Routine
Routine by Jesse Jorgensen
I’m not sure if I should share pictures of some of the work we are doing so enjoy pictures of things I have eaten or found interesting!
We have settled into a few of days of routine. Today is our third and last day of home visits and workshops. We anticipate getting to see most of the students from the workshops and some other people we’ve met at the picnic we’ll host on Friday.
Home Visits:
We get to learn so much about culture on the home visits. We are impacted by the stories we hear and we are enjoying getting to be part of the conversation. I was mostly impressed by how our partners care for and shepherd the people they visit. I tried to ask one of them how many people he cares for in this way and he had a hard time coming up with a number but finally, he said maybe 100 in Vares. I also know he cares for people in 2 other places….so I’m guessing it’s more like hundreds of people that God has brought under his care. As we walk around the city with them, they are constantly greeted by people who are happy to see them. Our partners meet with those who are in need and lonely. They have their conversations “seasoned with salt” (see Colossians 4:6) as they sometimes gently challenge ideas and share the light of Christ. I saw tears in one woman’s eyes as she was prayed for at the end of her visit.
Many of you know how much I love pizza.
Workshops:
The workshops have been going SO great. Our goals are to build relationships, have good conversations, show the love and joy of Christ and of course teach some helpful skills. Even though the language barrier can sometimes create awkward situations, It has been fun to interact with the students. We have some teaching with break-out discussions, activities, and a snack break. When we’ve gone through all the material we play games with the students. It appears the students are having a lot of fun and feeling loved. One group drove 1.5 hours to attend and were not planning to make the trip again yesterday but they had so much fun they arranged to come anyway. Another student shared that she noticed we don’t talk behind other people’s backs and don’t judge them. That feels like a high compliment to us! They know we are Christians. We meet at the church and are under the oversight of the local pastor who they have built a relationship with. Pray that they so clearly see Jesus in us and come to understand that he is not the God he has sometimes been portrayed to be. There have also been some very good spiritual conversations that team members have been able to have. We hope that maybe some seeds are planted and pray that they will continue to ponder the topics we’ve discussed and perhaps later they will have a deeper conversation with the local pastor - and our partner - who they have built a long relationship with.
A Mercedes-Benz bicycle.
One last thing: yesterday was the anniversary of the massacre at Srebenica which only took place 27 years ago. If you can stomach it, maybe look up the history of that. It is sobering to realize that the consequences of war are on everyone’s minds. War has a way of hardening hearts. I suppose war happens because of hardened hearts. Years ago one of our partners visited East Hills and shared that their work feels like picking rocks out of a field so it can be planted. There are many rocks in these fields. It’s hard for me to understand what it feels like to experience what this region has walked through for centuries. Even so, we see God at work and hear stories of lives being changed. Keep praying!
