It has taken me a while to write this blog, because conventionally, we didn’t do much “ministry” in Serbia. Since becoming Squad Leaders, our ministry has shifted more to the people on our squad. This was one of the things I had to pray about when deciding whether to accept the position of Squad Leader, because I came on the World Race to reach and love people around the world. God showed me that I can still do that, while also reaching and loving the people he put right in front of me, my squad.
We were blessed to spend time with two teams in Serbia – Relentless and Wildflowers. Relentless was in Novi Sad, partnered with Novi Sad Christian Fellowship, a very established Protestant church. During our time with them, we helped serve the homeless population by opening the church doors, offering a haircut and a warm meal, and simply engaging in conversation with them. My favorite part of this time was having 1:1s with girls from the team. I learned so much about them and what God was teaching them, and formed bonds of friendship that probably wouldn’t have been possible if I were not Squad Leader.
Elise, myself, Averi, Rhi, Marissa, and RJ on our adventure day in Budapest, Hungary.
We then headed to Nis to hang out with Wildflowers. They did not have a set ministry for the month, but were Unsung Heroes – tasked with finding new contacts for the World Race. We got to tag along with them as they cultivated relationships with locals and churches, and saw the way they poured into people they had just met. I think by the end of the month the entire city knew who they were. I also had the chance to spend intentional time with the girls of Wildflowers, and we shared hours of conversations and laughs.
We were part of a Rock-Pop Choir at Good News Church in Nis. It was so much fun!
Cassie, myself, and Katie with two girls they met in Nis – Jelena and Jovana.
RJ, myself, Britt, Cassie, Jen, Calli, Katie, and Rashelle
We ended the month in Belgrade for Debrief, where our whole squad comes together for reflection and rest time. We celebrated Passover and Easter as a squad, and I had more time to invest in my squadmates. One night, our squad mentor, Jeremy, challenged us to go out into the city, pray, and see where God led us. I paired up with Amy, and we were both a little nervous. I am not one to just go up to random strangers and start talking to them, but I wanted to follow God and also push myself out of my comfort zone, so we prayed and just started walking.
We ended up passing a guy who was digging in a trash can for food. We tried to talk to him, but he spoke no English. Amy felt like we should buy him some food, so we went to a convenience store and bought some snacks. However, by the time we returned, he had vanished. We walked around for a good thirty minutes looking for him, but we couldn’t find him anywhere. We were feeling slightly discouraged, because now we had a bag of food and no one to give it to. We walked around for 45 more minutes, and as we were about to give up and head home, we passed another man digging through the trash. Excitedly, we went up to him and asked if he spoke English – he said YES! His name was Zarco, and he was so thankful for the food. He asked where we were from, and we told him “America”. His face lit up, and he said that two other girls from America had given him food earlier that day! He said he has lived in Belgrade for 30 years, and no one has ever given him food, and on the same day – 4 girls from America gave him food! We told him it was an example of how much God loved him, that he would send us all the way to Serbia to bless him with food. We prayed with him, and he gave us big hugs before we left. This was a simple encounter, but it shows how much God cares about every single one of his children. Amy and I were disappointed that we couldn’t find the first guy we encountered, but then we would never have met Zarco.
Serbia gave me a taste of what life will be like after the Race. I won’t have set ministry and I will have other distractions that fill my time. However, I can still invest in the people around me, and be on the lookout for people that I can bless. A bag of food and ten minutes of our time may not seem like much, but that could have planted a seed in Zarco that ultimately leads him to relationship with God. And even if it doesn’t, for ten minutes of his day, he was seen and acknowledged as a human being who deserves kindness and love.
Love it! Thanks for sharing Kayla –