Let’s take a trip around Serbia and see what God is doing. The reports were long, and full of information. I’ll give you the highlights. First up Sasa reports from northern Serbia, around the town of Kucura:
I send you greetings. For the first I would like to mention something what I learned from Slobodan. I want to say that he surprised me positively. Someone who was raised by me is now teaching me. Positively shocked. (Sasa brought Slobodan to the Lord, and taught him for several years. Slobo is now going to Bible school and serving God through Linking Partners in teaching, training, and organizational assistance.)
About the work in house churches: Services in Kucura are visited a lot, and for the first time we have more than 100 people in one service. In Tovarisevo we had one service with 60 people in the house for one service! In Kulpin also, 25 in home church. February is the month with a lot of attendees in house churches!
Now, we’ll drive for about four hours, and hear from Ivan, who is based in Pirot:
I am thankful to Jim for wonderful discipleship material and thanks for all those who want to help the church in Pirot. Thanks Jim for love you share with us. Thanks to LaJuana who with great fire in her heart and faith works with us in sharing the Gospel.
In our home churches we are using the Multiply materials to teach: Be the disciple maker, What means to be disciple, How to become disciple, Heart of the disciple maker, Teaching is serious, Love before all, Teaching by example, etc.
Outside of Pirot, we have shared in two other home groups, (in outlying villages) in Nova Mala and in Tijabara. On every discipleship there are from 20-25 people. Every discipleship meeting is blessed and full of Holy Spirit, and every brother and sister are writing important quotations from material. Thanks to Lord on happiness and joy that He gives through studying of each subject. We have also visited Crvena Reka, Bela Palanka, and Crnokliste. We have problem with transport because brother who borrowed us car is selling it now so we cannot use it anymore.
I am happy and I want to do a lot for Lord, and I am not afraid of being hurted because a lot of God’s love is in my heart.
Now we’ll go west, about a two-hour drive, to another area in southern Serbia, Prokuplje, where brother Marijan and his wife Slavica minister.
Doljevac – In this place God opened door for Gospel. First converts here are Dragan and his wife Hatidja. In January we had a few visits in their home, and in one of the visits Dragan called his friends which we met only then and talked about God and his Word. We gave them New Testaments and Multiply Material – why to study the Bible, first part. Together we went through Romans 3:23, 5:23; John 3:16. After all of this, they understood what they have to do with their life. They told us that they thought a lot about it and they decided that they are ready to give their hearts to the Lord, so they prayed repentance prayer. This house atmosphere helps us to encourage one another, but also this helps us to build spiritually one another.
Kursumlija – “For the first time in 60 years of my life, I have chance to have New Testament in my hands. Even I am Orthodox believer, I have never chance to get this book. Thank you for giving it to me.” This was the reaction of Slavko, during a visit where we gave them New Testaments.
Another man in this town, Lazar, already saw us when we had a Christmas evangelical service. There he got a New Testament which he read sometimes. What he saw and heard on evangelism made great impression on him and he wanted to meet us and hear what we are doing. Lazar is a great challenge for us. He is Muslim. He is interested in God’s word, and till now he was twice on our meetings and carefully listened to our studying of why God gave us the Bible. What really encouraged us during this last visit is that even though Lazar had rejection from his family, he came and listen to God’s word, which impacted his heart.
If you are currently supporting Linking Partners, thank you! If you are now, we’d be honored to have you join us in continuing to raise and train leaders like these three, to spread the gospel through Serbia.
