I'M GOING BACK TO ZENICA!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I'm so excited! I'm going to lead the project to Zenica!
I'll keep you posted on how everything is progressing as it... progresses! But I'm so excited!

Here's some updates i have from Zenica:
Feda got married to Mirzana.
Goran got his drivers license.
Senad and Goran went camping with Sladjan (our Christian friend)!

I am so excited to go back!!!!!

I was driving today and thinking about the games i could bring and how to make the classes better and more fun!

pray for the team and the other staff leaders that are going. I dont' know who they are yet but they need prayer :)

Thanks for your prayers and I'M SO EXCITED!!!!!!!!!!

YEAH Zenica!

Volim Zenice!

Debriefing and Safe at home

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

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!

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.

Eager

I wanted to express how I'm feeling and what I prayed about it the best word to descibe it is "Eager."

1) Conversations with Feđa
2) The boys
3) The girls
4) More on poverty

1) I have had some great conversations with Feđa, Goran, Donata and Merlina. One day Chad, Melody and I were having coffee with Feđa when he said, "what are you doing Sunday, we could have a BBQ?" I told him that we were going to church at 6pm and he wanted to know why church was so late. I let him know there are 2 churches that we are going to while we're here, the Baptist one and the Evanglical one (the only Protestant Christian churches in town) He was confused and had many good questions. Through his questions and our explainations he found out we were protestant, went off on why in soap operas, Catholics pray to Mary and Jesus (everyone here watches a LOT of soap operas because there really isn't anything to do during the day if you aren't blessed enough to have a job, that's how they learn spanish and english so quickly), what is the difference between Catholic and Christian, and Muslim (he has a lot to say about that and gave his opinions througout our conversation), How could Jesus be God's son and God, and lastly, if Jesus were real like the Bible said why doesn't God send another person or something to tell us he's really there and what we should do. I know that was a long sentence but it was a great conversation. I offered my opinion and biblical answers to most of the questions and prayed and listened while he talked. When he said, "If all you said is true, and God is all powerful, why wont he just send another?" I paused and thought of an answer but for some reason (the Holy Spirit) I didn't say anything and looked at Chad, he was just waiting to share. He told Feđa Jesus answered that question with a story written in the Bible, and shared of the master leaving people in charge of his land and he sent messangers and servants to check on it but the people killed them so he sent his only son and they killed him so why should the master think the people would listen to anything else. WOW! Praise Jesus for team work and how the Holy Spirit works! And that Feđa has good questions, I feel like the Spirit is at work in him.

Then yesterday Chad and I had coffee with Feđa and his friend and Elvis (a Christian and Mario's brother) came with us. Somehow (by God's power) Jesus came up again and Feđa was surprised to hear Elvis was a Christian so Elvis shared his testimony! Elvis also told him about all the other Christians in town. I'm praying that God lets his word go deeper than intellectually with Feđa, that he will come to camp with us next week and ultimately give his life to Jesus!

2) The boys, Senad and Goran, have been hanging out a lot with Chad and Jimmy. I would say almost every day! It's been great to see those relationships form. Pray they would take things deeper and especially with Goran as I've had a conversation with him about God and he seems open.

3) The girls, Donata and Merlina, have been spending a lot of time with me and i love them! Merlina is so into Jesus but can't connect with the community here, pray that she would and that our friendship would be an encouragement to her. For Donata keep praying that she will really allow Jesus to transform her life and give her the love and acceptance she's looking for. Melody and Mandy have been spending time with some girls, pray they will go deeper and come to camp with us next week. The girls are, Maja, Ermina, Amna, Alexandra, Dina, Leijla, Maja and her boyfriend Alan.

4) I went to an old refugee camp that is run down from 10 years of use, it is horrible! There are many families living there and it made us all very sad. I just don't know what to do. Jesus really is the only possible answer. Please pray for the families that live there and have no opportunity. The would work if they could find a job.

Thank you for your prayers. Next week we'll be at the evangelistic camp so no internet but please be praying, it is a time we want clothed with God' presence!

Thank you for all your support.

Melissa

God is doing something!

I forgot to tell you that last Saturday's trip to a fortress and park was great. 10 of our students came with us and it was a great time to bond with them!

Classes this week were so fun and depressing! The students at my table are mostly English majors so our conversations are always good. Sladan, one of the Christian students here, told me that we need to have games every day, not every other day because Zenica students think that Americans are fun so we need more fun. So I added a game for every day and the students really loved it!
It was also depressing because the discussion topics were work, success and dreams. There is so much unemployment here, there is no real industry that can provide jobs for people so they just survive. My students who are in college dont have dreams and their only goals are to pass the next test, pass the next test and when they finish they'll start hoping to find a job, they aren't guaranteed one even with a college degree. This also means people who have been dating 7 years can't get married because their sister is already living with her husband in the house (or similar). There is an air of frustration and hopelessness. It's really depressing and calls me to my knees more than anything else ever has. Jesus is the only answer because I can't find one and obviously the government hasn't either.

Melissa

Poverty like we never thought

1) Why the burning cigarettes
2) Team updates
3) Poverty
4) Prayer updates and new requests
( all in 11 minuites before my time runs out on the interenet)

1) As far as i know they are just ridiculously addicted to them but love talking to friends and forget that it is lit. Ill see if I can find out more. Glad you read the last blog :)

2) Jimmy has been a little sick and yesterday was the first day he felt well. pray that our crazy eating schedule would not hurt his system.
Our team is really learning a lot. We have all been spending a lot of time building friendships and so we have needed a lot of sleep but its great. Chad and I went with Feđa, senad and goran to Sarajevo and had a great time. I think that was a great start to deeper relationships. Pray for those 3 guys and that Chad and I can talk about Jesus with them and that God would be working in their hearts!
Funny story of the week We have a cook named Dželjka and she is like our Bosnian mom. she taught us girls how to make pita yesterday and it was so good. she said every girl need to know how to make pita and coffee before they can get married so we are half way there ! It was a great experience.

3) Yesterday we went to our friend's home and his parents hosted us. His mom said I spoke good Bosnian though I only told her how many siblings i had and how old they were. It was great trying to communicate with her! Melody spoke with his father in French! And they were great hosts! Today I asked the team what they noticed and one student asked, where were the bedrooms? We were sitting in them.... That hit them hard that the parents slept in the living room and our friend in the kitchen. We still have a lot to process from that.

4) Friendships are happening fast! it is great! Pray for me as i will meet with Merlina today. Also pray for her sister Donata who knows Jesus but doesnt want to accept him becasue her heart is hard. Pray for Adis and that he would open his heart to God while we are here.

thanks so much for your prayers!

blessings

melissa

What could be better than this?

I have so much to say!

(this will be long so here's a guide)
1) luggage
2) what we've been doing
3) How our 4 students have been doing
4) What I'm enjoying/funny things
5) English class
6) prayers


1) I know you are all dying to know what happened with my luggage. I was on my way to the internet cafe just today to ask you to pray for my luggage again (7 days with only one out fit?) Layla and I are blessed to fit into Melody and Mandys clothes and to have a washing machine to wash all our clothes every other day because we told them to only bring 5 outfits...between us thats 3 outfits each and when you sweat as much as we have been, from walking 30 to 40 minutes into the city each day and then 40 minutes back, or climbing a mountain thats supposedly a pyramid (in flip flops mind you because my shoes are in my luggage) you just really shouldnt rewear clothing, its not advantageous to out reach. No one wants to be around a smelly person. Praise God for our washing machine and hotwater heater at all times of the day. Well yesterday i resigned that God wanted me to be like the disciples when he sent them out he said, "Take nothing with you... not even and extra tunic" So i decided fine no extra tunic, and praised him that all us girls could share but on my way here Jan (the staff worker here) pulled into the driveway and said, GUESS WHAT I HAVE! It was my luggage!!!!! Layla is still missing her luggage but our collective clothing increased 50% this morning! Thanks for your prayers!

2) More importantly: what have we been doing this whole time?
*Getting aquainted with the city and how to order food, use a taxi, walk from here to there and drink coffee.
*Fellowshiping with the college students (Mario and Slađan) here, learning from them and encouraging them (it is such a blessing to have students here with which we can partner)
*We met Adis, Mario's non Christian friend. He gave us a tour of the city and came with us to Visoko (the "pyrimid" of Bosnia)
*Learning some Bosnian. Jan gave us our first language lesson and it was very useful!
*Eating local foods like ćevapi and pita, burek and pizza (if you've been here i know you're jealous)
*Walking a lot! The city is set up like a "C" around a river so there's a lot of walking to be done!

3) Melody, Mandy, Chad and Jimmy have been doing great! It has been great to see Jimmy try to eat tomatoes, jogurt and mineral water, Mandy try to say tri instead of tree, Chad try to say every thing in Bosnian and say "You Are" instead of "yes" and Melody to befriend and love everyone she meets in her quiet yet genuine way and say Ausgang a few times a day. But really, they have all been taking great risks and trying new things to learn about Bosnian culture. We had a great conflict/cultural check in meeting this morning and everyone was really honest and open. We have a great team.

4) I have loved having Jan and Mario and Slađan show us the culture. I really enjoy working with the students and challenging them. I also have really enjoyed everynight debriefing with Layla before we go to sleep. She is a great leader and I am learning a lot from her as we work together. This city is beautiful and food is great, walking will become fun and the people are amazing! FUNNY Story: too many to tell right now but one...Not so much a story but everything in Zenica is the best, biggest and newest in all of Bosnia, no all of the Balkans! ask anyone and they'll tell you. My friends last night Fuđa and Menica would light a cigarett and then put it in the ashtray until it burned out then light another one... why? i dont know.

5)English class started last night and it was great! I dont know how i did it so it must have been God but it went so smoothly. I have 3 women and 3 men at my table group, melody has 3 women and Chad has 4 women 2 men ( this is for the advanced class) We went to coffee afterward and it was so so so so so good!

6) please pray for Fuđa, Goran, Senad, Donata, Merlina and Jasmenka ( my table group) and also Adis, Mario's friend. Pray for deep relationships, that God would guide me to who he's already been working in, for All 6 Americans to be bold in the friendships we create. Praise God no one has gotten sick. Pray for this weekend's BBQ that students would come. That we would all be good witnesses to Christ.

Thanks so much Love ya!

Thanks for your comments I appreciate them!

We Made It!!!!!

We are here. My luggage is not... Im not sure how that happened to me twice (both times i came with InterVarsity) but its okay. My students are sharing with me until my luggage comes.

Ill write more later but i wanted to let you know our home is beautiful, Zenica is beautiful, the people are great, we have great hosts and Christian Bosnian students!

Pray for sleep, there was a raven out of my window at 4am!!!!!

blessings, vidimose!

We're Off!!!!!

Yes, in two hours we'll begin our travel!
I can't believe we'll be in Sarajevo in 27 hours!!!!!!! I couldn't sleep I am so excited!!!!!!!!
These last few days with the team has been great! One night we all shared our life stories; some have been through really hard times which only God could bring them though. I was able to lead a dicsussion about the book "Cross & Crescent," it's a great IVP book about Muslim culture, which we're entering. I also gave a mini Bosnian language lesson which was so fun! Ilove language!

Praise God Aya's passport came yesterday!!!!!!!!!!!!
Keep praying for God's favor over her during travel.

Pray for Layla and myself as we are both a little sick and have a lot of unknowns as we lead this first team to Zenica. We're excited but we don't know where is the bank, coffee shop, grocery store, etc. Luckily we'll have Jan, he's the missionary in Zenica, to show us around. Pray for God to give us wisdom and patience as we enjoy the newness of everything. Oh- there are probably about 30+ students for the English class in Zenica and only 6 of us, so pray for God to create good friendships and lead us to the few we can really connect with on a deeper level.

Next time I post we'll be in BOSNIA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Blessings!

Orientation

WOW!!!!!!

The students are coming in 3 hours! We'll be here in Bakersfield until the 26th. Please be praying for our team building together these few days.

Last night we had a skype call with Jan, he's the missionary serving full-time in Zenica. He answered our questions and we made plans together for when we arrive. I'm so blessed to have a missionary welcoming us into the country who can take care of everything over there that we couldn't.

Chad got his passport last night!!!!!!! Praise God!!!!!!!!!!!!

Joseph and Kathy, the staff from Bakerfield who are leading the Sarajevo project have two cute kids Sarah, 8, and Andrew, 6. They are excited to go to Bosnia and see the city again (they went last year too). They act like our little siblings already, playing monopoly and climbing on us at the breakfast table.
Okay, pray for our orientation and our flight leaving at 4pm June 26th, layover in Munich for 7 hours, landing in Sarajevo at 9pm their time and that Jet lag wouldn't affect us!

Vidimose!

Preparations

I'm getting ready. Reading, studying more Bosnian language, and praying. If you get a chance pray for Chad's passport to come in, Aya's visa to come and all our funding to come in by the time we fligh out June 26th.

I'm getting anxious for what God will do!

Welcome to my Bosnia Blog 07

Bosnia is approaching very quickly! I’ll be co-leading a team to Zenica with fellow staff Layla Hanash, from June 22nd through July 31th. We will have four students on our team: Melody (right) from Santa Barbara, Mandy from Las Vegas and Chad & Jimmy from San Luis Obispo. Joseph and Kathy, also staff, with their young children, will lead a team of seven students to serve in Sarajevo. My hope for this summer is that the students would get a larger view of who God is and build strong relationships that encourage them to boldly share their faith. I was blessed to meet with our team in May for training and team building. They are all ready to serve, learn and be challenged by God which is a great thing to hear as a leader because I’m saying the same thing. Pioneering in Zenica is going to be thrilling and also challenging. I’m enthused to know that God’s Spirit will be moving and guiding me how to be a leader and how to guide our students. I know God will be working in my heart as well as the students’ to fall more in love with Him and His work in Bosnia. I am praying daily that God is preparing us and the Bosnias who we will meet through English classes. I also wish to be a blessing to the missionaries already in Bosnia; that our work with them will only enhance what they already do and we can be an encouragement to them. Please keep me and us in your prayers this summer.