FIVE GOLDEN RINGS

We're counting down the 12 days of Christmas. Today is the day we are celebrating "five golden rings," the gift of the Pentateuch, the first five books of the Bible written by Moses, the Torah. We're well on our way to the two turtle doves, the gifts of the Old and New Testaments and, finally, on Christmas Day, the Partridge in a Pear Tree, the ultimate gift, a Savior, born to give His life for us nailed to a tree. Despite Relient K's clever and catchy rendition of this favorite Christmas Carol, this traditional song is rich with meaning intended to teach young children about the whole of the Christian Faith.

It gives me pause to think of the many inventive ways we create to bring the essence of Christianity and Christ alive to our toddlers and tykes, through song, or selflessness, outpourings of generousity, Christ-like expressions of good cheer and service. And, lest we forget Saint Nick, the greatest metaphor for selfless giving of undeserved, unmerited gifts. Grace personified in childlike fantasy, complete with flying reindeer. A man who can circumvent the globe in a single night with the same love for all, yet no one has ever been able to see him. Still with a child's innocence, there exists an undeniable belief he exists.

I recall the day we explained the Santa metaphor to our own son. There were no tears. There was no disappointment. He was humbled, however. To know that his parents loved him enough to carry on this charade until he would be able to grasp the full meaning of the metaphor. To fully comprehend this holiday was and has always been completely about Jesus, His gifts to us. Giving gifts and receiving them took on a whole new meaning from that point on.

I'm reminded of this as each year we try to remember others abroad. Like "Santa" and his flying reindeer can circumvent the world in one single night giving, graciously, freely, lovingly as God so loved the world, He gave us his son. There are organizations like Samaritan's Purse, Heifer, Int'l, World Vision and local charities through which gifts can be given in someone's honor. The emphasis no longer on receiving, but on giving as God gave.

Today I received word from our friends in Bosnia, Mick and Ali Holstead, who run the youth center, Novi Most (new bridge)http://www.theholsteads.org/, in Capljina. I was encouraged to hear the news that Capljina, too, is involved with Samaritan's purse and gathered 3000 boxes to be delivered! The outreach in Capljina has obviously soared to great heights. More extraordinary to me is they actually helped deliver them! Our shoeboxes travel across the world. Those at Novi Most have the benefit of being able to see the fruit of their labor manifest in the faces of the children who will receive these selfless gifts.

Throughout the update, I read another youth has come to Christ. Praise God! And, the center, as well as the church, continues to experience favorable reception. One more for the kingdom as we celebrate the gift of "five golden rings." Just in time for Christmas. And to think Moses was quite sure God had chosen the wrong man for the job. Let us all be grateful for the "five golden rings" this day, and perhaps, even tongue tied, we might share our faith with someone or give of ourselves this Christmas expecting nothing in return but to show the love of a Savior.

"Now go; I will help you speak and will teach you what to say.”

Exodus 4:12

Merry Christmas,
Kathy

TEARS FROM HEAVEN

It's raining in Atlanta today. It's raining in Capljina as well. I used to love the rain, especially walking in the summer showers on the beach in Florida. Hurricane Andrew changed that. An unwelcome drenching on the outside only served as a reminder of how helpless I felt on the inside. Much the way I feel now.

There are hundreds of reasons it is raining on twos sides of the world today, Georgia and Bosnia. Our climates are similar, seasons a mirror of each other. Still, the dreary, damp and darkness once again paints a bleak, but relevant, picture capturing the essence of hearts broken globally over the loss of a sister, our "Sestra" in Christ, Marica Vega, who went to be with the Lord last night.

I choose to believe the droplets falling from the Heavens, though reminders of our sadness and loss, are the tears wept by Jesus at His great gain - a reunion with his precious, humble servant and most obedient, loving daughter. The disciple, John, could not mention his own name and Jesus' in the same sentence referring to himself only as "the one Jesus loves." It is true of us all. I can picture in my mind's eye as Jesus opens wide His wings, while Marica is now able to run, in her crocks, to Jehovah Rapha who has healed her, the one Jesus loves, of all afflictions and envelopes her now with the warmest embrace. Their tears are different, however. They are tears of joy! Marica is with Our Savior. She has all we could ever want for her. And, still we, and especially her dear husband Andrija, are left wanting . . . for us. More time, with someone dearly loved who gave without exception, who lived as Christ asked, who leaves behind a legacy, a life, we want to emulate. There is never enough time to spend with one such as this, only time to be grateful for the privilege to have known her and apply to our lives the lessons and images she left emblazzened on our hearts.

The Bible says:

1 There is a time for everything,
and a season for every activity under heaven:
2 a time to be born and a time to die,
a time to plant and a time to uproot,

3 a time to kill and a time to heal,
a time to tear down and a time to build,

4 a time to weep and a time to laugh,
a time to mourn and a time to dance,

5 a time to scatter stones and a time to gather them,
a time to embrace and a time to refrain,

6 a time to search and a time to give up,
a time to keep and a time to throw away,

7 a time to tear and a time to mend,
a time to be silent and a time to speak,

8 a time to love and a time to hate,
a time for war and a time for peace.

Ecc 3:1-8

Marica has lived through it all. Nothing broke her spirit, and God fulfilled his promise. His love endures forever, through it all. So, let us weep and let us mourn for “Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.” (Mt 5:4), but let us not forget to laugh and dance. Rejoice! Our sestra is in the arms of our Lord Jesus Christ, and I'm quite sure she is smiling her incredible smile with the light beaming down on her face, praising and laughing and dancing with us. She will never leave us. She is a part of us. It rains today, but tomorrow there will be sunshine, and I will think of the light emanating from Marica's face.

Goodbye for now, my sweet Sestra!
Volim te,
Kathy

SURRENDER

It has been a few weeks since I posted. How time seems to stand still following reentry from the mountaintop experience of a mission trip, only to find it hasn’t stopped at all. Time has moved rapidly, while we are the ones still in His presence processing all we have seen and experienced. We are moved beyond words. While there exists a flutter of activity around us, all we hear is the flutter of the southbound birds soaring in the thousands overhead reminding us of the swirl of new movement churning deep within us, beckoning us to process all we experienced and apply it in some meaningful way. But how?

My husband and I struggle with these emotions each time we return from a trip. What does it all mean? Life? Missions? Service? Our Purpose? God’s Will? Where are we going? Where have we been? Why? Ultimately it boils down to one issue – Surrender! Not a complicated word at all to define or understand, yet the application of it seems almost unattainable at times. No sooner do I believe I have surrendered my life, or even a day, an agenda, than I find I have stolen it back.

Still the more we travel abroad, the more we learn about the freedom there is in surrender. It seems counterintuitive. At first, it feels incredibly vulnerable, naked, to be completely barren of all control, hoping and trusting in that which we do not see. Yet, isn’t that what faith is all about? Swinging from the proverbial cliff knowing God has the other end of the rope in his hand. There were glimpses of these moments, where we felt this feeling of utter surrender.

I believe John felt it standing on top of the fortressed walls of Dubrovnik, 1000’s of years old. On the one side, overlooking the Adriatic Sea in all of its beauty, while on the other side, marveling at the age old city ravaged by wars and rebuilt, surrendered and survived. I believe Leland felt it, as he stood atop Capljina, and saw our sister city through the eyes of our dear friend, and Associate Pastor, Predrag as they gazed out upon the Evangelical Church. The church, once dedicated to our Lord despite the vandals and naysayers, now stands pristine, pure and accepted along the banks of the Neretva, God’s house.

Most of all, we see this surrender modeled every day, in every way, in the Christian followers of our partner church. Their humble worship and simple faith is a testament to lives surrendered to Christ Jesus, come what may. They have seen the worst of humanity and still they come, with the greatest, purest, most authentic, submissive faith we have ever witnessed.



“Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done, on Earth as it is in Heaven!” This is what we see. This is what we saw. How do we bring it here, into our daily lives, into our communities, into our churches and relationships, with reckless abandon and total . . . surrender?!

"Surrender to God! Resist the devil, and he will run from you. Come near to God, and he will come near to you. Clean up your lives, you sinners. Purify your hearts, you people who can't make up your mind."

James 4:7-8 (CEV)

In His Service,
Kathy

http://www.evangelica.ba/en/index.php

TRANSFORMATION

I have a favorite quote from one of my dear friends. I latched onto it, as I do many of her spoken insights as she thinks aloud. We were talking of transformation, when she thoughtfully said, "I think we all want transformation, it's change we don't like!" We all reveled in the truth of her statement. Transformation, true body, mind, spirit overhauling would be fantastic if not for the hardwork involved with the changes required to achieve it. The more work to do the longer it may take, the greater the dedication, commitment and obedience. Oh, the surrender. Are we ever done tweaking and growing, learning and adjusting. Even when we are "grown," we find ourselves still in need of a Savior, every day, in every way.

If I had to sum up our trip to Capljina this month in one word, I would call it "Transformation!" Not that the city has arrived at its ultimate destination of growth, mended fences and hearts, minds and spirits turning towards Christ in vast volumes. No, not yet. However, when considering where the Evangelical Church was 10 years ago and where it is now - Where it was just a year and a half ago, 6 months ago, compared to what I saw two weeks ago, there is a transformation beginning. Something amazing is happening, and I can only attribute it to the profound presence of our mighty and sovereign God in this city. A city that Pastor Bernard, and Mara and Stana before him, vowed not to give up on. A city that the church, the missionaries at Novi Most and both their benefactors, including NPCC and you, our supporters, opted to pour into out of your love for Christ Jesus. In this city, the needle is moving toward positive change, towards loving others, towards rebuilding and taking pride in their city - rightfully showing gratitude for even what little they have.

Last year, the people walking the streets strolled aimlessly with little lift in their step. There was no place to go, the jobs virtually non-existent, all factories still bombed out from the war over a decade ago. Hardly recognizeable, two weeks ago, there was traffic! People and cars, a hum of activity, government jobs kept trucks moving dirt and vegetation cleaning up the banks of the Neretva River, 24/7, causing a traffic jam. Those on foot were many! They greeted us as we walked by. There were smiles, a warmth, an acceptance. We struck up conversation with perfect strangers, unprecedented. We felt not even a little uneasy about inviting them to church, and gracious acceptances were returned. Seeds planted. A small city which uses the "honor system" at 4 way stops is now installing roundabouts to control the increasing flow of traffic. Personally, I have prayed after each trip that the youth might have a movie theater to go to, some fun entertainment place more appealing than the bombed out tobacco factory, a snare for alcohol and drug abusers. To my delight, as we prayer walked the city, we passed the war memorial and came across the new cinema!! Still a work in progress, but there nonetheless, a towering presence of tides changing. And, on the graffiti clad walls of the tobacco factory? There are now postive expressions of love and pride in their city. Perhaps on our next trip, the factory will be in a state of rebuilding as industry, other than the government run variety, moves back to our sister city.

The most stark change was the disappearance of the bombed out building next to the Evangelical Church. The juxtaposition of the former fall of a nation next to the rise of the Evangelical Church captured what was once a dream, a prayer to our Lord and Savior. Now, to see the prayer being answered speaks to the sovereignty of our God. Indeed, through Him, nothing is impossible. He is our strength, our fortress. He alone can tear the old walls down and make them anew. It IS hardwork, but it is a supernatural work, the work of a merciful Father who is defeating the Enemy and freeing a city, and perhaps a country, from the clutches of evil. There are still a lot of cobwebs on the crooked cross, but not for long. The Lord is near. Renewal, Restoration and Resurrection are sure to follow! Hallelujah!

"Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will." Romans 12:2

Humbly yours,
Kathy

"GIVE US TODAY OUR DAILY BREAD" MATTHEW 6:11

Last Friday, we had the amazing privilege to be in Capljina during the "Dan Kruha" or "Day of Bread." I've learned many countries celebrate this feast of bread and baking (see button in the side bar), often in coordination on October 16 and have for years. I'm not certain of the origin, but feel free to post if you can shed light on it. For us, it was a welcome first stop on our prayer walk. Most of the primary school children brought breads and pastries to the town square and sold their goods to benefit the disabled children we worked with on Wednesday evening.

It was incredibly festive as several of the schools represented donned themselves in native costume adding to the flavor of the festivities. Of course, we could not get rid of our kuna (the local currency) fast enough for either the delicous treats, the delightful smiles it brought to the children's faces or in knowing our new friends would be the benefactors. Sadly, there was a presence missing, however. As I read more about this day of celebration, from Israel to Germany and Argentina to Australia, in Capljina, the Muslim children were not allowed to participate. For as much progress as we experienced this trip, there is still so much work to be done on the heart. Our prayer walk continued . . .

We made our usual trek around the city. It is always a wonderful reminder of God's timing and presence. Invariably, He has answered at least one prayer, while other buildings prayed over for years remain in ruins. Our next stop, a former tobacco factory, is riddled with graffiti and continues to rob the teens of Capljina of their youth. It has become a haven for drugs and alcoholism, but this time, amidst the same names prayed over trip after trip, we found praise for the new mayor and expressions of love, while adolescents played soccer in the light of day between the hollowed out shells of what was once a thriving icon of economic prosperity. Tides changing?


Further down the road, we come to the Serbian Orthodox church, bombed out for almost 15 years - a reminder of war and destruction. Today, it is rebuilt, readying itself for opening day, while Pastor Bernard prepares to endear himself to the new priest as he has to the Imam and the Franciscan Priest. The Serbian people will have a place to worship. Another fence will come down, when the scaffolding is removed. Hallelujah!

We ended our day with the jewelry making outreach. This time our mission was different. We planned only to invite the unchurched, the unreached. Our hopes were high for a large turnout, but only one woman, Hermina, came. She was the mother of one of the disabled men from the center Wednesday night. BJ, Nancy and John loved on this family as if they were the only ones in the room, lavishing them with attention and the love of Christ.

Although a showing of one was at first disappointing, Hermina promised to return to the church. A lesson in God's timing, the strength of one, the power of love? Perhaps. I see it as Oswald Chambers stated in "My Utmost for His Highest," . . .

"One life totally devoted to God is of more value to Him than one hundred lives which have been simply awakened by His Spirit."

Friday was a powerful day full of lessons from God above. So much is happening in the city of Capljina, but so much is left to do. Jesus teaches us to pray "Give us today our Daily Bread" Matthew 6:11. This was never so real to me than last Friday, the "Dan Kruha". We petition for our future, but Christ gives us enough for today. One life leaning toward him, enough food to eat, another fence to tear down and the strength to do it, and one more group of people whose absence is felt and acknowledged, an emptiness, work still needed to be done. Give us our daily bread and the courage to act with the Divine strength it gives us, for today.

Be a Blessing,
Kathy

FITTING IN

The last three days have been a bit "puzzling." I wonder about a world, a broken world, with so many problems, so much pain, suffering, war and hatred. We travel miles, across the seas, because we feel called to a country torn by all these things, not the least of which is unforgiveness, and I rack my brain for reasons why we can't find a place on this big blue ball where we'll all fit in. Like a big jigsaw puzzle, we seem to be looking for the perfect piece with the right ins and outs save for one corner that slants sharply instead of gracefully curving. We try to force it, but it simply doesn't fit.

Wednesday night, we held our outreach for the disabled children of Capljina. We brought developmental toys, puzzles among them. I engaged a young girl, tentative to participate during round one, but decided to trust me during round two. Our fun lasted only a few minutes, as I taught her how to find the corners. When I relinquished the tasks to her, she began to cry in frustration. She couldn't find the missing piece which fit. Perhaps the puzzle mirrored her own feelings of the plight of the disabled children of Capljina - no school of their own, needing to be shuttled to Mostar for their education, in search of a place to fit in. As she walked away from the table, my heart broke. If only she knew how her actions captured such a profound reality about the human condition. How we all feel our inadequacies and place far too much of our identity in whether or not we accomplish tasks others call upon us to perform, instead of loving God and loving others as Christ has called us to do. She fits in more than she knows, as much as anyone.


Yesterday, we took a trip to the city of Dubrovnik, Croatia. What an incredible blessing to walk the walls of the fortressed city gazing out upon the Adriatic Sea to one side and hundreds of barrel tiled roof tops of various hues - yellow, oranges and reds - to the other side. The old city seemed to fit together as it's own puzzle, harmoniously from above. Yet, take the stairs down below and you can easily become lost in the chaos of only slightly differing tonal qualities. Like the most complicated jigsaw, you believe you have picked up the exact shade, and are headed in the right direction, but again, you are lost, not knowing where you fit in without the vantage point only seen from above.

Tonight, we gather at church with non-believing women from the community for a jewelry outreach. We will spend some of the day organizing baubles and beads and practicing making clasps for necklaces. Very few of us really know how to do this ourselves, so we are praying for some Divine Intervention! My clasps may not fit properly. I might get frustrated like my puzzle partner Wednesday night. I wish she could be here to see me - imperfect, not fitting in, flawed. There is one thing about a mission trip. It humbles you and teaches you, we are all the same, all over the world. None of us fit in perfectly.

My puzzle partner ran up to me at the end of our evening at the center and threw her arms around me saying, enthusiastically, "I like you!" in Croatian. My heart skipped a beat! She got the point after all. Life is not about fitting in perfectly. It is about spending time with each other, bearing one another's burdens and liking each other. Somehow, at the end of the day, it smooths out the sharp edges and smooths out the corners, until we all fit in well enough.

"Finally, all of you, live in harmony with one another; be sympathetic, love as brothers, be compassionate and humble." 1 Peter 3:8

Still in One Peace,
Kathy

LOVE

Last night, about 30 of us gathered at the Evangelical Church for a time of worship and praise, followed by prayer and a sharing of testimonies. Those with specific prayer needs, Pastor Bernard anointed with oil. A powerful presence felt by all left us emotionally drained, but spiritually awakened and, for many, restored to a sense of wholeness.

Although unable to join in Croatian song, the team managed to immerse in the essence of the Spirit which enveloped the room. Some things transcend language. While snow fell from Sarajevo to the mountains surrounding the city of Capljina, sending the brisk Bura (north winds) rushing through the streets, around every corner, seemingly without means for escape, inside the sanctuary, hearts were melting - afire for Jesus. Amidst the candlelit room of raised hands, not even the unprecedented early arrival of the Bura could penetrate these hearts and douse the fire raging within.

The passion, transparency and authenticity of the Bosnian people ignited the night. Many commented about how amazing it is to come together from across the oceans to worship the same God. For this, we gave thanks. Such a simple blessing. Such a small thing. It serves as a reminder of the truism in Mother Teresa's words. . . "We can do no great things; only small things with great love"

"I give you a new command: Love each other. You must love each other as I have loved you." John 13:34

in His Love,
Kathy