This past month, my team served in Serbia. For those of you who have been following my journey since day one, going to Serbia was never apart of the plan. It was originally supposed to be Greece, then changed to Bosnia or Croatia, but here I am in Serbia.
My team has had the opportunity to trailblazer through the country, ask the Lord where he wants us to go, GO, discover new ministry partnerships, and love along the way.
Reflecting on these last few weeks, I’m reminded that Serbia and the people I have met was always a part of Gods plan. More than I can even fathom.
My last week in Serbia doing life with refugees from Afghanistan and Pakistan has
Wrecked me.
Marked me.
Changed me.
I’m having the hardest time articulating the thoughts and feelings transpiring in my heart. This is odd for me. My heart is overwhelmed.
Overwhelmed with anger, frustration, confusion, sadness, and questions.
The first hand stories I’ve heard and the traumatic scars from exploding bombs I’ve seen…
How can anyone make sense of it all??
This world is broken and wounded.
Where are you Jesus?
Or maybe the better question is
Where are we? His people…
Will we not be who we’ve always said we are?
He has given us authority and the ministry of reconciliation, power, love, joy, forgiveness, and hope for a better future. We were given all power, authority, and dominion over evil the moment he declared it was finished and we claimed being his child. We are called to bring the healing balm for all nations. To comfort those who mourn, to feed the hungry, to welcome the stranger, and set the captives free.
Easter last week was very hard for me. It was more heavy than a lighthearted celebration. More of a deep yearning for Jesus to come sooner.
He is Risen and Risen Indeed
But
It’s not complete yet
Just a few days before Easter, America dropped the Mother Of All Bombs on Afghanistan. Something like this, across the world from home, has never affected me this much before.
For the first time in my life I was unable to turn on the news, hear about a bomb dropping, think to myself how sad that is, turn off the tv, and go on with normal life and eat dinner with my family.
That was not my reality Easter week.
My reality was spending time visiting the barracks, an abandoned train station, where a little over 1000 refugees from Afghanistan currently live. My reality was experiencing hospitality by being invited into their “rooms” (a mat on the floor) for biscuits and a hot cup of chai. My reality was hearing stories of bombs dropping in front of their homes leaving my friend in a comma for a month. My reality was splitting a pizza with them while sharing stories and pictures about our families. My reality was celebrating birthdays and taking them to the cinema for the first time. My reality was exploring old fortresses and making up handshakes together. My reality was serving together by distributing food, shoes, and clothes to other men at the barracks. My reality was cheering them on in a cricket game and even learning traditional Afghani dance. My reality was not viewing them as Afghans or refugees but my friends.
I have a hard time labeling these people as refugees. They are so much more than that. They are people just like me and you. They are my friends. They are my brothers. The biggest difference? They were born in a country controlled by violence and are fleeing for their lives in hope for a better future.
They are required to serve in the army as a male citizen of their country. Either join the Afghan army or the Taliban. No is not an option and recruitment age for the Taliban is getting younger and younger. That being said, some of the boys I met were as young as 10 years old on the camp.
One of my friends from the barracks took the first picture above. He served in the Afghan Army for six years alongside the American soldiers and has an incredible gift in photography. The day after the MOAB was dropped in Afghanistan. With frustration and anger he told me that the bomb exploded near his city. He had to call his family and neighbors to make sure they were still alive. He began to share that when he tried crossing one of the borders few months prior in a neighboring country, two police men beat him up so badly. They broke his nose and arm while saying filthy things to him. Beating after beating they yelled things like, “Why would you leave your country? How could you do that? Your country is safe!” In sharing with me, he said, “How is my country safe if America is dropping the biggest bomb on it trying to kill ISIS people? We are the ones living with them. The ISIS and the Taliban. They are killing us and destroying everything. Yet, when we try to flee from them, no one will help us or welcome us into their country.”
In that moment, I couldn’t stop the tears from falling down my face. He apologized for making me cry and I immediately said “No! it’s okay! I want to hear these things. I need to hear these things. This is your life, your story. I’m sad and angry with you because it should not be like this.”
Their stories matter. Their lives matter. Their future matters.
These people, my friends, are choosing to NOT be the people we are afraid of them being and we won’t welcome them to a place of refuge.
They are saying NO to guns, bombs, and war.
They are choosing to NOT fight, to NOT kill.
Risking their lives for peace and fighting for love.
In my eyes, that makes them brave. That makes them heroes.
“Will we watch and wait, turn and close our door? Or will we be who we’ve always said we are?”
As children of the Living God, the God of Love, will we follow his example and live out what He lived and died for until he comes again?
Go Love. Because His Love Conquers All.
Thank you all so much for taking the time to read this and chose to be apart of this journey with me.
Month 8 in Thailand has officially started and I’m eager to see what the Lord unveils in this next season of life. I am only $1,026 away from being fully funded and I have one month to meet this deadline. If you feel led to donate, click on the donate tab to help me continue on this journey.
Thank you for all the support, prayer, and love!
