Sunday morning in Prokuplje. What joy! In the Smith/Oswalt flat, we awakened fairly early and headed for coffee and breakfast – except for Caitlin, who slept in before our week starts hard and heavy! During breakfast we witnessed a wedding. Several young men, accompanied by one carrying the Serbian flag, as well as a band came up the street, playing music and honking horns. A bit later, the party came back down the street, and they had the bride and groom this time!
After that, we hiked up a hill on the edge of town and had a gorgeous view of Prokuplje. While there, we prayed over the city — that God would show His glory in our work this week, and that we would be sensitive to what He would have us do. It was a beautiful time, in every sense of the word.
You’re the God of this City
You’re the King of these people
You’re the Lord of this nation
You are
You’re the Light in this darkness
You’re the Hope to the hopeless
You’re the Peace to the restless
You are
There is no one like our God
For greater things have yet to come
And greater things are still to be done in this City
Greater thing have yet to come
And greater things are still to be done in this City ~Chris Tomlin
We came back into town and had a coffee with our old friend, translator and English teacher, Snezana Ilic, and met a new friend, Jelena. Good conversation, and hopefully we’ll connect again through the week.
We all came together at Marijan’s flat and headed to lunch at a nearby restaurant. Before lunch started, we had communion all together. The bread on the table was much like a freshly made pita. They brought us a glass of wine. Then one by one, we took bread from William, dipped it into wine from Rodja, hearing the familiar “This is body of Christ . . . this is blood of Christ . . . ” Somehow, in that intimate setting of friends, it was easy to seriously contemplate His sacrifice for us. That great love brings us together as family — Roma, Serb, and American.
We headed to church and look what we passed on the main road through Prokuplje, a city of 30,000:
Once we arrived, we shared a time of sweet fellowship. It is really beautiful when they have prayer — so many people in the church pray! Children, men, women — and so heartfelt! While the Roma speak both Serbian and Roma, they sing in Roma, the language of their heart. I hope I can stand in the Roma section of heaven’s choir!
Chuck shared his testimony with the church. His story resonated with our Roma brothers and sisters. Many of them have also chosen a personal relationship with Christ over the tradition in which they were raised.
William shared a message on how to handle suffering, and the blessings that can be found through difficult times. It was a different kind of message on the hope and blessings we experience when we truly follow Christ — a message the Roma people can certainly identify with! Ask me sometime about my personal experience with the type blessing you’d never ask for if you knew what you had to go through to get it — until you’ve been through it! I’d love to share with you.
Tomorrow begins with prayer and fellowship, then part of the team starts this week’s Children’s Club in Prokuplje. The other part of the team will continue discipleship training from Multiply. Keep us in your prayers!