When I happened upon the Filmstreet Festival, I had just arrived in Belgrade. The sun was setting on our first day of ministry but we were still out, evangelizing to those the Spirit led us to. This particular night we went to a nearby park in walking distance of the flat. The name was Cuburski Park. We arrived and prayed as a group, for God to pave the way to love people we were to meet, and then we dispersed. And that’s when I noticed the outdoor theatre. They had a large screen propped up in front of folding chairs and many families gathered around to watch the film. Those who did not have chairs found spots along the green to lounge with their friends. And they had sponsors there, handing out free beer and toothpaste, a rather random combination of swag (stuff we all get).
And I just kind of walked by, intrigued by it all. Between my love of great cinema and appreciation for cool summer nights, the outdoor film was quickly established as a brilliant event in my eyes. But in the moment, I decided to stand back by the basketball court and just observe for the time. And I started praying, Lord who do you want me to meet? Where do you want me to stand? How do you want me to be? See, street evangelism still makes me a tad uneasy even after a month’s experience of it. And that was especially true in that moment. Until after enough time of doddling had passed by and I decided to sit in an empty seat next to a guy that appeared to be alone. My thought process was this; if he speaks English then perhaps he can tell me what is happening in the film, if not, then I will just sit and watch the movie and it wasn’t meant to be.
Mind you, while I was standing in anxiety and uncertainty, I tried to follow the movie that was showing. But it was an older Serbian film about World War II so really I had no chance of understanding any of it.
So I go to sit next to this dude. And as I ask him if it is empty (he just gave me a shrug nod revealing that he had no idea), I went to sit down as I noticed that this other older man was walking up to the chair I was now claiming as my own. In a quick moment, as this older man went to pick up a grocery bag by my chair, I realized that I had just stolen his seat… Awkward. This young, imposing American girl takes the seat of an older Serbian man even after he clearly marked his territory with his groceries… But this man gave me a very gentle look and motioned for me to sit down, as if he were introducing a shy and timid child to a lavish table before a grand feast.
As silly as it sounds, I accepted the chair, sat down, and felt like royalty. And just as soon as I was settled, this older man pulled up a chair diagonally behind me and offered me an apple. I gracefully declined the apple as I was still stuffed from dinner, but then thought to myself that maybe he can explain this Serbian film to me. So I turned slightly to ask him about it and realized very soon that he didn’t understand a lick of English. But in his own way, he tried to communicate the answer to the question he had thought I asked. And in my own way, I tried to understand the answer he was communicating by guessing the question he had thought I had asked. To anyone who was watching and listening, our communication must have seemed like a hopeless cause. And it was, yet we were relentless in trying to express ourselves in any way we knew how. And so we watched that film together, Bosko Buha it was called. And it was very sad, especially towards the end. And even though we failed at communicating with each other, this older man and I were able to share this film with each other.
So the film ended, as they always do, and my old man friend (as we started to call him by) went out of his way to get me a map and schedule of the other films being shown in Belgrade for the summer. He also wrote down his email address for me and left me with a “Welcome to Belgrade” as we parted our ways.
Needless to say, this man touched my heart in a way that was difficult to explain. I can still remember his kind eyes and his generous heart to me, a stranger from America who was ignorant of Serbian life. And in some bizarre way, we just connected during this sad Serbian film.
So began the hunt to find him again…
The next film was being shown on a Thursday at a park called Zemun-lido out by Novi Beograd (New Belgrade). The team was going out to that area for a student bible study anyways and so the plan was to have Gabriel find out where the park was and take me there from the bible study. Turns out, the park is not a park at all, it was a boat or an island or something and one had to get a boat or ferry or something to get there. Point is, we didn’t make it. And my heart sunk thinking that I stood up my new old man friend.
The next two films we couldn’t go to as we had non-negotiable plans for that Friday and Saturday.
Then, there was another film on Monday night. This time, Gabriel knew exactly where the park Crveni Krst was! Until that is, we were walking to the bus stop and Gabriel had looked at the wrong date and instead we had to go to Uskocka-Palas, a location we never had heard of. But we had an idea of where it was so we took the bus to that area and wandered around. We arrived at this one small park to find it empty…which is when we decided to use google maps to aid in our search. After some struggle, google maps took us to a small alleyway but sure enough there it was! The large screen, the free beer, and the folding chairs set up in front. However, it didn’t take me long to see that my old man friend was not there. But I didn’t want to give up on it so when our friends decided to venture elsewhere, Gabriel stayed with me to watch this French espionage film with Serbian subtitles, Le Samourai. And it was quite a site; I was trying to understand the film from the French speaking and he was trying to understand it from the Serbian subtitles, but since we were both dependent on our non-native languages to follow the story, we teetered in and out of exerting effort into appreciating the film. But still, my old man friend was not there.
Then later that week, the festival was showing My Best Friend’s Wedding at Cvetni Trg. Now, at this time, Gabriel had left to return to Nigeria and so I recruited Erika to venture with me to this film. I thought I knew exactly where it was but quickly realized that the directions that my Serbian friends had given me were rather irrelevant. Thus, Erika and I began to just ask people on the streets to direct us to this location. We even asked this girl who was selling ice cream who laughed at the fact that we knew where the park was on the map, but we didn’t know where we were. It was rather a mess. But just as we were talking to her, this lady came up to us and informed us that she was also going to the film and that she would walk with us. Hallelujah! Turns out, she studied tourism at school (one of her three or four degrees) and so she loves to help out foreigners in Belgrade… what a blessing! Of course though, as we arrived at the location to finally enjoy an American film, it started to rain. And rain. And rain. Oh how many times I’ve gotten caught in a rainstorm in Belgrade. But the three of us found shelter at the closest Maxi (grocery/convenient store) which allowed us to talk with our new Serbian friend for an extended time. Talking with her was rather amazing as she told us of Serbia and all the culture and issues that surround it. She really was a wealth of knowledge and I feel like I learned so much just in that one conversation! I have no doubt that God orchestrated that night, bringing us together for some purpose that we know not. But lo and behold, it never stopped raining so after some time, she walked us to the bus stop we needed to get us home and we went on our ways.
The next film we couldn’t attend as it was also on a Saturday night.
But then, the festival was showing Double Indemnity at a park close to our home again, Crveni Krst the next Monday. So of course I had planned to go (as my team had gotten used to the fact that if there was a film showing on an available night, I would be there…). This however was a tricky decision for me as if I hadn’t gone to the film, I would’ve gone salsa dancing with a new contact, something I also love to do. It was a hard choice to make but knowing I couldn’t do it all, I went to the film, this time with Erika and Jess. Also, we were able to meet our new friend there too since she had planned to go as well and so we were excited to see her again. And so we arrived, were offered seats in the very front, and sat enjoying the film. But for some reason this night, I remained uncharacteristically restless during this classic film noir. I kept looking around, praying here and there, watching the film, looking back, listening to other foreign conversations, looking over there. And then I saw him.
There he was, in an adjacent section of the park with a friend. They were not watching the film at all, they seemed to just be enjoying their night. And I couldn’t stop staring. I knew I had to go say hi to him again. After all, he’s the reason I kept coming back to these films, just for the small chance that I’d be able to say hello or thank you or goodbye. Actually I had no idea what I was meaning to say, I just wanted to see him again. And suddenly I got nervous again. But sure enough, after a deep breath and a prayer, I wandered to that part of the park and said hello. And I was amazed that he remembered who I was! But he did, and he seemed so honored that I would meet him again.
At first, we tried to communicate again but due to our lack of common language, he found someone who could translate for us. And it was a short exchange of thoughts but it was sweet. He remembered me from Cuburski Park and was glad to see me again. Through the translator I found out that he was very sad watching the first film as he knew friends that died in that war, and so he appreciated that I was sitting with him during that sad movie. And I thanked him for his kindness and generosity. Again, the conversation was short and sweet but it was exactly what I had been hoping for ever since I met him the first time.
For nearly the whole month, I felt the need to frequent those films just in hopes that I would see him a second time. And there were so many nights that I just questioned going back, thinking it could be a waste of time. But there was something in me that stopped me from giving up. I was not going to give up. I kept being called to go. And so I kept going. And once I saw him and talked with him for the second time, I knew that my job was done. An amazing sense of peace and joy filled me so that I couldn’t stop smiling.
I have no idea what God’s purpose was in that connection. I couldn’t guess it or even deduce it. But there was a purpose in it somewhere. And I thank God that He touched my heart through this older Serbian friend. That is a face I will never forget, even without a photo.
Thank you Father.
