Dear Family and Friends,
Greetings from Podgorica, Montenegro! I’ve really missed writing you!
This final month of the World Race I’m serving here with a pentecostal church. Each week-day morning pastor Jovica (“Yovitsa’) teaches us from the Bible after our personal time with God. He is enthusiastic, has a heart close to God, and imparts truth that is motivational and inspiring.
Our goal here is evangelism as only 0.02% of the population believe in God’s grace given through Christ’s death and resurrection. I didn’t know this before the race, but Europe is now the least reached part of the world with many similar statistics across the continent. The people here are very proud of their religion, the very tradition based Orthodox Church. It is similar to Catholicism in liturgy, the role of saints and mother Mary, and the great respect with which everything is treated. But Jesus is not considered deity. He is a wrathful, weak man who needs His kind and loving mother to whom everyone prayes. He died, but He never raised to life, according to them.
Saddly, the Orthodox Church is rooted in tradition rather than truth, and staunch in rules of conduct, to the extreme of not allowing resting against a wall during church. These aspects make evangelism difficult as those we speak to would be going against their religion’s rules to accept our gospel tracts and Bibles. The traditions have morphed over time so that there are many practices disconnected from any scripture, though they remain the back-bone of the communities. As a result, when individuals do convert to belief in Jesus as Lord, their families and communities feel abandoned and often entirely reject them.
So our work has been a unique sort of evangelism – quite a contrast to Ireland. Aurdra has been my ministry partner and together we have explored the city and seen God working through us. In my opinion the most useful thing we’ve done is pray to prepare the soil. God is clearly moving here, but it may really take years and years of persistent prayer before we see masses coming to Christ. Some people have taken tracts and Bibles, we have had good conversations, we have met up with people, and we’ve helped people, so we are greatful for what God has done through us.
We’ve also gotten to partner with Magi and Clara, a couple from Serbia and Bosnia & Herzegovina, who are good to the core, radiate loving-kindness, serve dilligently, and are unceasingly joyful. (They remind me of the Edmunds. 🙂 Daniel is a Serbian young man who has been a great help.
Some of my favorite parts of this month:
– The city is surrounded by Colorado-like mountains in the distance.
– Audra and I have met up multipule times with a girl named Maja.
– I have had delightful conversations with an atheist and a Muslim who want to continue corresponding regarding beliefs.
– Audra and I were able to help a nun out of a dangerous situation.
– A boy, who recently acted out violently and started attending this church, became a Christian.
– My team is enjoying Matt Chandler’s sermon series on Manhood and Womanhood.
– This ministry gives us the freedom to plan our own days and has allowed us to include some time to proccess the last year and consider returning home.
– They use tiny spoons here (as in other places in Europe, but I’m still enjoying it). 🙂
– God is continuing to calm my fears of the future and give me assurance of His leading in my life.
– He also pushes me toward healing and wholeness. (This happens each month; maybe each hour.)
– I can’t wait to be home in only about two weeks! It’s going to be surreal.
I hope I’ll get to write again soon! Please pray for us to follow God and have success the rest of this ministry, and to continue growing in Christ more than ever. Also, for this end of things to wrap up well so that we can return home remaining changed but able to integrate the good we have learned. Lastly, for those we are returning to, that the quirks of being away from one-another for a year will work out as smoothly as possible.
I love you all so much! And I cannot wait to see some of you soon.
Meredith
