We wanted to let you know that we haven’t yet made it to Serbia. When we got the requisite PCR test a day before boarding the plane, mine was negative, but Eddie’s came back positive. He has no symptoms and feels fine, and the notation on the results said that they found a very low level, very near the negative cutoff point. Clearly, it is just leftover from when we each had covid in January. However, as the PCR is the ultimate test for boarding a plane and entering a country, we were unable to leave on Sunday.
At this point, rather than continually giving a new departure date, we’ll just let you know when we actually get there. Please pray that those nasty covid markers will die away quickly in Eddie and we can leave soon.
We’ve been in Serbia for two weeks now and can say that life in Serbia is good! We have the confidence and joy that we are right where God wants us. That’s a wonderful feeling.
So far we’ve been able to visit with church leaders from three different churches. The first Sunday we were here, totally jet-lagged, we were asked on Saturday to speak in the church here in Senta – the next day! Fortunately, we were awake enough to hear from God and were able to deliver a message from the Word. This Sunday, we are leading worship in the Senta church (Christ Evangelical Church). We’ll be going to the church in Ada next Sunday and in Subotica the following Sunday. In the meantime, we are trying to meet and connect with any English speakers and begin to develop relationships. Please pray with us for Maya, Eva, Atila, Tamara, and Gabor as we try to get to know them and begin to invite them to church and share the gospel with them.
Thanks so very, very much to those of you who are supporting us financially. We were able to purchase a car – a Renault Grand Scenic. It’s a French car, 2010, with high mileage, but in relatively good shape. We’re having just a little work done to it, but it ended up costing less than we budgeted, so it all worked out. It was checked out by a qualified mechanic friend of the pastor here, so once those things are done. we believe we’ll have good, reliable transportation. We were given brand new kitchen cookware, so that saved us a good deal of money. A vacuum cleaner is the next necessary purchase and they’re a bit expensive, but with all the money saved by not buying pots and pans and such, that won’t be a problem. One thing we do want to do is to buy the church here in Senta a good, large coffeemaker, as we feel that this will be an attractive idea to those we invite. Some of you have asked us to let you know what we need to purchase, so that would be our first request.
We discovered that our apartment was not on the first floor, as we thought, but on the fifth! We totally misunderstood! However, the location is perfect, in the center of town, exactly the location we were looking for, and almost everything we need is within walking distance. We will definitely be getting our exercise! One advantage we’ve found to being on such a high floor is that there is very little to block the wind, so we get a lovely, nice breeze when we open the windows. The apartment is small but newly refurbished, very pretty and modern, and the owner is so sweet and helpful. In fact, she is someone we knew when we were here 30 years ago and she was a mere thirteen year old.
The weather is beautiful – in the low 70’s during the days currently. It will get into the 80-90 range in July and August, but we do have air conditioning.
This was long, but we wanted to catch you up a bit and will share more soon. Thank you so much for your continual prayers for us! Much love from the Blakleys to you all!
We’re so excited!! After well over an unexpected year of waiting, medical issues have been resolved, we both have had our Covid-19 vaccines, plane tickets have been purchased, and we’re getting ready to start packing bags. We leave on May 2nd!
Here’s how we’d like to ask you to pray:
*Pray that God will use us mightily as encouragers to the pastors and church leaders. They had a difficult mission before Covid-19 and even more so now. So many people have left the country looking for work due to the abysmal economic situation in Serbia, so the churches, which were already small, are shrinking. Some of those who were instrumental in the churches have left for others areas of Europe for the sake of a job and a means to support their families.
*As Paul asked for prayers for boldness in Ephesians 6:19, we ask you to pray that for us too in sharing the gospel. Pray that we’ll have the opportunity to plant some seeds, water others, and see others grow to fruition.
*Please pray for us and for our family, mentally, physically and emotionally as we prepare for this move.
*Pray that we’ll continue to have the health and strength for what we need to do.
*Pray that God will provide the funding we need for our ministry. We are actively seeking to raise support, so if you or anyone you know is willing to support missions in Serbia, please click here.
Thank you for your love for us, your kindness, and your prayers.
Please feel free to leave a comment below. We’d love to hear from you!
It’s already Christmas and way past time for an update, isn’t it! We’re still around, successfully avoiding Covid 19 so far, and enjoying family time.
I wanted to let you all know that my last mammogram was clear. Yay! I have another in February and, as long as it too is clear, we’ll be ready for travel!
It has been a difficult year, though. Eddie had shingles in January, then a close – very close – encounter with a deer, which resulted in an injured thumb (bad news for a guitarist!) and a damaged car. The thumb and car are both doing well, now, I’m happy to say. And he recently had to have a procedure for a kidney stone … really not fun.
As most of you know, I was surprised by a diagnosis of breast cancer in early February, which led to the cancellation of our move to Serbia at that time. I had a lumpectomy that month, and 24 days of radiation in April – May. Later, in July, since we were still here, I had a surgical repair done on my arthritic right thumb to relieve the painful issue of bone-on-bone. That, too, went very well, and, within another month or so should pain-free.
With all of our injuries and surgeries, anesthesia, pain relievers, fatigue, and such, I haven’t been communicating with you all as I should and for that, I apologize.
Our plan now is to return to Serbia at some point in March. We need to see how the vaccine scheduling is going to happen as we suspect that the Serbian authorities may possibly, by then, require proof of a vaccine. We are so excited to get back there, though!
Thanks to EVERYONE for your prayers for us during this time, particularly regarding the cancer. It’s been so special to us. I would like to ask for a bit more prayer, if I may. I’m having a great deal of trouble (translate – pain) with my left Achilles tendon and my podiatrist is saying that lengthening will likely be necessary since the injection didn’t solve the problem. Yes … yet another surgery. (So embarrassing)
For those who have continued to support us financially, we want you to know that we’ve deposited each donation into a savings account designated solely for our Serbia mission, to be used once we get there.
Blessings to all of you and I promise to do better on communication.
Things are moving along. I’m having surgery tomorrow (2/26) to remove the tumor and a few weeks later I’ll start radiation. The good news is it’s very small and caught early. We’re so grateful to God for that! We’re grateful to you all, as well, for your prayers and encouragement. I have a wonderful support group with family close and friends on two continents. Thank you!
Some of you have heard this already, but for those who haven’t, we’re not in Serbia. Krista had a routine mammogram the week before we were due to leave and the radiologist found a suspicious area that was then biopsied. The biopsy revealed breast cancer. It is “in situ”, localized in one spot, so that’s good news. We are meeting with an oncologist tomorrow, 2/19, to find out the course of treatment and will be able to update everyone shortly. In the meantime, we would certainly appreciate your prayers.
Eddie’s hand is healing nicely from the injury he received when a deer decided to make acquaintance with our car, and the shingles he had are just about gone.
As you can see, it’s been an eventful 2 1/2 months since we’ve been back.
God is definitely in control of every bit of this and we are giving it all to him daily, hourly, minute by minute.
We’ll try to keep you updated on the progress, but know this: We still intend to go to Serbia as soon as it is reasonably possible. We realize that we’re talking months, rather than weeks, but our hearts are there and our calling is there. Thank you all as you share this walk with us and lift us before the Lord.
We leave this Sunday, February 9th, to return to Serbia and we’re so excited! We’re really looking forward to being back there. We’re going to miss our family and friends something fierce, but we are certain in our hearts that this is the path God has for us. He has put his love for the Serbian people in us and caused a longing to be there. We’re grateful to be used in this way. Retirement? No way!
Please lift up in prayer our dear friend, Viktor Szabo, who is a pastor in Subotica. He beat prostate cancer, but it’s now been found in his bones. Pray for healing, pray for the treatments to be successful, pray for his family and church during this time. We’ve known and loved him and his wife for almost 30 years.
We’d love, truly love, to hear from you whenever we’re on your minds. You can comment here on the website, on our FB page – Eddie and Krista in Serbia, or email us at blakleysonmission@gmail.com.
We get to announce to the world (or at least everyone we haven’t already broken the news to …) that after 27 years, we are moving back to Serbia!!
For those who don’t know, we lived there as missionaries for a year in 1991. The war started and after a trip home in the fall, we knew going back with three kids wasn’t the thing to do at that time. So we’ve waited. God has led us down several paths in the intervening years, blessed paths, but now he is leading us to return to Eastern Europe. We’ve stayed connected during these years with the pastors and friends from the early 90’s and will have the opportunity to work with them again.
We’re planning on making the move in February, 2019. Later in November we will be making a trip over there to work on details and find an apartment and obtain furnishings.
Please be praying for us during this time as we plan for this move and as we raise support. On that note, we will be working with Modern Day, an excellent organization that sends out workers into the field, as well helping raise support for native pastors and leaders in countries all over the world. We are very impressed with them and have known the founder for decades. We were very pleased when he started this organization years ago, and have supported missionaries through Modern Day, not realizing that, in time, we would have the honor of becoming one of them. You can check them out here.
We would humbly ask that you’d prayerfully consider supporting us as we go about the work God is calling us to. Here’s the link to our Modern Day page: Eddie and Krista Blakley where you can read more about it and find the donation link (tax-deductible of course). If you’d like to visit with us about any of this, please use the contact us links on the home page.
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