Bosnia

On Thursday evening my team departed Vienna on a bus for a 14 hour trip to Bosnia. The reasons we went to Bosnia were;

• We needed to leave the EU to renew our next 90 day tourist visa term.
• To check out the OM team there and see what their ministry looked like.
• To explore and discover all of the rich history and current on-goings in Sarajevo, Bosnia.

It was really delightful to be in a culture that was so much warmer in comparison to Austria. Everyone, for the most part, that we came in contact with was so friendly and open. We immediately made friends on the bus and it was so encouraging to see people chatting with one another without having known them before. This is a stark contrast to Vienna where the underground subway and trains are always very silent. We arrived in Bosnia exhausted and sleepless, but ready to see what God had for us there.
Some highlights were:

• Some of us went to an evangelistic outreach where we BBQed and chatted with folks on the street. I've never in my life seen so much meat!
• Going to a "Tunel Museum" to learn more about the war that only 13 years ago ended without any closure at all. We witnessed the tunnels that the Bosnian troops and civilians went through to find refuge and retrieve supplys.
• Shopping around in the "old city" part of Sarajevo. The American dollar is better than their "Mark" and the Euro even twice as good. It was nice to find such neat hand made things for very cheap.
• Attending a Bosnian church service. The worship moved me immensely as these people truly came before their Savior and King. All of the pastors of the evangelical churches in Bosnia have been a Christian for under 10 years!

Another 14 hour bus ride and we found ourselves back in Austria. This weekend was so timely for all of us on the team. We enjoyed our time in Bosnia and each of us fell in love with the people and the country. Please pray for the people of this country as many do not know Jesus. There is still a lot of conflict going on and many believe the war could start again at any moment. There isn't peace, there's just a lack of violence. Here are some pictures from my time there.