So many things have happened in the last few weeks. Lots of lessons, blessings, but more than anything: God's grace and beauty overflowing around us. Here are a few of my favorite moments:
School started. With the new semester at the Bible College, there are so many new students, and new faces. And yet, two of them stick out to me. Danijela, who is a Bosnian Serb, and Dunja, a Croat girl. They met here, on the first day of school. Amidst of all the 100 people on campus, again and again, I see them together. Sharing, talking, walking, sipping coffee. If you followed the news in the last 15 or so years, you know how cool this is.
There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus. (Galatians 3:28, The Bible)
I love how living and powerful God's word is :)
Last week-end we were blessed to go to Celje, Slovenia. We took our friend Erin there, (who has been interning here) as she is getting married to our other friend, Justin - who has been a missionary/pastor there for 10 years. Other than the sweet fellowship with them, we were so blessed to see the church there, and to see a part of what used to be our country growing up. It is, of course, so different now, and we did feel like foreigners and tourists. Which is what, in all reality, we were.
Slovenia is beautiful, and as we drove back to Hungary, we agreed that we will be back (and not just for Justin and Erin's wedding in three weeks)!
I was planning on ironing tonight. I hate ironing. Thankfully, God had a much better plan. Our good friends, Phil and Joy invited us out for a double date (double trouble, some may call it). Oh, what a sweet time it was! We drove to Székesfehérvár (try pronouncing that! - if you're not Hungarian), had dinner, and then went grocery shopping in a BIG store. (Grocery shopping can be a lot of fun when you live in Vajta, a village of 600 people and three tiny grocery stores, and a 40 minute drive from the closest bigger grocery store.) And it was fun! Great fellowship, sweet times of sharing, lots of laughter!
All I can say is: I love God, and I love His surprises! He does more than I could ever think up or plan, and in all the things He plans for me, His love is written all over. His personal touch of knowing just what it is that would encourage me that day is so unique. I always know it was Him who surprised me. Who ever said that being a Christian was boring?
It is the diary of a Bosnian Serb journalist, who had lived in Pale (15 km outside of Sarajevo) and worked at the Sarajevo television station before the war broke out. He refused to cooperate with the new Serbian authorities that took over Pale and shelled the city below them, and was marginalized and had to flee. However, he kept a diary during the first three months of the war, which was a fascinating read for me during the last few weeks.
