It’s been a little over five years since Andrew and Daniele Vuksic said goodbye to the comforts of home in South Florida and set out on a mission to share the gospel in Croatia. With no major sending organization behind them, no knowledge of the Croatian language, and certainly no guarantee of success, the Vuksics booked one-way tickets to the capital city of Zagreb and went all in to follow a call from God. Today, Andrew and Daniele stand with awe and gratitude as their ministry, Gospel on the Go, reaches hundreds of Croatian and Romi adults and children with resources, education, and the love of Jesus.
A challenging start
The Vuksics met while serving in ministry together at Spanish River Church in Boca Raton, when a mutual passion for God and his people blossomed into a passion for each other. The couple was married in 2007, just a few short months before permanently departing for the mission field in Croatia. In addition to the changes and challenges associated with becoming newlyweds, Andrew and Daniele’s first year overseas brought plenty of additional difficulties. Daniele couldn’t even go grocery shopping successfully due to the language barrier. The couple would spend all week canvasing the neighborhood and inviting people to church and no one would show up. Andrew would spend hours having his sermon translated into Croatian and then memorizing it word for word, only to end up preaching to his wife and the four walls of their apartment each Sunday morning.
Andrew shares how, when they were on the verge of giving up, God intervened at just the right time. “One Sunday night, we went to visit the church of a local Croatian pastor. We learned that this man had preached his heart out each week for over 12 years to a congregation of two people. That night was a real turning point for us.”
A flourishing work
As Andrew and Danielle settled in for the long haul, the ministry of Gospel on the Go began to grow. As the couple ministered to local children through their Project Life initiative, the children’s parents became intrigued, and began to get involved. As the ministry to children through Project Life grew, the attendance at the Sunday Lighthouse of Life church services increased as well. Daniele shares, “What gave us credibility with the Croatians was the investment they saw us making in their kids. We were giving, expecting nothing in return, which is not something they were used to.”
Today, Gospel on the Go has several healthy and growing initiatives in Croatia. Daniele oversees Project Life, which provides for the spiritual, educational, emotional, and physical needs of over 200 children, many of whom are orphans, in Zagreb and the Romi (gypsy) village in Varadan. Andrew facilitates Project Learning, which provides a formal seminary education (via distance learning through Knox Seminary in Fort Lauderdale) for students interested in becoming pastors and planting churches in Croatia and other Balkan nations. The couple works together to serve the body of believers at Svetionik Zivota (meaning “Lighthouse of Life” in Croatian), the church ministry that now meets for two services on Sundays, as well as an English language service on Saturday night. That Saturday service is also broadcast via the web to a local Lighthouse of Life church here in Deerfield Beach that Andrew and Daniele planted in 2010.
An opportunity awaits
While God has already done so much, the Vuksics have no plans of slowing down any time soon. Andrew shares, “There are over 12,000 Romi people in the area surrounding Varadan. Our heart is to reach them all through Project Life. Also, through Project Learning and Project Lighthouse, we are preparing the next generation of pastors to take the gospel and plant new churches throughout Eastern Europe and beyond.”
There are myriad ways you can get involved with Gospel on the Go. First and foremost, commit to support the ministry in prayer. Visit gospelonthego.com and sign up for the email newsletter to stay informed on all that God is doing through the ministry. You can also sign up online to sponsor a child in Croatia for only $35 per month, or make a donation of any amount towards the ministry in general or to any specific component you choose.
If you are interested in partnering with Gospel on the Go for a short term missions trip this year, there are several trips scheduled that you can be a part of, including a children’s ministry trip in June, a medical trip in July, a worship trip in September, and a Thanksgiving trip in November, among others.
In the book of James we read, “Pure and genuine religion in the sight of God the Father means caring for orphans and widows in their distress and refusing to let the world corrupt you,” (James 1:27). In Jesus, God has freed you, blessed you and loved you, and now wants to use you to free, bless, and love others. Perhaps partnering with Gospel on the Go is the opportunity he is giving you to do so.
Visit gospelonthego.com for more information on how to get involved with the Vuksic’s ministry in Croatia.
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