“In him we were also chosen, having been predestined according to the plan of him who works out everything in conforrmity with the purpose of his will, in order that we, who were the first to put our hope in Christ, might be for the praise of his glory.”
Ephesians 1:11-12
Ephesians 1:11-12
How is it that I am lucky enough to be on this trip? Why did God choose me? Sure this is no vacation, and a lot of times I find myself in tears or frustrated; however, I would not want to be anywhere else.April, Kristin, Drea, and myself wer chosen to go to Bor and work with potential contacts for a week. As usual for the race, we had no idea what to expect, yet God had wonderful things in store fur us. Immediately when we stepped off the train in Bor we were greeted by the most amazing British couple and the funniest Serbian man (our contacts and hosts for the week). They welcomed us into their homes and right away I felt so comfortable with them.
It’s interesting to me, how no matter where we seem to go we ar treated like family. Whether it’s our contact or a complete stranger, in Ireland or Serbia, we are given the best treament. Our first night in Bor, we visited a gypsy church where we were welcomed as treasured guests. These people have nothing, and don’t even know us, yet they would be willing to give us the very shirts off their backs. Even though they don’t understand our language, they want to hear us talk and share our stories. Even though we’re strangers, they hug us like we are their own daughters.As I sit and reflect on this, my mind wanders to one of our host families here in Bor. They are from this very city and still live in the house the father grew up in. He shared with us a little bit about the economic and political situation in Bor, and
it really saddened my heart. He recently quit his job at a grocery store (the only one in the whole city) because he has not been paid for the last seven months. He has no way of getting his wages or even fighting for it. The people here are poor and have no voice. Corruption runs rampant. If you don’t give the doctor gifts, you won’t get treatment despite already paying for the services through taxes and insurance. If you cannot pay your bills, the debts plus interest will just continue to pile up.
it really saddened my heart. He recently quit his job at a grocery store (the only one in the whole city) because he has not been paid for the last seven months. He has no way of getting his wages or even fighting for it. The people here are poor and have no voice. Corruption runs rampant. If you don’t give the doctor gifts, you won’t get treatment despite already paying for the services through taxes and insurance. If you cannot pay your bills, the debts plus interest will just continue to pile up.It is currently in the 30’s and freezing outside, and the city has no heat. Every home runs on city heating, and there is no coal to run the heat. The city has no more money to buy coal and is already in debt because the people are in debt. It is a never-ending cycle with no tangible solution.
So here I am wearing everything I brought and wrapped in blankets, writing a blog about the injust and poverty in Bor thinking how lucky I am to be here. I truly am though. I get to see what’s going on outside of my American bubble. I get to meet incredible men and women of God who continue to persevere despite the circumstances. I get to experience God in a little gypsy church in Serbia. 
I will never forget the people we met in Bor or how hard it was to say goodbye. My heart broke as we rode away on the train because I don’t know if I will ever see them again on this earth.
