So much has happened on this trip! So much has happened just today! I wish I could tell you minute by minute all the amazing ways God has been working! But since I’m writing a blog post and not a book, I’ll just give you the highlights with a little Marabeth commentary!
This morning Caitlin, Bethany and LaJuana and I attended a women’s bible study. We worshiped together, studied Acts and had lunch. It was amazing to worship with women of four nationalities, to see women with very little common ground worshipping one God!
After the bible study we headed to the Ana and Vlade Divac Foundation. Vlade, a retired NBA basketball player who played for the LA Lakers and the Charlotte Hornets, returned to his homeland after his retirement and began a nonprofit organization. Serbia has few social programs so the foundation is an organization that helps refugees, single parents, special needs children and other people in need. We met with a representative of the foundation and shared information about our organizations. Please be in prayer as we explore ways to come alongside this organization and possibly partner together in our efforts to aide the people of Serbia. Pray especially that more doors will open to share the gospel.
Upon finishing the meeting with the foundation, we headed to a village near Novi Sad to attend a Roma church. Okay folks, here is where the Marabeth commentary comes in! Better pick up your feet, because I’m about to stomp some toes. (Don’t say you weren’t warned!) I expected a home church. That’s usually what you find in the Roma villages. However, we pulled up in front of a church building. Now, before you get too excited, let me explain to you what this means. When I say church building, I do not mean nice brick building with a beautiful steeple and comfy padded pews. I mean a half finished brick and concrete structure with concrete floors, bare light bulbs, a few decent padded chairs and a bunch of molded plastic chairs. Oh, and the bench that had nails sticking out and was pretty rickety that three people sat on. There was a chair for everyone, but only because many people were working in the fields. In fact in the church in Prokuplje, the pastor had to ask some members not to come to the service because since we were there, even the standing room was full. The people working in the fields made this unnecessary tonight so all who wanted to attend were welcomed. There is no heat or air in the building so, being summer, it was HOT! I prefer that to cold though so I was happy it was July and not December. By the way, they meet regardless of the weather. So there we were, in the hot unfinished building with two bare light bulbs.
We sang and the preacher said a few words. Then he asked us to come and sing for the church! Ok, if you know me, you will know that no one has ever asked me to sing in public! I think some would probably pay me not to sing! So we sang. I know I don’t sing well, actually I am a bit tone deaf, but somewhere in the middle of the second song, I forgot to be embarrassed. I found myself just worshipping my Savior. Right there in front of all those people, in an unfinished building it was just me and my Jesus. I realized that I rarely allow myself to be that free. We have that amazing building with air conditioning and padded pews. The building is safe and there is no graffiti on the outside. I don’t know about you but I in my church I have never had to stand or hold my 15 year old on my lap during the service. I’ve certainly never been asked to stay home to make room for visitors or unbelievers, have you? Yet I find myself complaining and making excuses. I am irritated that I have to sit on the plastic chairs in the fellowship hall or that it’s too hot or cold in the sanctuary. I like things to start and end on time. I prefer that my bible be the same as the one the preacher is using…and I’m not changing my version. I like to sit in the same spot on my padded pew. In fact, sometimes I’m so caught up in my comfort and the irritation that comes with discomfort, that I forget why I’m at church in the first place. Tonight, in a hot half finished building, I remembered. I sang with my whole heart: “I’m coming back to the heart of worship, cause it all about you, it’s all about you Jesus. I’m sorry Lord for the thing I’ve made it, when it’s all about you. It’s all about you Jesus!”
I have pictures of that church on my phone as a reminder of what’s important. I’ll have my phone with me on Sunday and I don’t mind to share….in case you need a reminder too.
