Three weeks ago my entire life changed.
My good friends, Anthony and Cholena, drove me to the Detroit airport at 4 in the morning. Half-asleep and somewhat stupefied, I took the first steps of my calling. At 6am I boarded my plane, and two and half hours later I landed in Georgia. My day is spent waiting in the Atlanta airport, talking to various friends and strangers until training for launch begins. Seminars and training are the names of the games at Launch, but I’m ready to do the work of God, ready to be done with training.
September 9, 2015 We board a plane leaving Atlanta for Chicago. 40 hours later we arrive in Belgrade, Serbia on September 11, 2015 at night, and are met by our ministry contact Slavejab (Sloh vay juh).
Well over six feet tall, Slahvay presents the epitome of a gentle giant. His kind eyes meet ours and instantly he thrusts himself into our service, grabbing our packs and corralling us towards the bus station. Slahvay took charge in leading us, as we, weary and jet lag ridden stood mystified in a strange new land. We clamor into the bus. I stand across from Slahvay on our first bus, packs separating us, giving us personal space, but not physical room. Behind me is the door to bus, and I hold on tight watching my balance as I wager my first conversation with our ministry contact.
Minutes before, when we were in the airport, Slahvay mentioned that his name meant and was spelled the same as our word “Slave”, and all together, the two Y Squad teams that were present breathed a sigh of understanding concerning what he was called. Quickly, he relayed this information to help us comprehend the name, and then there was a quick run down of the logistical sequences of events. If everything went as planned we were to arrive at his home in Lebane (Leh Beh Nay) where we would be greeted by his “better half”, Snezana (Snay Zohn Uh).
Bed rest and a place to stay made our anticipation grow, as we made our way through the night. 4am finally creaked around the corner again, and we arrived in our new home for the next month. In the morning we were greeted by Snezana, Slahvay’s better half, and she took care of us for the day as we recovered from our few days of travel. The hospitality we have received has not been rivaled by any given elsewhere, and it has been an interesting few weeks.
But first, before I share more about my story and experience I want to paint a picture of Serbia for you.
Slahvay and Snezana represent a good picture of the Serbian people. A slave marrying a princess in a normal fairytale tradition. Slahvay’s name literally means slave, but Snezana’s means “Snow White”, exactly like the fairytale princess.
When Slahvay first met us he told us simply, “I am only servant for the Lord” and Slahvay has served us so incredibly well. I am unable to express my thanks to him and his church, because they are all servants. They are all working together for the Kingdom of God, and they have made themselves slaves to marry something of a fairytale princess in the person of Jesus Christ.
One night Yovenna, an 18 year old Roma girl from Serbia, illustrated the kind of love that these people have for the Lord when she asked a teammate of mine and I if we would like to pray with her, and we immediately asked her what she would like prayer for. She answered that she would just like to pray. A little confused, my teammate and I prayed prayers of thanks for what God had done throughout the day and the journey, but this girl simply smiled, giggled, and then said, “Jesus… I love you. I love you so much! You are wonderful! Amen!” Joy was evident on her face, and it was clear that she was a woman who had, “Delighted herself in the Lord and God had given her the desires of her heart” (Psalm 37:4) It an example of simple childlike love and faith.
Truly, the Serbian people make themselves servants, because they truly love God with all their heart and they want him above all else. This fairytale-like simplicity is what Jesus talked about when he said that the Kingdom of God was like a treasure in a field that a man sold everything he had to go and buy.
