After sleeping in a bit , we started our day with teaching Multiply. Ed and Daniel taught this morning. One thing we are trying to model for our Roma brothers and sisters is that you don’t have to be a pastor or have special training in teaching to disciple other believers, and to teach them to be disciple makers as well. It was been very effective to take turns teaching lessons so that we model that anyone can do this, and you can use many different approaches. See any one of us if you’d like to join in a Multiply discipleship journey. We love sharing this great resource!
We then visited Obrenovac, the Serbian city that was most affected by the flood, including their Roma community. We visited a sweet Roma family with whom we sang and shared testimony. They were so welcoming to us and curious about our stories. Please pray with us for the salvation of this family. They are seekers who have been willing to open their home for children’s club to meet there and learn from the Bible, so they are exposed to the truth of the gospel each time the kids meet.
After this visit we went to visit a family whose house was nearly destroyed by the flood. So many houses we passed were damaged or destroyed. The water lines were above William’s head. There are few resources to rebuild here. It was overwhelming.
From there we went to visit the “Pink House Mahala.” This is a small Roma neighborhood consisting of 6 families. Two of these families are Christian. In 2001 the property they lived on was sold and they were moved across the road. The new owners of the property installed a water spigot outside their gates for the use of the Roma community. This and the fact that the Roma were allowed to stay in the area is an unheard of act of kindness.
Behind the homes was a small field and it inspired the guys to have a lively game of soccer. We then had an outdoor worship service. I love to sing in Roma! Daniel shared a message and Chuck shared a testimony. We also heard from Danijel, the Roma church leader. He shared that his goal is to disciple the other families in this mahala. He stated that he recently lost his job and so now has more time to show and teach Christ to them. This attitude is so amazing to me! It is so convicting to me!!! Bethany O then prayed that the Christians here would grow in influence and make a difference in the lives of the other families. Sabrina, Daniel’s wife gave her testimony for the first time in public. It was such a blessing!
We then headed back across town for supper and to turn in for the night. It is so amazing to be here, to be a small part of God’s work in Serbia. On occasion, the need here feels so great that we wonder if we are helping. Unemployment here is crazy high. So many people are destitute. There are material and spiritual needs everywhere. People with college educations are struggling to find any work let alone work in their field. The Roma are even worse off than the Serbians. All of this was true before the floods came this year. Now many of these people who had nothing to begin with lost the little they did have.
But in the middle of all that, right in the center of a mahala, a soccer game materializes. Laughter bounces off the trees and we are reminded of the joy God has given us. A joy that transcends circumstances. In that moment our Roma friends teach us something. They teach us how much more important relationships are than material things. And suddenly all that I care about is sharing this joy with others.
