The Nugget Newspaper - News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon

Colin Hedren, right, with missionaries Suzanne and Steve Mickel in front of the Golden Door in Pula. Photo provided

While most of his peers were heading for grad parties last summer, Colin Hedren traveled to southern California to prepare for his three-month-long stay in Croatia. Hedren admits that he missed being a part of all the graduation activities, but the trip to Croatia was an experience he'll never forget.

"The missions leader at my church, Three Sisters Fellowship, came up to me last spring and asked me what I thought about spending three months in Croatia," said Hedren. "He wanted me to go over and be an intern for Steve Mickel."

Mickel, who started Three Sisters Fellowship church, moved with his family to Croatia about two years ago for missionary work.

Hedren flew to Croatia on July 3. The Mickels' three-story house in Pula, a resort town on the Adriatic Sea, served as home base during Hedren's visit.

"Pula is a beautiful place, a tourist town," said Hedren. "It's kind of like Hawaii to the Europeans. It's advertised a lot on the Travel Channel."

While Pula may cater to tourists, the locals struggle to make a living.

"The economy is bad there," said Hedren. "The people make so little money. The average salary is $500 a month, and a two room flat rents for $200. Food is really expensive in Croatia, and cars cost what they do here in the states. Gas is $6 a gallon and you have to pay $750 to just get a driver's license. So most families can't afford cars -- they are luxuries."

Skyrocketing drug and alcohol abuse among the Croatian youth reflects the difficulty of living in such an environment. Hedren spent much of his time in Croatia working at a drug rehab center in Pula.

Rehab center statistics claim that "75 to 80 percent of the youth have used hard drugs," said Hedren.

"Heroin, speed, ecstasy -- it's their way of coping with the harshness of life. People feel like they can never get ahead or save any money. Drugs are cheap there, so they use them to cope with depression."

The church that Mickel works with in Pula started two rehab centers in a small village outside of town -- one for guys and the other for girls.

Hedren said he is considering a future as a drug and alcohol counselor.

"I enjoyed my time there so much," Hedren said. "I love to listen to people, and hear their stories. This is an avenue of ministry I could pursue."

Besides working at the rehab center, Hedren assisted Mickel in his various duties. And that included a bit of traveling.

"I did a lot of computer work for Steve," Hedren said. "We helped with an international youth conference toward the end of July, and I did follow up e-mails for that event.

"In September, Steve and I traveled to two different cities and visited churches there," Hedren said. "First, we went to Split, which is the second largest city in Croatia. Then we drove to Belgrade, which is the capital of Serbia. It was so weird to walk down streets that the U.S. had bombed. It was tough to see the buildings we'd destroyed. The people were friendly, though. They might hate our politics, but they still love Americans."

In his travels, Hedren was struck by the rich history of the area and the abundance of ancient artifacts.

"We have history here in Oregon, but it's nothing like history there," said Colin. "In Pula, there is a huge Roman coliseum which is over 3,000 years old. It is the best-preserved coliseum in the world."

Hedren discovered that despite the differences in our cultures, Croatians and Americans have a lot in common.

"They look like us, and they dress like us," he said. "They just speak another language. The people are very relational there. There's a custom in Pula that you always leave a little bit of coffee in your cup. That's because if you finish your drink, it's time to leave."

Hedren returned to Oregon on October 2.

"It was a wonderful experience," said Hedren. "Definitely one of the best times of my life."

Hedren will be speaking about his trip to Croatia on Sunday, October 27, at Three Sisters Fellowship. Their service begins at 9:45 a.m.