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.