We have had a very busy couple of days! Thursday started off at 90 miles per hour (figuratively \u2014 not sure Marijan\u2019s car is capable of those speeds, and we certainly aren\u2019t walking that quickly!) \u2014 and things haven\u2019t slowed down yet!<\/p>\n
Thursday morning was split into two tracks. One group (Marabeth, Bethany, Caitlin, Slavica and Natasha) completed Children\u2019s Club and handed out diplomas. The other group (Ed, William, LaJuana, Marijan, and Rodja) headed to the hospital to visit with the director. While there, Ed and William demonstrated the proper use of the donated CPAP machines to hospital staff. We all received a tour of the facilities. The hospital plant is quite large, but mostly unfinished. Their equipment is in serious need of upgrading. Check out the photos for the EKG leads that attach with paste and bulb-syringe suction!<\/p>\n
We met up at lunch, and the hospital director, the governor, and his translator joined us. We had very fruitful conversations, with the hospital director listening intently to the great need for a larger space for the Evangelical Church in Prokuplje. He seemed to think he could help with that situation, and he initiated an exchange of cell phone numbers with Pastor Marijan. The Governor also pledged his cooperation and support going forward. They are all intrigued by our Teach A Man to Fish program, and would like to be kept informed on its progress.<\/p>\n
I\u2019m not sure how to convey what an enormous step this is for the Roma Evangelical Church in Prokuplje and for Linking Partners! In Serbia, the Roma people are very much discriminated against, and certainly are not welcomed in the halls of government and civic organizations such as the hospital. For Marijan and Slavica\u2019s work to be recognized and respected, and for the governor of the entire district (one of only five in all of Serbia) to acknowledge them as the source of important donations and civic work in the city gives the church opportunities to share Christ\u2019s\u00a0 love in many new ways. While sharing lunch with these men, who are obviously working to improve the lives of all the citizens of the region, we were able to share how we are motivated by the love of Christ to love our fellow man, and minister to all their needs, even as we focus most intently on their spiritual need for Christ in their lives.<\/p>\n
After lunch, we headed out to see a little of south Serbia. We made the 60 kilometer trip to Devil\u2019s Town, where curious standing rock formations and deep woods, bubbling brooks, and rich copper deposits make for a site some call the 8th wonder of the world. From there, we visited a medieval church built in 1166. We ended the evening with a dinner of grilled fish \u2014 presented heads and all! Delicious!<\/p>\n
We headed out bright and early Friday morning \u2014 after prayer at the church like we do every morning \u2014 and arrived in Zitni Potok in time for a quick soda, then Children\u2019s Club. Over 30 children were gathered \u2014 about half what they normally have, but many children were gone picking cherries with their parents. While we had our lesson, children sat in the shade of a large tree, and parents and older siblings gathered outside the perimeter of the yard to listen. During the Bible story \u2014 the feeding of the 5,000 \u2014 more than one horse-drawn cart passed, and even one pig, straight from the mud! Seeing these children so eager to learn the Bible lesson, I am ashamed at the resources we squander, all the while complaining our facilities aren\u2019t good enough.<\/p>\n
Next we met in one of the home churches in Zitni Potok. Jugi and Anna welcomed us into their home \u2014 one room. Marabeth shared an encouraging message from Joshua and being brave and courageous. It was just what Jugi and Anna needed to hear, as they have both suffered serious health problems in the past year, but have held firm to their faith. What a sweet time of fellowship and singing we shared!<\/p>\n
We saw the goats again! Those of you who have been following our Serbia mission for some time may remember that in February we got goats for Senad\u2019s family. We went by to check, and were amazed at what is going on with this program. The goats were pregnant when we got them, and those babies are now \u201cteenagers\u201d and soon, two will go to a family in Prokuplje! Senad\u2019s wife let the goats and sheep out to graze, and what a sight! The villagers have gone together to keep the animals in a shed when needed, and have even pooled their resources to pay a village man to watch after all of them while they are out grazing. A gift of a few goats is benefitting many in the village, and more blessings are coming. Senad\u2019s wife reported that they are now selling milk and cheese from the goats they received, as well as supplementing their family\u2019s diet.<\/p>\n
We left Zitni Potok with hugs all around. Lunch was taken picnic-style at a beautiful lake nearby, then we returned to Prokuplje to freshen up. And now it\u2019s time to go again! We\u2019re headed to the church for discipleship and leadership training with the young people. They should be back from the cherry harvest by now, and cleaning up to meet together.<\/p>\n
Thank you all for your interest and your prayers. We\u2019re feeling them here in Serbia! I hope you are getting a taste of what is going on, and feel like your donations and prayers are being wisely managed.<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
We have had a very busy couple of days! Thursday started off at 90 miles per hour (figuratively \u2014 not sure Marijan\u2019s car is capable of those speeds, and we certainly aren\u2019t walking that quickly!) \u2014 and things haven\u2019t slowed down yet! Thursday morning was split into two tracks. One group (Marabeth, Bethany, Caitlin, Slavica…<\/p>","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":42,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"spay_email":""},"categories":[18],"tags":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/linkingpartners.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/01\/img1.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/linkingpartners.org\/sr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2801"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/linkingpartners.org\/sr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/linkingpartners.org\/sr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/linkingpartners.org\/sr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/linkingpartners.org\/sr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2801"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/linkingpartners.org\/sr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2801\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":5144,"href":"https:\/\/linkingpartners.org\/sr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2801\/revisions\/5144"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/linkingpartners.org\/sr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/42"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/linkingpartners.org\/sr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2801"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/linkingpartners.org\/sr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2801"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/linkingpartners.org\/sr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2801"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}