Arrival day, the Ignition ladies are alive, well and all smiles!
Zrenjanin is predominantly an agricultural center in northern Serbia. Riding the bus into the Zrenjanin city center the theme song could have been, “Wide Open Spaces”. Wide open and flat. Seriously flat. I’m not sure I’ve seen such a flat landscape in the whole of our travels. I’m pretty sure a ladybug would make a noticeable swell in the horizon.
Pastor Jovica is our host for the month. He went to bible school in England so his English is quite good. Bible school aside I have an inkling his English would be good regardless. The man is arguably a genius. Every time he opens his mouth I learn something. Smart and living out one of his key values; he is the epitome of a servant leader. He is married to Tanya and has three lovely children, Sarah, Philip and Stefan.
Sarah, Tanya, Jovica, Stefan and Philip
The family and the church community we are living in have welcomed us with open arms. Good thing too, they’ll need a wide embrace as I will be getting fat this month. Our ministry and maybe the culture centers around eating. First, with every home visit we go on food is affectionately forced on us. Unfortunately for me it is all pretty darn tasty! Then on the weekends we host a pastor training school. While pastors from around Serbia receive instruction we attend to breakfast, lunch and dinner. To boot, there is a gelato stand within walking distance of where we live…one scoop is $0.50. Oh man!
Five Sense Show Down for Serbia:
1) Sight – Besides being flat a few other sights that fill my vision as we walk around include: an abundance of graffiti, seriously HUGE marble grave markers, and mini cars that make me smile.
2) Sound – There is a surprising amount of American music. I may be 40 weeks behind the current top 40 but at least I can understand what is being said.
3) Smell – Mint tea and baked goods; yum.
4) Taste –We have had a crepe like things twice which satisfied. I’m a big fan of a little bread puff pastry with sesame seeds doodad we had our first day; not going to lie, I’m looking forward to a repeat! And we get fresh baked bread each morning; I’ve been indulging in French toast a couple times a week 🙂
5) Touch – The gas fireplace we have in our room was my best friend, outside of my sleeping bag, the first few days. Now, basking in the spring sun on the balcony is my new favorite sensation.
