So it’s been a little while since I’ve done a blog. Life’s been pretty dull in southwest Wisconsin – both in good ways and bad ways. But I thought I’d sit down and start a series about the countries I will be visiting on the Race. I plan on going in the order listed on the World Race website, which, to the best of our knowledge, is also the order we’ll be visiting the countries in.
First up, Serbia.
Situated between Central and Southeast Europe, Serbia has long been a crossroads country for travel and trade, although it is only as recently as 2006 that it became its own sovereign country. Although it is not yet a part of the European Union, it has been considered a candidate to join since March 2012, and has been in negotiations to fully join since January 2014.
Their government is a parliamentary republic, very similar to our democratic republic here in the United States. They are led by an elected president, who can serve for a maximum of two five-year terms. As opposed to the Senate and House of Representatives that form our Congress, Serbia has only one legislative body, the National Assembly, which consists of 250 elected officials who serve four-year terms.
The climate we can expect is not very different to what I am used to in the Midwest United States, and probably not terribly unfamiliar for my fellow Racers. We will be there in August, as summer begins to slide in to autumn, and we can expect days that are hot, but cooling as the month goes on. Rain is a possibility, but no more or less so than I will be used to.
As far as religion goes, Serbia is historically 85% Eastern Orthodox. The next highest is Roman Catholic at 5%, and it goes down from there. However, this may have shifted in the recent past, as many refugees fleeing from ISIS have passed through Serbia and surrounding countries, and many may have chosen to stop there. This gives us a great chance to witness to many people who may have never heard the name of Jesus before!
What you can pray about: While Serbia technically has a freedom of religion clause in their Constitution, they have another law that requires what they view as “non-traditional” churches to go through a long and complex registration system. In addition, many who are Orthodox view Protestant churches as sects or even traitors to the Orthodox system. This will only have a limited impact on us, it will affect those whom we are ministering to.
Next up: Romania!
Soli Deo Gloria!
