"Thumbs up!"

So clearly I'm not that good in keeping a blog (oops!) but nevertheless, I figure I have to at least try to post something when I remember to do so. Why is twitter and facebook so much easier than blogging??? O, well...since it's been a few months I thought to post some pictures which tells a story in themselves. We had a very cold, snowy winter - but for me, being from SA, it was filled with the joys of playing in the snow and taking loads of pictures to show everyone back home! But, spring has sprung and with that some nice guitar sessions at the river with one of the girls from our church teen group. At Klub Novi Most (the youthcentre where I work in Mostar) we've been doing a lot of cleaning and renovating (still busy with it!) Work with the Roma Community's children and teens have also been wonderful - including an awards ceremony earlier this year for our accelerated learning students. I am so grateful to our Heavenly Father for carrying me through these past few months, showing His love, faithfulness and care in every area of my life. I sense more and more an urgency to seek God's will and wisdom in how to reach a nation that has been through so much and build so many walls - may Your love flow through me Father!!!! Enjoy the pics...may you have a "thumbs up" day! :) Laura xx

U Mostaru...

Dear all,

Just a quick hallo from my side. Can't believe it's been a few weeks already since I arrived back in Mostar. It's definitely much colder now than when I left...but I don't mind coz it's perfect weather for a hot 'cuppa' coffee (mmm, my favourite!) Life's been busy...I'm back helping with the church kids & teen group and also working with young ppl @ Novi Most klub (youth centre). I've also done a few visits with Karin to Bisce Polje where the Roma community lives. Next week Tuesday it will also be my birthday...yay, my second bday in BiH!!!! Looking forward to that! Language lessons have started again and I must say I'm finding it much easier this time than a year ago! :)

I've also been looking for a new flat to stay in which I'll be sharing with a new team member who'll be arriving soon. Today I went with my team leader to look at a place and it was really nice. Will find out tomorrow whether we'll be moving in or not...will keep you posted.

God is so faithful and I can just thank Him from the bottom of my heart for giving me the opportunity to serve Him here in Bosnia and Herzegovina... May His name be lifted up high!!!!

With love, Laura xx

Time in S.A

“OUR GOD IS FAITHFUL” - these words I can just repeat over & over and over! In September (as most of you know) I returned to SA to renew my passport and also spend some time with my family. I also needed to raise support if I wanted to return to BiH (specifically for travel, insurance etc.) To be honest, I was a bit scared...not knowing how things will pan out. All I could do was trust God and know that He is in control and will make everything work out for good. On Friday I bought my return ticket to BiH and looking back over the last 2 months I can just testify of how God has carried me and provided in my needs. I saw how He helped me to get a new passport in a week’s time! I saw how He blessed me with an amazing time at home with my family...seeing my mum, sister, grandparents, going on a few road-trips with my cousin Sonja, spending time with my father, little sisters, step-mum, brother...even attending my sister-in-law’s baby shower! I saw how He laid on people’s hearts to bless me financially. Coming to Johannesburg I saw Him giving me favour with my old boss & his wife who opened their home for me and allowed me to work for them for a month (which provided enough money to purchase my airplane ticket!). I saw God’s love and care through my church family...all the hugs and warm welcomes...and all the “coffee dates” with friends who wanted to find out about my year in BiH. I was even blessed by a friend who wanted to buy me toiletries for going back to Bosnia Herzegovina! It’s hard NOT seeing God’s hand in all of this...I’m just so humbled and grateful and PRAISE Him with all of my heart for loving me and taking care of my needs amidst my moments of doubt and fear.
I still have some financial need & things I trust Him before I return to BiH, but reflecting on His faithfulness, I just know He WILL provide in all my needs as His Word says.

“God says I won’t in any way fail you nor give you up nor leave you without support. I won’t, I wont, I won’t in any degree leave you helpless nor forsake you.” Heb.13..

Blessings,

Laura xx

Summer camps

Wow, a month later and 4 camps done...summer is flying by! I really had an amazing time on camp :-) There is so much to tell - where to begin??? Each camp was truly unique and special in its own way. I was helping out as a leader and also doing arts & crafts + preparing some other activities too. With the Novi Most camp our theme was "Significance, Acceptance and Security" and it was amazing to see the openness of the young people especially in small group discussions. This camp was at "Jahorina" - a place in the mountains not far from Sarajevo. It was great getting to know the young people and becoming good friends on camp. Some of the highlights were a daytrip to Sarajevo, "night games", group activities and just "hanging out" :-)

After Novi Most camp it was time for Church Kid's Camp 1 @ Boračko Jezero ("Boračko Lake"). It is a place in the mountains not far from the town "Konjic" in Bosnia and Herzegovina. When I first came to BiH in 2002 our team served at the church camps there. That year was the first time they had camps at Boračko Jezero and I still have fond memories of that time. Thus, being able to return there after so many years was a great blessing to me. The theme of kid's camp was "Heroes" and we looked at some of the "Heroes without names" in the Bible (like the boy with 2 fish & 5 loaves; the servant girl that worked for Naaman, Paul's nephew who warned Paul and the officials about the plot to kill Paul...etc.) We also looked at some "Modern day heroes" like Anne Frank, Mother Theresa, William Wilberforce, Nelson Mandela and every day the children had the opportunity to learn how they too could be "heroes". They prayed for things happening in the world and also for their friends on camp. Our memory verse for the week was 1 Timothy 4:12 -

"Don't let anyone think less of you because you are young. Be an example to all believers in what you say, in the way you live, in your love, your faith, and your purity."

Ha,ha..It was a good language lesson for me to learn it in Bosnian/Croatian!!! :-)

My favourite songs were "Bog je moj Heroj" (God is my Hero") and "Ja cu ici, ici, ici - ja cu reci, rec, rec..svima kazat' da Si to ti sto me spasi" (I will go,go,go - I will tell, tell, tell that it's You who saved me"). Other activities included a talent show, Master Chef competition, walk in the forest, swimming at the lake, rope courses, "Village fare" etc. It was an awesome camp! On teen camp the theme was "Život je priča" ("Life is a story") and it was all about the choices we make in life and how that determines/influences where we go. We had different group activities and games and also different workshops where the young people could choose between sport, adventure, arts&crafts and discussions about certain topics. One morning everybody was woken up at 5am and in groups had to work together and complete different challenges all around the lake. The early wake-up was a challenge in itself, but despite that the activity was well received by most of the teens and afterwards many said that this was a highlight for them of camp.

After teen camp it was time for the second kid's camp and we had the same theme i.e: "Heroes" . On this camp we had a group of teenagers from teen camp helping as leaders and what a blessing they were! I personally think this was an excellent decision from the leader's side to give these teens the opportunity to step out and gain experience in leading activities. The teens organised and hosted the camp talent show and also helped leading worship. They enjoyed it very much and I think this camp was a big blessing to young and small.
Looking back to the four weeks of camp I can just say: "Thank You Jesus!" So many lives were touched - including my own. God spoke to me in many different ways and I am so grateful that I was able to go. Seeing the passion and love of the other leaders for God, each other and the children - really blessed and encouraged me. I pray that God will continue to stir the passion in my heart for Jesus - to know Him more intimately and understand His great and amazing love for me and for the whole world.
Whether on camp or at home, our life matters - we were created for a reason. Every day we have an opportunity to make a difference in someone's life...to be a "hero"...and it doesn't have to be something big. Often it's the little things we do that have the biggest impact!

May we live shining God's light and fulfilling our God-given purpose...

With all my love,

L xx

Summer is here! :)

Ljeto - Summer!!! I am so happy that summer has finally arrived (especially after missing the last one - lol!). Tomorrow our summer program starts at klub and it's all very exiting :) Summer is always a great time to meet new young people and make friends. We'll be having morning and evening sessions and outings every Friday. This year I'll be attending four camps in total - one Novimost klub camp (next week!!), 2 children's and 1 teenager camp with the church. We'll also be doing detached work around Mostar..going to parks and sport fields in the neighbourhood and meet with young people there. PLEASE pray for us..that our hearts will be open for God's leading and that we'll serve Him with all our strength and everything in us - even when it gets hot and sticky and we get tired :) As Chris Tomlin's song "God Of This City" says:

"You're the God of this city, You're the King of these people, You're the Lord of this nation, You are; You're the light in this darkness, You're the hope to the hopeless, You're the peace to the restless, You are; There is no one like our God, There is no one like our God; Greater things have yet to come, greater things are still to be done in this city..."

Truly, God is the "God of this city" - the city of Mostar! AMEN!

Take care,

L xx

What's news???

Hey everyone!

Here are some highlights from the last month or two:

Trip to Jajce: A few weeks ago we had a team from England visiting BiH. Their church has been long-term supporters of Novimost and it was great to have the opportunity to show them around and introduce them to the young people we work with. They joined in with klub activities, prayer, church youth groups and some practical work around the Novimost premises in Mostar. We also arranged for them to visit Novimost's other two locations i.e. Čapljina and Jajce and they did a daytrip to Sarajevo. I was so excited to find out that there would be space in the kombi to go along to Jajce. Jajce is a town in the Northern parts of Bosnia and Herzegovina...the area which is known as "Bosnia". This town has so much history attached to it...about kings and other famous leaders like Tito and it is one of the most beautiful towns in BiH that I have visited so far. There's an old fort/castle overlooking the city and a beautiful waterfall. The town are surrounded by mountains and nearby are big lakes. Here are a few pictures of the city and surrounding areas:



Easter: Easter in BiH was quite an interesting experience. European countries are definitely more traditional than SA! In Mostar it was mainly celebrated on the West side of the city which is a predominantly "Roman Catholic Croat" area. Most Muslims stay on the East, and therefore it wasn't really celebrated there. Our church (which is located on the East side) had an Easter service after which most of the congregation spend time together having lunch in various locations. For the Evangelical Christians here (and Catholics too!) it is a big family day (similar to that of Christmas) and having a meal together with the family is very important. They don't like chocolate bunnies or Easter eggs...but want to remember the true meaning behind Easter - about Jesus Christ dying on the cross to take away the sins of the world and His resurrection!
For the Roman Catholic believers, Easter eggs and lent services and fasting are all important. I stay very close to a big Roman Catholic Church and for me it was so interesting to see how they celebrated it. On the Friday ("day of crucifixion") the church bells stopped ringing. Over the whole weekend it was quiet (the bells usually ring daily around the hour...actually every 15 minutes indicating the time). But Easter weekend it was quiet. Sunday morning though...the bells went crazy...to show the resurrection. So interesting! A few of my friends from home group are from a Croat background and their parents and grandparents do egg painting and dying. (This custom is usually passed on from generation to generation and my friends also know how to do it). They brought me a few patterned eggs which were so beautiful - almost too beautiful to eat!!! :) Here are some pictures of that:

Upcoming: This coming weekend is Novimost retreat and we'll be going to "Gradac" which is a town on the coast of Croatia. I am so excited about that and will definitely be taking lots of photos!!! I'm hoping the weather will be good so that I can take a swim in the Adriatic Sea. It's been years since I've been on the Croatian Coast and I'm REALLY looking forward to it! It will be a good time of rest and also exciting to see the other Novimost teams (Jajce and Čapljina) again.

Well, that's all from me now. Take care and have a super week!

All my love,

L xx

My favourite things - Moj najdraži stvari..

'Snowflakes on foreheads; cevapi in Sarajevo,
Boots in the snow and silly hats with the girls
Paint on our faces and woolly creations...
..these are a few of my favourite things..

"Swarma" with fresh bread and pita with cheese,
Fires and laughter with good friends and me
Nice weather in Mostar and chocolate "fon-du"
..Oh, these are a few of my favourite things!!!'

:-)

L xx

Roma Girls Group

I am so excited about our new girls group that we started in January! It is for teenage girls 13+ from the Roma Community in Bisce Polje, Mostar. We (myself and fellow Novimost worker, Karin) will be meeting once a month with the girls and our aim is to create an environment where we can just love on them and help them see how precious and valuable they are to God.

Most girls from that area don't have a vision or big expectation for their life. Many don't go to school and if you ask them what plans they have, it's just to get married and move away from their family. Not that that's a bad thing, but these girls have so much potential, and through our group, we hope to encourage them to discover and develop their skills and fulfill their God-given purpose.

It's really sad to think that today, across the earth there are communities where women are treated as mere "objects" - to cook, clean, bring pleasure, bear children...who they are and what they feel doesn't matter. These women don't get a chance to develop their potential - it's not important...they're just an "it". It breaks my heart and definitely our Father's heart to see beautiful women being devalued, abused, mistreated and regarded as the "scum" of the earth. One often feel helpless when you consider things like this..what can I do? How can I help that women in a remote country without hope, without love?? But I don't think we should focus on what we cannot do. I think we should rather think - what CAN I do? And to be honest, we all can do something. If we would just take the time to look around us, we'll be amazed at how many people there are that need someone to encourage them, someone who would believe in them and speak God's Truth in their situation.

My prayer today is that God would make me sensitive to where there's hurting people around me - in "my world"...that I will reach out, love, encourage - be like the "water-er" in His flower garden...to share His life with the "broken reeds" or "bent flowers" or the "young growing sprouts" - to help others flourish and through it all bring great glory to my Father in Heaven. Will you join me in this??
L xx

Sretna Nova Godina - Happy New Year!!!

Wow, 2011 is here! To all my friends & family, may your year be filled with wonderful blessings, God's favour and His amazing grace & love!

Here are two photos of my new year celebrations in Mostar. The one is a group photo (which I lend from my friend "Miska"...my camera didn't want to stand up right on the couch to put the self-timer on!) and the other one is my first coffee of 2011 with my friend "Mica". We actually made a little videoclip in which I had to say in Bosnian/Croation - "My first coffee in the year two thousand & eleven"...."Moja prva kafa u dvije hiljade jedanaestoji godini!" Quite a mouthful! Ha,ha! :-) (Hope that's spelt correctly!) We had a great evening...enjoying each others company and it was quite entertaining to watch the girls dance (offcourse on "waka-waka" I was dragged into the circle since it's a song of Africa ;-). The most special part of the evening was all joining together in worship & prayer about 10 minutes before countdown...to say thanks to God for the past year and honouring Him for the New Year to come.

Well, that's a little something of my new year..hope your's were exciting too!

With love,

L xx

It's December!!! :-)

Yay, December is here...winter in BiH, summer in S.A, my B-Day month, Christmas month....the list goes on. All in all, I really like December:o)
The last few weeks have been very busy at klub. We've started with the theme "Giving"...giving support, love, friendship, respect, encouragement etc. and it's been really good and the young people have enjoyed the activities and talks.
On Saturday mornings we've also been doing arts & crafts (a favourite with the girls) and uni-hockey (which is mostly attended by the boys). See pictures attached of our "creations".

It's also been raining ALLOT with parts of BiH actually eperiencing floods (check out this link: http://www.balkaninsight.com/en/article/floods-hit-bosnia-serbia-as-rain-continues-to-fall). Even the Neretva river here in Mostar have been rising and the river is flowing very strong. Today was one of the first days in a long time that there were blue skies and sunshine (with a few white clouds) and I took some photos on the Stari Most this morning as I was walking to church and also on my way back

The 2 photos of the side of the bridge is an area where there's usually sand and seats where they have shows in summer time. It's completely covered in water - which just shows how much it's been raining the last few weeks!

Well, that's about it for now. Hope you have a very blessed, and fun December!

Take care,

L xx