I had the pleasure of spending my first month on the World Race in Negotin, Serbia with the sweetest host family, the Radojevics. Zoran and Dada work with Campus Crusade and more specifically the Fokus Ministry. During the Christmas season they invite people to watch a film about Jesus’s life and share the Gospel. They also partner with Samaritan’s Purse and deliver shoeboxes to children. They welcomed my team with loving and hospitable hearts and it was a pleasure to serve with them in Serbia.
An abundance of our time in Serbia was spent doing home visits. The people are kindhearted and extremely hospitable. They don’t make plans like we do in America. In Serbia, if you want to visit someone, you just call five minutes in advance and say that you’re on your way. When you arrive, they serve you baked goods and put coffee on the stove. It’s almost like they were always expecting you. We had Bible studies in the homes of unbelievers. We also met a Christian lady whose husband abuses her. He was away on business and didn’t leave her any means to take care of their children during that time. While he is away, she has the children write Bible verses in the back of their school books. The husband doesn’t read Serbian so he assumes the writing is part of their homework. My team and I were blessed to spend a morning to encourage her. Please pray that she will have the strength and endurance to continue living for the Lord even though she faces persecution within her own home.
My team also spent a lot of time with our ministry hosts. I learned the importance of supporting our leaders and pouring into their lives. Very few people of the Christian faith live in Negotin which can easily create a lonely environment for our hosts. My hope is that they are refreshed and encouraged after spending a month with believers. They will continue serving in Negotin with the intentions of starting a Bible study. We partnered with them in relational ministry and met many new friends in the town. We also hosted a kid’s night and taught American games to the children which gave our hosts an opportunity to connect with their parents. My team helped our hosts clear some of their property which they hope to use for children’s ministry in the future. We cooked American dinners for our hosts which they loved. It was great to share our own culture with them. One of my favorite parts of the month was tutoring our host’s son in math. We spent more time translating word problems than actually doing math, but we had a lot of fun. I learned that serving those who typically serve is crucial.
Our team also spent a lot of time bonding and I am so grateful for each of them. We spent a few days with our squad in Tirana, Albania for debrief. This past week we have moved onto Lezhe, Albania where we are working on a farm. The ministry is called Lightforce; they host children’s camps in the summer and are able to sustain the ministry through their farm.
I am currently 89% funded! I’m so thankful for my supporters. I have only $1800 to raise before I’m fully funded. God is moving throughout the world and I hope to be able to continue sharing some of His stories with you.
