Team Bosnia- Day 1

We are in Sarajevo and doing well! We have had limited time and wireless access up until now, so I apologize if any of you have been checking for info and not found it.

Our first day went really well. Flights were all on time and with a minimal amount of turbulence. One highlight was seeing Novak Djok0vic (the world’s number one tennis player and a Serbian) at the Munich airport. He’s much shorter than I expected.

Yesterday afternoon, we had an orientation at the Center, Izvor. It was great to be back in this room where we had done a kids club 14 months ago. In some ways, it feels like no time has gone by at all. After this, we had some time to tour downtown and the old city. During this time, we glimpsed Penelope Cruz, who is shooting a movie in Sarajevo. She is also shorter than I expected.

Our evening was a real highlight. We got to sit in on a 100-year celebration of Miss Irby, believed to be the first Christian worker to come to Bosnia. They have a street here named after her, and memory of her was fading into extinction until one of her great grand nephews came to Bosnia and found a street with his last name on it. When he explored further, he found a rich history of his relative who had started schools, educated women, and transformed the spiritual landscape of the city in the late 1800’s. The local church of Sarajevo put on this celebration in a theater at a brand new shopping mall. Dignitaries from across the city, including the British Ambassador, came to honor the work of Miss Irby. It was a powerful opportunity for the local church to talk about the transforming power of faith in Christ and the true meaning of the Bible. Pray for continued impact of this event! (I must also confess that as we battled jet-lag, various team members nodded off from time to time. We hope the locals didn't notice too much!)

Today, we are preparing to “split” our team as the guys head into the mountains for a Men’s Retreat with a local church and the gals stay in Sarajevo for an event tomorrow night with the ladies. Pray for good opportunities to bless and encourage the believers here. I hope to update you from the mountains tomorrow, but we’ll see!

Thanks for praying and journeying with us. God is at work!

Nick