Journal Entry: Thursday, 8/11/16 9:45pm
I’m sitting here on the balcony, in the dark, with nothing but the faint glow of from the bedroom providing light.
I’m bundled from head to toe because it’s 59 degrees — and dropping.
Beanie. Check
Under Armor. Check
Fleece. Check
Jeans. Check.
Sleeping Bag Liner. Check
The city is quiet. In the distance I can hear bells ringing, marking the hour. Cars splashing through puddles. And rain dripping off the treetops on the balcony roof above me. A few skyscrapers break up the horizon, dimly lit by the faint glow of the city below. But still the sky’s shrouded in fog. The breeze, that brought about the 60 degree weather, rocks the hammocks back and forth. I’d rather be cocooned within them, but the soaked fabric wouldn’t exactly provide warmth.
My first impression of Serbia was nothing like the quiet city I now see before me. Wednesday, in the heat of the day we traveled through town, and stopped for Serbian burgers (the size of our head) and promptly devoured them while sweating within the small shop that was conveniently set up to discourage air flow of any kind. But let me tell you, for $2.25 that burger was well worth it (and probably more).
And now the city’s dark. It’s quiet. It’s gloomy. And I can’t help but feel that this is the real Serbia. This is the spiritual atmosphere of Serbia. Dark. Quiet. Gloomy. And bleak.
We’ve only been here for 2 days, and yet we’ve passed person after person on the streets with such broken spirits. There’s no life in their eyes, no fire, no joy. And definitely no laughter. For a little while I assumed it was us, the Americans, the ones that everyone loves to hate. But as I stood in the mall today, searching for people to talk with, I was given a chance to observe from a distance. Sure, people stare at us because we’re a big group of girls walking down the street gawking at everything. But it’s when we start laughing and smiling and just having fun with one another: that people really begin to stare at us with disgust. And I can’t help but feel like joy has become a foreign concept to them.
That alone is heart breaking enough. But perhaps the reason is simply this: they don’t know/understand what it means to have a personal relationship with God. The Orthodox Church rules this land, and more often than not, everything else is viewed as a cult. How do we share the gospel, when the first thing people hear is “They’re in a cult!” Well if we’re being honest, the first thing they’re going to think is how terrible our Serbian is before deciding whether or not to pretend they can’t understand English.
Simply trying to break past that “cult” mentality, as well a the language barrier, that makes things a bit harder. And while I was starting to get used to sharing the gospel in English speaking countries, I’ve never had to do it with people who A. weren’t all that interested & B. didn’t speak English. Last time I had a language barrier, we not only had several translators, but the people were also hungry and seeking. While I’m sure there are some here in Belgrade, we’ve had yet to break through that barrier. But after all, it is only day 2.
The days that followed brought about the breakthrough we all hoped for. Friday morning we were walking through the Belgrade Fortress and spotted a young man sitting on a bridge taking a selfie. After offering to help him with his photo, we had the chance to chat with him. We found out that he’s from Turkey and was traveling alone throughout Europe. He was intrigued by the idea of 7 girls traveling together around the world for a year.
The conversation was carried over towards the green where we sat in the shade of a tree and discussed the differences between Islam & Christianity. He listened as we shared our part and asked us why we had decided to travel for a year. As we shared our hearts with him I could see something stirring within. By the end of the conversation he had a smile on his face, asked to take a photo with us, shared contact information and even agreed to let us pray for him.
With our first seed planted, we walked away from that encounter with the confidence and boldness needed to strike up conversations with others. True, not every single person we encounter walks away with a smile. But I know that each conversation is either a seed planted in someone’s heart, or a sprinkling of water on the seeds sown long before we arrived. While we may not see the fruit of our labor, it’s my prayer that each seed sown will continue to be watered until it blossoms. Yielding a personal relationship with God.
This Friday, August 19th, will be our first potential chance to see some fruit as well as continue to sow into the people of Belgrade. Over the past week we’ve been passing out fliers for our “Arise & Shine” Gospel Concert held in the local hotel. This will be the 4th concert our host has held since arriving here 5 years ago as a missionary. Three members of the team have graciously volunteered to sing & play at the concert, and we’re blessed all the more for them.
Please be praying for high attendance, open hearts & minds, and for the presence of God to fill the room and leaving a lasting impression on all those in attendance.
More photos on the facebook page
Don’t forget about the “Sponsor-A-Day” Fundraiser! The average cost of 1-day on the race is $50. Here’s how it works: For $50 you get to pick a day to sponsor, and at the end of that day I’ll give you a detailed description of our ministry that day. This gives you a more in-depth look at what we’re doing on the field, and how your donations are making a difference; rather than a large blog summary of the last week/month. Pictures & videos may be included 🙂
Sponsor your birthday, anniversary, Thanksgiving, Christmas, or any day of your choice.
Just click the donate button above and let me know what day you’d like to sponsor, and then be on the lookout for the message/video all about how your donations made a difference.
The World Race staff were lenient with me and allowed me to launch despite not reaching my last deadline. Therefore, in order to remain, I must reach the $13,000 deadline by the end of September. Please be in prayer about sponsoring a day, or even becoming a monthly supporter at $50 or $100/month.
Thank you all for your prayers & support! I love ya! Kisses from Serbia 🙂
