I'm back from Bosnia and it was amazing! God has really taught me a lot about faith, prayer, friendship, servant hood and Muslims.
Praise God for everything he's done these last weeks and all He'll continue to do because of these last weeks.
We had debriefing in Austria, in a castle owned by Christians. I lived in the tower of the castle like a princess : ) Debriefing is a time for missionaries to think and process through what God was teaching them on the mission field. To remember experiences, remember their love, and also prepare for re-entry into their home culture. It was sad to leave Zenica and Bosnia and our new friends. It was hard to go from a state of poverty to a beautiful castle. I was hard to travel to Austria and know we would be in the states in a few days when most of our friends have never been further than 20 miles from their home. Or that with our American passport we have access to virtually any country at any time and our friends have to jump through so many loops and pay so much money even to be considered to travel to surrounding countries.
It was good to hear stories form the Sarajevo team and share with them the stories from our Zenica team. I loved hearing how God had been answering Alex's prayers. She was in Sarajevo last year and met Adnan and Mirza. Adnan was very antagonistic and cold last summer but over the year God has been doing something in his heart and this summer he was warm and spent every day with them (like Adis spent every day with us). He came to camp even though he knew it was about the Bible and came to see us off at the airport because he fell in love with their community. Alex's love and prayers for him are being answered and I'm excited to see what God will have done in him by next year.
It was also encouraging for me to see that our Zenica team have really bonded so much so that we were still looking out for each other and making sure everyone was taken care of and spending time together.
The last night I led a time of prayer for sending us back to our campuses and cities and realized God hadn't only grown my heart for Bosnia and the people there but also for my teammates. I'm looking forward to see how God will use them back at their schools and life at home.
Or trip home was safe and direct Munich to LA. Praise God for safety all around!
Please continue praying for the relationships that were started in Bosnia this summer and for the work God is doing in each of their and our lives. Pray for the commitments we made to live a simpler life and continue to learn about Islam and God's hand in the world.
Thanks for being a part of this process with me.
God bless
Thursday, August 2, 2007
Camp at Smetovi
This was our last week in Bosnia and we helped host an evangelistic camp for the EUS students and their friends.
1) Who was there
2) What is Smetovi and I wouldn't recommend it
3) First look at a Bible
4) Jesus and Break-ups
5) Meliha's Response to the truth about Jesus!!!!!!
6) My love for my Muslim Friends
1) This was our last week in Bosnia and we helped host an evangelistic camp for the EUS students and their friends. There were students from Zenica, Mostar, Banja Luka and Sarajevo, Christian and not-yet-Christian, and also the other half of our InterVarsity team which had been teaching English classes in Sarajevo. In total there were about 50 of us.
I was a little disappointed because only one of my students from the advanced English class in Zenica said they could come. Adis came with us, which was great since I was praying for him even before I met him. He's Mario's friend and has been on EUS' heart and ours for the last year. Amna (from melody's group) and Senad (from my group) had said they would come later in the week but Bosnians are indirect communicators and I had found "maybe" means "probably not". I still prayed that they would come every day and almost every hour. There were 2 students from our Intermediate class that did come Emina and Najra. Najra brought her 21-year-old daughter, Meliha and her 8-year-old daughter Amina. When I met them I prayed, "God would you bring a whole family here to come to know you?" And I continued to pray for them all week. Also our EUS students Mario, Sladjan and Tiffany came to camp.
2) Smetovi is about 20 minutes drive from Zenica up into the hills. In the winter it is a small ski resort, in the summer it's just green and beautiful! There were 3 large rooms with bunk beds, 2 rooms for girls 1 room for guys.
FUNNY STORY: It's not that funny. I slept on the top bunk over Layla because i wanted to be by the window (because it's really hot) and no one had taken that bed. I put my sheets on and got it all ready and as I was climbing up the girls were making fun of Mandy because the springs on her bed were weak and as she laid on her bed it sunk down almost to Emina's head. Ha ha so I swing my leg over the ladder on to my bed and step on to my bed, and my foot goes all the way through and i almost squish Layla's head. Now everyone is laughing at me and also trying to help me get unstuck. I didn't have a strong mattress or good supports on my bed just a few poles so I stepped from pole to pole until I could lie down. As the night wore on the mattress started sinking through the poles in the middle and I ended up with a pole in my back. I shoved my pillow in the hole (where the mattress was sinking and tried to keep sleeping. This was the most uncomfortable sleep of my life! The next day the girls helped me take a mattress from an empty bed and shove it under my mattress. That worked much better. (by the way: since I was by the window I got to see the sun rise every morning)
I wont go in to how old the carpets were or how gross it was cleaning so many Turkish toilets and I wont even mention the guys bathroom in the basement but lets just say I wouldn't vacation there. But God's spirit was there so it was well worth it.
3) The camp was about Identity and what the Bible has to say about our identity. We had Bible studies each morning from the book of Mark and they were mostly about Jesus' interactions with people. We were separated into small groups and I was glad Meliha was in my group as it was her first time looking at a Bible. Alex (she's an IV student from Bakersfield who came last year too) led the first Bible study on the Jairus and the Bleeding woman. It was really powerful for me to see our Muslim and nominal friends participate with the Bosnian Christians and us Americans in studying God's word! Magnificent!
4) In the afternoon we had free- time until dinner, which was great for playing and praying and conversations. One afternoon some students went for a hike and I was feeling sick so stayed at camp. I was looking at the mountains and praying for God to reveal himself to the students and that Senad and Amna would come when Elvis came up to me. He is Mario's brother and he talked about faith and what it looks like to really live a life as a Christian here in Bosnia. It was really insightful and then he asked me what I thought it meant to live a Christian life and I told him my thoughts. It was just really cool to encourage each other and have a real conversation. He walked away and I started praying again when Emina walked over. Some how we got on the topic of boyfriends and she said she just broke up with her boyfriend 6 months ago and shared the pain of that in such a small community. I was able to share about my break up and how God has been meeting me thought it and the promises that he's given me and how my I'm so glad my worth is in Him and that I'm special to Him. Basically in all that I shared the Gospel and then asked her how she saw God working in her break up or who God was to her. She's Muslim and it was really great to listen to her and share more of the hope that I have from a loving father and savior God. No, she didn't decided to follow Christ that day or the next but I am so blessed to know that God uses me and my willingness and my experiences to help others like Emina take one step closer to Him.
5) Wednesday night at the camp Don, a missionary in Sarajevo, came to give a clear Gospel presentation and call to respond. It was very clear and I was praying the whole time. At the end he invited everyone to respond to the invitation that God was offering them through Jesus, all they had to do was respond and they would be included in God's family. Najra stood immediately and went to pray with Zoran (Sladjan's brother). I was standing in the back and I saw Meliha and I was just crying for joy for Najra and begging the Holy Spirit to call Meliha to stand too. AND SHE DID! She prayed with Jenny and I and some of my stood in the back praying for the other friends we had there who hadn't responded. Later i asked Meliha what it meant for her to stand and she said, "That man said if I wanted to be included I should stand and I wanted to be included so I stood. But I'm still figuring things out." After talking to her I would say she's been looking and looking and seeking and the Holy Spirit put it on her heart to respond to him but she doesn't know what it looks like to be a follower of Jesus yet, her first encounter with the Bible was with me Tuesday morning so she still has a lot of room to grow but she does desire to know. She is going to church with Mario and wants to go to Tiffany's Bible study. I'm so happy that she has a strong Christian community to teach her and her mom. They will be well taken care of, i know.
6) Thursday Amna and Senad came!!!!!!!!!! Praise God!!!!!!! All six of us from Zenica were so excited to see them because we have grown to love them (and the rest of our students even though they didn't come)! They came in time for half the Bible study and stayed until 11pm. During free time Amna asked Melody some more questions she had about the Christian faith and Melody said it was a really great conversation and a great place to continue the relationship and Amna's understanding of God. Jimmy, Senad and I were on a soccer team during free time and when we sat out I felt the spirit really heavily pressing on me to say something and I wasn't sure what so I just asked what he thought of the morning Bible study and if he had read it before. (Thanks God, good question) He is very tolerant of all faiths and is Muslim because his whole family is and he's never studied the Qur'an or the Bible. After they both left that night I felt closure and hope and that our relationships could continue to draw them closer to Jesus. I will keep praying for them until they know Jesus as their savior. I love them so much and I want that they won't have to worry about how many good things they do or how many times they pray a day or wonder if God will accept them into heaven but that they would know him as their loving father who came to Earth to die for their sins so they would be assured of their acceptance into God's family and kingdom.
Praise God for His word and the work of His Spirit in our lives!
So blessed to be used for his Glory!
1) Who was there
2) What is Smetovi and I wouldn't recommend it
3) First look at a Bible
4) Jesus and Break-ups
5) Meliha's Response to the truth about Jesus!!!!!!
6) My love for my Muslim Friends
1) This was our last week in Bosnia and we helped host an evangelistic camp for the EUS students and their friends. There were students from Zenica, Mostar, Banja Luka and Sarajevo, Christian and not-yet-Christian, and also the other half of our InterVarsity team which had been teaching English classes in Sarajevo. In total there were about 50 of us.
I was a little disappointed because only one of my students from the advanced English class in Zenica said they could come. Adis came with us, which was great since I was praying for him even before I met him. He's Mario's friend and has been on EUS' heart and ours for the last year. Amna (from melody's group) and Senad (from my group) had said they would come later in the week but Bosnians are indirect communicators and I had found "maybe" means "probably not". I still prayed that they would come every day and almost every hour. There were 2 students from our Intermediate class that did come Emina and Najra. Najra brought her 21-year-old daughter, Meliha and her 8-year-old daughter Amina. When I met them I prayed, "God would you bring a whole family here to come to know you?" And I continued to pray for them all week. Also our EUS students Mario, Sladjan and Tiffany came to camp.
2) Smetovi is about 20 minutes drive from Zenica up into the hills. In the winter it is a small ski resort, in the summer it's just green and beautiful! There were 3 large rooms with bunk beds, 2 rooms for girls 1 room for guys.
FUNNY STORY: It's not that funny. I slept on the top bunk over Layla because i wanted to be by the window (because it's really hot) and no one had taken that bed. I put my sheets on and got it all ready and as I was climbing up the girls were making fun of Mandy because the springs on her bed were weak and as she laid on her bed it sunk down almost to Emina's head. Ha ha so I swing my leg over the ladder on to my bed and step on to my bed, and my foot goes all the way through and i almost squish Layla's head. Now everyone is laughing at me and also trying to help me get unstuck. I didn't have a strong mattress or good supports on my bed just a few poles so I stepped from pole to pole until I could lie down. As the night wore on the mattress started sinking through the poles in the middle and I ended up with a pole in my back. I shoved my pillow in the hole (where the mattress was sinking and tried to keep sleeping. This was the most uncomfortable sleep of my life! The next day the girls helped me take a mattress from an empty bed and shove it under my mattress. That worked much better. (by the way: since I was by the window I got to see the sun rise every morning)
I wont go in to how old the carpets were or how gross it was cleaning so many Turkish toilets and I wont even mention the guys bathroom in the basement but lets just say I wouldn't vacation there. But God's spirit was there so it was well worth it.
3) The camp was about Identity and what the Bible has to say about our identity. We had Bible studies each morning from the book of Mark and they were mostly about Jesus' interactions with people. We were separated into small groups and I was glad Meliha was in my group as it was her first time looking at a Bible. Alex (she's an IV student from Bakersfield who came last year too) led the first Bible study on the Jairus and the Bleeding woman. It was really powerful for me to see our Muslim and nominal friends participate with the Bosnian Christians and us Americans in studying God's word! Magnificent!
4) In the afternoon we had free- time until dinner, which was great for playing and praying and conversations. One afternoon some students went for a hike and I was feeling sick so stayed at camp. I was looking at the mountains and praying for God to reveal himself to the students and that Senad and Amna would come when Elvis came up to me. He is Mario's brother and he talked about faith and what it looks like to really live a life as a Christian here in Bosnia. It was really insightful and then he asked me what I thought it meant to live a Christian life and I told him my thoughts. It was just really cool to encourage each other and have a real conversation. He walked away and I started praying again when Emina walked over. Some how we got on the topic of boyfriends and she said she just broke up with her boyfriend 6 months ago and shared the pain of that in such a small community. I was able to share about my break up and how God has been meeting me thought it and the promises that he's given me and how my I'm so glad my worth is in Him and that I'm special to Him. Basically in all that I shared the Gospel and then asked her how she saw God working in her break up or who God was to her. She's Muslim and it was really great to listen to her and share more of the hope that I have from a loving father and savior God. No, she didn't decided to follow Christ that day or the next but I am so blessed to know that God uses me and my willingness and my experiences to help others like Emina take one step closer to Him.
5) Wednesday night at the camp Don, a missionary in Sarajevo, came to give a clear Gospel presentation and call to respond. It was very clear and I was praying the whole time. At the end he invited everyone to respond to the invitation that God was offering them through Jesus, all they had to do was respond and they would be included in God's family. Najra stood immediately and went to pray with Zoran (Sladjan's brother). I was standing in the back and I saw Meliha and I was just crying for joy for Najra and begging the Holy Spirit to call Meliha to stand too. AND SHE DID! She prayed with Jenny and I and some of my stood in the back praying for the other friends we had there who hadn't responded. Later i asked Meliha what it meant for her to stand and she said, "That man said if I wanted to be included I should stand and I wanted to be included so I stood. But I'm still figuring things out." After talking to her I would say she's been looking and looking and seeking and the Holy Spirit put it on her heart to respond to him but she doesn't know what it looks like to be a follower of Jesus yet, her first encounter with the Bible was with me Tuesday morning so she still has a lot of room to grow but she does desire to know. She is going to church with Mario and wants to go to Tiffany's Bible study. I'm so happy that she has a strong Christian community to teach her and her mom. They will be well taken care of, i know.
6) Thursday Amna and Senad came!!!!!!!!!! Praise God!!!!!!! All six of us from Zenica were so excited to see them because we have grown to love them (and the rest of our students even though they didn't come)! They came in time for half the Bible study and stayed until 11pm. During free time Amna asked Melody some more questions she had about the Christian faith and Melody said it was a really great conversation and a great place to continue the relationship and Amna's understanding of God. Jimmy, Senad and I were on a soccer team during free time and when we sat out I felt the spirit really heavily pressing on me to say something and I wasn't sure what so I just asked what he thought of the morning Bible study and if he had read it before. (Thanks God, good question) He is very tolerant of all faiths and is Muslim because his whole family is and he's never studied the Qur'an or the Bible. After they both left that night I felt closure and hope and that our relationships could continue to draw them closer to Jesus. I will keep praying for them until they know Jesus as their savior. I love them so much and I want that they won't have to worry about how many good things they do or how many times they pray a day or wonder if God will accept them into heaven but that they would know him as their loving father who came to Earth to die for their sins so they would be assured of their acceptance into God's family and kingdom.
Praise God for His word and the work of His Spirit in our lives!
So blessed to be used for his Glory!
Wednesday, August 1, 2007
Last week in Zenica
The last week of school and friendships was great!
We went to coffee with our friends and soaked up our last times together.
1) Food
2) More Food (learning about hospitality)
3) Party & Practicing hospitality
4) Picnic & Sharing the Gospel
5) English class
1) Melody and I became very close with the girls at her table and they invited us to their houses. We have never eaten so much food before in our lives! We had lunch at our house at 12 then met Elvedina, Elvisa and Amna at 2 at the bus station. We got to Elvedina's house around 3 and she gave us juice and cake and there were chocolates on the table for us. When her mom came home at 4 she gave us strawberries and honeydew and asked if she could make us more food, we said no thank you and thought we would be done eating until class. But then... Elvisa said we should go to her house so we left Elvedina's, walked down 3 houses and went into Elvisa's house. She gave us juice and pretzels and we talked for a while until her mom said, "I made you all lunch!" Melody and I almost died when we heard that but we went to the table and ate the food made with love. Soup, stuffed peppers, lamb and cucumber-tomato salad. We sat back in the small living room which was her brother's room and then she brought us cake! Uhhhh So much food but so much love!
2)The next day a similar thing happened. We had lunch at home (we had a cook who loved us dearly and wanted us to really enjoy our last meals with her so we couldn't not eat our lunch) at 12 then met Alexandra and Lejla at 4. We walked to Alexandra's house and her mom and brother were there and so excited to have us as guest in their home. Alexandra and her mom had made us soup, 3 types of pita, sarma, mashed potatoes, tomato-cucumber salad with cheese and it was great (we took small portions). We sat around and talked and then they brought us dessert too! So special, so full.
3)We ate very little for the next week because we were so full. But through this we learned a lot about hospitality and Bosnian culture. When guests come they give them more than enough to honor them they fill the soup bowl to the top and want to give LARGE servings of everything. They will take the little they have and give you their best. Even if you're just drinking juice they will ask if you want more about every 3 minutes because that shows that they care about you and they want all your needs and wants to be met. That makes a good host. I was honored to be invited into their homes and offered such hospitality.
I put it into practice at our party on Friday. I stood and offered people drinks and snacks and came around with more juice or coffee or coke and refilled people's glasses. It was fun to be so hospitable but I think back home it would have seemed pushy, in Bosnia it is a love language. Our party was fun, not as many students from class came as the last party but there were more people who we had made deep relationships with. Amna came and really wanted to salsa dance, and brought music, so I salsa danced with her in our driveway and eventually some other people came to learn. It was really fun! Oh and it was prefect timing, when we got to the house Adis' dad was walking down the hill from his garden so he came and talked with us for a while.
4) We had a picnic BBQ at Bistricak again on Saturday and 15 students came with us! It was really great! We played volleyball, basketball, soccer, cards and just talked. Mario grilled for us and it was delicious. During one card game Melody and Amna were sitting next to us and I heard Melody start telling about her faith. They had a really good conversation and Amna shared her blocks with the Christian faith. If Jesus was God then how did God die on earth and be alive in heaven at the same time? Great question and Melody answered well, but it was just great to hear them having the conversation. We said goodbye to a lot of our friends and it was sad to think we wouldn't see them again.
5) English classes ended well. I asked all the student to fill our an evaluation on the class so that I will have information for next year. They also had final presentations on Friday which were so funny I wish I had recorded them for you. Senad and Goran made a commercial for a cemetery and used many of the phrases they had learned in class. It was great! I gave them all certificates of completion and we played games and ate American candy to celebrate!
Jesus definitely used the English classes in a big way to connect with college students in Bosnia and build relationships with them and learn from them and share Jesus with them. Praise God for all He did through these classes.
We went to coffee with our friends and soaked up our last times together.
1) Food
2) More Food (learning about hospitality)
3) Party & Practicing hospitality
4) Picnic & Sharing the Gospel
5) English class
1) Melody and I became very close with the girls at her table and they invited us to their houses. We have never eaten so much food before in our lives! We had lunch at our house at 12 then met Elvedina, Elvisa and Amna at 2 at the bus station. We got to Elvedina's house around 3 and she gave us juice and cake and there were chocolates on the table for us. When her mom came home at 4 she gave us strawberries and honeydew and asked if she could make us more food, we said no thank you and thought we would be done eating until class. But then... Elvisa said we should go to her house so we left Elvedina's, walked down 3 houses and went into Elvisa's house. She gave us juice and pretzels and we talked for a while until her mom said, "I made you all lunch!" Melody and I almost died when we heard that but we went to the table and ate the food made with love. Soup, stuffed peppers, lamb and cucumber-tomato salad. We sat back in the small living room which was her brother's room and then she brought us cake! Uhhhh So much food but so much love!
2)The next day a similar thing happened. We had lunch at home (we had a cook who loved us dearly and wanted us to really enjoy our last meals with her so we couldn't not eat our lunch) at 12 then met Alexandra and Lejla at 4. We walked to Alexandra's house and her mom and brother were there and so excited to have us as guest in their home. Alexandra and her mom had made us soup, 3 types of pita, sarma, mashed potatoes, tomato-cucumber salad with cheese and it was great (we took small portions). We sat around and talked and then they brought us dessert too! So special, so full.
3)We ate very little for the next week because we were so full. But through this we learned a lot about hospitality and Bosnian culture. When guests come they give them more than enough to honor them they fill the soup bowl to the top and want to give LARGE servings of everything. They will take the little they have and give you their best. Even if you're just drinking juice they will ask if you want more about every 3 minutes because that shows that they care about you and they want all your needs and wants to be met. That makes a good host. I was honored to be invited into their homes and offered such hospitality.
I put it into practice at our party on Friday. I stood and offered people drinks and snacks and came around with more juice or coffee or coke and refilled people's glasses. It was fun to be so hospitable but I think back home it would have seemed pushy, in Bosnia it is a love language. Our party was fun, not as many students from class came as the last party but there were more people who we had made deep relationships with. Amna came and really wanted to salsa dance, and brought music, so I salsa danced with her in our driveway and eventually some other people came to learn. It was really fun! Oh and it was prefect timing, when we got to the house Adis' dad was walking down the hill from his garden so he came and talked with us for a while.
4) We had a picnic BBQ at Bistricak again on Saturday and 15 students came with us! It was really great! We played volleyball, basketball, soccer, cards and just talked. Mario grilled for us and it was delicious. During one card game Melody and Amna were sitting next to us and I heard Melody start telling about her faith. They had a really good conversation and Amna shared her blocks with the Christian faith. If Jesus was God then how did God die on earth and be alive in heaven at the same time? Great question and Melody answered well, but it was just great to hear them having the conversation. We said goodbye to a lot of our friends and it was sad to think we wouldn't see them again.
5) English classes ended well. I asked all the student to fill our an evaluation on the class so that I will have information for next year. They also had final presentations on Friday which were so funny I wish I had recorded them for you. Senad and Goran made a commercial for a cemetery and used many of the phrases they had learned in class. It was great! I gave them all certificates of completion and we played games and ate American candy to celebrate!
Jesus definitely used the English classes in a big way to connect with college students in Bosnia and build relationships with them and learn from them and share Jesus with them. Praise God for all He did through these classes.
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