what lies ahead. That’s the main thing to remember.

Lord, as I face the New Year, help me to reach out to the challenging future, not look back to the unchangeable past.

—Arthur Gordon (courtesy of Guideposts)

From the Apostle Paul

                 —writing from the first century about looking forward and not back

Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended; but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead, I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus (Philippians 3:13–4 NKJ).

Run in such a way that you may obtain it. And everyone who competes for the prize is temperate in all things. Now they do it to obtain a perishable crown, but we for an imperishable crown (1 Corinthians 9:24–25 NKJ).

W ork out your own salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure
(Philippians 2:12–13 NKJ).

You cannot be lost to My love. You can never be despised by Me. There’s never a fraction of a second that I am not caring for you. There is never a thought in My heart that is unloving toward you, My child whom I love and for whom I would give My life countless times.

Never fear for the future, and do not agonize in remorse over the past. Look up into My loving face. Come unto Me, and you will find perfect strength, perfect love, perfect forgiveness, perfect comfort, from now until the day that I return for you.

—Jesus

Newsletter N. 15

Dear friends,

As we issue the 15th number of “Per un mondo migliore”, spring knocks on our doors. Our first springtime wish to you is that your heart blossom with good will, joy and peace. Now more than ever the elements, the unexpected cold weather, and the suffocating atmosphere in world politics don’t make for a time of growth in human values. It takes courage and determination to continue bucking the tide, to keep pushing and standing up for unpopular causes, to not give up when it seems like the seeds we plant fall on sterile ground. Someone once said, “If God called you, don’t ….(from reflection To a worldchanger)

There is no greater joy than that of seeing even one life transformed, like a flower budding in the midst of adversity: a hope that is renewed after many defeats and delusions. This is our picture of springtime!

AN EXAMPLE TO FOLLOW!

This is a bulletin board, hanging on the wall inside the entrance of Waldorf primary school (in Rijeka). Posted on it are drawings and thank-you notes made by the children in Krnjak.

Two times the refugee youngsters received aid, sent by parents and children from the school in Rijeka. The initiative began as a simple effort to help, when a mother of a child from Waldorf school heard about our projects in Krnjak, and decided to take part in them.

She organized a whole humanitarian action: First, she motivated the parents from the school to bring material their children are no longer using, or even buy new items. Then she gathered a few volunteers to help package boxes upon boxes of the collected materials. When that was finished, she passed them on to our volunteers, and we drove and distributed the aid.

Thus the refugee school received a shipment of toys, clothes and school supplies, in the middle of November last year, but even more important than that, through their exchange of notes and pictures the children gained new friendships with far away peers. When this mother heard that the school in Krnjak had nothing to give its students for st. Nicolas (a major holiday here), except the candies we had brought, she went on to organize a replay of the action she had just completed. This time she packaged Christmas and st. Nicolas gifts. So hats off to… MARINA VLADIC! …and all those who cooperated: the parents and kids from Waldorf school in Rijeka, and the volunteers who helped package, organize and prepare the presents! They brought smiles of happiness to more than 150 children in the refugee village! And what started out as a simple effort is now turning into a friendship – a bridge between the children in Rijeka, and the children in Krnjak.

Marina’s initiative has already inspired, and we hope will inspire in even more hearts the thought of doing something for others; because, no matter how little or insignificant we may feel we are, like Marina, if we look around we’ll find out that there is still something left in us to give.

“Someone to warn us young people…”

At the end of October’02 we performed a series of shows on the islands of Cres and Losinj: we gave a warning about the dangers of drugs to the teenagers, and a message of helping others to all: children and young people.
After only a day spent on the island, the children and young people would spot us as we walked downtown, and start talking about “the people from the show troupe”. It was hard to pass unnoticed in these places where everyone knows each other, and where events of any kind hardly ever occur for the younger generation. Many teenagers end up in the streets, bored and sniffing “for fun”, when there are scores of possibilities: but no one to show the young ones what to do.

Here we have to acknowledge the two activists on the island, Jadranka Hofman and Natasha Lenac, who are among the few “chosen”, or more like, who have chosen to volunteer, to care for the needs of the children and adolescents. It was these ones’ organizational help that also rendered our trip possible. These women are mothers, respectively of 5 and 2 children, with jobs and homes to juggle around; yet they make time for the youngsters of their town. This time they were in need of new input – and this is where we came in with our material and way of inspiring the youth. It was a thrill for Jadranka and Natasha to see us motivate the young people, and cause them to look away from their vices and at the rest of the world around them – the poor, war-torn, depressed – and to realize that they, too have something to give. During our stay on the islands we performed for every possible institution: schools, kindergardens, and a home for delinquent teenagers. We also spent time talking and counseling the young people, visiting families, and a little fraction of it – walking back and forth from our hotel along the picturesque coastline of the island.

Children, teenagers, teachers and individual families (or, almost all with whom we came in contact) invited us to go again, and so we plan to repeat our visit. Above all else, we wish to inspire more local volunteers to take up the torch. Zeljka, 8th grade from the school in Cres wrote us: “It’s great that there is someone to warn us young people about the traps that we fall into…”. Well, how about working towards a change? – Having more someone’s willing to do it!

FRANCESCO HAS RETURNED!

After 10 months of civil service at the municipality of Vobarno (Brescia), our fellow volunteer Francesco came back to base. In Italy, as well as many other European countries military service is required for all boys who are of age: it can be substituted with serving in a government institution for the same amount of time, around a year, and this is why Francesco left our community last year for a period of time. In the month of October ’02 he returned, and began taking part in our activities, as well as studying Croatian with remarkable determination. Here’s an interview where he describes this period away from home:

Is there something you want to share with us about your experience in the civil service?

I was used to the “free spirit”, and to have to stay put in one place for almost a year, especially at a place where I had to relive unpleasant memories, was a little hard. What I learned though, is that wherever we find ourselves, it pays to be content and not wish to be somewhere else. It’s important to go through this part of life and learn what we can out of a situation.

What kind of work did you do?

Different office work, sending faxes, photocopying material, record keeping, organizing papers, picking up mail, etc.
I also assisted a man who was ill and couldn’t move his arm, and was also violent with his mother…

What was your best experience during these 10 months?

There is no specific experience. I got satisfaction out of trying to do my best to help others during my time of service, and during my spare time.

Any unpleasant experience?

I like a working atmosphere where there is peace and good relations between people. Many times this was lacking at my workplace, and I realized that these are the times for each one of us to try to make life easier for our neighbor.

What did you do during your free time?

I visited various senior citizens’ homes, dressed up as a clown and performed shows and clown therapy for the people. During the week-ends I joined up with other volunteers for animations and other activities. I also went to the prison “San Vittore” in Milano.

Do you have some advice for other young men who are about to start their civil service?

I think the best idea, as much as possible, is to try to offer useful service and help to someone. Many times you might find yourself in situations that are not perfect, and it might be hard to do your best, but you’ve gotta do it anyway.

Any plans for the future?

Without a shadow of a doubt, I will continue to live the life of a volunteer like I have in the last five years. I want to give all of myself to change my part of the world, and I would like to start a new missionary project, accordding to the Lord’s order: “Go into all the world and preach the Gospel to every creature.” The example of Jesus and his disciples who went around everywhere doing good is the ideal that spurs me on in my life and service. I would like also, if possible, to work in other poor and needy mission fields, like the Ukraine, for example, where I would like to go soon.

 

YOU DIDN’T FORGET US!

Our show troupe performed 37 times this last December’02, to beat the record from last year – 32. Some institutions were already expecting us, like the children in Vojnic, “Kantrida” hospital, Gelsi school, the school for the disabled in Rijeka. These children eagerly await our return every Christmas, and continue to talk about the show for months after Christmas season is over. So how could we even think of disappointing them?!

This year we also received invitations from places not on our traditional list – some kinder gardens, some handicapped centers, and altogether performed in the following institutions:

5 schools;
5 homes for senior citizens;
3 kinder gardens;
3 handicapped centers;
2 hospitals;
1 orphanage,
and a few theatres (Skrljevo and Kalvarija in Rijeka, and others in Italy), starting December 4th and ending December 29th.
Twenty-five of the shows were performed in Croatia, and the remaining 12 – in Italy.

It was a busy month of giving our time, attention and love to those who didn’t feel Christmas was in their hearts. There were shows, visitations, activities that kept us out of the house from early morning till late at night every day. Besides that, Christmas season in our community started long before the beginning of December, with preparations – sewing costumes, booking shows, practice, translating, recording… as Henry Ford once said: “Remember, it takes a lot of little apples to keep the big ones on top!”…
And now that December is over, and we’re heading fullspeed into new activities, we look back but have no reason to regret any of the effort. There’s a better reward than payment in money – even one smiling face would have made it worthwhile; and there were a lot more than that.

IT’S NEVER TOO LATE TO GIVE!

We took two humanitarian trips with Sarro, Giorgio, Rosa and friends from “Gruppo Container”, Verona. This group is formed of retired citizens who, instead of wasting their time at the bar drinking or playing cards, have decided to dedicate the winter of their life to a useful cause. They fix second-hand wheelchairs and beds for handicapped people, and then take them to needy places to be distributed.

Together we brought two such truckloads to the Caritas warehouse in Rijeka, and distributed them to needy institutions and individual families in the space of a few weeks. Dear Sarro, Giorgio and friends, we would like to congratulate you on the initiative you’ve taken on, even after you’ve finished your due years of labor. May God bless you and keep you going!

Will You be a Peacemaker?

You can speculate all you want. You can debate, discuss, offer opinions, and hash it over and over again, but the bottom line is this: Nobody wins a war; everyone comes out a loser. I am a proponent of peace.

War is the result of man’s wrong choices. All of you have a choice. You can choose to live and work toward peace, to be an advocate of peace, or you can choose to stand behind those who wage war. And remember, silence often gives consent.

I control all parts of nature. I send the rain. The thunder roars at My command. My influence reaches realms unexplored by man, yet I cannot make you follow My ways. I know your innermost thoughts. I know the intentions of every human heart. Nothing escapes Me or is hid from Me. Yet I have placed the majesty of choice in your hands. The right to choose to do good or to do evil belongs to you.

I hear the steady beat of war drums. What are you going to do about it? Will you be an advocate of war or of peace?

Those who choose My ways will be blessed; those who choose wrongdoing will suffer the consequences. This is My law: As sure as the sun rises every morning, whatever a man sows, he will sooner or later reap. There is no getting past it.

I am not for the arrogant, for those who resort to violence when it is avoidable. My ways are love, humility, and living in peace and harmony. America, land of the free -you say your goal is the same? You say you are lovers of peace? You want to make the world a better place, a safe place to live in? You want to defend and promote freedom? I ask you to look to Me to resolve the problems instead of waging war. Peace and freedom will not come through death, dying, suffering and killing.

I have the solutions to the sad state of world conditions today, and I will give these solutions to those who sincerely look to Me for guidance with an open heart. My solutions do not include trampling on the weak, slaughtering the helpless, exploiting the innocent, and waging this war. I will not turn a blind eye and a deaf ear to the cries of the poor.

I point you now to your own motto -“In God we trust.” If you trust in Me, you will follow My ways and do what I say. I am the only One who can help you make the world a safe place to live in. I am the only One who can help you establish a future of peace and prosperity for your children. Only I can give you lasting solutions. Safety is of Me; it doesn’t come by taking matters into your own hands, through your weapons of war.

I do not lead you into this war. Will you trust Me and seek a better way? I will bless the peacemakers, and by this I do not mean those who say they are for peace, yet war is in their hearts. By this I mean those who work toward peace not only in word but in their actions, by exhausting all peaceful forms of problem solving.

If you’re reading this and thinking, “But I ‘m only one person. What can I do?” The answer is: Plenty! One man, woman, young person or child who truly puts his or her trust in Me, showing it by their actions, is mightier than all the armies of the world! Never think you can’t make a difference in the world. You can with My help. I am the Prince of Peace, and if you let Me into your life, I can help you do the things you cannot do yourself.

Will you take a stand? Will you live up to the tremendous potential I have given you to bring about good in the world? Stop right now and take some time to talk to Me, and I’ll show you what you can do. You can start by saying this simple prayer:

Dear Jesus, I choose good over evil. I choose You and Your ways. Please come into my heart and show me how I can do my part to live for true love and spread Your peace. Teach me to communicate with You so I can receive Your guidance.

Once you’ve said this prayer, don’t stop there. Take time with Me every day. Listen to what I have to tell you. I will speak to you in your thoughts, with a feeling, or in a still, small voice, whispering to your mind or heart. I’ll show you how to stand up for peace and truth and to live for what is good and right and true.

I hear war drums -they beat on. What will you do about it? Will you do your part to promote peace?

-Jesus

 

 

Future projects

At the beginning of the year we renewed our weekly club meetings with young people in Rijeka, remembering that the set of meetings we organized last year became a springboard to the training of new volunteers. Volunteering is not wide-spread here, and we’ve made it our goal to encourage and cultivate it through seminars, meetings and joint activities.
One project we’re starting in March involves these same new local volunteers: a weekly workshop at the Rijeka hospital (KBC) for patients suffering from depression.
Another retreat is planned for the second half of March, similar to the Week-end away from we held last September.
In January we began teaching a course in Italian to the volunteers from “Koraci”. These people, some of them not in their prime years any more, are putting a lot of effort into learning Italian – just so they can write, communicate more freely and co-operate with their friends and fellow volunteers in Italy. We’ve promised a prize for the completion of the course: an excursion to Italy, where the successful attendees of the course can meet and greet their friends in person.

We began the English classes in the school of Krnjak for this year (Krnjak is a town close to the border with Bosnia, populated largely by refugees). Our purpose in organizing these lessons is not only to teach the children and teenagers English, but to impart the true values of peace, friendship and brotherhood in these young ones’ souls, who have lived through hatred and discrimination at an early age.

Lidija and the volunteers from “Koraci” express their thankfulness to all those of you in Italy and Canada who’ve bought their products (ceramic windows, cards made with pressed flowers, etc.) The income from the sales will enable the center to continue working and spreading friendship and solidarity. Please let us know if you are interested in any more of their products!

In Italy, apart from the shows for schools and senior citizens’ homes, we’ve been invited to hold youth meetings at the centers of various parishes. We’ve organized evening get-togethers for young people where we’ve shared our volunteer experiences through word of mouth, songs and videos of our activities. These meetings give a chance to the young people who attend to open their eyes to the necessities of others, and to hear true life stories from their peers who’ve dedicated their lives to serving others in need: not a sermon, but a sample!

THANK YOU!

We are extremely grateful for every contribution, big or small, that helps us continue to commit our energies to needy situations. We are not a great organization, but for this reason nothing is lost in red tape and beaurocracy. We are available 24 hours a day to help our neighbor, and are also involving other young people from Croatia and Italy, towhom we have given hospitality and training for longer or shorter periods.A lot of friends or acquaintances ask, “But how do you manage to continue?”, and we reply: “Well, thanks to people like you and your willingness to help!”

In every newsletter we try to make a list of our more immediate needs, but please do not feel strictly confined to that list. A lot of friends pledge monthly or periodical support – a donation they transfer to our bank account in Italy or Croatia.

Others give us hospitality when we come on trips to Italy, yet others donate food, clothes, even toiletries and cleaning supplies. Some fix our vehicles for free, developour photos, print our newsletter… and here we lack space to tell of all the little andbig acts of kindness (even from only a few months back) that help us go on. Thank you all, and of course, thank God for His help and blessing!

 

– New tires for our vehicles–sizes 175/75 R16C and 195/75 R14C.
– canned food and long-life staples
– school and office supplies
– finances toward our many trips

 

 

Newsletter No. 16

If you want to be truly happy, live for others!

Dear friends,

Here we are back at the pre-planned appointment, with issue 16 of our newsletter; even though it will most likely not reach you until mid-summer! Our intention was to prepare and print it earlier, but as you’ll see from the next pages we have been busier than ever in these last few months. No time to get bored! Maybe that’s why some of the common ailments of society today – depression, discouragement, loneliness and a sense of uselessness – do not affect us much: living in service for others and in an atmosphere of love and faith keeps negativity away. Yet we’re aware that others are plagued by these ills, and it’s our greatest desire to help you partake of the solutions that have worked in our lives. In this issue you will find some, and if those are not enough – just write, or come over for a visit!

 

“Anyone can be great… because anyone can serve others. It’s not necessary to have a diploma. It’s not necessary to know

verb conjugations to serve. All you need is a heart full of grace, a soul motivated by love.”
Martin Luther King Jr.

A workshop in the Rijeka hospital

(By Danijela Burina)
In March we started an art workshop with some patients of the Psychiatric hospital in Rijeka. Even after the course/therapy was finished, the patients continued getting together and created their own art club.

“Koraci” association helped us organize these creative workshops, where we taught the patients to take seemingly useless leftover materials, and use their imagination to turn them into beautiful works of art. Even though we taught a certain technique, the products the attendees made always surprised us with their originality and attractiveness. There were more and more ideas born each day. The attendees went out on their own initiative to collect pebbles and broken glass, then pasted them on bottles and cardboard boxes to make vases, treasure chests, and other decorations.

We had planned one workshop every Wednesday afternoon for 6 weeks, but when the set time had passed, the patients continued to get together, and the course went on till the end of June.

So what do the attendees think? We asked them, and here are some of their answers: 
“ The volunteers from “Per un mondo migliore” and “Koraci” gave us a chance to express our creativity in a lot of art techniques. We made many useful objects, and developed our skills. I’m satisfied with the course, and hope that our club will go on…”
“Of course, all of us who have a label of being less useful to the public will not get cured by art work, but it helped us a lot, and gave us a sense of responsibility… all positive results! Thank you, “Per un mondo migliore” and “Koraci”!”
“The workshop is a projection of thoughts, feelings, skills and imagination. It gives us a greater sense of self-worth.”
“Each time we made something new. We took our products home, and now some beautiful works adorn our houses.”
“I’m very satisfied with the workshop, because it’s practical, and gives people incentive to work and create on their own.”

The Prize!

By Paolo
21-24th of May, 2003 – many friends cooperated in making this dream trip a reality. These four days we dedicated to handing out the prize to the attendees of the 5-month-long Italian course in “Koraci” – a trip to Italy. It was meant as an added teaching aid, so that Lidija, Danijela, Irena, Marica and others could practice their Italian, and yet a lot more than that. What started out as a short excursion grew longer and fuller, with one invitation coming in after another.

Our first stop was at a friends’ house in Faenza, and at the institute of art in the town, where the volunteers from “Koraci” gleaned numerous ideas for their art and ceramic work. Then we stopped by at Chievo (Verona) to discuss the production of some items “Koraci” is making for families in Verona and the area. Villaggio Violino was also waiting for us – don Flavio, the young people, the children and families to whom Danijela and Irena taught art work last year. We were guests at those families’ houses for the night, and there had an occasion to deepen our friendship.

On the third day we left Villaggio Violino for a meeting with Ferruccio Andreatta, and the senior citizens’ home in Rovereto. You might recall they are old-time friends of “Koraci”, and “Per un mondo migliore”. “Koraci” and “Rovereto” keep in touch all the time, but meeting one another doesn’t happen that often, so this third day of the trip was a treasured reunion. Even the mayor of town, Mr. Roberto Maffei put the meeting as one of the priorities on his agenda, and managed to attend.

As the last night of being away descended upon us, we found ourselves again dispersed in different houses, meeting new friends and deepening older friendships. Then, after regrouping again in the morning, we took a long detour back home to Rijeka – visiting Romeo & Juliet’s houses and the surroundings…

Four days spent on a trip are not a grand percentage of a lifetime – yet all that we experienced, the new smiling faces we saw and friendships we made will make up a big part of our memoires. It seemed a lot longer than four days – and none of us would have minded if it was even longer.

 

What our visitors have to say!

During these days we experienced a little taste of your kind of life, and we realized that you really are God’s representatives on earth for this time. After seeing the example of your community, we want to live the words of Jesus in the Gospels to the full.

We love you: Anna Rosa, Claudio and children

I know it’s a little trivial to say, and I’m not being original, but I can’t describe with words the feelings I experienced these last 4 days. Everyone here was so nice, and I was touched by each one’s kindness. Each one in this house is special in his or her own way. They showed me how to be kind to others, and also to myself. They showed me how with a smile on your face, communication and faith in yourself you can accomplish anything and be a wonderful person to yourself and others. Even though I believed in Jesus before, now my faith is enriched, and its foundation is stronger than it was before. Thank you, everyone, for everything! I love you all!

Igor (16 from Krnjak)

Last summer over 100 friends came for a visit to our center/home, some for shorter, others for longer periods of time. This summer we welcome you our friends again, and will be happy to be of service! Please call soon and reserve your place!

1. The group of ‘The Prize’ in Brescia, Italy with Don Flavio

2. In the beginning of April, we did concerts in two youth hostels and a High School in Pula and Zadar. Some still remembered us from last year, and were happy to see us. We also met many fnew riends. We have since returned to Pula to spend time with them.

3. We finished off the series of english classes and seminars in the Public school of Krnjak near the Bosnian border which consists mainly of Bosnian refgees and returnees. Both students and teachers were enthusiastic about our classes and begged us to return next year!

4. Lots of fun at our second Croatian Retreat held in Delnice (40 km from Rijeka). Next appointment in September!

5. Igor, 16. from Krnjak helps Millie in the kitchen.

6. On May 8th we were guests of Don Claudio of Telepace. This is Italy’s largest Catholic TV station, and reaches most of the country. This particular program was a youth show, and we were given the opportunity to present our association and our various projects in which we are involved and how Jesus has changed our lifes. We also met some priests there (who sang some youthful pop songs about Jesus!), one of whom asked if he could bring a group of teenagers to work with us for a week this summer!

Your website is indeed excellent. I hope you don’t mind that I’ve sent it to my friends.  Lots of love and good wishes to you Maggie and all your/my friends.
                              Dolores – Rijeka

Dear friends, thank you for your greetings! Thank you for the wonderful witness for Jesus. The world has been a better place for sure since the day you dedicated yourselves to Him. May you always bring peace and love to others. Greetings and love: Children and nuns from “Zvjezdice mira”, kindergarden in Rijeka

We hope these days of yours are filled with love, happiness and hope. We think of you with joy and hope to see you soon! Many greetings from Ika, Vice and all other workers in “Pcelice” (kinder garden in Škrljevo)

Dear friends, Thank you for your wonderful friendship, encouragement during hard times, and your lending a friendly helping hand! A special thank you for all the wonderful moments you dedicated to guiding us into Jesus’ wonderful world of love, and for enriching our souls with values that give us strength to go on! We hope that our friendship will grow even stronger, and bring happiness, joy and peace to many others. Even though you’re only gone for a few days, we already miss you a lot! We can’t wait to see you and hug you again!
(Members of “Koraci” association – Rijeka)

 

The true story of the mutiny on the British ship Bounty has often been retold. One part that deserves retelling was the transformation caused by one book. Nine mutineers with six native Tahitian men and twelve Tahitian women put ashore on Pitcairn Island in 1790. One sailor soon began distilling alcohol, and the little colony was plunged into drunken orgies and violence.
Ten years later, only one white man had survived, surrounded by native women and half-blooded children. One day, in an old chest from the Bounty, this sailor found a Bible. He began to read it and then to teach it to the others. The result was that his own life and ultimately the lives of all those in the colony were changed. Discovered in 1808 by the USS Topas, Pitcairn had become a prosperous community with no alcoholism, no crime, and no jail.

Several friends were telling each other a little about themselves. One of them said, “My story is unlike other men.” He continued: “I was a pickpocket. One day I saw a man with a definite bulge in his hip pocket. `A fat billfold,’ I thought, and soon it was in my pocket. When I arrived home, I was disgusted to find that it was only a book. Later, out of curiosity, I opened it and began to read. It was a Bible. Before long, I had discovered God’s love for me in its pages, and accepted Jesus Christ as my Savior. This book changed my life.”

God’s Promises

As the deep blue of heaven
Brightens into stars,
So God’s great love shines forth
In promises
Which, falling softly through
Our prison bars,
Daze not our eyes, but with their
Sweet light bless.
Ladders of light, God sets against
The skies—
Upon whose golden rungs we step by step
Arise.
—Anonymous

A group of social scientists posed this question to a group of four- to eight-year-olds: “What does love mean?” The answers they got were broader and deeper than anyone could have imagined. See what you think.

 “Love is that first feeling you feel before all the bad stuff gets in the way.”
“When my grandmother got arthritis, she couldn’t bend over and paint her toenails anymore. So my grandfather does it for her all the time, even when his hands got arthritis too. That’s love.”
“When someone loves you, the way they say your name is different. You know that your name is safe in their mouth.”
“Love is when you go out to eat and give somebody most of your French fries without making them give you any of theirs.”
“Love is when someone hurts you, and you get so mad but you don’t yell at them because you know it would hurt their feelings.”
“Love is what makes you smile when you’re tired.”
“Love is when my mommy makes coffee for my daddy and she takes a sip before giving it to him to make sure the taste is OK.”
“Love is when you kiss all the time. Then when you get tired of kissing, you still want to be together and you talk more. My mommy and daddy are like that.”
“Love is what’s in the room with you at Christmas if you stop opening presents and listen.”
“God could have said magic words to make the nails fall off the cross, but He didn’t. That’s love.”

The drug festival “Festa della Luna” in Colere (Bergamo) will take place for yet another consecutive year, and we’ll be there camping out and providing counselling for those young people who want and need help to start a better life.

The traditional cherry-picking will begin in late June and end by the middle of July. Four of our volunteers will travel to Italy to help our farmer friends, as well as fundraise for our summer volunteer activities.

Teams of young volunteers will use the summer season to travel to the different parts of the Croatian coast (and islands) to organize shows and activities, promote our new monthly magazine “Activated!” (see pg7), and reach others with the message of God’s love in every part of Croatia.

“Nasmjesi se” (Smile!) is the title of the new children’s CD we produced with songs and stories in Croatian. Parents not only in Croatia, but in all parts of the world today make their rounds at shops and stands, trying to find some positive and uplifting material for their young ones. This is how the idea came about to produce some of our materials in Croatian, and even though this CD made in our own house is not top quality, it already has been an inspiration for many parents and children here in Croatia. All our materials not only entertain the children, but engrave a sense of true values on their minds. “Nasmjesi se”, and our other products contain songs and stories to grow by! You can send us your orders for videos, CD’s, story books and other material for your children in english, which they will want to hear, watch and read over and over again.

“Per un mondo migliore” pack of 4 VCD’s is produced and ready to order! The VCD’s contain a general presentation of our association and its projects, and 3 more detailed compilations of major events and highlights during the years 2000, 2001 and 2002.

We are, as of last May, an officially registered association in Croatia.

 

THANK YOU! ….. 
As always, we wanted to extend our thanks to all of you who have helped us so faithfully all these years, from Canada, Italy and other countries. We really couldn’t make it without you! In this newsletter we are dedicating a page to our dear friends and supporters in Croatia, for all their help!

Thank you, dear dr. Micovic and ing. Kirinèiæ (Zavod za javno zdravstvo – Rijeka) for the blood tests you agreed to sponsor for one of our volunteers. We really appreciate it, and couldn’t have done it any other way!
Thank you, dear Mira Luèiæ, and «LOVOR TRADE» for your faithful help two times a month with fruits and veggies for our community!
Thank you, our dear friend Boris Matepiæ (director of campground in «Preluk») for letting our volunteers and visitors camp out for free. You’re our life-saver in summer time, when we get so many visits that our house is overflowing, and we couldn’t make it without putting up some tents in the campground almost throughout the whole summer!
Thank you, “Cezar” doo – Rijeka, for your help with daily necessities (food, toilet paper and others)!
Thank you, Vlatko, for fixing our vans when they go out of order, so we can keep traveling to our missions!
Thank you, dear Dražen and Ana (NAVIGATOR – Rijeka) , for photocopying all our materials for free: brochures, seminars, you name it. You’re always ready to do it no matter how many tens or hundreds of pages we need!

Thank you for making our work possible! As we always say, you’re part of us and all of our accomplishments!

 

– A new cell phone for our work in Croatia as the one we have is on its last leg!
– Funds toward diesel for the various trips we make!
– Sponsoring various projects (English classes for refugees, distribution of humanitarian aid,etc.)
– Long lasting food items
– School and office supplies
– video projector for our various semnars

 

Newsletter No. 17

 

Dear friends,

After a long and intense (hot!) summer, once again we are writing you. As usual, the main problem is how to fit all the news in 12 pages. How can we condense into a few pages all that has happened these past months: all the activities, changed lives, miracles great and small, trips…we’d need a book to cover it all!–Not to mention new ideas and new projects in the works. Since we lack in time and space, we’ll try and leave the rest up to your imagination, or if you really want to know all the details and more about our work, especially if this is the first time you are reading this magazine, please write us at the address on the back page. We realize that as you turn the pages for the first time, a whole new world will be opening to you, and very likely you’ll have a ton of questions! We would be very happy to answer any of them, and wherever possible, offer counsel, a prayer, or simply a bit of love or friendship (the true kind!). Just drop us a line, by e-mail or post, or call us at the number on the back page.

 

Blessed are you if you can live each day in such a way that you can say at its close, “I have done the best I could today for both God and man.”
Communication from the heart is a precious expression of love. Write that letter or make that call today.
from Mottos for Success

A light at the end of the tunnel!

When we met Irena in May 2000, she looked just like she described herself below – depressed. She had lived through the war in Sarajevo and subsequently fled and forsaken her hometown, relatives, home, apartment and university, and plunged into a new life in a new town – Rijeka, where she had to start building her life all over again. She had come to the Volunteer Center “Koraci” to try to start some new activity, fill up time, and chase away the horrific memories of the past; and that’s where we met her. Since then Irena has been attending our seminars regularly and volunteering: she has taught children at art workshops in “Koraci”, participated in clown therapy in Dom Turnic, organized an art workshop in KBC ( a psychiatric ward), and has visited needy families in Vojnic. Here’s what she says about those recent 8 years of her life:

“In 1995 I came from Sarajevo, which was at this time the war-torn capital of Bosnia. After all that had happened there I was down, depressed, and unsatisfied with life. The only source of light in my life was my faith in God. I began searching; trying to find myself, and reading books with spiritual contents. I would go to church once in a while and talk to God in my own words.When I came to the (community center) “Koraci” — where I now volunteer — I met people who gave of themselves to others by being friendly and helping others. In that way, their life became fuller. One day they asked me to go with them to one of the Senior Citizens’ Homes here (Dom Turnic) and help them perform a show for the people there. We were to try to help them forget their mundane everyday lives — even if only for a moment. That was when I realized that we need to be thankful for all the little things that make life happier and fuller. This is why now I thank God for every moment that He has given me to live life to the full!”

 

RAYS OF HOPE IN EX-JUGOSLAVIA

Eleven aspiring young volunteers from 3 countries and 5 towns gathered in Delnice for a training camp on September 19th — from Cakovec and Rijeka, Croatia; from Sarajevo in BiH; from Bar and Ulcin in Montenegro – and left on September 26th, motivated to do more for others in their areas of the world than they had ever done in the past.
The first 3 days were spent in a mountain hut in Delnice, away from the noise and routine of city life. Everyone concentrated on the learning program and tasted what life is like in a community: getting to know one another, taking part in outings and games, cleaning and washing dishes together. On Sunday, or for the following 4 days, we moved back to our base in Rijeka, where everyone not only kept on learning, but had a chance to practise their new skills. The week-long training included:

Ø Seminars
Ø Youth counselling
Ø Visiting and performing in the orphanage “Ivana Brlic-Mazuranic” in Lovran
Ø Experience in community life
Ø Outings and fun united activities

Our mornings were spent in united studies, and the afternoons and evenings in youth counselling, visitations, outings, game nights and even a Birthday party. During the week other young and older friends dropped by our house to visit and receive prayer and advice. This way our young volunteers had a perfect chance to practise!– And they did wonderfully, returning home with a vision to expand their work in the areas where they live.

 

Angia comes from Bosnia, but now lives in Vojnic, Croatia– the town she was forced to flee to during the war. We usually bring our new friends to see her, as in spite of her many problems she is always positive, happy and thankful, which is always a sample to all. She has next to nothing: she lives in a rundown old house together with her 3 boys. Her husband is in a psychiatric hospital due to the effects of the war. None of them have a steady job. They get by with temporary jobs, plus they have a garden and some farm animals which supply some of their needs. Visiting her helps many to rediscover the true meaning of life and to reaccess their own!

Angia is not in the best of health. She is a diabetic and suffers from psoriasis. A little over a year ago she was doing real bad, and it seemed that she might not make it. We went to visit her with a group of young people, and she came to the door to say hi. We immediatly began praying for her…it was truly a heart-breaking moment. We asked Jesus to heal her, and…our prayers were answered!–She recovered!

Today Angia is alive, and more than ever, a testimony of the miracle of healing to all who visit her. “I still remember,” she tells them, “when I was more gone than here, and they came with those young people and we prayed together in the courtyard. I will never forget it, as that prayer saved my life!”

How much to you believe in prayer? Are you yourself convinced that there is someone Up There Who hears our prayers? We have personally seen that prayer is more powerful than an atom bomb, and as Jesus promised: “Whatever you desire, when you pray, believe and it will be yours.” (Mark 11:24)
We have a prayer list posted on our bulletin board. It is compiled from requests of those of you who have written in. We pray for these needs daily! Do you have any prayer needs or requests? Please drop us a line and let us know.
“Ask and you will receive, that your joy may be full” (John 16:24)

On the 8th of May, while doing a TV interview on Telepace, we met Father Raffa ”‘by chance” (actually we don’t believe things happen “by chance”). None of us ever would have imagined the immense gift the Lord would have in store for us…

The beginning of August he arrived at our door with “some friends” (a total of 23!), who all had aspirations of experiencing an alternative type of vacation. To this day, none have forgotten those fantastic days!

All these young people, coming from Milano, Brescia, Verona, Parma and Rome, ranging from 19 to 30 years, turned out to be wonderful and immediately began helping with our various local projects. The first few days were spent in Rijeka, painting the ‘Koraci’ center run by Lidija, bringing aid and help to needy families, bringing joy to a Seniors’ Home, not to mention taking the odd swim! Then we journeyed to Karlovac (about 130 km from Rijeka) where we spent two days in a refugee camp. The first evening, in order to attract attention, we began to sing and dance. Soon a large crowd appeared. Then followed two hours of joy, after which we made an appointment for the following evening.

The day after we travelled to Vojnic to visit Angia (see her story on page 4), who, having heard of our visit, roasted a pig for us all! What a meal! She said that we always do so much for her so she wanted to make us a meal to show her appreciation! After the usual game of soccer with the local boys we sang and had a party for Angia, so much so, that the neighbours asked if her son was having a graduation party that day!

We returned to the camp around 10 in the evening, tired and fatigued, but who was there to greet us?–The same crowd from the night before (actually much larger) waiting to partake of our songs of joy! So. we pulled out the guitars and…you can imagine the rest.

One evening, upon returning home, we stayed up till over 1:30 in the morning recalling what an experience this trip had been for each one. We were each one able to open our hearts in all sincerity to the others, without the usual fear of revealing who we are inside and without the ever-present mask we wear to protect ourselves.
It’s wonderful to add some spice to our lives, and to enjoy it with others! See you next time!

Father Raffa, Angia and Anna and… the famous roast pig!

I thank God for the privilege of being able to visit you all for a few days, and to experience, in such an intense way, faith and living like the early Christian Communities…above all, thank you for the seeds sown in the hearts of our children.
(Fabrizio and M.Teresa of Saronno – Italy)

Thank you so much for showing me how it is possible to live ‘outside of the box’, helping those who still live inside ‘the box’ (TV, condominiums, offices, shacks, refugee camps, prisons, etc). Thank you for helping me to break out of ‘the box’, and learn to live in the world that God created — without ‘boxes’, — but made only of open hearts! (Patrizio of Verona)

Thank you for the wonderful experience once again this year. During the week spent with you there were times of joy and fun, and yet other moments were very touching (visiting families less fortunate than us who found a moment of joy together with us because someone cared about them). Thank you for everything.
(The girls from Molina of Fumane – Verona, Italy)

You are all so wonderful, and if I am able to take away only a hundredth of your strength it will be a great victory for me. There are too many useless things in my life that take away so much of my time. I hope I will be able to slowly replace them with things of a more important value. These are my immediate thoughts and yet I could say more. My first impressions, so they are likely the most sincere. A piece of my heart will forever remain here with you. Thank you for everything! (Fabio – from Rome)

Hallelujah!!! A simple thank you would be little in comparison to all you have helped me to live in these past days! I have found a new family and I can’t stop thinking about your radical style of life. Who knows if I too am called to something so great as this?
Thanks to each one of you from the bottom of my heart! I love you all!
BOK BOK. (Chiara – from Milano)

Many years ago, a little backwoods town in the U.S. northeast seemed to have more than its share of problems-and problem people.
One night a few Christian friends were talking, when one of them said, “We may not be trained pastors or evangelists, but something must be done in this town. Let’s form a prayer group. We can start by all praying for one person. Who shall it be?”
They picked one of the hardest men in town, a hopeless drunk, and all concentrated their prayers on him. He received Jesus as his Savior that same week, and became a changed man. Then they concentrated their prayers on another man, and he was also converted. Then they prayed for another and another, until within a year, hundreds of people had found Jesus. The town was transformed!

One night in April 1912, a woman tossed and turned, unable to sleep. She was suddenly very worried about her husband who was then in mid-Atlantic, homeward bound on the Titanic. For several hours she prayed earnestly for him. At about five o’clock, a great peace came over her, and she finally fell asleep.
Meanwhile her husband, Colonel Gracie, was among the men who were trying frantically to launch t he lifeboats from the great ship that had struck an iceberg and was sinking fast. He had given up all hope of being saved himself, and was doing his best to help the women and children. He wished that he could get a last message through to his wife, and cried from his heart, “Goodbye, my darling!”
As the ship plunged toward the ocean floor, he was sucked down in the giant whirlpool. Instinctively he began to swim under water, ice-cold as it was, crying in his heart, Goodbye, my darling, until we meet again!
Suddenly he came to the surface and found himself near an overturned lifeboat. He and several others climbed aboard, and they were picked up the next morning by a rescue boat.
After Colonel Gracie made it home, he and his wife exchanged their stories and soon realized that she had been praying for him when he had been in the greatest danger. Not only that, but according to the time at home, he had been rescued at five in the morning-the exact time that the Lord had assured his wife he was going to be okay!

Dear friends from “PER UN MONDO MIGLIORE”,
We wanted to send you our reactions to the article “Are you a Peacemaker?” which we read in your last newsletter in regards to the war in Iraq. As usual, we tried to jot down the things that came immediately to our minds–here are our reflections. The question was this:

“Having read the message of peace sent by our friends in Croatia, I think that…

– we need to feel like brothers, united together with them
– we need to work together with them (to bring peace to the world)
– we need to construct a long lasting friendship
– we need to help with their projects and with what they are trying to tell us
– we need to help them
– above all we need to live ‘in peace’ with the world ourselves
– it was good of them to send us this message
– we should thank them for these thoughts and reflections
– we need to be at peace with ourselves
– we need to live at peace in our home
– not only in word, but in action
– we need to be honest with ourselves
– this was truly a gift that they sent us
– we need to “love our neighbour as ourselves!”

What does it mean to “Love our neighbour as ourselves?”

– we need to think before doing things that bother others
– we need to respect all people
– to love your neighbour means to be close to people
– above all, those that are the most needy
– I have been to their towns and I remember the houses full of bullet holes and with visible signs of war. I think they still suffer from the effects of war
– for us, the experience of war is far in our past, but I think about those who have recently suffered the pain and anxiety of war
– we should all begin to put more of an effort into trying to put up with each other

Then we thought about last week’s meeting with Anna, Paolo and Jeffrey. Thank you once again for coming. In all of these meetings you are sowing important seeds of love. We wish you all the best in your fundraising here in Italy, and above all, for the people that you help in Croatia.

– Seniors group from Rovereto, Italy

“Thank you so much for the wonderful time we had together at the Retreat in Delnice. You’ve organized it perfectly. I truly admire your positive energy! God bless you and all the friends in Rijeka. Keep up your wonderful mission of serving God and Mankind. I love you all.”

– Gabrijela, Cakovec, Croatia

 

Once again, this year we opened our counselling center for young people at the now famous ‘Festa della Luna’ (otherwise known as drug festival) in Italy. We were encouraged by the unusually large number of volunteers who joined us (around 30), the majority of whom were young people, who had the opportunity in those days to discover just how much their peers are in need of answers in life.

 

ADOPT A PROJECT!

We are extremely grateful for every contribution, big or small, that enables us to continue to commit our energies to needy situations. We are not a big organization, but for this reason nothing is lost in red tape and beaurocracy. We are available 24 hours a day to help our neighbor, and are also involving other young people from Croatia and Italy, to whom we have given hospitality and training for longer or shorter periods. And here is a different list from our usual “needs”: The “Adopt a Project” program. Please let us know if you would like to sponsor a whole project, part of a project, or a single humanitarian trip.

Ø Bi-monthly teaching in OS “Katarine Zrinski” – Krnjak and OS “Vojnic” – Vojnic 
Two of our volunteers, one of whom is a native English speaker, will travel to the area of Krnjak and Vojnic 2 times a month for 2 days each time. They will not only teach English in this war-torn zone of Croatia, but through their lessons will strive to improve the children’s socialization skills and restore their moral values.
Duration: January 15th – June 15th 2004 Number of trips: 10 Cost: USD 600
Ø Teaching English in Lovran 
One afternoon of every week two or three volunteers will visit the orphanage “Ivana Brilic Mazuranic” in Lovran, where they will help the children with their school program in English and Italian, as well as spend time counselling the young people and giving the love and attention that these uncared for children are so desperate to receive.
Duration: January 15th – June 15th 2004 (20 lessons) Cost: USD 215
Ø Christmas shows and animations
This project is divided into two phases: preparation and performances. The month of November will be spent in preparation for the shows, and the month of December in travelling, performing and spending quality time with the patients of each institution.
Duration: November – December 2003 Cost: USD 380 (includes travelling expenses and materials).
Ø Visiting the poor and needy in the area of Karlovac
This project consists of visiting disadvantaged, poor and refugee families in Vojnic, Karlovac, and the surrounding area, where we bring donated supplies and spend time comforting and encouraging the members of these families.
Duration: February – September 2004 Cost: USD 480 Number of trips: 8
Ø Clown therapy in “Kantrida” hospital and Dom Turnic – Rijeka
Two to four of our volunteers will visit the children in Kantrida as well as the senior citizens in Dom Turnic on a regular basis. The clown therapy will be performed weekly, one week in the hospital and the next week in Dom Turnic, etc. They will go room to room and perform clown skits, tricks, funny and meaningful songs and sketches, with the goal of improving the quality of life of the children and patients in these institutions.
Duration: November 2003, January 15th – June 15th 2004 Cost: USD 256

 

THANK YOU!

With each magazine we try to list our most immediate needs, but please don’t be limited to these lists. Many help with a monthly donation, or periodically send a cheque to our bank account. Others invite us to stay with them when we visit Italy. And yet others help with food, clothing or even household supplies. Some offer free services, such as fixing our vans, developing fotos, printing our newsletters, etc. Space would fail to tell of the many acts of generosity, great or small, which have occured during these last few months. Many thanks to all of you, and naturally, thanks be to God!
Special thanks this month goes to all those in Italy who have so faithfully helped with food needs over the years: Marco Canali and Patrizia: Ideal Service,Verona, the Bonfante family: Industria Casearia Veneta, Martinelli Supermarkets:Villafranca, Verona, Euroformaggi Valeggio S/M, the Benedetti family: Food Service, Bardolino, families Miorelli and Raffaelli: Mori, Rolando Pederzolli: Arco, the family Brentegani:Sona e and the family Mioso: Villafontana. Also a special thanks to the Jenson family in Denmark for all they sent this summer! God bless you all!

The month of December will be buzzing with activity! We will continue to travel and perform in various institutions, as well as organize Christmas animations in places we haven’t yet visited. Last year our show troupe performed 37 times during the month of December – so stay tuned for the new statistics! It’s been a record number each year! 
As usual, a group of us will be in Italy during the 2nd half of December, but this year a group will also remain in Croatia during the Christmas season.

Merry Christmas 2003!

With Love and prayers for a very Merry Christmas season from all of us! May the year 2004 be the most fufilling ever!