Finally I am posting something about our outreach to Serbia! We are leaving in just three days but its never too late to post some pictures highlighting our time here. We have been amazed by the beauty of this country and the openness and friendliness of the people. We have met so many wonderful people and have enjoyed sharing our lives and faith with them and pray that the Lord will grow the seeds that have been planted in their hearts and that they will spring up to eternal life in Jesus. We have served in three different locations here in Serbia and also took a short trip to Bosnia to visit and pray at war memorials in Sarajevo and Srebrenica. Our trip has been full of challenges and blessings and as our outreach comes to a close I realize that the work has only begun and that so much more will come from our time here, not only in the lives of the people here but also in our hearts and lives as God has stretched and grown our team in many ways.
Personally God has shown me so much about humility, brokenness and the radical power of what Jesus chose to do in going to the cross. This world is so broken and fragmented, each person choosing what side he will be on and what he will fight for. In this area of the world, where for centuries there has been a cycle of killing and oppression, the only way out is through the humility and brokenness of the Cross. When the Jews were waiting for the Messiah to come they had hoped he would come with a sword to bring vindication for the Jews who were suffering under the oppression of the Roman Empire. But instead he came humbly as a suffering servant and telling us to love our enemies. He had every right to destroy His enemies but he choose to love them, to give his life for them, to forgive them- it is His broken body that brings real peace to the nations. His example is the only way to healing and new life...
Our prayer here in Serbia is that the real Jesus would be seen clearly. Not the Jesus that is associated with the killing of Muslims in Bosnia or the Jesus of an irrelevant and ancient faith of the past, but Jesus the Lamb that was slain for the salvation of the world. The humble, suffering and serving King who died to make peace between us and the Father and us and one another. Jesus prayed that we would be one even as He and the Father are one. It is still his heart. He died for this and I pray that this will become reality in our lives and in Serbia and the surrounding Balkan nations. May His healing come to the nations and to our hearts as we walk in His steps. God give us grace and mercy to make this a reality in our lives.
May we all see the real Jesus and see how He is the way to peace for every nation and every life.
1 comment:
Thanks for sharing, Leah, I was really moved.
Post a Comment