So first things first, I want to give a shoutout to my cousin Ennis! Congrats on all your success. I hear bells are tolling in your honor buddy!
So my team has left the beauty of Thailand, and traveled to the town of Sombor, Serbia. That’s S-E-R-B-I-A! NOT SIBERIA! We are partnered with another team on our squad called Happy Feet, and our mission this month is more lax than usual. Our priority is to build relationships with the locals, so as to bring credibility to the Kingdom here in Serbia. My mission is even more unique. I am helping coach the Serbian Little League World Series Softball Team. When I found out I thought, “Finally- I can combine my passion for Jesus with America’s pastime.” I mean this is my ideal ministry. And when I’m not doing that, I’m meeting people in coffee shops, playing soccer with refugees, or playing ping-pong or chess. This is my month!
A little bit more about Sombor though. It is a beautiful little town- about 50,000 people, and not far from the Hungarian border. In fact we’re going to Budapest next week. (That’s the capital of Hungary for those of you who did not pay attention in 10th grade world history class). But this place is awesome. They have history, culture, patriotism, cool Gothic architecture, great pizza, absolutely beautiful ladies, and a really cool town square. They even had snow when we first arrived; now that spring has arrived, the weather is gorgeous. Our first night here, when there was snow, I felt like Jimmy Stewart’s character in It’s a Wonderful Life, George Bailey. You know that scene at the end where he comes back to reality and starts running through the snow, with everyone saying “Merry Christmas George!” That’s the vibe you get here.
(And it does not hurt that I do a pretty good Jimmy Stewart impersonation myself).
But despite all this town has to offer, it is a dark place. The only thing the locals seem to want to do is leave. It’s hard to make a living, and there’s better opportunities elsewhere. But I don’t even think their problem is economic. The church is very weak here. It’s like Paul says in 1 Corinthians 13: 1-2.
” 1 If I speak in the tongues of men or of angels, but do not have love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. 2 If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing.
Every time I walk through the city square I pray for the people of Sombor. As great as this place is and as much as it has to offer, without the love of Jesus Christ it is ultimately empty. My friend Jon preached at our church service yesterday from Ezekiel 37.
The hand of the Lord was on me, and he brought me out by the Spirit of the Lord and set me in the middle of a valley; it was full of bones. He led me back and forth among them, and I saw a great many bones on the floor of the valley, bones that were very dry. He asked me, “Son of man, can these bones live?”
I said, “Sovereign Lord, you alone know.”
That the dry bones of Sombor would live and live abundantly remains our joint-team prayer for this month. I pray for each of you, my subscribers and supporters, and hope you will pray for us as we endeavor to shine our light in the darkest of places.
God Bless,
-Matt
