By Joseph Marks, staff writer

Paul and Jan Overgaard saw a lot of things during their two-week visit to Croatia in April.

They saw fields surrounded by police tape indicating they contained unexploded land mines. They saw ancient stone buildings damaged by shelling and other ravages of war but still standing firm. And they saw anew their daughter Nancy’s commitment to helping and ministering to the poorest of the poor.

Nancy Overgaard left a position as pastor at a Presbyterian church in upstate New York about two years ago to teach and preach in Osijek in the far east end of Croatia. When her parents visited, between April 12 and 25, they followed her and a Christian puppet troupe she organized on a tour of schools through Croatia and Bosnia-Herzegovina.

The puppet troupe, made up primarily of students at a nearby seminary where Nancy Overgaard teaches was presenting an Easter play about the crucifixion and resurrection.

The puppet troupe’s tour took them south into Bosnia-Herzegovina and into Sarajevo and to Dubrovnik in Croatia on the Adriatic coast. Along the way, the Overgaards marveled at a world very different from their own.

&8220;For me there was a realization that we enjoy a lifestyle that people in this part of the world wouldn’t understand,&8221; Paul Overgaard said.

While staying with a host couple in Dubrovnik, Jan Overgaard noted how nice their home was but said the entire home could have fit in the couple’s living room in Albert Lea.

The drive itself was treacherous, Paul Overgaard said, because the roads were almost as narrow as his driveway.

&8220;Every time you go into a different town or territory you have to show your passport,&8221; Jan Overgaard said. &8220;When we went down to Mostar we had to go into the police station and register where they look you over and hopefully you pass. They couldn’t believe we could go all the way across our country and never show a passport or go through a police check.&8221;

The age of the country was also interesting to the Overgaards. Coming from a land where 100 years makes an antique, they said walking through towns that date to the 1300s was quite an experience.

Even more sobering for Paul Overgaard was how peacefully the society lived for so long before erupting into violence in the 1990s.

&8220;All of a sudden they broke into unspeakable atrocities, neighbors killing neighbors, terrible ethnic cleansing&8221; he said.

What impressed the Overgaards most of all about their trip, they said, was seeing how their daughter lives and what she’s doing.

&8220;We have a new understanding of the commitment Nancy’s making,&8221; Paul Overgaard said. &8220;She has a very strong heart for ministering to the poorest of the poor.&8221;

Nancy Overgaard’s ministry work in Croatia is funded entirely through donations, including those from First Presbyterian Church, First Lutheran Church and Salem Lutheran Church in Albert Lea. Those wishing to contribute to her ministry can do so at First Presbyterian Church.

(Contact Joseph Marks at joseph.marks@albertleatribune.com or at 379-3435.)