Last Days in Prokuplje

Hey friends! Sorry its been awhile since we updated last, but its been a very busy past few days! I have a lot to say so I'll just jump right in :)

Tuesday we relaxed a little in the morning, and in the afternoon we went on a visit to a family who lived about an hour away from Prokuiplje. This is a Roma family who lives in a very poor village. I was shocked when we drove into the village at seeing how poor it was. It was a very large family living in one house, yet they were so happy to see us! Because they live so far away and they are so poor, they don't get to come to Marijan's church, so Marijan goes to visit them about twice a month- again he is such a servant for Christ! Caitlin and I introduced ourselves, gave our testimony, and shared a couple of verses that would encourage them. Marijan them gave a message and we worshiped. Seeing the family worship was awesome! The mother was down on her knees, arms raised, and totally humbling herself before God! I was so encouraged when I saw her and I thought to myself, how often do I totally humble myself when I come before God? This idea has constantly been coming to my mind that I am selfish, full of myself! There are so many people in this world that have needs, and because we are so blessed, we are to be using these blessings to further God's kingdom! I was so glad that we visited this family!

Wednesday was a very busy day! In the morning we filmed some people's testimonies from the church. We thought this would be good for everyone back home to see what it is like to live in Serbia, be a gypsy, and see how they are persecuted as Christians. When we finished, Marijan told us that a family from church really needed prayer so we visited them and prayed with them; the mother's son had an accident and was in a coma. The family was very upset because the doctors did not know what to do. This family has been through a lot and it was very sad to see what they were going through. Please pray that God would give them peace no matter what the outcome of the situation is!

After this we had a birthday lunch for our host, Slavica! As we said before, Slavica and Marijan are truly amazing people! They are so selfless and we are so glad we could celebrate her birthday with her and some youth from the church!

After this, we went to visit another lady from the church, her name is Caca. She is a widow raising her three granddaughters, and she is very poor, but she knows she has hope in Christ. She shared her testimony with us and let me tell you, she has had a rough life! But that just shows how big our God is! She has a very hard life, so please pray for her that God would give her wisdom, strength, and peace!

Wednesday night we hung out with the youth and we had a great time! We love the youth in Prokuplje! It is so refreshing to be around young people and hear how they are serving Christ! They prayed for us and the rest of our mission trip, and we prayed for them as well.

Thursday was just a day of getting ready to go back to Novi Sad, and saying our sad goodbyes :( Going to Prokuplje was truly a blessing! Next summer we should definitely stay for a longer time so we can do a lot more! It was an unforgettable experience!!

One of these mornings I was reading the end of chapter 1 in James and came across verse 22 which says:

But don't just listen to God's word. You must do what it says. Otherwise, you are only fooling yourselves.

We are to be applying what the scripture says to our lives. I thought, okay, yes, I already know this... but then I came to verse 27 which says:

Pure and genuine religion in the sight of God the Father means caring for orphans and widows in their distress and refusing to let the world corrupt you. 

Again, this is what our lives should reflect! How often do we go out of our way to help those in need? I don't know where the "American Dream" life came from but I know a lot of people striving to get it! I sometimes catch myself thinking how great life would be with a nice house, a new car, and a comfortable life. Where in the Bible does it say that it's okay to be comfortable? 1st and 2nd Peter talk about the Christian life as if it is normal to suffer for Christ's sake. Is it normal in your life? I know personally that it isn't in my life! I have a pretty stinkin easy life! Seeing the Roma people here in Prokuplje and how little they have has truly opened my eyes! Although they have little earthly possessions, they have everything because they have Christ! 

Again, continue to pray for the people we will encounter this next week teaching English, and pray for the three amigos and everyone else here that our eyes are open to what God wants us to do.

Cao!

<3 Bethany