Today was an amazing day!! We started the day worshiping and celebrating Easter at the Serbian service. Faith was asked during the service to introduce our team and the health seminar we are holding here in Leskovac on Tuesday. It was so humbling to look into the crowd and see the appreciation and thankfulness from the Serbian people. After the service, our team was greeted with many hugs, kisses and kind words. It was so very apparent that these people have the love and joy of Jesus. I couldn't have felt more honored as I was today to be among the Serbian people.
After the first service, Bilja prepared an amazing meal for us. In true Serbian fashion, she served us and didn't sit and eat. Our team has been so blessed by the hospitality we have been shown throughout our stay here.
After lunch we were privileged to attend two Roma services that are held in the Leskovac church. The Roma people have long been marginalized in society, but the Serbian pastor Bata and his wife Sladjana have a true heart for the Roma people. Because of this love, the number of Romas who are coming to Christ and attending church are steadily growing.
The two Roma services were very powerful. I wish I could bottle up for you a sample of worshiping with the Roma people. Their worship of God is so genuine and deep. None of my words can do it justice. The power and the presence of the Holy Spirit was so apparent.
In addition to the worship, Bata gave a powerful message from the viewpoint of the donkey that Jesus rode into Jerusalem on Palm Sunday. Bata shared that this donkey was alone, useless, abandoned and tied to a post. The donkey needed to be released but he was bound. Just like the donkey, we can feel bound by sin, and feel alone, abandoned and useless. We can chose to stay in this bondage or we can ask Jesus to untie us from our sin and use us. Jesus needs us and when we are used by Christ, we become something beautiful.
After the service we were approached by one of the Roma men. He asked our interpreter to speak some words that God has placed on his heart for our team. He spoke of God's blessings and he said he could feel God's presence in us. They were such encouraging and affirming words. We were also again greeted by many smiles, embraces, and kisses from the Roma people.
My words can never fully express all that our team experienced today but in a nutshell, God's word and love transcends all cultures, languages, socioeconomic status, gender, etc. His love binds.
The Roma and Serbian people talk about how much they appreciate and are humbled that us Americans have come to teach them, but the crazy thing is, we feel equally if not more humbled. They have taught us in their worship and in their love and hospitality how to be true servants of God.
In God's Hands,
Darla for the Team
