Mezger Memo

WE'VE MOVED!!

2007-09-21T12:00:00.000-07:00

Ok, just like everybody else, we've moved to wordpress. Please update your bookmarks, we are now at: www.mezgermemo.wordpress.com

Brothers

2007-09-13T15:51:00.001-07:00

You may not know this, but my boys have about the same age difference as me and my brother, Josh. That makes me feel good. Especially on Josh's birthday a couple days ago. I hope and pray that they grow up as close as we did.

conversation with the neighbor ladies last night

2007-08-27T22:12:00.001-07:00

Me: We're not going to be here for a few days. We have to go up to Hungary to pick up a friend.
Bahra & Amela: Why'd she go to Hungary?
Me: She had to see a specialist-doctor.
Bahra & Amela: We have everything right here in Sarajevo! What's wrong with you!!?? Spend all that money to go to Budapest and we have some of the best doctors and hospitals in the world, right here! Not even Belgrade has such a fine hospital.
Me: I'm pretty sure that she needed a special doctor and Budapest had one of the only ones in this region.
Bahra & Amela: No, you're crazy, you're the sick one! What a waste...

(Both Bahra and 9-month pregnant Amela smoke a few more cigarettes)

Me: Amela, how's the baby coming along?
Amela: Coming soon, but I'm not having my baby at the hospital here! I'm going to a private clinic somewhere else.
Me: Why not go to the (world class) Koshevo Hospital?
Amela: Are you kidding!!?? They have mice running around all over that place!! No way!!

Picture of Bosnia

2007-08-18T23:17:00.000-07:00

I know that there are many pictures here, but they all show a picture of this region today: broken. We had a WONDERFUL visit from our friends the Nemeths who faithfully serve in another broken town called Vukovar. The time was rich, the food was hearty (one word: MacKenzie), the kids had fun, and we were encouraged. By the way, if you don't know what you're looking at, these pictures were taken just outside of town where the downhill events took place for the 1984 Olympics. The 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place platforms, so we heard, were ironically used as an execution site during the war here.

Photos that make you cry

2007-08-12T13:12:00.000-07:00

We've done songs already, how about photos? I must have seen this one captured at a KKK rally in Michigan over a decade ago and still can't get it out of my mind:

I suppose you could link your photo in the comments section. Either that or post it on your own blog.

For Josh, Charlie, and Quynh!

2007-08-04T04:34:00.001-07:00

Give me some real food!

2007-07-30T10:01:00.000-07:00

Did I mention that Bosnia has killer watermelons?

a note from Simeon

2007-07-14T13:24:00.001-07:00

dear blok readers-

this is my very first blok posting, and i don’t really understand what this whole blok thing is all about… i think it has something to do with froks though, right?
anyways, some of you have been asking about me and how i’m doing, well, i thought i’d let you know. here goes:
i’m now 2 years 3 months old and my Mommy & Daddy (M&D) say that I am all TWO! what is it they say? terrific twos? something like that. i am now aware that i have my own will and sometimes i like to exercise that will.
we finally moved into our new home and guess what? i got my own big boy bed! no more cribs for me- no siree bob. i sleep in the corner of the room with my Winnie the pooh pillow, my pas (stuffed doggie) whose name is zubie, and my bikie (blankie). right now my bed is on the floor so i don’t fall off of it- it’s also easier to jump on the bed too.
i’ve made 2 new fwenz that live next door- “SelmaBelma, SelmaBelma” (Selma’s 2 and Belma’s 3). they’re alot of fun for being girls, i guess.
we’ve also had some fwenz stay with us in our house. ryu stayed with us (he’s lowee’s younger brother), lowee and jack-a-bee, and kinney. it was fun having jack-a-bee live with us. while he was here he learned how to crawl, drink out of a sippy-cup, and has eaten lots of new foods- he’s growing up so fast!
we had a lot of fun when ryu, lowee, and jack-a-bee were here, but we had to say ba-bye to them. that made me sad, but that just means that we have more room for other people to come and stay with us (hint-hint).
let’s see another thing i’m really good at is giving nicknames. if you think my parents are good at giving nicknames- i think that i might even be better! Let’s see there’s Mulu (Merle), Lute (Luke), Wistee (Kristy), Lokin (Logan), and many others too.
my days are filled with lots of activity. i eat bekfis (cereal-pease, or ekks, or toas) and then i like to go to the pekara (bakery). i usually run there and back and if i’m good i get some of the choca-it croissant.
then we stop by the house with the caws (cows) and sheepas. i like to go there b/c it reminds me of my favorite song: “donald” (old macdonald). then i go play! i especially like the wee next door. it’s a big kid wee where i have to hold on to the chains. and now there’s a really big slide that i go down only with mommy.
then there’s lunch and then mi-mis (nap) and then when i wake up from my nap i get a snack! sometimes i even get a cookie! more playing, dancing around, running around, tickles and that kind of stuff.
did you know that i helped build my house? when Daddy and Ryu were working on the hardwood floors i got to give them the nails and i also got to hamma (surprise-surprise). i like building like BobBuilda.
a couple of weeks ago i had a full weekend! 1 day we went up the mountain and had a pic-nic. i got to run up and down the mountain, i flew my first kite, and went bug hunting. then the next day we went to a wedding! i got all dressed up and got to run around with all the other big kids. Mommy and baby Than danced the electric slide together and Daddy sang a Bob Marley song. Kinney wanted to take a picture of my, but i made her work for it: “Mimo smile”, “Kinney wun”, “Mimo picture”, “Kinney wun”, i did let her take a few pictures of me since she did run a little bit.
and then, the next day we went the center of town where the ground is made out of slippery stones and i got to run! i also got to ride on a choo-choo Thomas!
one time we also went to the wadee. i mostly threw rocks into the wadee.
now that we are in our own home i’m thinking about using the potty. thinking only right now- i’m not ready yet, but soon. M&D said that if i use the potty then i’ll get choca-it…i’m still thinking about it though. the other day i got choca-it when Daddy bzzzd my head. even though Daddy bzzzd my head for some reason i still get a sweaty head…maybe i need another bzzz and more choca-it too.
every night before i go nigh-nigh i tell daddy “ah-song” and together we sing songs about Je-us. Daddy forgets a lot of the words so i have to help him out. like:
i love you LORD
and i lift my VOICE
to worship YOU
oh my SOUL
re-JOICE
take joy my KING
in what you HEAR
may it be a sweet, sweet SOUND
in your EAR
after we sing we pway together. we even pway for you too! ti-ti (thank you) for praying for me, Mommy, Daddy, and baby Than. it really helps when we talk to Je-us. he helps us out a lot. so keep pwaying for us and we’ll keep pwaying for you too.
okay. ciao for now! pah-pah! (how kids say bye-bye here).

One of the best 4th parties ever!

2007-07-08T00:11:00.000-07:00

Most of my life I've been in another country for (1) my birthday and (2) the 4th of July. I never imagined that one of the best 4th parties I would ever go to would be here in Sarajevo, Bosnia. We had a ton of Americans over to the "Mare's Head" (that's what our neighborhood is called--Kobilja Glava) and really just cooked out and sang songs. Here's why it was so great though: Don Stevens is a new friend here and is talented with many different instruments. With him leading we sang late into the night all kinds of old American traditionals--Battle Hymn of the Republic, Oh Susanna, etc. He made a good point though, if you go to a Bosnian wedding you will find hundreds of people singing word for word all of their traditional songs until 2 in the morning. We couldn't even make it through one verse of each American song! Though we still had fun singing them, we all realized that we should try harder at passing along our own cultural music from generation to generation.

for the baby lovers...

2007-07-02T02:12:00.001-07:00

still no internet

2007-06-07T01:09:00.000-07:00

Hey all, we're still working on setting things up at home. I just returned from 4.5 days (yes, days) of driving all over Germany, picking up things that we shipped and also picking up Mackenzie Rollins, Jack, and Lauren Tayler.

There is so much to tell you, things to pray for, people to pray for. But time and resources are so limited. Living in Europe is not cheap, and that is getting heavy on my mind.

More to come...

photo update

2007-05-25T23:58:00.000-07:00

(clockwise) coffee break in our attick while completing the house. Simeon LOVES his little brother. Simeon has found a great park right near downtown. And finally, some new help arrives--Ryan Lambert! The one and only.

A Ok

2007-05-11T05:16:00.000-07:00

If only we all had the resilience of kids. Simeon is back in full force today. The fever broke and all is well, though he now has a pretty sore throat. Thank you for all your prayers and we'll chalk up "good Bosnian medical experience #1" in our memories.

urgent prayer need

2007-05-09T01:59:00.000-07:00

Please keep little Simeon in your prayers. He woke up from a nap 2 days ago with an outrageous temperature. It goes down when we give him medicine, then goes even higher. Through God's providence we got an appointment yesterday at a private clinic with the retired head of Pediatrics of the main Sarajevo hospital. He prescribed an antibiotic and said that if the fever doesn't go away after a day or so then we have to go through a series of urine and blood tests.

Simeon is miserable. He laid awake most of last night moaning "hoot" (hurt) and "mimis" which means he wants to sleep.

This is hard. Please pray.

Fun Bosnia facts Pt. 1

2007-05-04T05:46:00.001-07:00

If you're 30 or under like me, then you'll notice that more guys than not sport the fauxhawk. What is that you ask? I'm no expert in the field, but I think David Beckham started it a few years back. He's that worldwide phenom unknown to many Americans, from that game that most Americans don't know about: Football (or soccer). Here's what it looks like:

Janet wants me to try it...no way. I told her she can experiment on the boys. Another thing to get used to here: Smoke everywhere. I mean everywhere. What can you do? Here's a quick vocab lesson: something that cracks us up here is the lack of vowels in the language. Take the word "carrot" for example: MRKVA. Or my favorite, the word for patience: STRPLJENJE.

All for now. Thanks for reading!

Finally have a few pics

2007-05-03T02:51:00.000-07:00

(clockwise) Night view of the city from our balcony, precious cargo, and Sim's new "Zumbrock Park", not a bad view eh?

Still homeless...but happy.

2007-04-30T02:55:00.000-07:00

Hey everybody, we made it in one piece. 17 hours of flying with two little boys was comprable to running a marathon. One bag was missing when we arrived but was shuttled to our place the next morning. Our landlady is a riot. Will write more about her later. She is as fiery and witty as her Bosnian red-dyed hair. Simeon loves her. The house should be ready this week. In the meantime we are staying in Merle & Jenny's home next door. They return from the states may 29th.

Can't wait for more people to arrive. Hopefully this month will be the loneliest time that we will experience here.

Peace. Rob

The day has arrived!

2007-04-25T05:22:00.000-07:00

After two years of being at home, training, connecting, GROWING, we are finally returning to the Balkans today. In about 4 hours we fly out to Sarajevo, Bosnia via Washington Dulles and Munich. Yep, 2 layovers, with two little, energy-filled boys. Pray that we miraculously keep a sense of humor throughout our trip, they are pretty silly guys. Here's some pictures taken on Simeon's second birthday.

More to come...

We're gone! Almost.

2007-04-11T23:20:00.000-07:00

Packed up and left Wheaton today. Janet and the boys are in Dallas. I'm sitting in a hotel room in Matoon Illinois with Tim Taylor. We got a flat tire on the trailer and when the rim hit the highway, the axel broke. I'm going to ditch the trailer in the morning and get a UHaul. So much for saving money by buying my own utility trailer and selling it in Dallas. Good times.

brief update

2007-03-09T23:47:00.000-08:00

Dad and I made it to Sarajevo ok. PTL all of our bags arrived safely after a flight to London, Munich, then Sarajevo. I am very sick, however, so keep that in your prayers. We came down with a horrible cold as a family just before I left. I had to leave Janet with two very sick little boys. Grandma is there helping out though. I'll update more later. Dad says that he's never seen a city like this one. He compares it a little to Monterrey, Mexico if you've ever been.

Meet Jack Elijah Taylor

2007-03-01T14:10:00.001-08:00

Jack Taylor and his mom Lauren came to visit us last week. He's a great kid as you can see. He looks a lot like his daddy, especially when he squints. Jack's coming to Bosnia with us and boy is Simeon excited. We had such a great time during their visit. We went to a pub and heard live Irish music, visited a coffe shop built around a real roaster, sang a lot of songs, cried and told stories about Nathan (Jack's dad), and drove through one of Chicago's worst blizzards in a decade for 2 hours to get Ethiopian food. Oh yeah, and did I mention that there are now 4 Mezger/Taylor boys, soon to be 5? Aunt Mandi is having another boy! We'd better live in a community together to keep the tradition going.

You have not because you ask not...

2007-02-09T08:38:00.000-08:00

Just thought I'd throw this on the table. We have a few practical needs. Can you shoot us an email (or leave a comment) if you can help with any of these or have any ideas?

1. Storage space: 5'x5' and about 7' tall would be ideal. A garage or basement would work. We'll put most of our stuff in those rubbermaid containers that stack nicely and are moisture-proof.

2. Help with support letter-mailings. We would email you a pdf, you'd print it, stuff the envelopes and mail them out from a state-side location. Of course we'd pay for everything.

2 Months from departure

2007-02-08T08:36:00.000-08:00

In High Honor:
Nathanael Isaac Taylor
9/26/82-11/27/06

Beloved friends,
It is with sorrow and joy that we greet you this post-Christmas season. In late November we got a phone call that Rob's lifelong friend Nathan Taylor had drowned in a fishing accident in Oregon. The news was nearly unbearable and Rob departed immediately for funerals both in Oregon and Texas. Janet was unable to travel because she was already in her 8th month of pregnancy. Losing Nathan has caused some deep reflection and though he is gone, we know he is with Jesus. We also have been reminded of the brevity of life and have remembered our call to make the most of it by following and serving Jesus.
TEAM UPDATE:
As some of you know, we have been working to develop a team for our work in the Balkans. Well, Nathan's wife Lauren Elizabeth is prayerfully considering joining us with little Jack who is now 4 months old. Furthermore, her two younger brothers may be coming for the entire summer. Please join her/us in prayer about this.
INTRODUCING:
Nathanael Divinagracia Mezger!
We had a wonderful New Year's Day surprise when this little angel came 3 weeks early. Praise the Lord Janet was able to have a natural birth! He weighed 7lb 15oz. Both mom and Nathanael are doing great. Simeon is very excited about having a little brother too. He loves giving him kisses all over!

PRAYER NEEDS:

1. Pray that we would find a house suitable for this potential team. Rob and his dad will be traveling next month to begin looking for a place.
2. A car. We are exploring the option of buying a car in Germany to save money and visa/registration trouble. Pray that this could happen through our friends in Germany.
3. Pray for Janet's speedy recovery from the labor process as we are about to begin moving our belongings into storage and over to Bosnia.

You are vital to this ministry with your prayer and support! We thank you for your partnership with us.
By His strength,
The Mezgers

Yay! I get a passport!

2007-02-01T09:16:00.000-08:00

because I'm about to move to Bosnia and become a missionary kid!

Nathanael Divinagracia Mezger

2007-01-04T08:45:00.000-08:00

Several weeks ago, Janet had this idea, and we started praying about it: Lara Davis and Scott Barnett were getting married on New Year's Eve and though we didn't know them too well, we kind of invited ourselves to the wedding. Janet wanted to get a babysitter, get all dressed up, go to the wedding and dance the night away. We would come home and sleep for a few hours and she would go right into labor. Miraculously, we got a babysitter (thanks Nick and Stephanie), and at the reception we were half jokingly telling people that the baby was coming that night...3 weeks early. Riiight.

At 7:30 Janet woke me up saying, "Happy new year honey, let's welcome our son to the new year!" I shot out of bed in utter disbelief. In a matter of minutes she was hovered over the couch moaning in pain yelling at me to get Josh and Jennie here NOW (to watch Simeon). I ran 3 red lights on Roosevelt and drove about 95-100mph on the highway, all the while with her moaning "faster!" They wheeled her from the emergency reception up to a room and at the first exam, Liz Garcia (our midwife) looked at me with a huge smile saying, "she's ready to push!"

Janet pushed for about 2 hours like a total champ, and this little guy came out, all natural! His middle name is Janet's maiden name, a Filipino tradition. We did the same with Simeon. So here he is, named after a great man, Nathan Taylor (see previous posts):

New year's eve....NEW YEAR'S DAY!!

2007-01-01T20:31:00.000-08:00

Blue Nativity

2006-12-18T08:43:00.000-08:00

Last year for Christmas I got one of the best gifts--a subscription to Touchstone magazine. If you've never read it, you must. I've never been into magazines. When I was little I read the Sporting News' baseball edition but that's about it. With Touchstone, I usually read it from cover to cover within a week of its arrival at my house.
This month one of the articles focuses on the darkness that lays the backdrop of "God rest ye merry, gentlemen." Every Christmas hymn has a few lines that just slip out of our mouths without us really pondering them. The song says, "Remember Christ our Savior was born on Christmas Day; To save us all from Satan’s power when we were gone astray."
I met with Dr. Sveen a couple weeks and shared with him about Nathan's drowning. He reminded me that because of sin, nothing in this world is the way that it is supposed to be. Shalom has been broken. 3 month old Jack Taylor has just lost his father, Nathan. Jack James, from my home church in Dallas, though it has not been confirmed yet, has probably lost his father--one of the missing climbers on Mt. Hood in Oregon. This isn't the way it's supposed to be.
Janet and I went to see the Nativity Story last night. I can't put into words how wonderful the movie was. I cried, laughed, praised the Lord under my breath, and still feared the lurking evil that is very poignantly portrayed. The angel told both Mary and Joseph not to fear, and yet, they have this very human conversation on the shore of Galilee where they ask each other, "are you scared?" They sheepishly smile at each other and admit that they are.
This year, more than ever, I'm thinking that the greatest Christmas gift would be if Christ would return again. No more hurt, no more mourning, no more pain in my right elbow...to have shalom again.

Faith like a child

2006-11-08T16:14:00.000-08:00

Simeon loves "daddy time." It is just built into him. I often fail him and my wife with my fallen nature. I can't be the perfect father and husband that they need. Regardless, he loves, tr
usts (even when I throw him into big piles of leaves), and longs to be with me. I've never known love like this. Last night I laid him down in his crib and like he usually does, he just talked and played for a half hour. But at one point, he just yelled out, "Daddy! I love you!" Janet and I just looked at each other and melted.

I think I'm understanding what Jesus meant when he said "Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these." Leslie has done it yet again on her blog--putting into words the joys of this life and I feel like Simeon, just crying out to God, "I love you! Thanks for everything, I want to be with you!"

Marathon Life Lessons

2006-10-27T15:42:00.000-07:00

I was advised by a radio dj yesterday not to run a marathon with my mouth about my experience because, as she said, "We really don't care. We don't care about your blisters or your bloody chest (from shirt rub)." But, I have to share with you three experiences that will hopefully encourage you like they did me:

1. Last year I hit my "wall" around mile 18. This year I hit it much earlier at mile 11 because of my knee injury. I thought for sure that I would see Janet at our meeting point and just walk off and go home. I then noticed that it was 10:30 am and that was the exact time my mom and others were praying for me. 1.5 million Chicagoans come out to cheer for the marathon and one way to distract yourself from pain is to interact with them. I did that quite a bit last year. This time, I decided to begin praying...out loud. I'm not Orthodox, but I read "Mountain of Silence" and learned a lot about "The Jesus Prayer" and how repeating it ushers you into deeper meditation. I began praying, out loud mind you, over and over and over--Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner. I would often just pray, Lord have mercy, Lord have mercy...etc. I then began to envision, either in my mind or actually in my field of vision, Christ carrying his cross to Calvary. I saw his face cringing in pain. I saw the cross lying on his raw flesh. I saw all that he suffered on that day. Instead of a crowd cheering me on, I saw a multitude mocking and spitting on him. These words then began to form on my lips, eventually bursting aloud, "You did that for me! Thank you Lord! You did all that for me!
As I prayed this, I don't know how else to say it, but supernatural strength came over me and my pain subsided and my pace increased steadily for the last 5 miles.

2. I had a distinct burst of strength come over me as I prayed. I then began to look to the crowd, having fun interacting with them. I would put my hand up to my ear as if to say "I can't hear you!" Or I would yell, "MORE COWBELL!" Timmy would often start doing cartwheels in front of me and the crowd would go crazy. When I did that, I would feel my pain again. PRAY WITHOUT CEASING came clearly across my mind, which is what I did. I began praying for everybody else I knew who was running that day.

3. Around mile 23 I was feeling good. I began to notice guys all around me dropping off. They would start walking, often clutching their legs. I gently ran up beside at least 5 guys, put my arm around them, and said things like, "You can't quit now, you're too close! Come on, a little further, you'll finish with a great time!" Every guy that I did this to smiled at me and started running again, all of them saying, "thanks man, you're right!" In doing this, my strength continually increased.

I give you 3 verses that I experienced (though figuratively) in running the marathon: Hebrews 12:1-3, and Hebrews 3:13
1Therefore, since we have so great a cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let us also lay aside every encumbrance and the sin which so easily entangles us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us,
2fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. 3For consider Him who has endured such hostility by sinners against Himself, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.

13But encourage one another day after day, as long as it is still called "Today," so that none of you will be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin.

Sarajevo: Olympic City

2006-10-07T18:21:00.000-07:00

(Sim was in a wedding while daddy was away)

In May I (Rob) drove close to 3,000 miles through the fragmented Former Yugoslavia, packed in tightly in our little Opel Zafira. The mileage was amazing, at least 40 miles per gallon which was nice considering gas cost nearly $6.00 per gallon. I, Rob, gave our friends the best tour possible of the land to which we plan on returning in the coming months. God arranged such timely meetings with missionaries, local pastors, and UN workers that gave them a very well-rounded perspective of the complexity of the Balkans. Praise the Lord, we crossed borders safely, especially since on the day before passing through, Montenegro had declared their independence from Serbia--an action historically warranting immediate war in the past decade.

At this point the effort to establish a ministry team is on hold, but the trip wasn't for naught as it helped us figure out details of our own return.
SARAJEVO (pictured in the background)
Many of you know that our desire is to eventually work in Kosovo. However, for a couple of reasons we feel like now is not the right time. First, our missionary contact, Maria Waldschmidt, has just returned home for graduate school at Wheaton. Our goal is to eventually team up with her, but after she returns. Also, Kosovo will undergo a dramatic transition this Fall, one which we urge you to keep in your prayers. After 7 years of diplomatic efforts to determine her status, many believe that Kosovo will declare their independence from Serbia this fall, which could very likely lead to a great deal of unrest. Please pray about this in the coming months!
For the time being we have decided to initially start off in Bosnia where the mission, Pioneers runs a language school for missionaries and ex-patriots. Rob checked out the school on his trip and was very impressed. We need at least a year of school to really nail down the language that we already started learning in Croatia.
OUR FAMILY IS GROWING!
We are expecting again in January! We have decided to have the baby here before moving to Sarajevo around April.
FINANCES
Some of you have communicated to us that you have withdrawn your support until we return to the field. Would you prayerfully consider supporting us as we are preparing to return to the Balkans in the coming months? By the time we depart, our family will have doubled in size since we last lived in Croatia, therefore our needs will be slightly more. You can support us online at www.armmin.org or by mail at this address:
ARM Ministries
PO Box 141324
Dallas, TX 75214
Thanks for your prayers and support during this time in Wheaton. We have learned, networked, sought medical attention, and have been recharged for the work ahead of us! Coming to Wheaton has been a gift from the Lord in so many ways and we are grateful!
In Christ, Rob & Janet

Good News!

2006-07-31T17:53:00.000-07:00

Skype

2006-07-23T14:50:00.000-07:00

As our return to the field approaches, I thought I would invite any of you to add us to your Skype contacts. If you don't know what Skype is, it is a very convenient way to communicate from wherever you can get an internet connection. The delay in voice is actually less than a cell phone.
My id is: bobmezger
Janet's: divinegrace24

better late than never

2006-06-11T17:11:00.000-07:00

I never posted on our trip, but I decided to catch up. I also decided to borrow. This was written by Nicole DeMartimprey, who was a part of our group:

Psalm 46

I just sat down in Vukovar, Croatia, and opened my Bible to Psalm 46. I am reminded how wars may come and wars may thrive and continue, but it is God Who oversees all, who makes the weapons to fall. And in the midst of war He says, "Be still and know that I am God" followed by the assurance of His exaltation throughout all the earth, within all the warring nations. Even now I am looking out among the buildings that have been poxed with shells and bombs. What would take a lifetime to see are the stories which have become the lives of these people. War-deaths, blood-feuds, depression, suicide, alcoholism, grief that is worse than death - all these lay behind the hospitable coffee-visits and cheery faces. Do not look too closely, though, because the eyes are fuller than a glass of water that has formed at tenuous dome above the rim. They have seen too much and have bourne under an hopeless situation. And yet Yawheh's word still echoes in the heavy air: Be still. God is our refuge. He Who created all the universe brought land out o sea, formed people and divided nations, made a throne of a mangerč this same God looked at the children and said, "come unto me", beheld the harlot and pronounced, "your sins are forgiven". Are not the lives of these people not only known to Him, but come near to His heart in the tears of this widowed land? Have not the screams of the orphans pierced His ears? And have not the faithful among these entered into the sanctuary of rest which is His bosom?

It would be farthest from my desires in writing this to pretend that I know the hardship of war or the ocean of grief that comes in its wake. My only desire is to extol the God Who is both merciful and just. The God who delivers His people as He did in the time of David. David cries out to God time and time again in desperation, fear, and grief but his voice can also be heard in the shout of triumph, the song of praise, and the prayers of faith. My prayer for these people of the former Yugoslavia is that they may raise their broken hearts and voices to the God Who created them and find solace under the shadow of His wings.

Please see: Psalm 57; 47; 49; 55; 56; 59; 91.

Running down a dream...

2006-05-18T08:58:00.000-07:00

I've always been one to miss the old days. Sometimes to my detriment I glorify the old days and think of them unrealistically. Nevertheless, I miss working in a missions community like we did for all those years with TIME Ministries. Perhaps the most formative experiences of my life took place working in Hermosillo, Monterrey, and Santo Domingo. In each place, I was working with at least one immediate family member. I miss the team effort.

In two days I have the chance to take my sister and her husband, and 3 other dear, lifelong friends on a tour of the Balkans with the hope of introducing them to 3 different potential ministry locations. In my mind, the best case scenario would be that they come home moved and ready to move back and work as a team with us when we return to the field. Is that what the Lord has planned? Could be. He could also be orchestrating something better. We'll find out. Can you pray for the Holy Spirit to lead and guide each one of us in a powerful way on this trip?

This Good Day

2006-05-10T20:16:00.000-07:00

I've received some great gifts in my 29 years, but few have been as rich and wonderful as God bringing us to Wheaton Grad School. This has been a time marked by rest, reflection, networking, and learning. God has remained ever faithful in His providence along the way. He has fed us, provided housing, cars, health insurance, Christian doctors, life-long friends, tuition (Thanks Billy Graham!), and a son that has surpassed our wildest dreams. That is the short list. This experience will forever have a special place reserved in my heart. Here are some pictures:

borrowed from Chris Linebarger's blog:

2006-04-20T06:35:00.000-07:00

This post can be seen at: http://www.passivemomentum.net/blog/

….. the wait is almost over.

Simeon's 1st birthday

2006-04-17T09:12:00.001-07:00

Thanks Clay for the great pics!

Spring Update

2006-03-09T14:04:00.000-08:00

Dear Friends,
As the Winter Olympics have come to a close I have been thinking quite a bit about the events, the awards, and of course the athletes. I personally cannot fathom the stress and pressure that many of the Olympians have experienced—and I don’t even want to! In the events where it is just one athlete competing—carrying the weight of personal dreams, the sacrifice made by families, and not to mention the whole country watching and anticipating...two words come to mind: nerve-racking!
Some of you may not know that growing up I have always played team sports, my favorite being volleyball. During college I had the opportunity to play for two years under a great coach and teammates. One huge lesson I learned was how important each person on the team is. Being short, I was able to quickly move around the court to pass balls while the 6’4" player was able to block and hit balls that I could never reach. I could never play her position well—as hard as I tried, she was just better suited for that position. In a team sport, the demands of each athlete is divided—you don’t have to carry all the weight by yourself, there are other people who can help. Ahhh...the beauty of teamwork!
A benefit of being a spouse of a Wheaton student is that I am eligible to audit one class per semester. This semester we are taking "Mission in the book of Acts" together. It is so exciting to read about the first church, being reminded of the works of the Holy Spirit, and the struggles of the early believers. As we read through Acts the concept of TEAMWORK is repeated. Jesus developed a team of 12 apostles to pour his life into, to teach, and to have fellowship with. As Rob and I think about our future as missionaries one concept keeps coming to the forefront of our minds—TEAMWORK. We are social people. We love being with people, playing games, eating together, and just spending time with others—we’re really good at it and enjoy it too!
Last summer Rob took a trip to Kosovo with 2 guys from Dallas who were/are interested in possibly serving over there. These guys and their families have become close friends of ours and we have been dreaming about working with them overseas. This May another exciting opportunity is developing! Chris and Leslie Linebarger (Rob’s sister) along with a long time family friend and missionary, Carlee Layne, are seriously praying about working together in the Balkans. Leslie and Carlee have never been to Europe and want to see the Balkans before making any decisions. The plan, as of now, is to take a 2 week vision/ministry trip, visiting different ministries and churches in Kosovo, Sarajevo, Zagreb, and Osijek. The Holy Spirit has put this concept and design of a team on our heart and slowly He is moving in each of these peoples lives, isn’t that exciting?!
As I write this I also want you to know that YOU are part of our team. The Lord has brought each of you into our lives and we are so blessed by the notes of encouragement, prayers, and the cheering on from the sidelines. Now we call upon YOU, our teammates, to ask for prayer about this. One thing that we learned while in Croatia is that we need other people in ministry. We are just not gifted in all the areas needed overseas and we do not want to go out "solo" again. Rob graduates from Wheaton in August and shortly after that we need to head back overseas. While opportunities to serve exist in all 4 of the places mentioned above, we admit that our hearts are drawn to Kosovo. We feel that the time is ripe for us to disciple the young people there—they are so open to the Gospel. Many of the believers in Kosovo are "baby Christians" and are in need of older Christians to come along side of them and mentor and guide them—especially the youth.
We desire to follow Christ’s example of team building and believe that God has placed different people in our lives that are gifted in areas where we are weak. We believe that the Lord is planning something so dynamic and we just want to go along with the Spirit's leading. Would you pray that He would work all the necessary details and circumstances for us and the others to be able to minister together?
With Love,
Janet (for all of us)

Fall Update

2005-09-30T03:05:00.000-07:00

Here's a quick update on where we are:

Rob has started back up in classes and is loving every minute of it. He will be finished with Wheaton in May. Here's a picture in front of the Billy Graham Center with Janet's family. This is the building where Rob takes most of his classes. The Billy Graham Center also gave him a full tuition scholarship that acts as an agreement to return to the mission field for 4 years. Janet is busy being full time mom. See this picture? Babies don't always do this (sleep)! Anyway, Janet has her hands full taking care of this little character while Rob is in class and studying. Simeon continues to just light up our lives, filling us with joy and making us laugh.

Summer didn't totally turn out like we planned. We found that all of the movement, including Rob's team building trip to Kosovo was enough travel and that El Salvador would be too hard on us as a family, so he did not end up joining the team from Bethel for that week.

Can you pray about these things?

Though we know we will be going back to the mission field, it has been hard to talk about or plan because of some of the tough things that we went through in Croatia. We will be getting some counseling for this to help us move forward. Pray that this goes well.
Our first step in establishing a team framework was a huge success this summer. Rob took a trip to Kosovo with Jon & Jon from Dallas who are very interested in working together. "Team" will be top priority if and when we return to Ex Yugoslavia.
Rob graduates in May and will either have to fulfill an overseas internship or an independent study. Pray for God's direction.
Finally, pray that we re-develop a solid support base. Much of our support has dropped off during this pregnancy/training furlough and now is the time for us to begin building it back up. Keep in mind that any support received helps with our living expenses here in Wheaton, or will help with our outgoing expenses in the coming year.

Thanks for taking the time to read this!

Love, Rob, Janet & Simeon

This is Kosovo:

2005-07-29T20:51:00.000-07:00

"No Future Without Forgiveness" --Desmond Tutu

2005-07-05T19:20:00.000-07:00

Kosova. It is called a province instead of a country because it has no status. It lies within the Serbian border, and yet less than 10% of the population is Serbian. I have frequented Kosovo since NATO bombed Milosevic's troops out in 1999. Mitrovice, the largest city in the north, is the last urban area with a significant Serbian population. It is divided by the Ibar River and Serbs mostly inhabit the north side of the river, Albanians in the south. Serbs are traditionally Orthodox Christian, Albanians Muslim. Serbs speak Serbian, Albanians speak Albanian. The languages are NOTHING alike. The two peoples are separated by this bridge:
For me to try to explain to you the history of the conflict would be impossible. You need to go there. And read a minimum 10 books from different authors while you're at it. What I can tell you is that during my travels I have been touched by stories of horror, survival, heartbreak, and yes, forgiveness. Somehow in the thick of all of the political muck, you can find wonderful place with a need for something. Will independence from Serbia fix Kosova? I don't know. Will a full UN pull-out spark all-out war again? I don't know. Does the future of Kosova rely on Serbs and Albanians (Gypsies too) living together once again? Yes.

Albanians have been in the Balkans at least since Paul wrote his epistles. They were the Illyrians. Serbs have been in the Balkans at least since the inception of their Orthodox Church when Cyril & Methodius evangelized the Slavs in the 9th century. Should they leave since the Albanians were there first? No. Should the Albanians leave since Kosovo is within the old borders of Yugoslavia and is the so called cradle of the Serbian Orthodox Church? No. Something is needed.

My only reason for going on this recent trip was simple: to introduce Kosova to my two friends Jon and Jonathan. Croatia taught me that "team" is essential in missions. TIME Ministries taught me that team is a must in missions. Every mission trip I've been on has taught me the necessity of teamwork. I'll finish Wheaton College in less than a year and when we return to the field, it will be as a team. My two friends from Dallas have expressed interest in this "team" to the point that we went to check it out--together. It is too early to really give an answer of whether Kosova is the place or not, but we have taken the first step, and it was awesome. Thanks for your prayers and support during the trip. I cannot begin to recount to you all of the sweet times we had either encouraging, having fellowship, or sharing the Gospel of Jesus Christ with our Albanian friends, young and old. Kosovar people are so intimately relational that a schedule is not even needed when I am there. As always, it was such a joy to be there with my mom and dad. They truly shine in cross-cultural ministry and it was awesome to share a place so dear to my heart with my mom who had never been there.

Please do continue to pray for us as we finish up this school year and take more steps toward returning to the mission field!

Summer plans:

2005-06-15T09:43:00.000-07:00

Sorry if it's overkill on the pictures of the kid. I wanted to put something else up but can't seem to convert it to the right format. Anyway, we're out the door right now driving to Dallas. Rob will go to Kosovo from there for 7 days. Here's a brief rundown of what we're up to this summer:

*Rob finished 1st of 3 semesters at Wheaton.

*Dallas/Kosovo mission trip: June 15-30.

*July 11-18 trip to Oregon for grandparents' 60th and cousin's wedding.

*July 30-Aug.6 mission trip to El Salvador with our home Church

*Mid Aug. trip to So. Cal to introduce Simeon to Janet's family.

*In between all of this, Rob is working day and night doing construction and valet parking while Janet takes care of Simeon.

Thanks for all your prayer and support during this maternity/education furlough. We look forward to our return to the field and ask for your prayer for God's guidance in the process.

For His glory, Rob & Janet Mezger

ps. here's a link for online support: http://www.armmin.org/giving.htm otherwise just send checks to ARM Ministries, PO Box 141324, Dallas, TX 75214

Presenting...

2005-04-22T21:05:00.000-07:00

Here he is everybody, Simeon Divinagracia Mezger! Born Tuesday April 12th, weighing 9.7 lbs. Mom labored long and hard to get this little tank out. Both are doing just great. He is 8 hrs. old in this picture. You can view more pictures at Yahoo! Photos - bobmezger's Photos

March News

2005-03-31T19:47:00.000-08:00

Dear Friends & Family,
Here is a quick update on what we are up to:

On December 6 we loaded up our Volvo and drove up to Wheaton, IL from Dallas. Rob worked nights valet parking in downtown Chicago through the holidays and started school in early January. We have now found a place in Wheaton, just 1 mile away from campus and are settling in. Rob has started a 3-semester Master's Program in Intercultural Studies at Wheaton and is really enjoying it so far. He has been awarded the Billy Graham Center Scholarship, which is a full tuition grant that is forgiven 25% per year spent back on the mission field. The classes and interaction with other missionaries have been incredible so far.

PRAYER REQUESTS:
--Support. Since returning home last summer our support has steadily dropped. Rob has been on been on several mission trips (and has more planned this summer) and has had to dig into our savings to do so. We are now down to about 40% of our full support level. Keep in mind why we have come home: to have this baby and for Rob to complete more missionary training at Wheaton in the meantime. With Janet unable to work, living expenses being significantly more than in Croatia, and Rob in school full time this is becoming a concern. Rob has picked up part time work on the weekends working nights valet parking downtown to make up for this loss. Please remember this in your prayers. Perhaps you have decided to withdraw your support until we again leave the US, please consider that we are home for health reasons and also to train more for future service and still need committed support.
--Direction.We will finish Wheaton one year from now. Please pray that God would guide us in our next steps as to where we go and with whom we will work. We have several ideas but will save that for later updates.
--And most of all, please pray for....

BABY MEZGER IS COMING!
By the time you get this letter Janet will be just a couple weeks away from delivery. Many of you know that we have had complications in the past (the main reason we are now in the States) so please pray that this delivery goes smoothly. Thanks!

Here is our new address:
Rob & Janet Mezger
902 S. Williston St.
Wheaton, IL 60187

Send donations to:
ARM Ministries
PO Box 141324
Dallas, TX 75214

Online Giving:
http://www.armmin.org/giving.htm