Generational ministry
Generational ministry - by Josh Droke
The middle part of our trip was built around spending time with two generations – the elderly in the morning and the teenagers in the evening.
The home visits with the elderly have been funny, heart-warming, and an interesting exercise trying to follow a conversation in another language (our partners have been very helpful interpreters!). One couple we visited lives on a farm, taking care of 100 sheep and “mowing” their acres of grass with a scythe… and they’re in their 80s! They were as kind, wise, and humble as you could hope for.
In the evenings, we built relationships with the teenagers of Vareš through leading workshops on photography, anxiety, and conflict. I’m not sure what you picture when you think of teenagers from a small town in Bosnia, but these young people are simply typical teenagers who wouldn’t look out of place in any way in Kelso. They watch YouTube, love playing games on their phone, and have group text chats for encouragement and gossip. After the last workshop (by the way – Robert, Savanah, Gwen, and Jesse did an awesome job teaching!), many of the kids didn’t want to leave yet so we just hung out and talked about life for an hour. It was so good to make them feel seen, heard, and cared about, and just a lot of fun to spend an hour laughing together. We’re looking forward to seeing them again at our picnic!
Also, as we were hanging out with the teenagers, we asked them how they met the partners we’re working with (the ones who invited the teenagers to the workshops). Their answer: Operation Christmas Child. They didn’t know the name of it, but they knew they received a gift year after year and were excited about it! Some of them, even though they are not yet believers, now help hand out those boxes to children. When you pack a box each fall, you’re helping ministries in places like this connect with children, build relationships, and open doors for the gospel. While our church’s boxes have never ended up here (to my knowledge), they have ended up in communities like this one. Thank you to all those who have packed boxes – you help set up moments like the joys we’re experiencing this week!
