Sarajevo, Bosnia
From Vietnam to Bosnia! I arrived in Bosnia and it was the first time I had felt chilled since I left the States. The temperature change was so drastic! Asia had heavy and humid air in comparison to the fresh and crisp air of the Balkan’s. It brought me back to home!
Sarajevo, Bosnia hosted the 1984 winter Olympics. Our first night we stayed up on Olympic Mountain. It was breath takingly beautiful. The next day we headed into the city of Sarajevo.
Sarajevo is a city that has survived a lot of war. In 1992 Sarajevo came under siege. There were shelling attacks every day and the people were living in fear of sniper shootings. This fear was a part of their everyday life. The snipers would hang out where the water source was and shoot when the people tried to get water. The siege lasted a little over three years. The hardest thing to take in is the reality that this only happen 26 years ago and the devastation of it.
My team and I stayed in Sarajevo for roughly 2 weeks and I got to meet lots of people and hear their stories. Many family’s and young people fled the area and are coming back to Sarajevo but they say it is just not the same. The city is different the people are changed and the hearts are heave with brokenness and loss. It’s so sad. The economy is still trying to recover and there is so much unemployment. People are willing to work but the job availability is just nonexistent.
Again, I feel like I was there just to listen and love through that. Our ministry was to build relationships with the people in the city and love them the way Jesus would. For me that was to listen to their heartache. Please pray for the economy of this city and the people.
-V
Unfailing love and faithfulness protect the king; his throne is made secure through LOVE. Proverbs 20:28
