Sharpes in Bosnia-Herzegovina

the garden

2008-09-01T14:16:00.003+02:00

the garden
Originally uploaded by Travis Sharpe

Little by little we're selling most of our possessions. It's strange to think that we won't be in Bosnia for 9 months, but we thought it would be a good time to get rid of a lot of stuff that we don't use so that we can buy some new things in the states that we can use. Some of the clothes for example, I've had for over eight years. I personally don't like shopping in Bosnia as I don't like the european style of clothing. It's too feminine for my taste (too tightly fitted for a man to be wearing).

Getting more to the point of my blog today... things like cameras are very expensive here in Bosnia and so I was able to sell my camera for a slightly better resell value than I could get in the states. Anyway, I've been wanting to take a picture of this crazy garden of my neighbors for some time and I had to run out and get the picture before the camera buyer came. If you want to see another picture of the garden you can go to my flickr account here. (they leave this stuff out, rain or shine)

Disservice

2008-08-25T16:30:00.002+02:00

Last night Stacy and I went on a long over-due date and had a wonderful dinner.

While enjoying our food a Chinese family came and sat down at a table near us. Here in Bosnia-Herzegovina (BiH) there are very few minorities living in the country. Even though there are three ethnic groups in BiH their genes are more similar to each other than any two Americans outside their respective family trees. Basically everyone looks the same here in Bosnia, and there is very little diversity in the country.

So, now I'm getting to my story. The waiter comes to serve the Chinese family, and Stacy and I think to ourselves "oh no, not that waiter" (we've had previous experience with this guy). The waiter comes to take their order and we don't hear the full conversation, but we clearly hear the word, Kinez "Chinese". A few minutes later the waiter comes back with their soft drinks, and as he is handing it to them he keeps hold of one of the drinks as the Chinese customer tries to grab it. After the customer wrestles the drink from the waiter's hand the waiter throws a few kung-fu punches in the air. At this point, I smack my hand to my forehead and shake my head in disgust. Then a Bosnian customer chimes in to respond to the waiter's kung-fu moves, "oh Bruce Ree". I couldn't believe my eyes and ears!

If I didn't live in the capitol city I might have expected such ignorance, but there you go... respect for your fellow man regardless of race or religion isn't really a concept understood by the masses here in BiH.

Unfortunately while the picture I added to this blog is funny, if you practiced the philosophy in BiH, "I won't give any business to a place that treats me poorly". You'll find that you'll run out of places to shop/eat.

A Pigeon in Jail

2008-08-23T16:23:00.001+02:00

Bosnian police have impounded a pigeon after discovering prisoners used it to smuggle drugs into one of the country's highest security jails.
An official says guards suspected the bird might be involved in drug smuggling when they noticed four prisoners visibly intoxicated shortly after it landed on a prison window.
A Zenica prison official says all four inmates had tested positive for heroin and disciplinary proceedings had been launched against the inmates.
The pigeon has been taken into custody by police who've launched an investigation aimed at identifying those who had loaded it up with the drugs.

A Year for Riots in Belgrade

2008-08-16T04:18:00.001+02:00

The Bosnian Jeff Foxworthy List

2008-08-11T11:28:00.004+02:00

I found this blog from a Bosnian who posted, "You know You're a Bosnian When" These are my favorites:

you take your shoes off when you enter the house, and every family member has his/her own slippers (plus some extra for the guests)

your neighbour comes over every day uninvited, for coffee

you start your day with a cup of coffee and a cigarette

you have 17 consonants and 2 vowels in your last name

your mother/nena won’t accept the fact that you’re not hungry

you have “pita” (Bosnian food that is like a pastry puff filled with salty fillings like cheese or meat) for dinner at least 4 days a week

you have “sarma” (stuffed cabbage) for dinner the remaining 3 days

a loaf of bread is eaten for lunch every day

you’re 6 and your father sends you out to buy him “Drina” and “Sarajevsko”(brand of cigarettes)

your nena insists you eat something with a “kasika” (spoon) at least once a week

you chop up some onions and then decide what to cook for dinner

your mother insists that “promaja” (draft) will kill you

your mother tells you not to sit on the concrete slabs, or your ovaries are going to freeze

your mother tells you to wear “potkosulja” (undershirt), no matter what the temperature outside

your mother tells you not to sit close to the TV, and not to use cell phones, because you’ll get brain tumor

your mother tells you that you’ll get sick from drinking cold water

you tuck in your “potkosulja” (undershirt) into your underwear

your parents wonder why you take showers every day

a couple of days really means a week or so

your parents have “goblene”(needlepoint) on their walls, and “heklanje”(fine handmade lace) on every piece of their furniture, including the TV

your parents make “zimnica” (canned vegetables) every september

you drive there in a family “golf” (VW)

you begin most sentences with “jebi ga”, (f*** it) “svega mi” (I swear on everything), or “Tita mi” (I swear on Tito)

you can’t explain what “bolan” means, but you use it all the time - (um yes - I have no idea what it means)

you’re the only one who gets all the Mujo and Suljo jokes

you despise your cousin who’s going out with an “unproforac” (UN worker)

your mother bakes a cake without oil, sugar, eggs, or flour, and she calls it “a war cake”

the time is divided into “before” and “after” the war

your father refers to all politicians with “djubrad” (idiots), “lopovi”(con-artists), and “kriminalci”(criminals)

your remaining friends from high school live in Australia, Norway, Germany, and Malaysia

you don’t want to talk about the war to anyone, but that’s the only thing you talk about with other Bosnians

you have at least three passports, and have lived in at least 4 countries in the last 12 years

A Year for Riots in Belgrade

2008-07-30T13:15:00.007+02:00

The extradition of Karadic has brought violence again to Belgrade. Just five months earlier 150,000 people turned out to protest the independence of Kosovo which has until recently belonged to Serbia.

Last night around 15,000 protesters gathered to oppose the extradition of Radovan Karadzic to the war crimes tribunal in The Hague. Many of these ultra-nationalist see Karadzic as a national hero.

Talking to a friend of mine who lives near me here in Sarajevo, but is on vacation visiting his family in Belgrade says that these protesters are just a loud minority. I fear however that this minority is growing as it could seem that the world is against the Serbian nation. First with the backing of many western countries for the independence of Kosovo and now the UN is putting another Serb leader on trial. Don't get me wrong, this man needs to face justice... I'm just concerned that all of these events will again destabilize the region

His First Night in Jail

2008-07-22T12:05:00.003+02:00

Radovan Karadzic spent his first night in jail after 13 years on the run. Karadzic has been accused of war crimes and of genocide in Bosnia-Herzegovina. The hope (at least my hope) is that this might be a turning point for the people of Bosnia-Herzegovina to put the war behind them and set their eyes on the future. I don't want to be unsympathetic to the victims of the war, and I rejoice along with the world as justice will no doubt be served at the tribunal in The Hague.

For more information and video about Karadzic follow these links: Karadzic's profile Karadzic denies 'war crimes' - 1995

The War is Over, but the Killing Continues

2008-07-17T14:44:00.001+02:00

Heaven & Hell
Originally uploaded by jim_in_sarajevo

Two mine clearers were killed Saturday when a landmine left over from Bosnia's 1992-95 war exploded while working at an area near the town of Maglaj.

These deaths come just after another tragedy when two men were killed when they triggered a landmine while chopping wood in a forest in northern Bosnia.

Even 13 years after the war ended, more than 200,000 landmines and other unexploded munitions remain littered across more than 3% of Bosnia's territory.

Approximately 480 people have been killed by mines and more than 1,100 injured in the country since 1996. Experts warn it will take decades for all the landmines to be cleared.

Fortunately most of the mined area's are marked with big skull and cross bones signs as seen in this photo.

Not so Brilliant Light

2008-07-17T14:43:00.003+02:00

Light Decay
Originally uploaded by Travis Sharpe

For those who already get our newsletter, sorry for the reproduction.

Often I feel like this light in our building's hallway. It's on a delay switch and it only comes on when a tenant presses the switch. The light barely stays on long enough to navigate a few flights of stairs before it goes off again. Many times it doesn't get changed for weeks after it burns out, and the tenants are forced to navigate the stairs in the dark. This kind of light is far from the kind of light that the tenants need.

In the same way the people of Bosnia-Herzegovina need light in their lives. Unfortunately, many of those called to be light in this country have been feeling burned out; much like this light in our hallway.

Stacy and I have not been able to escape this overwhelming discouragement felt by many of us working in Bosnia. We are in need of renewal, and our hope is that when we return to the states for home-assignment this fall we will experience some renewal. The passage that currently haunts me is from Matthew 5:13, "You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled by men". Please remember to pray for us. Thank you.

Generous Slovenian Hotels

2008-05-27T13:08:00.003+02:00

Stacy and I have been thinking of getting away for a couple days. We came accross this place that has a room with a lot of extras built into the price. What do you think? Should we go? I mean common, they're just giving away electricity.

Running on Empty

2008-05-06T09:49:00.006+02:00

I found this article, and I thought you would be interested to read it:

According to a recent study by AIRINC, a research firm that tracks cost of living data, as reported by CNNMoney.com, the most expensive place in the world to fill up your tank is Bosnia-Herzegovina at $10.86 a gallon. Here are some other pricy places:

Bosnia-Herzegovina: $10.86
Eritrea (In north Africa): $9.58
Norway: $8.73
United Kingdom: $8.38
Netherlands: $8.37

There are other countries rich and poor that are still enjoying cheap gas:

Venezuela: 12 cents
Iran: 40 cents
Saudi Arabia: 45 cents
Libya: 50 cents
Swaziland: 54 cents

Believe me, we walk as much as we can! I (Travis) always walk to work, and Stacy walks to the grocery store about 70% of the time. We only use our car twice a week if we need to get into town for something. We drove a total of 6000 miles in our car last year, and we're looking for ways to reduce even that.

It's Like Watching a Car Crash

2008-05-02T21:23:00.006+02:00

One of the longest running shows in the world, and one of the most watched is the Eurovision song contest. Such greats(ironic) as ABBA and The Olsen Brothers have been winners at Eurovison. As an American, I can't really grasp how this yearly event is considered entertainment, and I may never understand the popularity with Eurovision. On the other hand we (the USA) created WWF ('nuf said). After watching this year's entry by Bosnia-Herzegovina, I HAD to share it with my friends (please remain my friend even after watching this). Oh, and NO... the Bosnian version is no better, except for the live fowl on stage. If you have to see that one too, here's the link

EUROSONG 2008 BiH -Laka - Pokusaj English Version

2008-05-02T21:12:00.001+02:00

Emotional Calculus

2008-04-07T08:23:00.002+02:00

This has been quite a revealing month for me personally. Larry Bolden from Atlanta (www.wellspringgroup.org) came to serve the national pastors in Bosnia-Herzegovina and teach a seminar called "Battle for Men's Hearts". Fortunately Larry was able to stay an extra week and open the seminar up for ex-pats living in the area. I wasn't sure what to expect from this men's conference as I've attend others in the past with little results. Larry's seminar was really trying to help us get at the energy and desires behind our actions instead of dealing with behavioral issues. I went through a myriad of emotions during the five days from sorrow to anger to joy. In the end when asked how the week was I explained that it was "emotional calculus". I think I had resigned myself to being an emotional halfwit, but instead discovered that I have much more to offer those around me than I had imagined. The biggest encouragement at the conference was hearing over and over again from other Christian workers how many difficulties they had experience living here in Bosnia. In fact in 2007 alone over 10 missionaries have returned home (exactly what Stacy and I were thinking of doing). It might seem strange to be encouraged by others difficulties, but what I had realized is that it's not that I'm not fit for being a missionary here in Bosnia, but that it's just plain difficult to live here. Nonetheless, Stacy and I are considering a 9 month sabbatical next fall to do some decompressing, fund-raising, and (hopefully) have a second child in the states.

Grandparents

2008-03-20T18:17:00.003+01:00

As Noah gets older he's more and more able to go to the local playground and play on the equipment there, which he really loves. Stacy also likes to get Noah out of the apartment, and she's seen it as a real opportunity to meet other moms. Last week Stacy came to me a little bit discouraged, after a lady for the umpteenth time explained to her how she should dress Noah, and told me that the only ladies at the park are grandmothers. I was really surprised by that. I said there must have been at least 20 kids at the park today, but that day all the moms were grandmas.

One aspect of the Bosnian culture that I really respect is the role that most grandparents play in raising children. Our neighbors, for example, take their children to their grandparent's house almost every weekend and talk to them on the phone throughout the week. Some parents have the grandparents watch their children out of necessity, but many times it's just what happens. The grandparents are included in the rearing of children from all social classes, rich and poor. It is not uncommon, for example, for a father in smaller towns and villages to buy/build a house that has a floor for their sons, so that when they get married their son's family can live on one of the floors (each floor is like a self-contained apartment with a kitchen, bedroom, and bathroom).

As one who has spent a lot of time with my grandmother (I lived with her for over five years during my college years), and spent many nights with my great grandmother during my early years, I can say that the experience of having learned from those who are two and three generations older than I has been very enriching. Some may have only read or watched movies about WWII or the Dust Bowl (My family were Okies who were apart of the great migration to California). I had the privilege of hearing stories first hand and have more insight to the emotions, the struggles, and the sacrifices made by so many in those times than from anything I could read in a book. Stacy sometimes comments on my vocabulary like, "how old are you... you sound like an old man." Granted, spending all that time with my grandparents may have made me less "cool", but my hope is that I may have gained just a portion of their wisdom.

Queuing "Taking one's place in a line"

2008-02-10T23:05:00.000+01:00

I recently experienced a different side to a frustrating cultural difference last week. Sara, a new team mate needs to go through the arduous process of getting her residency permit. As I am the acting team leader I was obliged to help her. I have been through this process a number of times for my own family and for other team mates, but recently a law was passed that requires us to have a rent contract with our landlords as part of the visa process. Before everything was done under the table, so the landlords could escape taxes.
The day started meeting at the landlord's brother-in-law's apartment and being offered the local moonshine, as is customary in certain homes. I declined saying, "thank you, but I have a lot of work to do today". Thinking to myself it's only 10am and wondering if he will ask me a second time to accompany him in his morning binge. Thankfully he didn't press the issue, but offered coffee instead. I accepted and we exchanged small talk for a short time. Soon Sara, I, and the landlord, Dusanka, were out the door to procure the necessary papers for this rental contract. We fortunately found the right people and were explained what the process involved. I had drawn up a rental contract prior and all we needed is for Sara and Dusanka to sign the bottom. When we arrived at the tax office the lady looked at the contract and said, "you'll have to get these signatures notarized downstairs". A quick side note... EVERYTHING needs to be notarized in this country. So Dusanka, Sara, and I head downstairs to get the signatures notarized after being told by the tax lady that this is the process. As I approach the glass doors I see a mass of humanity bunched together all hoping that they can get their documents notarized. We enter the room and Sara and I head, dutifully, to the back of the line to wait our turn. Dusanka on the other hand, having been given a mission from the tax lady, heads to the front of the line and exclaims, "I need these signatures notarized". Sara and I look at each other amazed and perplexed. I'm on the edge of bursting out in laughter because I finally experienced the possible rational behind a Bosnian cutting to the front of a line. You see, they have something to do, and in this case Dusanka was told by someone in authority that she has to do this thing, and therefore, she goes to the front of the line. So the next time I'm standing in a line and a Bosnian inevitably cuts in front of me, I will just say to myself, "ah he/she must be following orders."

I'd Like Five Kilos Please?

2008-01-17T11:36:00.000+01:00

Growing up my mom would send me to the store to buy a few things. She would say something like, "I need 2 onions, 3 tomatoes and a cumber". Now that I think about it Stacy sends me on similar errands. The point is when buying, in particular, vegetables and most fruit I think in terms of the number of tomatoes or apples that I want. Here in Bosnia things are a bit different. When you go to the market place you have to ask for fruits and veggies in weight. We usually don't buy a lot at once, so I'll buy a half a kilogram of apples for example. Right away this is seen as funny to Bosnians as they normally buy their produce in bulk, and almost never purchase less than a kilo (2.2 pounds) of anything. In fact it's not uncommon to see people buy upwards of 5 kilos (11 pounds) of a certain fruit or vegetable. Once I saw a lady with a cart full of red peppers. I'm sure it was about 20 kilos that she was buying. What they do with all this produce is beyond me, I'm sure they pickle it or something like that.

This blog was inspired by an advertisement that I saw this week. I was passing a furniture store that was selling foam padding. I thought, "oh, Stacy always talks about how our mattress isn't very comfortable... I'll go see for how much they're selling this foam padding." Walking closer to the window I saw some numbers "7.50". "Hmm, I thought... 7.50 a meter, that seems reasonable for foam padding." Then I reached the window where I was able to read the small print below the numbers "7.50". The advertisement was for 7.50 per kilogram. At that point I lost all my social composure and burst out laughing (laughing in public is rarely seen). Someone should tell these people that selling foam (basically a big sponge) by weight may not be the most profitable. I didn't go into the store embarrassed that I didn't know how many kilos of foam we needed for our bed.

To Google or not to Google-What Was the Question?

2008-01-10T17:30:00.000+01:00

I'm slowly coming to terms with the modern computer jargon, especially these crazy verbs like: "Do you facebook?" or "try googling that". I hear people talking to each other in these terms and no one seems to question the correctness of this type of language, so it must be universally accepted. I laughed to myself the other day when I was thinking about how I would turn these words into verbs in the Bosnian language (I won't explain it because it would only be funny if you knew the language). Oh, and yes I am one of those guys who laughs out loud for no apparent reason. Man, I enjoy my inner monologue.

Now that I'm teaching English again at our reading room I started thinking... What would the simple past tense of "to facebook" be? facebooked? "Hey what did you do today?" "Oh I facebooked, and then I…". Then the present progressive, "I am currently facebooking", or the past progressive: "Man I am tired, I was facebooking until one in the morning". Okay, who knows this tense: "John has been facebooking all afternoon."

Alas, I can make fun of this internet culture no longer, I have relented and have joined my first online social network. Now you can find me facebooking with the rest of the online world. I wonder if C.S. Lewis would have facebooked?
p.s. - my spell check did not like these internet words… someone should inform google that they are now a verb. Oh, and if you can use the verb facebook in any foreign language... please leave me a comment.

A New Holiday Tradition

2007-12-28T19:12:00.000+01:00

In our family, pumpkin pie is a must for the holiday season. Sometimes we have been able to get canned pumpkin from friends or family in the states, but this year we decided to try to make pumpkin pie from scratch. The first thing you need to do is find the right pumpkin. We bought a smaller pumpkin that was still green. We've read that you don't want to buy too big of a pumpkin because they're not as sweet. First, wash the pumpkin with water. Then you carve out the stem and about 2 inches around the stem and then cut the pumpkin in half. Clean out the seeds and all of the insides of the pumpkin, an ice-cream scoop works well for this. Place the two halves of the pumpkin face down on the baking tray (skin facing up). Bake for 2 hours at 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Take the pumpkin halves out and with a fork test to see if the pumpkin is soft all the way through, if not you can put it in another 10 minutes or so. Take the pumpkin out of the oven and let the pumpkin cool for about 30 min. Scoop out the pumpkin from the skin and place it in a food processor and mix until pureed (We had to use a hand mixer which also worked fine, it just took longer). At this point you have your main ingredient and you can just follow your favorite pie recipe. Stacy also makes her own crust, but thats for another blog.

Society

2007-12-15T14:24:00.000+01:00

One thing that I've hardly felt the presence of in the states is this idea of society. Social taboos do exist in the states, but not nearly to the degree that they exist and are felt here in Bosnia. Here in Bosnia your neighbors, community and society in general have a large role to play in the way you live. I would dare to say that this is not so in the states where the individual is left to live the way he or she choses. In fact, in my opinion, the role of the individual is a little out of hand in the states. I digress. Now you would think that this social pressure applies only to those born and raised in Bosnia. Not so. Stacy and I feel it where ever we go. The way we dress, the way we dress Noah, what we eat, and how we spend money are all examples of how we need to 'fit in'.
Now that it's winter you should, of course, dress warm. The very common dress is all black (see picture above). The reason for the all black dress has evaded me. I have definitely changed my own habits when it comes to dress. Before, in the fall or early winter it wouldn't be uncommon for me to wear shorts and then a sweatshirt for the extra warmth I needed. Now, I only wear shorts in the heat of summer. Before, I would go barefoot in the house; now slippers are a must. You'll even catch me wearing slippers in the summer. Tennis shoes are now only for sports. Sometimes I'll wear a pair of black canvas tennis shoes that don't look so much like sports shoes. Anyway, what inspired this blog was something that happened to me last week. When I went to buy milk at a local grocery store I was riding up the escalator, and coming down on the other side was a guy with a short sleeve shirt on. My eyes widened and my jaw dropped, "what is he thinking wearing short sleeves on a winter's day???" I thought to myself. This young man in his late 20s pulled out a cell phone and started speaking. He was an American!! It was then that I realized that I've become one of them. I've been assimilated into the borg. Not only have I changed my dressing habits I was no longer thinking for myself but according to the society that I live in, and applying those social rules to others. I guess in the end it's not so bad, perhaps it's the obedience to the social mind that will give me the platform to speak into people's lives.

How the Yellow Pages Ruined Community

2007-11-30T11:34:00.000+01:00

One thing that I've never gotten use to here in Bosnia is the lack of a local Yellow Pages. I mean how do you find a plumber or a mechanic or a doctor? Ahhh, that's one of the many secrets to understanding the Bosnian culture. The thing is here, everything that you would need or want you can find from a friend or a friend of a friend. For us foreigners it takes one more step. We have to find a friend that has a friend who knows someone. So here's the story why I'm writing this blog.

Our landlord had promised to put in a floor in the dinning room when we moved in. Until now it's just been some old worn linoleum floor that looked horrible. So this month our landlord put in a nice new hard wood floor. So when the workers came to put in the floor we got to talking and I found out that they are good friends of the landlord and live in the same town where our landlord is from -WHICH IS 3 HOURS AWAY from Sarajevo where we live. So this floor was a 2 day job which meant that these guys drove 3 hours one day to work on this floor and then drove 3 hours home. The night before they came happened to be the same night as the first big snow in Bosnia which made the trip even worse. Then the second day they drove another 3 hours to finish the job. Of course at this point their car broke down and one of the workers spent the day at the mechanic's to get it fixed (I'm still wondering how he found a mechanic in a town that wasn't his). Just so that you remember we live in the capitol city which means that there are plenty of people qualified to put in a wood floor, but the point is the landlord has these friends.
Here in Bosnia friends are not just those you have coffee with, they are the network through which you get everything done.

Citaonica

2007-11-21T12:00:00.000+01:00

On Monday the 19th of November we officially opened up our Citaonica, which literally translated means, "reading place". Basically, we have Christian books to give for free and some for a small donation. We have an attractive and comfy area where people can either read books or have discussion. For the grand opening we offered free coffee and homemade cakes and cookies as well as a drawing for a painting that a local pastor made. On the first day we were able to sell about a dozen books and gave out others. We had quite a few visitors, and in general were very encouraged by other believers who came to check out the new place. Another encouraging thing was the neighboring shop keepers who came and brought their friends to look and even buy some books. We also had sign-ups for English and Portuguese classes which we are hoping to start by December.

The idea for the reading room came out of a summer ministry that we had where we put Christian literature on a table in a central area in town. Because of the great conversations we had there on the street, we thought it would be a good idea to put a roof over the book-table. The Bosnian winters are fairly harsh, so we searched for a place to have an outlet to give these books out to the community during the cold months. We came across an empty hair salon, and promptly contacted the owner. Some weeks later we made a deal with him to rent the place. The experience so far with the landlord, the renovation, and the grand opening has been very encouraging and we're praising God for the resources that he's provided so far.

Reformation Day

2007-11-03T15:30:00.000+01:00

Not widely celebrated in the States, but celebrated world wide, Reformation day in Sarajevo this year was the first of its kind. For the first time the evangelical alliance in Sarajevo, which has members from all of the protestant churches in Sarajevo, was able to put together a program and advertise it throughout the city. The celebration started with a book exhibition and then a choir sang a few traditional hymns. Then, three of the pastors from different denominations got up and spoke a little bit about the reformation and how their denomination fit into the protestant movement. The three pastors reminded the audience that each generation is in danger of losing its path. Whenever our traditions or Christian culture get in the way of the word of God then we have lost our way. Each church needs to continually reform itself from within.
After the speeches were finished, snacks were available and the guests were invited to another church for a concert. The concert could have been mistaken for a rock concert as two bands, fully equipped with drums and electric guitars, played under a light show of purple, red and green. It was overall a wonderful time and expressed, I believe, the spirit of Martin Luther’s message through our enjoyment of our freedom in Christ.
This reformation celebration served a second purpose. The Bosnian protestant church really needed such a celebration, if nothing else, to give the church a face in the city. There are less than 1000 protestant believers in the whole country, and the average Bosnian has no idea who we are or what the protestant church believes. I think the local believers who took part in this celebration were encouraged as well as they thought about the millions of evangelical Christians around the world who also celebrated this day.

Prayer, Coffee and Cops

2007-10-26T11:49:00.001+02:00

Since our planning days in October, our team has decided to come together and pray every morning for our community and other needs. Instead of meeting at the office, we decided to go to different cafes in our area, so that we can meet more people in the community. On Wednesday we walked into a cafe where four police officers were enjoying a coffee before the start of their shift. We sat down next to them and ordered our coffees, but they didn't seem like they wanted to be bothered so we didn't talk to them.
Something you probably don't know about traffic cops in Bosnia is that they can pull you over for any or no reason. Their reasoning behind this is that they want to randomly check people's papers as there is no indication on the license plates that the registration is up-to-date. The lesson that we had learned soon after buying a car here in Bosnia, is that to avoid getting 'randomly checked' you shouldn't drive in the far right lane as that's where the traffic police stand to flag you down. Well I was coming home from an errand that I had to run in town, and I wasn't paying attention and was driving in the right lane. Sure enough, there was a police officer on the side of the road and he flagged me down. He asked for my license and registration, and then starred at me for a second. "Hey" he said, "we had coffee together this morning". I smiled, with some relief, and replied, "oh yeah, I remember". We went on to have a nice conversation and I found out that he has two children, 10 and 14. I told him that I'm planning on starting English classes for school aged children and he gave me his name and phone number, so that I could call him when the classes start up.
We're just excited that God is helping us meet people in the cafes even when we're not bold enough to initiate conversations.

Coffee and a Cigarette

2007-10-22T17:43:00.000+02:00

The first snow of the year has fallen here in Sarajevo, which means winter is officially here. This also means the beginning of our indoor ministry, which includes lots of coffee when we go on visits. The coffee really isn't that bad, just a bit thick. The one thing that we always dread a bit though with indoor ministry is cigarette smoke. For most Bosnians, coffee just isn't coffee without a cigarette. Of course people also smoke in the summer, but it's much easier to find ways to meet people outside their homes when the weather is nice. During winter, Stacy will sometimes meet me at the door when I come home with a nice greeting like, "you smell!" For the most part, I'm pretty use to the smoke as long as they smoke the Bosnian cigarettes, but there is a clear difference when someone smokes an American cigarette. They seem to be a lot more potent. If you think about it, we'd appreciate your prayers in this area. We're trusting that the Lord will protect our lungs from the affects of 2nd hand smoke. Tips for getting the smell of cigarette smoke out of clothes would also be appreciated.

The Month of Fasting

2007-10-12T16:32:00.000+02:00

Another month of "fasting" has ended here in Bosnia, and for that matter around the world. Most years I have noticed that there seems to be a large focus on food during Ramadan, and I've always wondered how much 'fasting' goes on during this holy month. I'm not really complaining though, some of the nicest breads and deserts come out during this time of year, and the restaurants have really nice deals on iftar meals. (Iftar is the evening meal for breaking the daily fast ). Even the McDonald’s in Turkey gets in on the fasting menu, by offering an iftar soup.

I did about five minutes of research on the internet just to satisfy my curiosity about the statistics during Ramadan.

According to the UK yahoo news, Studies by health experts have shown that many Muslims gain weight during the month of fasting and that average consumption of food soars during the period.

According to Al-Ahram Weekly Online, "While their Ramadan diets diverge, all the countries of the Middle East have one trait in common: the month of fasting is also the month of excessive food consumption".

According to Jordan Times (http://www.jordantimes.com/?news=2216) AMMAN - Consumption of food during the holy month of Ramadan rises by 25-40 per cent due to people’s changed "consumption behaviour”, experts and officials said on Saturday. The demand on essential food items sometimes jump to over 40 per cent during Ramadan.

There you have it. Just be thankful that we don't have to eat a Christmas dinner every night for a whole month. Perhaps the real fasting begins next week they step on their bathroom scales.

Stacy gets Credit

2007-09-24T18:30:00.000+02:00

Some of you may not know that Bosnia, for the most part, is still mainly a cash society. Very few people have ATM cards or credit cards. Knowing this Stacy and I always try to keep some cash on us. Last week, when Stacy went out to buy some stuff for the kitchen she found herself without any cash when she got to the cash register. She asked the clerk if she could pay with a bank card or credit card. The lady looked at her and said, "oh, you come in here often enough. I'll just write it down and you come pay later." The owner was also standing there and nodded approvingly. Stacy got store credit à la the General Store from Little House on the Prairie! The funny thing, Stacy said, is that she has only been to that store like 5 times in the last year. I guess you could say we're succeeding in being accepted in our community.

His Grace is Sufficient

2007-09-17T15:45:00.000+02:00

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.

The Pay Off

2007-08-31T16:09:00.000+02:00

I hate to bug you all again with another park clean-up blog, but i got a decent "before" picture that i wanted to share just so you'd get a visual of the situation here. This week we were even more encouraged by the clean up time because one very grateful lady came to talk to us, and then realized that we were the group that had a book table in town. This was one of the outcomes that we were hoping for by doing theses park clean-up days, so praise be to God!

Coincidence?

2007-08-28T10:28:00.002+02:00

We have been really encouraged by our park clean up days. Not only is this kind of work gratifying being able to see a clear difference after we're done, but it seems that we're not the only ones interested in improving the neighborhood. A few days after we had cleaned the first park, some men from the city came out and fixed the swings and the teeter-totters. We have been living in this neighborhood for almost 10 months now, and the parks were in a state of disarray from the first day we moved in. Who knows how long those swings were broken before we had arrived. Then last week after we had cleaned our third park, the city came out again. They fixed one basketball hoop on one side and added a backboard and hoop on the opposite side making the only outdoor full basketball court in our area, and one of the few in the whole city. So was it a coincidence that our cleaning and the cities timing for fixing up the parks happened only days from each other? Whatever the case, we're giving glory to God because as we cleaned these parks each of us realized that there was also a need to fix the playground equipment, so that the parks would not only be clean but functional. We were going to take it upon ourselves to raise the money to fix the many parks, but it seems that the Lord was way ahead of us.

Making our way into the Neighborhood

2007-08-23T13:24:00.000+02:00

Our team has been in Dobrinja, a suburb of Sarajevo, for about 10 months now and we're still trying to figure out how to find favor with the community. We have been running a book table with Christian literature twice a week in the evenings (when everyone is out for a stroll), and that’s been going pretty well. Every evening there are some people coming up to us to check out the literature we have to offer.

In addition to that, we also want to show the people in our community that we care for them, and to show them that we’re not just interested in ‘harvesting souls’ or what have you. So we came up with the idea to clean up the parks in our community. This really is no small feat as Bosnians in general haven’t been educated in environmental conservation. In fact, Stacy and I once witnessed a man take a whole wheel-barrel of trash and dump it in a river that runs behind his home. You would think it’s bad enough that one would dump the trash in a place that wouldn’t affect him, but the fact that this man dumped his trash in a river that was only 20 yards from his own back door really confused us. Anyway I digress, the point is people don’t think twice about throwing trash on the ground. Oh, one more funny trash story. A couple of years ago we cleaned up a park with a summer team from Manteca, California. As we started working some of the children from the neighborhood helped us pick up trash. Afterwards, we thought it’d be a nice gesture to give these kids ice cream from the store. The children delighted about the ice cream tore off their wrappers and threw them on the ground. We just looked at them with utter shock.

Needless to say, the parks in Bosnia are strewn with trash. Our team has decided to clean one park a week while the weather is still nice, and in that way follow the Matthew 5:16 principle, "let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven."

The top picture is of a park that was littered with broken glass. There was an obvious difference afterwards. Below is a picture of a group of young girls who decided to have a picnic on the newly cleaned park grass.

16 Months Old

2007-08-02T21:04:00.000+02:00

Our little boy is now 16 months old and walking like a mad man. It's so much fun to take him to the local park and watch him run around. He's also initiating a lot of opportunities to meet people. We're starting to feel very comfortable in our neighborhood and Stacy regularly goes for coffee to the neighbor at the apartment above us. We also try to go walking in town around seven when the whole town is out and enjoying the warm summer evenings. The cafes are full and the ice cream shops have lines out the doors. It's a real fun time of year in Sarajevo, and we're enjoying the experience even more so having Noah around. That's it for us now,

blessings.

Making a Documentary

2007-07-26T12:41:00.000+02:00

I was just given an opportunity to help write and produce a documentary about the Evangelical church in Bosnia-Herzegovina (BiH). Recently we have been doing some surveys in Dobrinja, the suburb of Sarajevo where we are trying to start a church. As we met various people in Dobrinja we have come across many who are confused about who Evangelical Christians are, and often confuse us with Jehovah Witnesses. This misunderstanding of who we are is quite prevalent among the general population of BiH. The idea about making a documentary about the Evangelical church in Bosnia came from a brother here in Sarajevo who owns a production studio, and creates children's TV shows and mine awareness videos. He has a desire to spend part of his time creating Christian videos to help the church in BiH. We both agreed that the church has a real need for a public relations video, and so we have embarked on this project. So far I have met some really knowledgeable people who have given me some great material to think about and add to our documentary. We are hoping to finish this project before the end of 2007, and we have many opportunities from different television networks in BiH to air this documentary.

The Ground is Missing

2007-07-25T11:07:00.001+02:00

Even though it’s been over six years that we’ve lived in Bosnia-Herzegovina, we still find that certain cultural things catch us off guard. It was yet another really hot day in Sarajevo, and Stacy went down to the local electronics store to buy a fan for our apartment. She had already been to 4 or 5 shops earlier that day and everyone was sold out. In one store Stacy finally found a fan, however when she got in the very long line to purchase the fan, there was a lady at the front of the line who was causing quite a fuss concerning her own purchase. Noah was getting very impatient and Stacy couldn’t last any longer. Defeated, she put the fan back and went home.
Later that day, the idea came to go to a local shop where she thought she could find a fan. Victory! She went in and found exactly what she was looking for. She brought it to the cash register to pay for her treasure. When Stacy got up to the salesclerk, he started yelling at a co-worker to come to the the front of the store. Stacy was getting a little worried that she wasn’t going to be able to keep her fan, after all the bad luck she had had that day. The salesclerks were trying to explain to her that this fan comes from another country and that they were going to have to modify it a little. So they took the fan out of the box, grabbed the power cord, took the end, and with some pliers snipped off the grounding pin. Stacy with a blank stare and her jaw dropped asked if this fan was going to work (knowing that the return policy in Bosnia is horrible). They assured her that they’ve done this to many fans and no one has complained. Not sure what to do, Stacy gave them the money and brought her fan home. We assembled it and with some caution plugged it in. The fan seems to be working, but just in case we cleared the outlet of anything flammable.

Culture and Heat

2007-07-20T17:17:00.000+02:00

We’ve had some pretty hot days here in Sarajevo, and almost every day I get a good laugh when I’m in traffic. Some of you may know that some europeans, particularly the older generation are deathly afraid of a draft (any current of air flowing through a room or other space). Well the Bosnian culture as a whole, young and old are also afraid of drafts. So what this means is that winter or summer windows should not be opened, or if you have to you open one window, but definitely not a second for fear of a draft. You can imagine what it’s like on a full tram or bus, especially when some people have the habit of only taking a bath once a week.
Obviously in the summers you have to find some respite from the oppressive heat while driving... the solution: open your car door! Of course why didn’t I think of that? My mom always told me not to roll down the window in the car, but why not open the door? So at every stop light in Sarajevo during the summer you’ll see many people open their car doors to let some air into their cars before they start off again. But wait! The highlight for me at least once a day is seeing that one guy who’s driving with his car door open to get a breeze in his car. LOL!

2006-10-02T12:45:00.000+02:00

Welcome to our blog page. Our names are Travis and Stacy Sharpe, and our newborn son Noah. Currently we are volunteer Christian workers in Bosnia-Herzegovina and have been living here since February 2001. We work with OM and our main ministry is church planting in the capitol, Sarajevo. Our desire is to bring hope to the people of Bosnia-Herzegovina and to show the love of Christ to anyone willing to receive it. To find out more about our ministry and to see more pictures and videos please visit our website at: http://web.mac.com/tsharpe