We arrived to the Atlanta airport at 9 am on September 9th. 37 hours, 3 planes, 2 buses, and 1 car ride later, we made it to the home of our ministry host at 5 am on September 11th.
Our team exploring the city on the first day in country.
Our hosts, Slavoljub (we call him Sla-vay), and his wife, Snezana – which means Snow White in English – are the definition of hospitality. They have opened up their home and their life to host us this month and he is quick to offer us coffee or tea any time of day.
They live in a small town in Lebane, Serbia. Pronounced Le-ba-nay. Lebane in English means “no bread” which, according to one of the local youth, comes from an old legend about the queen of Turkey. She was coming through Serbia and lost all of her food and went around to the different houses asking for food and bread and they kept saying we have no bread.
This place is beautiful, incredible, hospitable – walking around town looks like something we would only see on a movie set. The old buildings, being able to walk anywhere in just a few minutes, street dogs following you wherever you go, and the entire town out for coffee on a Monday afternoon because jobs are sparse but also because community and fellowship are more important than anything else.
While I don’t think this town is used to having Americans here, those we have the chance to interact with are extremely friendly. Breaking down language barriers and finding new ways to communicate has been one of my favorite parts. Thank goodness for google translate.
The Serbian language is hard. Really hard. One day, I have a phrase down so well and the next, I can’t remember what is is. We’ve learned how to say (though not very well): good morning, thank you, thank you so much, I’m learning Serbian, how are you, no, excuse me, please, I know little Serbian, and so many more simple phrases that I usually can’t remember when the time comes to actually use them.
During our morning runs/hikes, strangers will shout “Bravo! Bravo!” as we pass. Running for exercise isn’t much of a commonality around here, but what an incredible way to explore the area. Our favorite right now is hiking up a nearby hill (but might as well be a mountain for this Texas girl) and overlooking the surrounding area.
Time here is handled so much differently than back home – everything is much more laid back and schedules aren’t exactly a thing. Our time here so far has been spent trying to figure out what our role in this community looks like. I thought coming from the South meant I had seen and experienced ultimate hospitality but this country has more hospitality than I’ve ever known to be true. Serving a community that wants to serve you can be tough, but I know in my heart there are so many lessons waiting for us this month.
This month I get the opportunity to live somewhere that only existed as a tiny spec on my world map. A place I knew nothing about, a place I had no connection to. These places are real and these people are just like us. They think of Americans as having everything, but what they don’t know is that they are far more rich in joy and community than we will ever be.
The world has so much to teach us. They aren’t just the faces we see on the news when war breaks out or crisis occurs. They are our brothers and sisters, men and women trying to find jobs, trying to learn English, and working hard to find their way in life. We may live in different countries but we have the same heart, the same challenges, the same celebrations.
Our team playing basketball with some of the guys in the community.
It has only been a few days but the people of Lebane, Serbia already hold a special place in my heart.
If you want to read more about what ministry looks like here in Serbia and a huge lesson our team has already learned, check out my teammates blog here. I couldn’t have said it better myself.
Ciao for now. More updates and stories to come.
