Tanguays and The Croatian Mission

2010-09-08T04:29:00.002+02:00

Tree-Shopping, Thanks-Giving, and other Recent Pictures

2007-11-24T19:40:00.000+01:00

Levi Harrison Tanguay

2007-09-23T20:50:00.000+02:00

Camden's 2nd Birthday- Pool Party!

2007-09-02T16:37:00.000+02:00

August 23rd, 2007

Birthday Morning: Treasure Hunt in Mommy & Daddy's Room

Party At the Pool Side

Her #1 request was a "Birthday Hat".

Birthday Boogie Board

Friends

Homemade Cupcakes!

She loved tearing open the Wrapping...

Lifeguard on Duty

Uncle Rob and Camden, they have the same long legs...

Down the Ocean, Hon

UPDATE: The Return to Baltimore...

2007-04-16T20:04:00.000+02:00

Susanna and Camden return to Baltimore on Sunday, April 22nd.

I follow them one week later on Monday, Apirl 30th.

It has been an amazing 8 months in Zagreb, and we look forward to seeing everyone soon. Let's move FORWARD!

Love never fails,

the Tanguayz

MISSIONS MARCH!

2007-03-23T23:26:00.000+01:00

The phrase is familiar to all who have ever attended a GGWO International Conference, every year we watch our affiliated missionaries and churches from around the globe march across the flag-strewn chapel, celebrating local and foriegn missions. However, I'd like to raise the phrase to another level in order to describe these last 26 days of the year 2007, it was nothing less than a Missions March.
The fun began on Thursday, March 1st, when we recieved a visit from Miss Carolyn Peters, artist-director-actress-traveler-extraodinaire. She was at the tail end a a three month world tour that had already taken her across Africa, England, France, Germany, and Austria. She stayed one week with us in Zagreb before going to Budapest to help prep for the European Conference. On Satuday, March 3rd, we rented a car and caravanned along with a South Korean missionary pastor, to a small romy village outside Zagreb.

Pastor Chan has been doing a Bible Study in the very poor neighborhood for about one year.

The gypsy people live roughly but are very kind and hospitable to guests.

We did sketchboard, sang, P. George shared the Word, and we took lots of pictures, they love pictures.

The oldest person in the village is a 78 year old woman named Ana who has had 22 chidren! This young lad was very proud to show us the livestock. Outback, Tomas shares the Word while some Chickens cross the road.

After returning from the village we made more use of the rental car by visiting Medvedgrad, the ruins of a historic castle on the mountain side overlooking Zagreb, yielding spectacular views. We saw the evening lights of the city's 1 million people and it stirred our hearts. We sang some worship songs inside a one-dome stone chapel which seemed to have been designed for that very purpose; it felt like our voices could be heard miles and miles away, indeed they could.

(photo from the internet)

On Wednesday, March 7th, Pastor Chris Moore arrvied and taught our weekly Bible School class that night. We had 11 Croatians come out to join us, 10 men and 1 woman. Including all of us (and Camden), there were 19 1/2 people there, a great event. We continued with an after Rap at McDonalds with "four-young-Croat-men" and that night one of those young men went home and prayed in his bedroom to recieve Christ as his Savior (according to his own testimony). Pastor Chris Moore with two high school seniors: They have attended the Sunday Evening Bible Study in New Zagreb consistently for the past month since coming to see the Jesus Film. So often these people never even meet each other because they come at different times. It was so great to gather the whole group together in one place, at one time, and lift up the Word of God. We had a bible study at a Cafe the next evening also. Pastor Chris and P. Tomas met a man on the tram on thier way there and he joined us for the study. Pray for Mark. We have no contact on him but he knows where we meet. That night, Thursday, March 8th, myself and pastors George, Tomas, and Chris boarded a midnight train to Belgrade, the Captiol of Serbia.After, what P. Tomas called, "A-Serbian-Night", we arrived in Belgrade around 6:20am. Belgrade, or Biograd (white city), is approximately the same size as Budapest with 2 million people, and was also the capitol of former Yugoslavia.

The effects of the recent wars can still be seen in bullet holes across parliament bulidings or even large unrepaired blasts like the one below.

The soulwinning was interesting because we had little or no literature to give, the people were very kind and less proud religiously than what we have seen in Zagreb. Many of the conversations were rushed though because the people are on the move, they are very busy people.

Tomas in the far left witnesses to an Englishman, while Pastor George (by light post) speaks to three young men.

The others stayed the night in Belgrade and then went on to NovySad, Serbia the next day. I left on a 3pm train that same Friday back to Zagreb, arriving at 10:30pm, just in time to welcome my parents and sister who arrived by train from Budapest at 10:20pm.

We spent the day Saturday walking though the city and seeing the sights.My dad even found the same guitarist he had bought a cd from the year before, of course he got another cd.

On Sunday afternoon, March 11th, the fam rented a minivan and we took a trip to Split, a city along the beginning of Croatia's Dalmatian coast. We arrived sometime in the evening ready for a hotel but the prices were outrageous. After much searching we left the city and began looking for any hotel signs in site. By divine providence we stumbled across a humble sign which sent us meandering through small, one-way streets, left, right, left, until we heard it... the ocean! We thought we had left all the water behind us on our escape from high prices, but there it was, a small coastal villa on the waterfront with great prices and vacancy for all.

Hayley snaps a photo out front of the hotel.

Split is home to the Diocletian Palace, a masterpiece of stonework which has now been converted into the floors, cielings, and walls of an extravagent outdoor walking mall, so to speak. It takes several failed attempts to manage one's way through from one side to the other, with each turn a postcard waiting to happen. From Split we took a one hour ferry ride to Brac (brawch), the nearest island, and spent a few hours just walking around and admiring the beauty. A brochure said that the White House is built from some stones from Brac, needless to say there was a lot of admirable stonework there also. The entire trip was simply beautiful and a very enjoyable time with the family.

Camden playing on the Island, Brac.

If you have made it this far you can see how the month of March earned it’s name, at least here in Zagreb. The most important part of every march however, whether it be a military march, a wedding march, or a month of the year, is the mission behind it. The mission behind this March was the annual GGWO European Conference in Budapest, Hungary.

We did not take many pictures at the conference but we were able to bring two croatian men there with us, Boris and Max. Upon leaving, Boris said to Pastor Schaller, "The words Body-of-Chirst will never mean the same to me again. Every time I read them in my Bible from now on I'll have to stop and take a breath." The quality of life in the ministry of Christ is just that, breath-taking! The EuroCon was a tremendous edification for all us and not to mention the joy of seeing many dear friends from the States and across the map.

After the Conference, the march conitnued... on Sunday, March 18th, we traveled back to Zagreb with Susanna's sister Jen (middle) and Ann-Margaret (left).Jen catches a ray of sunshine behind one of Zagreb's chestnut trees. Jen & Ann-Margarine (as she became known), stayed with us for five days in Zagreb, it was a great time.

Others who joined the March...

Pastor Barry brough the Reagan men with him on Monday, March 19th for a day trip. The weather was poor but we had fun and lots of fellowship at the ice cream parlor, Millenium.

Ryan returned on Wednesday, March 21st, and stayed two nights with us also. The days were full of laughs and the weather cleared enough to have a great time in the city.

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Just now we recieved a visit from some American missionary evangelists who know Pastor Tomas and have visited some of our Greater Grace Ministries in Europe. One of the missionaries they brought with them was a 24 year old girl who spent 18 years in the Amazon Jungles in Venezuella, South America. Her Father is the only white man alive who speaks the tribes language and he is translating the Bible in entirety. The group was very edifying and they were great musicians as well. The group leader is Randy Dodd and he is also a Christian Fiction writer, he writes under the name Randall Arthur. All that to say, the March is still on.

We have had an incredible month, thanks for reading about the great things happening in Zagreb, Croatia. Our laptop has been in the service centar due to a power surge, the problem is not yet solved.

Please leave a comment by following the links at the bottom of the post, we'd love to hear from you...

Love never fails,

The Tanguayz

Fruit that Remains!

2007-02-18T17:23:00.000+01:00

"I have chosen you, and ordained you, that ye should go and bring forth fruit, and that your fruit should remain..."

John 15:16

At the City Market, this lady vendor (below:left) speaks great English and loves seeing Susanna & Camden.

The Jesus Film Project

Several months ago we contacted the Campus Crusade ministry in Zagreb and requested a copy of the movie known as The Jesus Film. Not only did they give us a dvd copy in the Croatian language, but they also donated almost 50 full color posters in two sizes for us to put around the area, along with magazine style booklets of the gospel of Luke to give to each person who comes to see the film.
After recieving a brand new PC projector [donated by a dear family in the body in Baltimore] we were able to set the plan of showing The Jesus Film into motion.
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The date would be February 11th, 07.
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Right: the movie flyers we printed & passed out.

Pastor Tomas Bulicek, delivering the good news.

Below: Our Meeting Place in New Zagreb where we showed the flim. The city gave us a key to use this facility every Sunday evening free of charge.

We began by putting up several posters in key locations near the building, only to recieve a phone call from the city office the next day telling us our posters had been taken down due to complaints. We rejoiced, knowing that we must be doing the right thing. We were more careful about where we put the other posters and with only one week to the showing time we began to pass out the flyers. We didnt know what to expect, how many people would come in only one week's notice? We cut the movie length from two hours down to one and a half to make time for some preaching at the end. The film was scheduled to start 7pm and at 6:30 there was a line of ten people at the door. By the time we started the projector, with a screen size of almost 20ft, there were 28 croatians seated in the audience. We praised God in our hearts as we sat listening to the life of Christ in another language.

These dear people saw & heard the glorious Gospel.

The presence of God was with us. Pastor Tomas stood at the conclusion of the film and a young man named Vlado in the audience stood to translate for him. He spoke from Nahum 1:7b, "the Lord knows them that trust in Him." No one was asked to raise their hand but so many people left thanking us and expressing interest in coming to the Bible studies on Sunday nights. An elderly man was crying during the closing parts of the film when the salvation message was playing. We made some great contacts.The young man Vlado (who translated) and his friend Igor are high school seniors whom Tomas and I met in an underground passway earlier that week. They came to the Bible study last night with a bible and notebook, but according to Vlado, he couldnt take notes because he was too busy listening. They said after the message on Christ and the Brazen Serpent, "we will not foget this." Keep these Croats and the many others who attended the film in your prayers, that the images and words would take root in thier hearts and not be stolen away... that they would be drawn to Christ, our fellowship, and the Word of Grace.

Valtentine's Day

Above: Camden playing with her Valentine's Giraffe in Jelacic trg.

Valentine's Day, or Valentiovo as it's known in these parts, fell on a Wednesday this year. We decided we would transform our regular Wed. night Bible School class into a Relationship Seminar to take advantage of the occasion. We printed up a number of these flyers below advertising the event.

No one came from the streets, perhaps because it was Valentine's Evening and they had other ideas of a romantic night in the city, but seven of our contacts came and it was a tremendous time. Susanna and I put these fun welcome gifts together, just some chocolate, a pen, and an it'll-do notebook. It was a good opportunity to hit the subject of relationships with our people and mix up the routine. Pastor George and I spoke there and based on the rap sessions afterwards, the people enjoyed it.

Above: Camden Swings all by herself as Mom (below) watches from a nearby bench in the Upper City park.

The First Annual GG Zagreb Billiard Tournament

Official Results:

1st: Boris S. 2nd: Eva B. 3rd: Snzjene 4th: Ben T. 5th: Carol A. 6th: P. George A. 7th: P. Tomas B.
(Notice Eva & Carol's standings vs P. Tomas & P. George. Susanna didn't join the competition, lucky for me.)

Pray for Velika Gorica

We have been talking a lot about visiting near by cities and have even been able to do so on a few occasions. With little finances to do so we simply haven't been in a while. Instead of talking about what we "would do...if" we decided to find out the furthest distance we can go on our monthly transportation passes. That is Velika Gorica, a small city/village about 40 minutes outside Zagreb. We gave our five loaves and two fish to the Lord, asking him to do it, and we found ourselves in a close by city speaking with great authority and boldness on the street, making good contacts and thinking about starting a bible study there soon. Pray that miraculous doors open in Velika Gorica, that God would lead us to KEY people and start a great work there, pray for the FRUIT that REMAINS!

Thats all for this edition of the Zagreb Times, thank you for keeping the Tanguay family and TEAM ZAGREB in your thoughts and prayers. See you at the EURO-CON!!!

P.S.- The Chapel Looks Awesome & the messages are out of this world.

Kept by the Power of God,

Ben, Susanna, and Camden

"Missions is the best kept Secret"- P. Schaller

2007-02-05T10:35:00.000+01:00

The first snow fall of the season sat softly on the village rooftops along the rolling Croatian countryside, I sat softly also on the first train out to Budapest, Hungary. Susanna and Camden were flying in from America and I could not wait to see them after being apart for nearly a month. The time for me in Zagreb was fruitful and full of evangelism, investment, prayer, bible studies, team life... and the days flew by. Nevertheless, it was time away from my wife and daughter and with the house so quiet i was more than ready to recieve them. They have been back in Zagreb for over a week and it so great to be on the missionfield...

together again.

We just enjoyed a rich visit from Pastor Graham King and a team of 7 hungarians traveling with him (okay 6 hungarians and Krista Wilczek).

The team rolled in Friday evening and crashed in our apartments after a delightful round of lentil soup and fellowship late into the night. They brought with them such a sweet spirit of Life and encouragment from the body in Budapest. Saturday morning, after a P. Graham knockout message on team life and being "findable" by the Word of God, we set out to the city for evangelism.
Apparently, all of the other 950,000 people in Zagreb decided to go the main square on Saturday morning also. We found everything there from a group of men dressed up as mountain goats with clammering bells, to a racous animal rights parade chanting and picketing across the square. (BELOW: Pastor King decided to join them, holdign up a flyer and shouting loudly in a british accent, "Save the Whales")

Enjoying the great weather, we grabbed some pizza near the Train Station and had a lunch rap outdoors in King Tomislav park. Two croats were able to join us as we enjoyed some thoughts from the Bible.

The Group...

Zagreb really is a beautiful place and we enjoyed the sights all over again as we took a walk though the old streets leading to the upper city, sharing the gospel with people along the way. It was a day well spent together and an investment into eternity, pray for all the conversations and for the contacts we made.

In all the things that one could win, there is nothing as valuable as winning a soul!Camden suprised me with how much she had grown since Christmas. With her new repertoire of words, dances, games, and songs... she lights up every room she walks into. I think she is also excited about being a big Sister someday soon.... thats right! Many of those in Baltimore have already learned that Susanna and I are expecting another baby with an arrival date somewhere around September 25th. We had the first check up just the other day and sure enough there appeared on the screen a little bean with a beating heart, we are thrilled about this next step as a family and trust God for His direction of our lives.

Here is the first picture... Big Sister watching a video in her Igloo from Grampa Pray for this coming week as we will be showing The Jesus Film in New Zagreb on Sunday evening, February 11th @ 7pm (thats about 1pm EST). We were given full color posters from Campus Crusade to put around the area and we will be flooding the neighborhoods with flyers all week. We would not be able to do this if it wasnt for the gracious gift of a projector that we recieved while in Baltimore for Christmas. God knows our needs. The film is in Croatian and we were also given magazine style booklets of the Gospel of Luke with the 4 spriritual laws to give to everyone who comes out for the event. Pray for a great attendance, salvations, disciples to continue with us for Bible Studies, families... pray for a church to be PLANTED in New Zagreb.

Thank you for taking the time to read about some of things happeing in Zagreb, Croatia. Pass the news along to anyone who might be interested. This would not be possible without you.

Much Love, The Tanguays

Zagreb, "The City of A Million Hearts"

2007-01-09T11:37:00.000+01:00

"A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you an heart of flesh." [Ezekiel 36:26]

It was two weeks before Christmas, the place was a small town along the rails one hour out of Zagreb. We brought a young Croat disciple with us as we ventured into the uncharted territory of Sisak, Croatia. With packed lunches and stirred hearts we walked the streets holding forth the word of Life. After finding an address of a local cafe we printed gospel tracts with information about a Bible Study in the town that evening. The conversations on the street were exciting and we spent the enitre day there meeting perfect strangers. Pastor George and Carol witnessed to a young girl dressed up as Santa Clause (figure that one out), and Pastor Tomas and I spoke, in small groups, to a large gathering of students lounging on the High School steps between classes. The day was well spent and though no one showed up for the Bible study that night we praised God and prayed along the river overlooking the area, wondering how long it has been since someone prayed for these people. Maybe that was the only reason why God led us there. We shook the dust off and we will target the next city around Zagreb for a visit. Out of the six cities nearby, perhaps a handful of people will come out for a study and become Lidias, laying the groundwork for future churches in thier homes. Pray for us as we go, not knowing exactly what we will see God do.

27 Croats, 2 plastic trees, 4 tables of food, Sketchboard, Music, a skit, and the Word of God

The second annual Zagreb Christmas Party was a tremendous success as many people came out to join us and celebrate Christ. Along with the team we had a room of over thirty people, it was a fun night. Through creative sketchboards, a funny Christmas skit, and the preaching of the Bible we all enjoyed the central truth of the season... He came, thank God, He came!

"And Elijah said unto Ahab, Get thee up, eat and drink; for there is a sound of abundance of rain. ...And [Elijah] said to his servant, Go up now, look toward the sea. And he went up, and looked, and said, There is nothing. And he said, Go again seven times. And it came to pass at the seventh time, that he said, Behold, there ariseth a little cloud out of the sea, like a man's hand." [i Kings 18:41-44]

This passage depicts exactly what is taking place in Zagreb. We need the Lord to open our eyes so we can see His work. Naturally we miss the cloud because we are looking for the downpour but God is in the details! Praise God there is a sound of abundance of rain in the city and there are five croatian men fervantly seeking the Lord, a church the size of a man's hand.

meet some of the Zagreb Bible School students

*maxboris
daniel toni
shaban

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Camden racks up the long distance bill on her Christmas gift from the Buliceks...

Our trip to Baltimore for the Holidays was a tremendous blessing to us as we enjoyed the company of our dear friends and family. The Fitly Framed Conference was timely and the atmosphere at the campus was one of motivation and excitement with a peculiar softness as we stepped into the new year with hearts fixed on God. I returned January 4th and arrived in Zagreb Saturday evening. The house is quiet without Susanna and Camden (who remain in Baltimore till the 25th of January), pray for us as we haven't been apart for this long. I am stirred to say the least about what this season holds in store for the Greater Grace Church in Zagreb. We were given a brand new PC projector while in Baltimore, by a dear friend in the Body. The practical use can't be underestimated as we will project our worship lyrics and bible school charts...etc, along with a whole new opportunity to show Bible School classes from MBC&S, live services, Christian films... we are looking forward to these new avenues of ministry.

Brethren, pray for us!

Baked in the Throne! (thats original)

~The Tanguay Family

Kicking off the New Year in Baltimore!

2006-12-28T16:02:00.000+01:00

Hello All...

Its been a few weeks now since I have updated the blog, Susanna, Camden, and I are now in Baltimore for the Holidays. We arrived last Monday and I return to Zagreb a week from Today, January 4th. Christmas was a very encouraging time with the families and we are looking forward to kicking off the New Year with our Home Church. I have much to say and will post something soon about our Christmas Party in Zagreb with 27 Croatians in attendance and our about our Time here in the States. Thank you for your prayers for Croatia Missions and for the GGWO Team in Zagreb.
God has spoken well towards us...
the Tanguays

Giving Thanks in Zagreb

2006-11-24T16:53:00.000+01:00

A THANKSGIVING SAGA

BY CAROL ARMAN

This is a true story of an American woman on the MISSION FIELD.

Once upon a time as THANKSGIVING DAY was approaching in ZAGREB, CROATIA, a woman went shopping. She had to prepare for the big day, guests and dinner. She purchased vegetables, fruits, pie fillings, stuffings, spices and finally the grand finale, the meat dish.

For this meat dish she chose a beautiful Turkey. In Zagreb, language can be a problem. You say you want dark brown flour , you get white flour. You want sugar you might get salt. Anyway , she came home with the goods.

The day before Thanksgiving, the preparations were made. The pies were baked, the stuffing prepared, fresh cranberries were made and the Turkey placed in the oven for overnight slow cook.

On the morning of Thanksgiving, the woman placed all the dishes on the table in anticipation and preparation for the forthcoming meal. She called her husband to cut the Turkey. He came forth to do his job. As he was cutting the Turkey, he found he had great difficulty. "I COOKED THE TURKEY ALL NIGHT' " His wife said "IT SHOULD BE DONE." He could not separate the legs from the torso with a knife. He then held the Turkey with one hand and pulled on the legs with the other. Finally with much effort, the meat was cut and placed in a pan.

I THES 5:21.PROVE ALL THINGS, HOLD FAST TO THAT WHICH IS GOOD.

As the guests arrived, one guest that understood Croatian asked why the Turkey so brown? The woman replied, maybe I overcooked it. Please read the label and tell me how long I should have baked it. Oh my goodness the guest said "THIS IS NOT TURKEY" "THIS IS A GOOSE".

The woman finally came to the realization that "HER GOOSE WAS COOKED." -The End

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Thanks for the story Carol, and I must say, I've never tasted goose before this thanksgiving dinner... it's quite a dish. I was very surprised.

With Thanksgiving behind us now the Christmas season is breaking open in downtown Zagreb. The twenty-three foot spruce stands high in the city center with lights and decorations draping across the square in every direction. "Christmas" marks a great season for street evangelism as people are very open to speak about the Christ.

This Saturday, after a rather uneventful time knocking on doors, we met a young man and woman walking on the street. As we began to speak about Jesus it seemed that everything around us disappeared and their eyes were full of wonder as they listened to us share the gospel. They prayed with us in the open air and invited Christ to be thier savior. That was only a few days ago and the young man has been texting my phone ever since asking questions about Bible School. He and the girl are going to begin coming with us on Wednesday nights to learn the Word of God. Pray for them as they are young in the Faith, that thier enthusiasm would remain, and that God would do a great work in thier hearts... its amazing!

We are now preparing for the 2nd Annual Greater Grace Bozicna [Christmas] party in Zagreb. It will be held on Friday, December 15th @ 7pm. We have many contacts, over 50 croatians who have met with us for coffee or a service at least once. We will personally invite each one for the Christmas celebration. Also, we are extending the invitation to the public as we pass out hundreds of fliers on the streets. This can be an incredible time for drawing people into our Fellowship and for Salvations. It takes a lot of investment to win the trust of the Croatian people as anything that isnt carrying the label of Roman Catholicism is quickly denounced. Pray for our gathering that the music, the skits, the friendship, the atmosphere, and of course the food, would minister the love of God to these dear people. God is touching us more and more with his burden for this city at this time. The other night Susanna and I stood in front of our third story window, looking out over the clay rooftops and asked each other, "Where are we?". This is not the Inner Harbor or the Avenue at White Marsh... this is the Balkans, this is former Yugoslavia, this is Zagreb, Croatia!

On Thursday we will travel as a team to Sisak, one of the six Croatian cities with in an hour train ride from Zagreb. [above: the big yellow star marks the spot]

We will pray, print up some literature, pack a lunch, hop on a train (about $7US/each), arrive in an new town with the Grace of God and unlimited possibilities. A day well spent. Who knows who and what we will find in Sisak, Croatia?

Below: Pastor Peter Tyll visits us with his wife and baby from Prauge, Czech Rep. Picture taken at Medvedgrad, an ancient castle which overlooks the city. The ladies went by car as we walked the one hour trail though the woods one late November evening... it was great, the view was spectacular.

To all our dear friends, family, and occassional web surfers... thank you for visiting TANGUAYZ.BLOGSPOT.COM, may God bless you as you have blessed us by your prayers, support, encouragement, and interest in the work of God in Zagreb, Croatia.

All our love, The Tanguayz

Play Video Clip below to see Camden do the "Duck Walk". She bends her knees, keeps her back straight, and walks around the room.

The Candle Light Concert

2006-11-20T12:56:00.000+01:00

A horseshoe of high rise apartment buildings marks the spot.

The spot, that is, of our new meeting place in Novi Zagreb. Novi, or New, Zagreb is just below the Sava River, which runs along the southern part of the city. We still have regular Sunday morning services in the building near the town center, along with Wednesday night Bible School, but this new meeting place we have been given to use free of charge on Sunday Evenings. Last week we met there 8-9am and 7-9pm as a team to pray, sing, and preach to the air, believing that God is going to do great things in New Zagreb. With an expected visit from Prague, Czech Rep., Pastor Tomas had the idea of throwing together a concert in the new place to kick off the work. There is no sound equipment there but we knew we could figure something out, we collectively replied, “Let’s Go For It!”
A Korean Pastor we met here said that for every thousand flyers he passed out he got two responses, one negative and one positive. The meeting place seats 48 people and we decided to print up 3,000 tickets (passing them out in two’s) and tacked the mailboxes all around the area. We darted through the doors and streets for a few days, speaking to people along the way, never finishing the whole stack. We called it the CANDLELIGHT CONCERT.

The room isn’t so attractive and decorating it would take a considerable effort so Susanna had the idea of turning out the lights and using candles to create a nice atmosphere. Croatians love candles. Overall, about 15 Croatians came, some bringing candles with them, and with the ten of us there we had an amazing time. Susanna sang about eight songs to Christian background tracks we had brought with us from the States and I joined her on three of them. We divided the evening into two parts with a short intermission for coffee and dessert. In the first half, after a few songs, Pastor Tomas used a sketch board with paints to illustrate the Gospel.

Although the songs were in English, most of the speaking was in Croatian. We gave brief descriptions of some of the songs for those who could not understand. Again at the end of the second half P. Tomas spoke a few words with his Bible about the love of God and how to be saved. With the candles, the great music, the messages, and the precious people who came to join us, the concert was a tremendous success. Ten of the visitors gave us their contact information with many expressing a desire to continue meeting with us in the future for Bible studies. What a memorable event.

Double Click on the (play) arrow below to see a video clip from the Concert. Remember: we didn't have microphones. Susanna did a phenomenal job and the presence of God was beautiful.

Susanna Sings: "There are No Orphans of God"

Love Zagreb,

The Tanguayz

To Mirogoj and Beyond

2006-11-13T14:05:00.000+01:00

It was Wednesday, November 1st, the day before we were leaving for the conference in Budapest, Hungary. Zagreb was unusually silent. The stores were closed, the trams empty, the streets hushed in unspoken respect for “the dead”, it was All Saints Day. Around noon a line began to form at the Cathedral, soon expanding and becoming a constant stream of people from the main square to the stop where bus after bus ushered the crowds to Mirogoj, the city’s largest graveyard. Entire families filed through the crowds carrying candles of all shapes and sizes, baskets, flowers, plaques, and more candles. We decided that we would go to the graveyard in the evening, before bible school, and speak to some of these people about death, Christ, and prayer.
The rain did not dissuade them from coming, what was earlier a sea of people was now a sea of umbrellas, bopping along the cathedral paths. The busses were crowded, the floors muddy with traffic, and the mood melancholic to say the least. Through foggy windows, Pastor George, Tomas, and I sat and watched the scenes and faces pass by as we sped away towards the site. We arrived soon at what appeared to be the worlds largest funeral; I’ve never seen so many candles in my life.

(Photo of Mirogoj from Yahoo News)

We did not go there, however, to criticize or condemn people, or to poke fun at their traditions, we went there to love them and to give people hope about their future. We slowly stepped through the tomb stones, flickering in red and yellow hues, and as we went we stopped to speak with mourners along the way. We asked them about their loved ones, about their prayers for them, we asked about who they were praying to, if they believed their prayers were heard, we asked them about eternity, about heaven, and hell, we spoke to them about Jesus Christ and being born again [jn 3:3]. In one place we stood and read the scriptures out loud from 1 Corinthians chapter 15, about the Resurrection of the Dead and the Gospel of Christ. As we were leaving the cemetery, a choir began to sing and soon entered a huge procession of priests, cardinals, bishops, and all of the above, dressed in bright white robes with purple and gold sashes, crowns, carrying various instruments, incense, and large golden crosses. The bishop began to speak and we found ourselves in the middle of the parade. T.V. cameras were rolling, the rain was falling, the choir singing. The man next to me stood in holy silence with all the accouterment of the priesthood. I leaned from underneath my umbrella and whispered, “Are you born-again?” He turned quickly, surprised to hear someone speaking to him, and surprised to hear English, and asked, “what?” I said once more, “Are you born-again?” He looked at me astonished, “What does that mean?” As I explained to him what Jesus said to Nicodemus in John 3, he scoffed and turned away, and the festivities continued. We spoke to many priests that night, and many young men studying to be priests, we explained the gospel and found none with the answer to the question, “Will you go to heaven when you die?” Again, we were not there with attitudes to mock or criticize, we spoke with kindness but with a lot of authority, because we had the scriptures to back our message and many people heard it clearly. It was a memorable evening.

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At 4am the next Morning, we finished packing our bags to the sounds of a terrible thunderstorm. The train left the station at 5:00 sharp and we only had one tram we could catch to get there in time. Susanna prayed and soon after the rain stopped, we ran out the door, stroller, bags, pillows, umbrella… down the street, through the puddles, and before long we were sitting on a quiet train watching the countryside whoosh by, excited about being in Budapest once again.

The conference was incredible and very encouraging. We were able to spend a lot of time with Pastor Schaller, our pastor in Baltimore and the pioneer of the Greater Grace Church in Budapest. We also enjoyed the company of Pastor Gary Groenwald from Germany, Pastor Tony Morley from England, Pastor Mijhael from Romania, Pastor Wilichiek (?) from Tennessee, the great team in Budapest and many others. Tomas and I stayed in the men's dorm above the Church building while our wives were hosted by a family in the Church close by. This way we were able to stay around for all the sessions and the raps at the Turkish Restaurant across town, usually going late into the night. It was a refreshing time and very edifying. The messages were clear and challenging, like "Knowing the Father", "I cannot serve God, but He can give me a Ministry", "Not letting problem-orientation rob our Joy"...etc. We were so edified in the fellowship and the teaching that we didnt take any pictures, sorry. However, I have a link to a video clip that P. Schaller sent for the Baltimore Church to see. It is just an introduction to the Team members in Hungary but you can get an idea of what the Church looks like. Its about 4 minutes long. Click Here

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Last Wednesday with Three of Our Bible School Students

We heard about the new campaign in Baltimore, "Love Maryland", so we coined our own phrase here: "Loving Zagreb!" [Photo: Picking out my scarf and gloves for the winter season]

Upcoming Events: This week we expect a visit from Prauge, Czech Republic. On Sunday Evening we will have a "Candlelight Concert" featuring the beautiful... Susanna Tanguay. We will print out a thousand tickets and pass them around the city inviting people, fill the room with candles and listen to some beautiful christian songs. We will mix it up a little with a testimony, maybe a sketchboard presentation, refreshments... and see what God does. Keep us in prayer, amazing things are happening here! The past few days we have met one on one with three new men and are spending alot of time with those who come regularly to our meetings. Loving Zagreb!

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Off to Budapest!

2006-10-30T16:21:00.000+01:00

Get Your Own! View Slideshow

On Thursday we will travel to Budapest, Hungary by train and join the Fall Conference there with Pastor Schaller... we are so excited. We will be there four days and return early Monday to Zagreb. Upon returning we expect a visit from Prauge, Czech Republic for several days. Things are happening.
We have been here now approximately two months as a family. Just recently we got hooked up to the internet with the Armans, who live downstairs, and we are able to watch the services in Baltimore. It is great to see all the familiar faces.
Recently, we were invited to a get together with Campus Crusade in Zagreb and other Christian organizations and churches who are working in the city. It was a great time meeting with others doing the same thing, church planting and discipling Croatian believers. We met some key contacts to help us distribute Bibles and literature. Also, we met a Korean pastor who works in the Gypsi Villages around Croatia. He wants to take us with him and do a concert or something in some of the villages and plant Bible studies and Village Churches. We have been looking for open doors into that popluation and will begin going soon. Thursdays is our missions day and we are praying about the five surrounding cities within an hour of Zagreb. We will choose a city, hop on a train early in the morning, get a map... and go for it. After several visits if we didn't establish a key contact for Bible Studies we will go on the next city. It's fun to go by faith, you never know what awaits you.

Because we have access to the Internet, we were able to set up a page for the Greater Grace Church of Zagreb. Click Here to Check It Out
We put the link address on our tracts we hand out on the street and people can go there to read about Bible School classes, GGWO, and print out Pastor Steven's booklet: Just Let God Love You, in Croatian!

We will report back about the Conference, there will be much to say I'm sure. Thank you for checking in on us, God Bless you...

The Tanguays

Pulpit Ministry

2006-10-22T15:18:00.000+02:00

It has been a full two weeks since our last post and great things are happening here in Zagreb. What a joy to walk in the call of God! Last night we had a couple croatians over P. George and Carols apartment and we all watched Missions Night from this years Internation Convention in Baltimore online. We were so excited. By the time it was over we were laughing and dancing and praising God singing "play the trumpet in Zion, Zion, sound the alarm" with Pastor TJ and the ggwo band. We are set for the defense of the Gospel!

Nehemiah 8:4a
"Ezra the scribe stood upon a pulpit of wood, which they had made for the purpose."

It stood out for some reason, a six pane wooden cabinet door amid a heaping pile of rubbish along Ilicia Street. We were in the town for evangelism when I noticed it. I pulled it out for a better look and might I say there is nothing as interesting to pedestrians as someone picking though a pile of trash. I took counsel with Pastor Tomas and before long I was standing on the crowded tram with the pieces of cabinet at my side, it would work.

We borrowed a table saw from the neighbors, Tomas brought his drill and we gathered all the spare tools we could find. When the sawdust settled, we finally had ourselves a real pulpit, made for that very purpose. A fresh coat of paint and you would never know that it had such humble beginnings, isn’t that what this is all about…

A great missionary once told me this verse in Jeremiah 15:19b- "If you take forth the precious from the vile, you shall be as my mouth (spokesman)."

Our Wednesday night Bible School students listen as P. Tomas translates into Croatian, Applied Bible Doctrine- Book of Romans taught by Pastor Arman. We are having fun learning, teaching, and fellowshipping around the Bible.

This past week we had a visit from Pastor John Boyce of London, with four young men from Budapest, Hungary. Pastor Boyce planted a church in Prauge, Czech. Rep. (where Tomas and Eva Bulicek are from), and he pastored the GGWO church in Budapest for a season. We had Bible Studies each night at the Gradska and did Sketch-board on the streets during the day. One girl we met during a sketch board met with Susanna again for coffee during the week and she came to our serive on Sunday morning... God is drawing people. Tuesday morning we held our weekly men's breakfast and four croatian men came to join us.

We are constantly moving about the city, whether for church, Bible School, printing, evangelism, using the internet, prayer, or groceries... and no one seems to enjoy the ride more than Camden. She pulls on the passengers clothes on trams, waves out the windows, drives herself down the aisles at the supermarket, chases people and animals around the square, and gives her mom and dad a good workout.

She loved sitting all by herself in the seat on the tram, looking all grown up and dressed like her dad.

Thank you for your prayers, emails, comments, support, love, and encouragement. We now have internet access at our home and have a web cam set up so that grandmas and grandpas can see thier little bundle of life. Continue to pray for the work here in the city of Zagreb. If all the people who come out with us would come at once we would fill our meeting place. Pray for divine appointments for us on the streets, at the barber shop, in the grocery aisle, at the well, in the tree, on the rooftops, and behind the doors.

(p.s.- Pastor Weiskopf, we would love to be in touch with you. The email addresses we have for you are no longer in use. If you happen to read this please send us your current address)

In Christ, love the Tanguayz!

Lipa-Faith

2006-10-09T17:00:00.000+02:00

And [Jesus] called unto him his disciples, and saith unto them, Verily I say unto you, That this poor widow hath cast more in, than all they which have cast into the treasury: [Mark 12:42]

It is known as the “widow’s mite” offering, but here in Zagreb, we’d call it “lipa-faith”. [One hundred lipas to one kuna; six kunas to one dollar.] What this poor widow cast into the treasury equaled approximately two Croatian lipas, or one third of a US cent. She put in more than everyone because she left with nothing. A faith statement. A trust-fund. She took a lipa-faith, and the Lord took notice.

What a privilege to cast into the treasury, to give our time, energy, and finances to the work of God, but may we cast what we cast by faith, believing it is making a difference. The disciples were fishing all night long and the Lord said, “Cast your net on the other side”. Just one cast of faith and the net began to tear at the bounty. Lets cast something by faith, whether it’s a lipa to the cause of Christ, or a fishing line into the sea of lost humanity, cast by faith and watch God do it.

“There is a lad here, which hath five barley loaves, and two small fishes: but what are they among so many?” [John 6:9]

Sljeme is Zagreb’s mountain, it sits just north of the city line. Last Sunday, we all came dressed to the morning service in our hiking clothes and after a great time of fellowship in the word we set off for the trails. Several of our Croatian disciples joined us for the three hour climb. Hiking is an ideal way to get to know people and listen to their stories, time is in abundance. One young man, Boris, led us on the excursion which he had done many times before. He found it humorous to remind us at the most inconvenient moments, “We are almost one-tenth of the way there.” Along the way we passed some concrete bunkers with firing cavities and hidden entrances, reminders of the wars here not so long ago. It is something that often comes up in conversation on the streets, a bitterness many people hold in their heart towards neighboring countries and political leaders. I am often thankful that I never knew such a way of life, but also I know that there is no better place to pour out the love of God. After a great while, we came to clearing with steep cliffs off the right side and a beautiful view. Across the divide I saw what appeared to be a different mountain peak with a radio tower and I said, “Maybe we can hike that next week.” Boris laughed and said, “That’s Sljeme.”

I couldn’t believe my eyes, we had been hiking for two hours and the peak looked about a three days journey away. Nevertheless, we made it and enjoyed the rewarding view.

Night was creeping upon us so a few of us decided to take the cable car down and dangle mercilessly from a wire some ninety feet off the ground in a four-man carriage, rattling and creaking all the way to the bottom, it was awesome. After our Sunday morning service this week we went to Park Maksimir for some soccer and badminton. While we were having fun one man Danjiel, who accepted Christ several weeks ago, asked about the process of becoming a pastor, God is drawing people out and calling them to Himself. It is a wonder to behold.

This past Wednesday we had a ground-breaking event in the Greater Grace Church of Zagreb, we officially began Bible School offering two courses for the fall over a twelve week period: Introduction to Theology (taught by P. Tomas and Myself) and Applied Bible Doctrine (taught by P. George Arman). Three people are officially registered and several others are joining them. We were filled with joy as we cast the vision and people responded. Nothing is small when God is in it, that’s “lipa-faith.”

Bible School is the heart of church planting because it is discipling the core group who are coming regularly. Over fifty people have come to our meetings at least once but you can not build a church on that, it’s the five to seven people that are coming every time. We do not despise the day of small beginnings. Please pray for the finances of the Church that we would be able to continue renting a place for our meetings and that we would be able to print quality literature for evangelism and advertising the Bible School.

Its about time that we show you are picture of our apartment building. The Armans live on the bottom level, the landlord reserves the middle for himself when he is not in Germany, and the upper level is ours. A display of roses great us each morning as we open the door and prepare for a new day. The street is very quiet and just a few minutes walk from the nearest tram stop. Tomas and Eva Bulicek found the apartments when they first arrived from the Czech Republic, a manager at McDonalds directed them to it. When they moved out to a different apt. in the spring, we spoke to the landlord and he held it for us until September, an answer to prayer.

The only problem was that there was no washing machine and with Camden’s eating habits we are always needing to do a wash. We prayed that we would be able to find something cheap when we arrived but with out us knowing it, our landlord had purchased a new top of the line washer, thank you God.

Camden loves to help Mom load and unload it, many a toy has been found wrapped up in with the laundry.

I mentioned in a previous post about Friday, our “family day”. These are some recent pictures from our visit to the Zagreb Zoo. Mom snapped a picture as Camden and I watched a Zebra break for lunch, Camden enjoyed pointing at all the animals.

I couldn’t help but wonder what was going through her mind when she saw the hippopotamus, the bear, the jaguar, and the seal. I would add monkey to the list but I knew exactly what she was thinking during that exhibit. She was sitting on my shoulders bouncing up and down, slapping my head, saying, “ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh…” It was loud enough for passer bys to stop and get a good laugh, I think someone took a picture, even the monkeys seemed to be watching the whole scene.

Yes that is a Lion, and yes that is a chain-link fence. I was thinking the same thing. Overall, Susana and I had a lot of fun at the Zoo, I think Camden felt the same way.
We are having a wonderful time as a small family on the missionfield, trusting God with our calendar… it can be done! Things are happening, October is here, Bible School has begun, the air is cooler, and God is still on the Throne. We are daily on the streets speaking with people, meeting together, listening to messages from Baltimore, praying for the impossible, casting lipas into the treasury, bringing our loaves to the Master and watching him multiply them, casting our nets into the deep, and allowing him to make us fishers of men.

There are times when we miss our family and friends dearly and desire so much to be with you all but God is faithful to encourage us. The other day Susanna was a little discouraged that Camden doesn’t have any other kids to play with, we had gotten so used to her playing in the Mother’s Room in Baltimore with all the other infants. We prayed about it and that same day Susanna found an International Mother’s Group that meets every Thursday morning from 10-12, just to let their children play together and share toys. Susanna went this week for the first time and Camden made a great impression. God knows what we have need of, try him. Take a lipa-faith!

Love Never Fails,

Ben, Susanna, and Camden

P.S.- Thank you Aunt Joanie for your comments, also Aunt Debbie and Craig, it is such a joy to hear from our family abroad and to know you are thinking of us and praying for us. Soon we will have internet in our home and be able to correspond much more efficiently. We love you much.

World Travels

2006-09-30T20:06:00.000+02:00

Friday is our day of rest (family day) in ZAGREB, after breakfast we role out our only map on the living room floor and pick an uncharted area of the city to explore. Camden particularly enjoys the rolling-out-the-map part of this weekly ritual and before long she is playing twister on the city grid, right foot on Prečko, left hand on Borongaj.

Our authentic public transportion passes:

Two weeks ago we pioneered (as far as we were concerned) the recreational park and swimming area known as Bundek. The facility just reopened to the public this spring boasting beautiful landscaping, walking paths, and picnic areas, along with the ultimate in playground apparatus.

It was a gorgeous September day and early enough in the weekend to afford us the luxury of a vacant picnic table for our bag lunches prepared by Susanna, the wonderful. The walking paths were wide-open but Camden had other paths in mind. She was proud to being pushing her baby-doll stroller just like Mommy does. This Friday we visited the Zagreb Zoo and hopefully will be able to post those pictures soon.

A girl on a Mission...

A Park near the Upper City that I wrote about in a previous post.

Frizerski (hair) Salons can be seen every ten meters along Ilicia, the main street running from our area to the city center, only Kavana's (cafe's) can be found in greater numbers. Of course, Susanna began to deliberate as to which salon she could trust with her head, not all of them speak English. After dodging in and out of a few of them and gathering critical information, the choices only became more difficult. A few days ago, a girl came walking by and Susanna loved her hair so she tracked her down and asked where she got it done. The girl understood English and just so happened to have the Business card in her pocket. Thus done, it was only a matter of days before Susanan found herself perched in the chair of a certain Petra to be transformed into true Croatian style.

I was more worried than she was, but the results are wonderful.

Yesterday, October 1st, we had a beautiful time at our Sunday morning Service as Susanna sang "Glory of the Blood" before the Greater Grace Church of Zagreb's first Communion. Eight croatians came with several unalbe to attend, and we worshipped the Lord. Together with the team there were 13 adults and two children in our assembly, God is doing marvelous things. In the photograph you can see Camden's head as she bolts up the aisle to share the stage with Mommy.

Keep us in your prayers and thank you all of those who have supported us financially, you make this possible for us. Please send us contact infomation so that we can keep in touch with you. Those who leave comments also make sure you leave a email address we can respond to. God Bless and we hope to hear from you soon!

The Tanguays

A New Meeting Place

2006-09-25T11:30:00.000+02:00

Seven minutes from Jelacic [yel-a-cheech] Square, through the main walking streets, past the endless umbrellas boasting outdoor cafés, and several blocks down Avenija Preradoviceva, sits the humble building number 29.

Faded graffiti emblems complete the image across it’s large wooden doors that swing from the busy city street into a quiet and faintly lit foyer opening up into a courtyard. Eventually you find your way around the corner and up some stairs to the new meeting place of the Greater Grace Ministry in Zagreb, Croatia. The place is quite spacious really, complete with a stage and comfortable chairs, never mind the large windows opening out over the sidewalk filling the room with sunlight. It is a step of faith as we are trusting God to bring in the finances necessary to stay. Sunday, September17th marked our first service and the new face of the Church here. The Gradska Kavana was ideally located on the center but could only afford us often noisy, public seating to share, teach, and discuss the Bible. At the new building however, we now have a place where we can worship, sing, and praise the Lord with our voices (led by Susanna) as Shaban, a boisterous Christian soul, plays along on the guitar. It also facilitates the appropriate atmosphere for a pulpit ministry, where people can listen to the messages being taught from the Word of God without distractions. We are very encouraged in the Lord and believe that he will continue to bring the people. We are praying for amazing things in the month of October!

Wednesday evenings we have Bible School at that same location and will soon layout the curriculum for this new season. The emphasis will be on discovering the character and nature of God, who He is and what He has done. This is most important. As A.W. Tozer wrote in his book, The Knowledge of the Holy, “We tend by a secret law of the soul to move toward our mental image of God./ For this reason, the gravest question before the church is always God Himself, and the most portentous fact about any man is not what he at a given time may say or do, but what he in his deep heart conceives God to be like.” Bible School is not behavior modification, it is knowing God according to His Word. “In the simplest of terms,” explains Lewis Sperry Chafer in Systematic Theology, “God has spoken of Himself, and of things infinite and eternal. The Bible is that message.” What an invaluable asset , we have the Word of God! Never mind what so and so has said about Him, what has God said about Himself? “Thou thoughtest [kjv] that I was altogether such a one as thyself…,” -God [Ps. 50:21]. Unlike this poor gentleman the Lord addressed in the psalms, A.W. Tozer writes, “The man who comes to a right belief about God is relieved of ten thousand temporal problems.” That’s Bible School!

It was sometime last week, perhaps Tuesday morning, when we listened as a team to a Missions Focus class in Baltimore from December 16th, 2004 by Pastor Scibelli on “Not Limiting God.” He spoke from 2 Kings 13:16, 17 when Elisha encouraged the King of Isreal to shoot the arrows… the arrows of the Lord’s Deliverance… out the window towards the East. Elisha became angry when the King only shot three times, he limited God by his lack of faith. Inspired by this message, Pastor George and I ascended prayer hill [or the upper city as the rest of the population knows it] and began to “shoot arrows of faith” over the city. We prayed for God to fill our meeting room with people, we prayed for each of our young disciples by name as we often do, we prayed for a strong Bible School in the city training many Croatians over the years and sending out missionaries into the neighboring countries of former Yugoslavia. It was a beautiful time just letting the arrows fly. Not paying particular attention to the time, on our way back down to the square, the Upper City cannon blasted over our heads, it was 12 noon. My ears are still ringing. Aware of this particular ritual I was still caught off guard, so picture the sweet tourist lady standing close by, yeah, she panicked. As a matter of fact, I read a tourist brochure that warned pregnant woman from traveling near the tower at noontime as the blast has been known to induce premature labor! With that said, it was a most thrilling experience and I took it as God’s humorous way of saying, “I heard your prayers, they’re on the way.”

Our First Week in Croatia's Capitol

2006-09-13T11:46:00.000+02:00

“…but the people who know their God shall be strong, and do great exploits.” [Daniel 11:32b]

The view from our apartment of Zagreb's red clay rooftops reminds us daily that we are not in White Marsh anymore. Each morning we open our eyes to a vivid display of sunshine pouring through the stained glass skylight over our bed, like heaven smiling on us. Indeed, our place is a wonderful provision from God and sits only ten to fifteen minutes by tram from the main center. The intercom buzzes soon after the morning cup of coffee and “Dobro Jutro”, it’s P. Tomas and Eva Bulicek arriving for the daily meeting. Pastor George and Carol Arman accompany them up the stairs to our flat where we gather to pray for the day and listen to a message or Bible College class. It’s fun to read the monthly prayer calendar from the Missions Office in Baltimore and pray for the “missionaries of the day”. Praying and listening to the Word of God as a team every morning is like spiritual CPR, it gets the pulse racing.
By the time the class is over we are ready to invest the love of God into people’s lives. It’s that easy, Church planting is simply loving people. We evangelize because we love, as the Holy Spirit is circulating His life and compassion in our hearts [Rom 5:5]. I have really enjoyed the conversations while on the streets, each one is challenging and creates a sensitivity to speak not only what we know factually, but what God has to minister to people individually. God is never caught off guard, he is never speechless, he always has a word for our life, he came not to be ministered unto to but to minister, so we can be sure that God has something special for each face. In the gospels you can read about a certain young ruler, a certain beggar, a certain centurion, a certain blind man, a certain nobleman, a certain poor widow, a certain servant girl, a certain tax collector… over and over again, a certain one. Though he was surrounded by crowds of people, Jesus’ ministry was surprisingly personal, and its no different for us. You plant a church not by buying land or studying cultures, you plant a church by loving people.

In Jelacic Square there is big clock, the cities rallying point. Whenever you want to meet someone you can be sure they will say, “meet at the clock”. In one information guide a caption read, “under the clock where stories begin.” Because of this we often text each other “meet you where the stories begin.“ Also in the Square is Ban Jelacic, or at least a thirty foot high statue of him riding a horse, another popular place to meet. Someone told us that there is a joke that elderly people tell when they are asked how they met their significant other, they say “we met under the horses butt.” Case in point, this square is full of people and it is a great place to witness. Though it is the main attraction in a capitol city, it is surprising how many locals you will meet there… just waiting around.

Camden loves to chase the pigeons around the square, they are accustomed to people so they don’t flutter away until the last possible second, sometimes we think she is actually going to catch one. She also has taken notice of the many cigarette butts laying around and we would repeatedly tell her “no”, when she would try to pick them up. Now she stops and leans over when she sees one, points her finger at it and yells, “doe!” The people standing around get a kick out of it. She is the main attraction.

I wrote previously about the Gradska Kavana, an upscale café in Jelacic Square, this is where we have been holding our Sunday morning and Tuesday evening meetings. The great Cathedral in the backdrop is the pinnacle of the Croatian Religion. Many point to it when they are asked what they believe. The problem is that Catholicism here is more nationalistic than it is realistic. For them, to be Croatian is to be Catholic. The traditions and rituals are carried out in drone like motions, as if the building where an end in itself and not just a place to come and worship the Lord. While speaking to one young man I gave an illustration of an earthly church versus the heavenly church. An earthly church is more on the earth than it is in heaven. Its foundation is here and it reaches upward so many meters into the sky slowly tapering thin and then can go no further. This is like religion. It is attractive but ineffective. The heavenly church however has its roots in heaven, it has descended downward to mankind in the person of Jesus Christ and it touches the earth in only one place… the CROSS. The only way to become a part of the heavenly church is to go to the Cross where Christ accomplished everything that was necessary for your salvation and simply receive it. Then, upon entering the door, all of heaven is open to you. There is no questioning where you stand, no doubts about who you are, only confidence and security that you are accepted in the beloved [Eph. 1:6] and that he will never leave you nor forsake you [Heb. 13:5].

As we meet people and they express an interest in meeting us again, going for coffee, or coming to our fellowship, they find themselves in awe of what they hear. The Bible, once a dust covered book on the shelf, is now coming alive before their very eyes. This is the joy or our vocation.
This past Sunday, after service, we packed up some goods and took a day trip to Jarun, a lake and recreation area just outside the city. Toni, a young man from Bosnia, ran the grill as Siban took pictures. Also a sweet Chinese-Croatian professor joined us as she does to many of our gatherings. Pastor Tomas and I shared the Word after much eating, some ping-pong, and pick up soccer in the park. It was a great day.

Earlier in the week, P. Tomas, Eva, Susanna, Camden and I spent some time down by the beautiful parks near the Main Train Station. There is a great shop in the underground plaza nearby where you can buy a HUGE slice of pizza, more like a quarter of a pie, for only 8 kunas ($1.30). As we go, we bring some of these precious people along with us. It is important to just let people see how you live, what you laugh at, what you enjoy, how you eat pizza… discipling people is simply being motivated, having a direction, a purpose, a calling, and allowing people to follow and learn with you. In short, it’s a lot of fun.

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Quote From Pastor Tomas Bulicek: “to go is to grow, and to grow is to go.” Going to Bible School, going to outreach, going to the mission field, and going forward with God... as we go we grow. The Father so loved he gave, we also give because we love. We give our time, our money, our energy, our shedule, our lives, because AGAPE love not only says, but gives.
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Thank you for the words of encouragement and for those who take the time to leave a comment. We appreciate each one and enjoy reading what you have to say. Please feel free to post a question that you would like to know about what we are doing or about the culture or some other thing. If you don’t know us at all and would like to ask about our teaching and ministry please write also. We decided that we will write an update once a week, each Monday to keep you, family and friends, well informed of what is happening here.
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If you want to reach us please SMS text us from anywhere in the world at no additional cost to you than a standard text. Our numbers are as follows:

Ben Tanguay: + 385 921 074 126

Susanna : + 385 921 089 340

(385 is the country code for Croatia, “+” is dialed by holding down the 0 key on your cell phone pad- it represents the country code you are dialing out from- if not using “+” sign, from the USA you would dial 011 then 385...etc.)
Using the same numbers, you can get an inexpensive phone card and call us if you‘d like to speak with us, we don’t have to pay for incoming calls or texts on our mobile phones.
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Coming up in next weeks edition:::
The renting of a Building and The First Service in our new meeting place.
Prayer Hill
Camden update
The continuous unfolding of God’s plan for our church and the people of Zagreb, Croatia

(some of the pictures i had did not upload correctly so they will be added to this post soon)

Brief Note

2006-09-11T18:55:00.000+02:00

Thank you for the great comments, we appreciate each time someone drops us a note.
God Bless and we are praying daily for Baltimore and the reports we recieve of what is happening there. Send our love to the Moore family.

In Love,

the tanguayZ

Zagreb at Last

2006-09-07T11:34:00.000+02:00

Two flights, a bus ride, several taxis, ten bags, a stroller, and three flights of stairs later… here we are! The trip went very well, much better than we anticipated. Pastor George and Carol Arman greeted us at the airport with flashing cameras while P. Tomas and Eva waited for us at the bus terminal. One of the Croatian disciples came with the Buliceks to help load up the bags. Camden did very well for her first Trans-Atlantic exploit and is now sleeping soundly in her new crib we just purchased yesterday (a story in itself). When I say “purchased it yesterday“, what I mean is we carried it on our backs several miles, crammed it into a bustling street car, and again walked it up the street and three flights of stairs to our apartment… I must say it is rather adventurous to travel by public transportation in a foreign country. We really are enjoying ourselves and learning to appreciate the Croatian way.

This morning we met at the Armans apartment just down stairs for the daily prayer and morning class (recent messages received via mail from Baltimore). We also had a sweet time of communion and worship together after which Pastor Tomas stood up and reminded all of us to “please pass our cups to the center isle.” The fellowship we have here is very healthy as it is close and focused. We know that God is doing a great work in us as a couple.
Zagreb is a smaller European city but it has all the markings of a crowded metropolis, and might I add, a ripe harvest field. Tonight I am enjoying Zagreb’s cool evening air, a refreshing exchange for it’s seemingly relentless sun. The tram cars don’t help the situation either, they are more like mobile greenhouses with little moving air and exotic smells, though yielding great panoramic views of the city life. The good news is that they are upgrading the system with new air-conditioned, street level models (no steps to climb), with comfortable seats and spacious standing room. One of them comes humming down the rails in the old cobble stone streets every now and then and if you are lucky it‘s going your direction.

While we are on the subject, earlier today Susanna and I received our official public transportation passes, with photos and all. It’s a big step in our initiation to becoming Croats. The passes enable us to travel on any public service (bus or tram), in any direction, unlimited trips, for a month at a time. The cost is about 210 kunas each, that’s approximately $35 [the currency rate is 6 kunas per US dollar]. Not a bad deal considering we were spending 3x’s that a week on gas in the states.

(pictures coming soon)

All details aside, this a wonderful experience with abundant opportunities for ministry. People are people. This evening we had our Tuesday night Bible study at the Gradska Kavana, an upscale café in Jelacic Square (the main center of town). We had a good time around the Word of God with some kava s’ mljecka (coffee with milk = latte) and four Croatians joined us. It is something to watch the eyes of new believers as they listen with much interest to the scriptures being taught and preached, and spoken of with honor and value. The Bible is familiar to people yet foreign, a personal relationship to the Word of God is non existent, as is the case is most cultures today. What a calling, to study the Bible, to win the lost, to disciple believers, and to love the brethren!

Pray for these young believers and the many others that have met with the team over the last months. Pray that the Lord will lead us in our evangelism specifically, for the renting of a building to meet in and the finances to go along with it, for a translator for our meetings (that’s an important request), and pray for us as we continue to make the proper adjustments to get settled here in Zagreb with Camden and all the expenses that we encountered upon arrival.

the tanguayZ

We Have Arrived...

2006-09-06T20:31:00.000+02:00

Greetings from ZAGREB, CROATIA! We made it and have now been in the country for 4 days. I am now at an internet cafe in downtown Zagreb a little disappointed because i had prepared a good piece to post on the blog about our trip and found out i cant upload it because it is in the wrong format. Hopefully i will figure it out and be able to post it soon. I just wanted to write something to let you all know we are here and camden is doing great. This picture was taken yesterday at a beautiful park tucked away between the city streets, with fountains and all. Camden particularly enjoyed it. We have been putting her in the stroller alot becuase we walk everywhere, getting on and off trams but she obviously doesnt enjoy being strapped down so much so we are learning how to make this adjustment. Every chance we get we find little places where we can stop and let her run around and play with things. She is doing great. Tonight we had outreach in the main square, meeting the locals and speaking with them. Conversations are rich in content as people ask big questions.
I will write more soon but time does not permit for now.

I heard tonight about our dear friend Debbie Moore's car accident... our hearts break for her and for the family. We are praying for the best and for her total recovery. Debbie has been such an encouragement to us serving in any way she could and helping us get to Croatia. Oh Lord do it! Touch her body and bring back consciousness, heal her totally Lord, comfort her and those who love her.

Where is Croatia Anyway?

2006-08-11T06:36:00.000+02:00

Croatia, or Hrvatska, part of former Yugoslavia, sits at the top left portion of the Balkan Penninsula in Europe. It is shaped like a giant comma with the thin leg stretching south east along the Adriatic coast just across from Italy.
Croatia borders on Slovenia, Hungary, Serbia, Bosnia-Hercegovina, and Montenegro and sits only hours away from Austria and Italy.

Zagreb is the Captiol City of Croatia, about two hours inland from the nearest coastal city, Rijecka. Zagreb is where we will be living for the next nine months assisting Pastor George and Carol Arman, along with Pastor Tomas and Eva Bulicek, in establishing a Greater Grace Church in Croatia. We will be making various trips to neighboring cities and regions along the way, please pray for open doors for the Gospel.

Zagreb is a strategic site for the location of a healthy Greater Grace Church, with many war torn regions close by in need of the Grace only found in Jesus Christ. We belive God! Pray that we discover God's place for us there as a young married couple and new parents of a beautiful daughter. Also, pray for our health and wellness as we travel about experimenting with foreign markets, foods, and cultures. We joy to know we are tightly knit in a caring, living, and supplying home church and loved by so many. We are what we are by the Grace of God.

Love Never Fails,

The Tanguays

Our Departure is at Hand

2006-07-23T04:27:00.000+02:00

We are moving to Zagreb, departure is set for September 2nd 2006! Please keep us in prayer as we take this next step and plan for our 9 month stay in Croatia. My wife Susanna, my daughter Camden, and I are so excited about what this next year holds in store. We simply believe that God is calling us to serve with our brothers and sisters in planting a Greater Grace Minsitry in the captial city, but we couldnt begin to imagine all the dear people and friends that will be added to our lives very soon. God Bless you and please be sure to check frequently as we will be updating the news coming out of Zagreb.

Sincerely,
The Tanguay Family

Thank You for Your Support!

2006-07-20T00:05:00.000+02:00

We wish to thank you for your financial support towards Balkan Missions, taking the gospel into Former Yugoslavia. Your gift is greatly appreciated and of eternal consequence, as it will be used to keep us on the foreign field and furthering the glorious gospel of Christ.
May God Bless you as you have blessed us with your gift. Much love, the Tanguays

Contact Information

2006-07-19T20:11:00.000+02:00

Leave a comment by following the links underneath each post. Instructions will guide you through the process. Every comment is sent directly to our inbox. We would love to hear from you, please leave your email address so we can reply.

OR... email us directly at tanguayz@msn.com

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Our Home Address is:
Crnomerec, Sveti-duh
Ibrisimoviceva 10a
Zagreb, Croatia 10000

You can send SMS text messages (at no extra cost) to our mobile phones:
The "+" can be dialed from your cell phone by holding down zero for two seconds. It represents the international code. In europe that equals 00, but in the states if you are calling from a land line phone, I believe you would dial 011, then 385...etc.

Our Phone Numbers are:

Ben- + 385 92 107 4126
Suz- + 385 92 108 9340

photo- Ben & Suz

2006-07-18T21:01:00.000+02:00