I frequently ask myself, "is ministry in Bosnia really so difficult or am I simply not intended for this kind of work. Perhaps I lack some skill as a church planter". Sometimes I feel that I'm not stubborn enough to stay in BiH until revival comes, and I often conjecture that burn-out will come first.
I was given a sense of vindication when discussing ministry in Bosnia with two ladies from Romania who came to help us for a week in August. After one of our park clean-ups they were surprised at how the community fell numb to our act of kindness. These ladies were perplexed at the hardness and general lack of curiosity the Bosnians exhibited to what we were doing there. Rebecca, from Romania, explained that they had done a similar outreach involving a park clean-up in their home town and many people were eager to know what they were doing, and the believers had many chances to share. She described the Bosnians as hard and resistant to anything new.
I don't know what it was about Rebecca's comments about the Bosnian people that gave me hope. Perhaps it was merely an revelation that God has given me an extra portion of grace to work among these people, though I find my perseverance running short by the day. I don't know how long the Lord has us here in BiH, but I can only pray for a filling of His grace in my life on a daily basis.
2 comments:
I love the new blog, thank you for the posts...I check daily...we love you all so much and share in your heart to see a harvest. We struggle here with visas, red tape, discouragement and a fatigue that comes from constantly being in survival mode. But this is God's work, not ours, and He is responsible for the results of His work, fellow laborer...
all our love
Krista and the gang
Not unlike Koyuk, AK. This week a student slashed the tires of two Hondas, a Honda wagon, and all the bikes in the teacher's housing. These weren't my things, but I certainly understood the anger the teachers felt. Teachers here in the village have given up much in the way of creature comforts to teach the Eskimo children. After my first initial shock, my strongest feeling was how did that child get so angry. This kid is obviously in pain and I feel helpless to understand him, let alone help him. But I wonder, as we reach out does it really not have an impact or are we too impatient to wait for the healing to reveal itself. We can never really understand the world in which the Bosains had to endure during the war. Turning a blind eye and going through daily routines in a sort of numbing fog was certainly a way they survived the fear and ugliness of those terrible years. Kindness are never truly lost--they float out in the atmosphere and come to rest upon the subconscious. Besides who isn't uplifted by helping others, even if the only pat on the back is the one given to us by God.
Mom
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