Life is ministry and ministry is life
Ciao, from Serbia!
This month of April has been a wonderful experience here in Sombor, Serbia. My team, Lioness and I, have been serving with another team on our squad named The Avengers. We are partnering with an amazing pastor and his wife, Zoltan and Tanja, and their two bright daughters. We live in their church, all 13 of us, and we serve them and the church in any way they need us to. Here is a little background:
People are very outgoing and friendly here in Sombor. Mostly everyone speaks English, except for some of the older generations, but when we can’t speak, google translate has been very helpful!
Serbian is their native language. Often times, you’ll see people walk, ride their bikes or take a car to their destination. Buses are also used get from one city to the next. Sombor is more of a suburb feel and our church is located in a quiet family friendly neighborhood.
People have been warm and inviting to welcome us and spend time with us. The city is beautiful! It reminds me of a family-friendly neighborhood; schools, libraries, museums, coffee shops, bakeries, restaurants, clothing shops, jewelry stores, ice cream, and also casinos. Sombor has an old town vibe, with their cobblestone walkways, century old churches, parliament – government buildings, and story time looking lamp posts. It’s a very quiet neighborhood with German-style architecture, trees, flowers, and a few stray dogs that walk the town. Thursday – Sundays are market days where they sell anything from fresh vegetables, fruit, to socks and chocolates. Some of my favorite foods is this Serbian burger called Pljeskavica on a thick bread. They have toppings that involve ketchup, sour cream, mayo, this spicy cheese, lettuce and onion. It is soooo good! They also have these sausages that is similar to the burger meat and can be put on the bread with the same toppings.
Some of the hardest parts about indoor businesses, for me personally, is the smoking culture that exists in the restaurants, coffee shops and bars. I have been so used to the rules of “No Smoking Indoors” in the states and other parts of the world that coming here as been hard for me to get used to since I am allergic to certain cigarette brands when lit. In fact, I have been sick for a big chunk of Serbia, like about a week and a half with a cold, congestion and fatigue. It was the first time I was sick on the race, so it took away a lot of my ministry days.
However, other than being sick, this month has been great. Since it is spring season, and I’m not in Chicago, I have actually been able to witness first-hand “April showers bring May flowers.” It rained a lot the first few weeks, but wow, the flowers, the leaves, the colors are blooming all throughout Sombor. It’s so peaceful. As calm and beautiful as I described Sombor, unfortunately, there is still no such thing as perfection anywhere we go. According to our hosts, suicide and divorce rates are high, as well as drug use among youth in Sombor. On top of this, the economy is practically collapsed. There are a lot of abandoned buildings and it is very hard to find a job. From our hosts’ experiences, and from what I have seen, many people don’t have hope and are generally apathetic, unmotivated or lukewarm (and not just in the spiritual sense). Most of the young people would love to leave Serbia (or at least move to a bigger city) and adults feel stuck here.
With all the church buildings in the city, it may appear from the outside that religion has a heavy stronghold on the community to keep the hope alive. However, according to locals, people we’ve talked with and our hosts, these churches are either Catholic or from the Eastern Orthodox background both based primarily on only traditions, religion and a label to represent the Serbian national identity. Therefore, if you are Serbian, you are also Orthodox. It’s just what people label themselves. The church we are partnered with is Protestant, but unfortunately there are people who view this church as a cult or a weird religion that desires to take away their national identity. So the church is a small congregation.
However, it’s important to understand Serbia’s long history of war and oppression to understand why life is the way it is here. Since I don’t have a lot of time or details, just understand this: At one point in time, the country was originally combined with its neighboring countries making up one big country: Yugoslavia. However, in the early 1990s, there was a violent breakup of war. Most of the war was between Serbians (eastern orthodox), Croatians (Catholics) and Bosnians & Albanians (Muslims). Each side accuses the others of atrocities and war crimes. I have seen evidence, myself, of buildings that have been bombed and never cleaned up – especially in the city of Belgrade.
Yet through the brokenness, I have learned a lot this past month in Serbia, there is hope. Hope isn’t found in religion, but it’s found in having a personal relationship with God himself, learning his love for us, his plan for us and by doing life with him and with others. From my observations, Zollie and Tanja (the pastors of the church we partner with)’ live this example out daily. No matter what people say about them, they still continue to live a life for God and share his love to everyone. It is one of the most beautiful examples of hope I have seen.
By their example, I have learned to understand this slogan: Life is Ministry and Ministry is Life. Compared to other months, where we have taught English, VBS, or visited orphanages and prisons, this month we just did what we loved and did it with people in the community. It showed me that we don’t have to do something big to make a difference, it’s how we do life in the small things that can make a difference. Let me share:
In the mornings, we intentionally went on prayer walks for about an hour. We pray for the city, for the people, for the church, and we pray for anything else we feel called to pray for. It was such a new practice that I’ve never intentionally did on my own everyday, but would love to take with me everywhere I go and in Chicago. After our prayer walks, we then come back to serve the church by doing practical work; such as deep cleaning and organizing the church, the yard, and garden. Some have built benches, fences, and even did errands and tasks for neighbors. Serving others is a form of ministry.
We also used our assets and gifts to host and plan events. We hosted an event at the church sharing the experience of being American from two different perspectives. We also hosted other events where my teammate has spoken on the topics of trauma, pain and how to allow God to fight for us to overcome it.
On Sundays, we encouraged the congregation with our testimonies or did a sermon. I have also shared my testimony and shared how God has healed me from my past and shared the difference between believing in God and having faith in him. I will post a video of me sharing soon! 🙂
Throughout the week, we also took intentional time to hang out with locals and build relationships. While in the evening, we open up the coffee club in the church and welcome the doors to anyone who wants to hang out. I have learned that everything we do can be used to share God’s love and glorify Him in the process. Each day looks different from the last. Some people go to the gym to work out, and meet people. Sometimes we go for a run, visit a new country, go out for food or just see the same person each day and strike a conversation with them. These little ways were all ministry. It’s doing life but including God in everything we do, and sharing his love everywhere we go. It’s not like we sit around preaching him, but it’s following his example in our actions and character. He loves and accepts everyone, so we should love and accept everyone. He’s good, mindful, patient, kind, gentle, joyful, peaceful, faithful and has self-control. So we should try to do the same. Ministry is life and life is ministry, and it’s something we can all do at home. No one has to go across the world to share God’s love. You can share God’s love where you are now and make an impact anywhere you go.
I have met some amazing people this month, and I’m so grateful. However, I want to give a shout out to the Vegel family: Zollie, Tanja and their daughters who are our pastors and our hosts. They have faced a lot of hardships in Sombor, but they still keep going, they still accept people where they are and they still keep their doors open for anyone who would like to be loved. They don’t judge people, they don’t argue with people, they just love people where they are even if people misunderstand them. It’s the most beautiful example of God’s love I have seen. I am so grateful to say I spent an entire month with them.
It’s been an incredible month, and it will be a hard goodbye, but I am so grateful. Up next, for month 8 is Romania!
Jasmine
