Ciao! (Yes, they use this not only in Italy but in the Balkan's too!)
Wow, just 2 days left in Sarajevo. We leave this Sunday morning for Markarska, a beach town in Croatia. Unfortunately, the bus takes 6 hours to arrive in Markarska with many stops along the way to either pick people up in small mountain towns or to drop them off, or to stop at a little cafe for a coffee break. This will definitely be interesting, especially because the weather is scorching hot and you can imagine how wonderful the non-AC bus will smell when we arrive :)
The past two weeks have been wonderfully exhausting. We have celebrated Kelly's birthday, have traveled to a beautiful park in Sarajevo, Vrlo Bosna, and have walked many miles all over the city to see our new friends. I have had some awesome conversations about the Lord with both my new friends from Bosnia and my friends that are on my team. I know that I will be leaving here with many seeds planted and I will continue to pray that there will be fruit from the work my team and I have done. Fortunately, we have seen some visibal work done in the city in that we helped repair benches and beautify one of the parks here in Sarajevo. A couple reporters came to the park and interviewed our project director, so hopefully we will see some more name recognition with Svaki Student in the months to come!
I know that I will be processing my time here over the rest of this summer, as I have definitely learned much about myself and God! I have grown so much in my relationship with our Lord and am excited to see what he is going to reveal to me over the next few months about where He wants me to go after I graduate UF. Please pray for safe travels with our team in the coming week and that the seeds that our team planted here will multiply into a larger body of Christ here in Sarajevo!
Ciao, Ciao!
With Love,
Megan
p.s. Happy Father's Day to all you Dads!
"And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose." - Romans 8:28
Friday, June 19, 2009
Wednesday, May 27, 2009
Another Update!
Hi Everyone!
I hope you're all doing well! I am sitting at "Om Cafe" in Sarajevo, using my friend's computer to update you. This is the one cafe in Sarajevo (out of about 300) that looks like a Starbucks- go figure that the American's would flock to it :) Anyways, I truly cannot thank you enough for all the prayers, emails, and fb messages from you all. God has definitely been answering prayers and it has been so amazing and encouraging to see Him working in my life and in the lives of the Bosnian's that I have met!
We have had great success in the Leadership Seminar, the Relationship Seminar, and our two Svaki Students meetings. I have enjoyed meeting the students and I am excited for our weekend as we are able to bring some of them with us when we go rafting! Apparently the Neretva River is a very easy river to go down which will allow for plenty of time to look out onto the beautiful scenery in Mostar, Bosnia. Also, we are going to the Tunnel Museum on Friday to learn more about the history of this beautiful, yet war-torn country. These two events will be so fun, as we can bring students along with us and we can get outside of the city!
I realize that I haven't told you much about where I am actually living. I am living on the top floor of a building on Strosmajerova (which is a street that is literally in the "center" of town, right next to 2 Cathedrals that play their bells every 15 minutes- and play for about 5 minutes at 6:45am, meaning that I am learning how to awake early in the morning). I walk up 84 stairs to get to my apartment, of which I share with 4 other girls (we share 1 bathroom and each share a bed). The past 2 weeks have been great in that I have been able to really get to know the girls on my team, and it has made me very thankful for my own room at home :) Each day we have a meeting in the morning, either a language class or a team meeting and then we spend the day on campus handing out flyers for our upcoming events, or just meeting students and going to coffee with them!
Going to coffee is a Bosnian's favorite pastime, as it is a part of their culture to go sit at a cafe for 2 to 3 hours a day (Their lifestyle is very similar to the lifestyle explained in Acts 17 when Paul was in Athens and speaks to the scholars who lived there and spent their time talking about about and listening to the newest ideas of the day). It was hard adjusting to this lifestyle at first because I am accustomed to American lifestyle of go, go, go! But, it has been good for me and for our team to A) get to know the students and B) get to grow in our walk with the Lord! I have learned so much about this country and its people in the past two weeks and have greatly enjoyed the opportunity to grow in my faith and trust in the Lord. God has been showing me many things about myself since being here and I am excited to see what else He has in store for me.
Certain things have been a struggle for me and our team living here, including even getting to the internet to write to you! But, we have gotten accustomed to living in Sarajevo. We just know that there will be constant inconveniences but that through our recognition of things that we often take for granted living in the U.S. we see that living here for 6 weeks really is not bad at all! It has been great getting to know all the team members and I think we are all really enjoying our time here. In Romans 5 Paul talks about struggles and perseverence. He says ˝And we rejoice in the hope of the glory of God. Not only so, but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perserverence; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us.˝
I hope you are all better informed about my trip and please know that though I cannot update this blog often, I am thinking about you! Please continue to keep me in your prayers!
With love,
Megan
p.s. CONGRATS to my Sis for her awesome speech on Tuesday night and good luck in graduation on Friday! I miss you and all the family that is in town, know that I LOVE YOU all!!
I hope you're all doing well! I am sitting at "Om Cafe" in Sarajevo, using my friend's computer to update you. This is the one cafe in Sarajevo (out of about 300) that looks like a Starbucks- go figure that the American's would flock to it :) Anyways, I truly cannot thank you enough for all the prayers, emails, and fb messages from you all. God has definitely been answering prayers and it has been so amazing and encouraging to see Him working in my life and in the lives of the Bosnian's that I have met!
We have had great success in the Leadership Seminar, the Relationship Seminar, and our two Svaki Students meetings. I have enjoyed meeting the students and I am excited for our weekend as we are able to bring some of them with us when we go rafting! Apparently the Neretva River is a very easy river to go down which will allow for plenty of time to look out onto the beautiful scenery in Mostar, Bosnia. Also, we are going to the Tunnel Museum on Friday to learn more about the history of this beautiful, yet war-torn country. These two events will be so fun, as we can bring students along with us and we can get outside of the city!
I realize that I haven't told you much about where I am actually living. I am living on the top floor of a building on Strosmajerova (which is a street that is literally in the "center" of town, right next to 2 Cathedrals that play their bells every 15 minutes- and play for about 5 minutes at 6:45am, meaning that I am learning how to awake early in the morning). I walk up 84 stairs to get to my apartment, of which I share with 4 other girls (we share 1 bathroom and each share a bed). The past 2 weeks have been great in that I have been able to really get to know the girls on my team, and it has made me very thankful for my own room at home :) Each day we have a meeting in the morning, either a language class or a team meeting and then we spend the day on campus handing out flyers for our upcoming events, or just meeting students and going to coffee with them!
Going to coffee is a Bosnian's favorite pastime, as it is a part of their culture to go sit at a cafe for 2 to 3 hours a day (Their lifestyle is very similar to the lifestyle explained in Acts 17 when Paul was in Athens and speaks to the scholars who lived there and spent their time talking about about and listening to the newest ideas of the day). It was hard adjusting to this lifestyle at first because I am accustomed to American lifestyle of go, go, go! But, it has been good for me and for our team to A) get to know the students and B) get to grow in our walk with the Lord! I have learned so much about this country and its people in the past two weeks and have greatly enjoyed the opportunity to grow in my faith and trust in the Lord. God has been showing me many things about myself since being here and I am excited to see what else He has in store for me.
Certain things have been a struggle for me and our team living here, including even getting to the internet to write to you! But, we have gotten accustomed to living in Sarajevo. We just know that there will be constant inconveniences but that through our recognition of things that we often take for granted living in the U.S. we see that living here for 6 weeks really is not bad at all! It has been great getting to know all the team members and I think we are all really enjoying our time here. In Romans 5 Paul talks about struggles and perseverence. He says ˝And we rejoice in the hope of the glory of God. Not only so, but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perserverence; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us.˝
I hope you are all better informed about my trip and please know that though I cannot update this blog often, I am thinking about you! Please continue to keep me in your prayers!
With love,
Megan
p.s. CONGRATS to my Sis for her awesome speech on Tuesday night and good luck in graduation on Friday! I miss you and all the family that is in town, know that I LOVE YOU all!!
Sunday, May 17, 2009
First few days in Bosnia!
Hi Family and Friends!
I have safely arrived in Bosnia, after a long day of travel, and have gotten settled in my new home; It is definitely different than the American standard of living BUT it is still enjoyable. I do not know where to begin in telling you all that I have learned from my week of briefing in Atlanta then its conclusion in Bosnia. Our team has learned so much about this beautiful country and its people. I have been in constant thanksgiving for the family that I have been born into and that I live in a country that has not faced the difficulties that Bosnia has faced over their many years of war.
On Saturday we went through out the city in gorups of 2 or 3 simply trying to find students our age to show us around the town. Sarajevo is split up into two parts, the old part of town, which is of Turkish influence, and the new part of town, which is of Austro-Hungarian influence. We live right in the center of town in the Austro-Hungarian part. My partner, Julie, and I met up with two girls our age (who are studying economics at the University of Sarajevo) and ended up spending the entire day with them. It was a beautiful day and I was very happy to meet the girls so that I could practice my Bosnian and begin forming relations with people that live in the city. We talked about everything from fashion and family to our beliefs in God, which led us to one of the 250 mosques in town. It was the first mosque that I have ever been inside and it was beautiful. I will share my pictures when I get a chance to load them. Just to put it into perspective, about 90% of people are Muslim in this country that has 4.5 million people living in it, of which only about 700 people are Christians.
Tomorrow we will start going on Campus to meet students by flyering for a Leadership seminar that we are having on Tuesday evening. Our team is here in Bosnia helping out with their Campus Crusade at the University of Sarajevo, which is called Svaki Student, meaning "every student" in Bosnian. Over the past 9 years of its existence, they have seen 15 people come to Christ. I am excited that the Lord has brought me here to work with these students and am so thankful to have this chance to visit this beautiful country. The people are very open about their lives compared to people in the States and it had been a great experience thus far.
Please continue to pray for our team. Pray for our health, for our safety, for our energy, for our relationship as a team and for the relationships that we are forming with the students at the university. Specifically pray for me that I may find some food that I can eat, as I am allergic to most of the food that they eat here! I hope that you are all doing well and know that you are in my prayers as well. I miss all of you dearly and I cannot wait to see you when I return (or when you get back from your travels)!
With Love,
Megan
I have safely arrived in Bosnia, after a long day of travel, and have gotten settled in my new home; It is definitely different than the American standard of living BUT it is still enjoyable. I do not know where to begin in telling you all that I have learned from my week of briefing in Atlanta then its conclusion in Bosnia. Our team has learned so much about this beautiful country and its people. I have been in constant thanksgiving for the family that I have been born into and that I live in a country that has not faced the difficulties that Bosnia has faced over their many years of war.
On Saturday we went through out the city in gorups of 2 or 3 simply trying to find students our age to show us around the town. Sarajevo is split up into two parts, the old part of town, which is of Turkish influence, and the new part of town, which is of Austro-Hungarian influence. We live right in the center of town in the Austro-Hungarian part. My partner, Julie, and I met up with two girls our age (who are studying economics at the University of Sarajevo) and ended up spending the entire day with them. It was a beautiful day and I was very happy to meet the girls so that I could practice my Bosnian and begin forming relations with people that live in the city. We talked about everything from fashion and family to our beliefs in God, which led us to one of the 250 mosques in town. It was the first mosque that I have ever been inside and it was beautiful. I will share my pictures when I get a chance to load them. Just to put it into perspective, about 90% of people are Muslim in this country that has 4.5 million people living in it, of which only about 700 people are Christians.
Tomorrow we will start going on Campus to meet students by flyering for a Leadership seminar that we are having on Tuesday evening. Our team is here in Bosnia helping out with their Campus Crusade at the University of Sarajevo, which is called Svaki Student, meaning "every student" in Bosnian. Over the past 9 years of its existence, they have seen 15 people come to Christ. I am excited that the Lord has brought me here to work with these students and am so thankful to have this chance to visit this beautiful country. The people are very open about their lives compared to people in the States and it had been a great experience thus far.
Please continue to pray for our team. Pray for our health, for our safety, for our energy, for our relationship as a team and for the relationships that we are forming with the students at the university. Specifically pray for me that I may find some food that I can eat, as I am allergic to most of the food that they eat here! I hope that you are all doing well and know that you are in my prayers as well. I miss all of you dearly and I cannot wait to see you when I return (or when you get back from your travels)!
With Love,
Megan
Wednesday, April 29, 2009
Welcome!
Welcome Family and Friends!
I will hopefully be able to write to you weekly while I am on my summer project in Bosnia. I am gearing up to leave and cannot wait to see what God has in store for me during my six week stay in Sarajevo. Thank you to all who are praying for me and to all who financially supported me, without you I would not be going on this trip to serve our Lord!
Raising support has been the most wonderful journey for me. It was absolutely amazing to see that God's kingdom is so much larger than we think. God really showed me to trust in him, as Paul states in Philippians 4: 19 "And my God will meet all your needs according to his glorious riches in Christ Jesus." And meet them he did! He showed me the unity in His glorious kingdom- the oneness of the body that Paul speaks about in Ephesians 4- and taught me humility through this process. Though it was hard at times to fully trust that God was going to provide, it was so good to find His strength amidst my weakness.
I am so encouraged by each one of you. I cannot thank each of you enough for the emotional support that you have given me through emails, letters, messages, etc. I hope you are all doing well and I look forward to updating you when I arrive in Bosnia!
With love,
Megan
"The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me." -Galatians 2:20 (NIV)
I will hopefully be able to write to you weekly while I am on my summer project in Bosnia. I am gearing up to leave and cannot wait to see what God has in store for me during my six week stay in Sarajevo. Thank you to all who are praying for me and to all who financially supported me, without you I would not be going on this trip to serve our Lord!
Raising support has been the most wonderful journey for me. It was absolutely amazing to see that God's kingdom is so much larger than we think. God really showed me to trust in him, as Paul states in Philippians 4: 19 "And my God will meet all your needs according to his glorious riches in Christ Jesus." And meet them he did! He showed me the unity in His glorious kingdom- the oneness of the body that Paul speaks about in Ephesians 4- and taught me humility through this process. Though it was hard at times to fully trust that God was going to provide, it was so good to find His strength amidst my weakness.
I am so encouraged by each one of you. I cannot thank each of you enough for the emotional support that you have given me through emails, letters, messages, etc. I hope you are all doing well and I look forward to updating you when I arrive in Bosnia!
With love,
Megan
"The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me." -Galatians 2:20 (NIV)
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