We finished our 1st week in Bosnia & wow was it more than we could have ever dreamed! My last post gave you all the background of how clearly God directed us to this ministry, but I also left you with the possibility that we could be leaving soon.
That is NOT the case, my friends — & I couldn’t be more ecstatic. I’m pretty sure just in this week alone we have all fallen in love with this tiny, every day sort of city.
That first afternoon was pretty chill. & although we quickly found that none of us were really qualified to help in the math class offered at the church, we did all attend English class & figured out how to help on the fly. A pretty decent beginning!
& then there was Tuesday. As I previously mentioned, Megan had seen wrinkly old people in her listening prayer, so we were pumped to get to the home & meet them — our old people. & they were lovely. We ended up doing a variety of things with them from playing Dominos & passing out coffee to watching Bosnian soap operas & making birthday cards. We even spent time pulling weeds from their garden. That’s right, Mom & Pops — another skill you taught me that is so useful for life! 😉
I got to help feed a man who couldn’t help himself. Logan had full conversations with a lady where he spoke only English & she spoke only Bosnian. It was amazing & we loved every moment.
Following the time with our precious elderly we got to go meet some of the sweetest kids ever. They were at a school for special needs & we fell for them instantly. One of our favorite kids was pretty shy — except on the dance floor. They cranked up the music & he began dancing. It was so good! The moment I’ll never forget is while he was dancing, he extended his hand to Megan. Megan dancing with him was a serious highlight of this week…so sweet & only the beginning. The next day was the school’s prom, & we went early to help the kids get ready.
I’m 31 years old…I never went to prom. I’ve only seen it in the movies & have heard the stories of my friends. I’m way past caring about those kind of things. But getting to watch those sweet kids all dressed up, eating a ridiculous abundance of food, & dancing with their parents, friends, & dates was a seriously magical moment for me.
I’m pretty sure it was better than it would have been if I had attended one in my day.
These kids were just so happy & I loved watching them have a blast & also getting to be a part of it with them. Our entire team joined in a traditional Bosnian dance, which isn’t that hard, but I somehow still had two left feet. Thankfully, in this situation it’s just about being together & having fun, & we definitely accomplished both of those things.
I could tell you so many other ins & outs of this week. How we went to English class & got to see people work so hard to communicate. About how Ryan started studying chess so he could play better against the old men who crushed him. I could tell you about how even though we weren’t qualified to help with math class, we got to sit around with the students afterwards & just talk to them, having everyday real life conversation & how much it felt like we actually just lived here & were part of their lives.
Maybe none of that sounds that interesting to you. Maybe you feel like it’s not worth hearing about.
& in the past, I might say that it’s a fair assumption. I might say who cares about 7 people from the US sitting around in a tiny city in Bosnia, talking to everyday people, going to nursing homes, going to a special needs prom…
Who cares?
And that’s exactly the point. This is just like most of us. We do every day life & truthfully — it generally just isn’t that exciting. We just do our thing. Go to work. Go to class. Stay home with the kids. Eat. Sleep…& what else is there? Sometimes exciting things happen, but then we just go back to the daily grind. Why does any of it matter?
As someone who spent a significant portion of my adult life battling depression, I can tell you exactly what matters. People. People matter. They are what makes this life worth the next moment.
God thought people were so important that He sent Jesus to die for us so that we could know Him. So that He could care about the mundane. So that He could walk with us through the big things, the small things, & the every day things.
But we’re not God. We’re just people. Sometimes our own circumstances make it hard to even notice other people.
But. They’re just like us. I’m half a world away from my home & here are people. People just like at home. They feel stuck. They feel frustrated. They feel moments of joy but they are so fleeting. They want more, but don’t know how to get it. They feel alone…just like I used to.
Seeing people where they’re at is kind of everything. When you are stuck in the every day droll of life, you start to wonder if things are worth it. Despair can begin to creep in. But what generally pulls us out is people.
A sweet moment with your child. A grin from a friend. A laugh with a coworker. A song by someone who seems to understand exactly how you feel. It’s people. It’s connection.
And the thing is, we can be that connection.
I’ve often been on the receiving end of this kind of connection & I feel how much it matters. It gives me inspiration, hope, & can change the darkest of days into sunshine. Because people matter, & when they act like I matter, it changes everything.
We can give that beautiful gift to anyone. It just takes us taking our eyes off our own difficult, frustrating, or mundane lives & choosing to give time to people. To look them in the eyes & find out how they are. To take a minute to listen. To laugh with them. Sometimes to cry with them. But mostly, just to know them for who they are & love them as is.
This has become one of the things I want most in my life. To see people. To help them past the every day things that they get stuck in, because there’s so much more.
& if you know me, you also know what’s coming — the fact that God sees each person as well. That I totally mess up all the time in seeing people, but that God — He does it perfectly. He always sees us — sees the very best and the very worst of us — & still loves us enough that He sent His only Son Jesus for us. To give us life. To give us heaven. To give us a chance to know Him, & see how He sees us.
All the hope He has to offer. All the dreams He has for us. How He wants to be our safe place. How He will cheer for us. How He will fight for us. How once we are His, we are never alone.
Anyways, you know I could go on about that side of things forever 😉 But for me, yeah — maybe we were just sitting around with some math students or spending time with old people in tiny Tuzla & nobody in the world will ever care that we were there or that we listened to those kids or played chess with old men for hours.
But I know it matters.
It matters that we spent our time just being with them. Loving them. Seeing them.
I don’t think they’ll even remember my name, but that’s okay. It’s okay because they matter, & I got to show them that for a few hours every week.
I know…maybe it still doesn’t sound like much. But the high fives from the math students. Those smiles we got from our wrinkly old people. That is the every day magic. I’ve experienced it here in Tuzla, but it’s my goal to take it everywhere. Go get it. Go give it. Everyday magic.
