I realize my lack in blogging, which is actually ironic because I’m a very avid journaler. So I thought I’d fix that problem by posting something I wrote in my journal from my time in Bor, Serbia.
To give you a little background information:
Bor is a very small copper mining town. The people who live there consider themselves a forgotten people and their town a forgotten place. Most of the people are trapped in a life of unemployment with no way out because of the extremely corrupt Serbian government. I was blessed to spend about a week there with Drea, Hollis and Kristen. Hollis and Kristen lived with an amazing couple named Roger and Sue who have given up living a normal retired life in England to meet the needs of the people in Bor by loving them in practical ways. Drea and I lived with Jiffco and Zoritza, a Serbian Christian couple who have lived in Bor their entire lives and started the ministry that they now have. We got to spend the week learning from them and serving with them by visiting people stuck in poverty and providing them with food and love. We sat with people, listened to their stories, built relationships with them and showed them the love of Jesus. Their ministry isn’t anything flashy or big, but it’s what is needed, and most times the most unglamorous, unnoticed things are the ones that make the biggest impact and are closest to the heart of God. They are a picture of Jesus to everyone in Bor-just the 4 of them. It was my favorite week on the race yet because it’s a ministry I believe in-doing very practical things to meet the needs of people and loving them through it all.
So here is a journal entry from one night in Bor. Try to excuse any grammatical errors/fragmented sentences. It’s just straight from my heart, into my journal, and now for your eyes to see. 🙂
10.24.09
This evening we drove to a gypsy village to have a bible study. We drove through mountains and then down several pot-holed dirt roads until we came to a crowd of people waiting and singing “hallelujah” as we pulled up. As soon as we got out of the car it was like we were celebrities. Each person, children and adults alike, stuck their hands out to shake ours and young girls brought each of us girls a bouquet of wild flowers all tied in a bundle. There were probably about 5 families there, so many children just running around. We all spilled into one of the small houses and found in the living room a long table set up with a table cloth, 3 bowls of fruit, and plates of pastries and chips, all for us. We found out that they each put money towards buying it for us, as if they have any extra money to spare. It was amazing to me that the people who have nothing to give are the ones so quick to give everything they have, while the people with enough for everyone are the ones who horde it all to themselves. Why is that? We sat at the table as everyone poured in the room, the children all piling on top of and next to one another on the bed/couch, facing us with wide eyes and smiling faces. Next to me sat a teenage boy and at the head of the table a man with a homemade drum to use for worshiping. A broken symbol was attached to the side of the drum and his wife came in with a meat flattener and a screw driver for him to use to play his instrument. Jiffco played his guitar and song books were passed out and shared. We all sang in Serbian and it was beautiful. Most of the time I just watched the kids in front of me, singing and swaying and poking each other and laughing. I particularly watched one of the smallest boys as he held a song book and concentrated on it as he was singing. I don’t even know if he was old enough to read. But he held it high for the others to read as well. At the end of every song everyone yelled a hearty “hallelujah!” After a few songs, Roger, Hollis, Kristen and I went outside with all the kids. We taught them some songs and laughed a lot at Roger’s attempt to translate. At one point, he was giving directions and a 13 year old girl, practicing her English awkwardly said, “how are you?” and he stopped in the middle of his explaining and in his British accent replied, “oh, well I’m quite fine, thank you.” We played a rendition of duck, duck, goose and it was fun to just run and run and have that be the most important thing in the world for a while. Later the little boy I had my eye on during worship explained a game called “don/noche” to the rest of the group and we played it. We communicated through laughter, games and light hearts…and that was really all we needed. A little girl kept holding my hand and resting her head on my arm. At one point she pointed to the moon that glowed orange over the little village. I looked at it and at least for a second we could communicate and know exactly what the other person was thinking. It made me realize how strange it is that our lives are so very different and yet we share the same sky. We took tons and tons of pictures because for every one you would take, a kid would come up, grab your arm and motion that they wanted a picture just with you. When we finally said goodbye there were hugs and kisses and “ciaos” and “i love you’s” exchanged. It was a beautiful and surreal night. It’s so strange to me that I get to keep hopping in and out of lives all over the world. Most people are lucky if they get to experience one life different than their own. Throughout this year I’m going to experience more lives than I knew I existed. Already I have, I guess. My eyes are being opened to so much. What will I do will all of this new knowledge?
*Jiffco, the man I lived with, has recently become unemployed. He worked at a grocery store for several years and for 7 months did not receive a paycheck. He is now being compensated for pay through food from the store that is past it’s expiration date. He spends his time pouring into and satisfying the needs of the people of Bor, although he has barely anything to give. If you are interested in supporting him and his wife and their ministry, email me: [email protected]
