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Update on March 2007 trip to Split, Croatia and Mostar, Bosnia

We arrived in Split on Saturday afternoon with no problems.  When we arrived, we discovered that the Riva, the promenade where everyone hangs out and goes to coffee, was completely torn up, as they're redoing it and replacing the asphalt with nice limestone.  We were disappointed about this, because the Riva is one of the most beautiful parts of the city, and besides just being a pleasure to hang out at, this was one of the main places where we usually witness to people and go to coffee with them.  But God was good (as He always is) and led us to people anyways.

I'll cover a few of the highlights of the trip rather than a day-by-day rundown of the events.  The trip was unique, in that we didn't talk to as many new people as we usually do, but rather came in after another outreach and did a little bit of follow-up from that trip, as well as previous trips that our church has been involved in.

Tim had asked Jonathan to teach for him at the Bible study Sunday night, and after talking for a few minutes, the guys discovered that both had just finished teaching Romans 8 and were moving on to chapter 9.  Jonathan gave a message to the little fellowship that meets in Tim and Grace's house, and it was so encouraging to see the response from the congregation.  Mirijana, a woman that comes, was in tears at the end, and Tim later told us that what Jonathan had taught had been a culmination and summary of what Tim had taught the past four weeks, and that it really encouraged the congregation and confirmed what the Lord was teaching them.

Another praise report from the trip was the weather! Usually it's still pretty cold, and sometimes rainy, in March in Split, but they've had a really warm winter.  We had sunshine and warm (high 70s) weather the whole time, which makes it great for sharing on the streets.

I was blessed to be able to catch up with a few girls that I knew previously in Split.  I am most excited about the visits that I had with Tea, a girl I met last summer.  She just turned 18, and Grace got to meet her and hang out with her during our trip (Grace was having the baby right when I first met Tea, so I was never able to introduce them to each other), and they plan on hanging out more.  It was really encouraging, because the first night that I went out with Tea, she immediately brought up the Bible and probed me for more information about what I believe.  She said that she tried to keep reading the Bible after I left, but she quit because she didn't understand it.  So I'm really excited that she's made a connection with Grace.

I was also able to meet up with Anita, whom I've known for two years.  I've shared a lot with her, but she just listens politely.  However, she still emails me, and is always excited to go out to coffee when I come back to Split, so I just hope that the Lord is working behind the scenes to draw her to Himself.  I also spent some time with Edita, who I met last year when she was nearly suicidal.  She seems to be doing well, but attributes it to a conversation that she had with a priest.  What he told her sounded good, but she needs the WHOLE truth to be revealed to her, so please pray that she would come to Jesus outside of the walls of the Catholic Church.

Peter was also able to meet up with Matko and Toni, two guys that he and Brian shared with last year and who were really interested in the things of the Lord.  Toni still talks to and hangs out with Tim all the time, but has seemed to lose interest in the Lord.  Peter had some blessed times of hanging out with them, however, so we pray that those seeds that were planted are being watered and will lead to fruit in their lives.

Another great connection that we made was with Susana and her friend Mario.  The outreach team that left the day we arrived met them, and Tim had arranged for them to come over to his house and watch "Lost" every week.  So we spent some time with her when we first arrived, and then ended up hanging out with her a lot during the week.  She had a minor family crisis one day, and talked to Tim and Grace for a long time about it, and then afterwards Katrina got to share with her for a really long time.  So pray that she and Mario would come to really know Jesus as their personal Lord and Savior.

And now, for Bosnia! We rented a van in Split and drove down to Mostar on Thursday morning.  The drive was amazing - about three hours along the Croatian coastline, some of the most breathtaking scenery in the entire world!  We all made it through the border without a hitch (we were a little worried because of Momchil's Bulgarian passport and lack of a visa).  We arrived about 1 pm in Mostar, and immediately the Lord led us to some great accommodations right in the middle of the city, right by the Old Bridge (Stari Most).  The first lady we met, Alisa, was very helpful to us, and when she found out that her accommodations wouldn't work, found others for us that were perfect!  The lady we ended up renting a room from even offered to drive us back to our van, which was parked quite a way from the house, and then to lead us back to the house so we wouldn't get lost.

After finding our accommodations, we set out to look around the town.  Almost immediately, Bethany and Katrina found a couple of Muslim girls who they shared the gospel with.  An extra blessing occurred when Jonathan got in touch with Marco, a guy that he, Josh, and Ryan led to the Lord two years ago in Split.  Turns out that Marco lives about twenty minutes' drive from Mostar, and before we knew it, he joined us in Mostar!  This was great because Jonathan was able to encourage him in the Lord, and Marco was able to give us an insider's perspective on Mostar (from a Croatian viewpoint).  Mostar is divided between the Catholic Croatians on the west side of the bridge, and the Muslim Bosnians on the east side. 

We were struck by the devastation that is everywhere in Mostar.  After 15 years, it seems like they haven't cleaned up anything from the war.  There were bombed out buildings everywhere, even in the main shopping areas.  A picture's worth a thousand words, so I've attached a few pictures so you can see it for yourself. 

After dinner, we left the touristy area (where we were staying) and went down to the "real" Mostar, where the main shopping and hang out areas are.  We talked to some kids waiting for the bus, and then Jonathan found some kids (junior high age) who were playing soccer in a parking lot, so he joined them.  Soon they wanted Peter to play also, and then some girls came along, who we were able to talk with.  The girls knew English pretty well, but only one of the boys spoke English.  We started sharing with them a little, but they were all on their way home since it was getting late.  They were all Muslims, but they said "Allah is our god, but we don't believe in all of that."  We gave away a Bosnian Bible to one of the girls, Alma, because it was her birthday.  None of the kids had Bibles, and they didn't really even know what it was.  And they were confused when we mentioned Jesus to them.  They definitely need the light of Jesus to shine on them!!!

The Bosnian Muslims are interesting, because the women don't veil and they don't seem very devout.  It was crazy when the calls went out for prayer - the Arabic blasting from the loud speakers from each of the mosques.  Even though they speak the same language as the Croatians (although with a very different accent from the Splitski), all the Muslim kids had Muslim names, like Izmet and others that I can't remember.

Although our time in Mostar was very brief, we were struck with the huge need for the gospel and the hope and healing of Jesus to touch the people.  The devastated buildings seemed symbolic of the gaping, unhealed and festering  heart wounds that the people in the city live with day by day, and only Jesus will be able to repair these broken hearts.  Please pray with us as we seek the Lord for guidance on what our next step in Bosnia should be.

Once again, thank you for your prayers and support!

Kristin and the team