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

Team retreat in Sarajevo

This past weekend we had our Novimost team retreat in Sarajevo. All three teams (Mostar, Jajce & Čapljina) came together for some time of fellowship, prayer & encouragement. Being new on team, it was great to meet the guys from Jajce and Čapljina! We had an awesome time...inspiring and allot of fun (he, he as you can see in the photo I've attached:-)
I am truly excited for what God is doing in BiH and for the year that lies ahead. I've been here just over 5 weeks now and thank God for all my new friends and the young people I've met.
Buidling relationships is a key part of our work here and it's so important to remember that it's often the small things you do (giving someone a smile, an encouraging word, to spent time and just listen what someone has to say) that can have the greatest effect/impact. Thinking of Jesus and how He just went about doing good, listening to people, talking with people, loving others - and the great impact His life had on those around Him....which had a ripple effect to the whole world...that is amazing. As Edward E. Hale said: " I am only one, but still I am one. I cannot do everything, but I can do something and because I cannot do everything, I will not refuse to do the something I can do". Wow, yes... may this be my resolve...our resolve - to do the something that we can do.

All my love,

L xx

"Učim, učim, učim.."

Study, study, study... Myself and the Leese family have been very busy learning the local language. Talk about grammar! :-) It's been great fun and also very challenging. We've still got a loooong way to go (learning a foreign language is definitely not an overnight thing!) but as they say..."malo po malo"..."little by little" we're getting there. Apart from the actual classes, it's been great picking up words and phrases by just listening to my friends or even reading the subtitles on the television screen. Last Friday I attended our church youthgroup for younger kids (5-9 year olds). We played the game “Šimun kaze” (Simon says) and it was so much fun to learn the words for knees, elbows, head, stomach etc!

The people in BiH are generally very kind and helpful when it comes to learning their language. They are wonderful teachers and don't mind to correct or help you if you don't know how to say something. I am really looking forward to see how much I will have learnt in 3 months time. Hopefully by then I'll be speaking more as well!

Take care, L xx

In Mostar..

Now that's a picture you don't see everyday! A Roman Catholic tower and mosque minaret in the same skyline. Here in Mostar I stay very close to the border of the West and East side (West being Croat(R.Catholic) and East being Bosnian Muslim). That's why the mosque and church are so close to each other. It's really interesting to hear the Muslim "call to prayer" and the church bells everyday. Usually you only hear one or the other...depending on where you stay in the city as the distinction between West and East is very clear. Even in the buildings you can see the difference. Allot of restoration has been done all over the city, but it seems to be more prevalent on the West side.

Yay...my first cappucino in Mostar! :-) Myself and team members Senada and Karin went for coffee last week after team meeting. I am soooo happy to be part of the team in Mostar! :-) I've only been here 8 days but I allready feel at home! The team feels like family...I really love these guys! I am soooo excited for the year that lies ahead!

Please pray for me and also the Leese family as we "tackle" the language studies. There are so much to learn...but God's grace is sufficient! :-)

The weather has started to change as winter draws near. My friends here in Mostar were telling me about the cold winter wind. I think they call it the "Bura". They say it doesn't matter what jacket you've got on...it even gets through the zip - it is REALLY cold! Will have to wait and see!

Well, take care!

Tvoja prijatelica (your friend),

Laura xx

Pozdrav iz Mostara! (Greetings from Mostar)

I'm here, I'm here, I'm here!!! :-) Arrived Saturday night (or rather Sunday morning...00:30!) in the beautiful city of Mostar. Met Caroline (who I'll be staying with) and her two cute cats. Was quite tired after all the travelling (2 flights and a car ride of 2h30min).

Had an interesting first day as the lock from the front door of our house broke (with me and Caroline inside!). All the windows got burglar proofing on them & there´s no back door! So we were under ˝house arrest˝ for a while until someone came to help us at about 11am. They popped the door from the outside. They also replaced the locks so hopefully we won´t have the same problem again! ;-)

Yesterday afternoon I went for a walk in the Old Town with its beautiful Stari Most (Old Bridge) which you can see in the picture. It was a warm day and there were many tourists. The evening I was invited for supper at the Leese´s. It takes about 25min to walk to their house from where I stay. We had a great time..and even learned a few Bosnian words! It helps not being the only new face on the block!

This week is time to settle in and get familiar with the new surroundings. I'll also find out about language lessons and hopefully start that soon. Wherever I go I take my small pocket dictionary with me and that helps allot! Tonight we had home group here at our place and it was great just listening to the girls speak and trying to figure out what they say! Made new friends...which is really awesome!

Tomorrow I'll meet some of the other team members at team meeting. Looking forward to that! Will also be visiting Mirjana...she use to cook food for the teams that came as summer volunteers. She stays near the Neretva river (not far from the Stari Most). I really enjoy visiting her and she helps me allot with the language because she doesn't really speak English and is very patient with me as I learn to speak and practice the words I know.

Well, that's about it for now. Take care...

All my love,

L xx

Great news!

Today I received news from the embassy that my Bosnian visa will be ready for collection on Friday! THANK YOU JESUS!!!! :-) I am so excited! Can't wait to go to BiH!

Thanks for all the prayers! Our God is faithful - all glory goes to Him!

Will most probably be flying this weekend. Will keep you posted!

L xx

Waiting patiently...

Today it's been exactly 11 days since I've submitted my Bosnian visa application. The embassy said it could take anything between 10-15 days. Was thinking to wait till next Tuesday before I give them a call...In the mean time I just need to wait patiently and trust God :-) He is in control!

Last week we had our mission training here at Novimost in Chesham, U.K. It was so nice to meet the Leeses (Alan & Liz) who will also be joining the longterm team in Mostar with their 2 children. Their flight was actually yesterday...so they're in Mostar right now! I'm hoping to join them soon. Training was great! Interessting, encouraging, insightful...and allot of fun! :-) We also talked in more detail about what our role will be on the field..although that is subject to change depending on what the team in Mostar needs & decides.



I am currently staying with people from Novimost. They have been so wonderful and have really blessed me so much in the short time I've been here. Praise God for all their love and kindness!! I am not exactly sure how long the visa will take, but I don't want to take this time I have for granted. It's an ideal opportunity to read, learn Bosnian, pray and follow up with supporters and just prepare my heart for time to come.

On Wednesday I did a bit of 'sightseeing' in London. I was a real 'tourist'...backpack and camera in the hand;-) Had a really great time...walking in the streets of London - visiting allot of the tourist attractions.



Saw the Tower Bridge, Tower of London. Walked along the river Thames. Saw St.Paul's Cathedral, The London Eye, Big Ben, Parliament buildings at Westminister, Buckingham Palace, Trafalgar Square, Leicester Square, Covent Garden, London's 'China Town', Piccadily Circus...did allot of walking!!!!

Please continue to keep me in prayer. As it says in James 5:16b: "The earnest prayer of a righteous person has great power and produces wonderful results." We all need God so much! He is our source...our life...our everything!

Some prayer points:

* Bosnian visa - that it will come through at the right time
* That I will use this time wisely in preparation for Bosnia
* For God's blessing over the people of Novimost who have been so kind & generous towards me

Thanks for all your love and support. It really means a lot to me. Hope that I will soon have news regarding the visa!

With all my love,
L xx