Post script...

We are now all home and enjoying re-connections with our family and friends. One of the things that is natural when a person decides to serve the Lord in another part of the world, is the anticipation of coming home to those who are most loved on this earth. And even though our bodies are fighting to get back into the swing of things, our hearts are squarely back at home with these we love so much!

It's hard to put into short sentences and paragraphs all that we took part in while in Serbia. In an attempt to do so, here are a few post script summary impressions from my point of view:

* Some things universal. It was nothing short of amazing of how many similarities our team has in common with the Pastor's in Serbia in terms of what we see happening in our churches and our communities - and how the pursuit of good old fashioned relational discipleship is what drew us and knit us together.
* Deep vs. wide. Although we only spent 3 short days together, we experienced a bondedness that normally would take months or more to acheive. I thank the Lord for the supernatural way He decided to "speed up" this process so we would be able to get much deeper into one anothers lives.
* Our gift to receive. We were so impressed with the measure of faith we see in our brothers and sisters serving the churches in Southern Serbia. Witnessing their levels of trust and faith was one of our key learnings/take-aways - and made life-long impressions on us all. This was truly a gift to me, and one of the reasons I suggest all follows of Jesus go and minister in a culture completely different than their own.
* So much with so little. I was constantly amazed at what willing hearts are able to accomplish even in the midst of challenging conditions. In fact I wonder how much we here in the West are hampered by the multitude of excesses and complications that come with having so much?
* The hope of more to come. It was comforting and reassuring to me that our team was not there to attempt any "quick-fixes". As we engaged at a heart level with our Brothers and Sisters, we did so within the context of deep, ongoing partnership. A couple of us had a wonderful time discussing with the Pastor's ways we can improve our partnership moving forward and what the most appropriate "next steps" will be. We look forward to much more to come in terms of partnering, serving and learning from our Brothers and Sisters!
* An ounce of encouragement...worth more than a pound of gold. I've said many times over the years that it seems that one of the most underrated spiritual gifts in the Church today is that of encouragement. I think it is safe to say that if our team accomplished nothing else other than the deep encouragement of our Brothers and Sisters this trip would have been a heavenly success. Our team of 7 certainly experienced a measure of encouragement that can only be described as life giving.

I'll conclude my portion of this blog by saying THANK YOU from the bottom of my heart for your support of our team and our meager efforts. It is certainly true that we could not have done any of this without you, and even more true that we wouldn't have had it any other way!

Be encouraged knowing that you played your part in joining with the Lord in His ongoing work in our lives, and the lives of our wonderful Brothers and sisters in Serbia. I leave you with a few pictures that capture a taste of what the Lord did in us and through us.

For His glory alone,

Monte

Jerrad & Shane pouring themselves into the Pastor's during our 3 day retreat.

Marty and I spending a bit of relational quality time with two amazing men of God!

One of God's beautiful children I met during our worship service in Vranje

Our team along with some of the Pastor's and leaders just before we said goodbye for home.

Our team sharing one of the many delicious (and pound adding) meals with our Serbian friends.

Post Script....

God at Work in Serbia

It is so heartening to read the blog posts from the team in Serbia -- to know God is at work.  While I couldn't physically go on this trip with the guys, I truly feel connected to them and what they are doing. As I pray for them and their families each day, I have the continued sense that God is both beginning and finishing a series of His works in the churches of West Linn/Tualatin and Leskovac -- but He is clearly at work.

Even in the events that made it clear at the last minute I couldn't go with the team on this trip, God's plan and will were extraordinarily clear -- undeniable.  And then to know Marty Brown could make the trip at literally the last minute, it makes one tremble at all the little pieces God is moving in big ways.  His total control of everything.  Wow!!!  This power, His power, is scary and comforting, but I feel blessed He let's me see it so clearly once in awhile (or maybe it is always there to see, and I just open my eyes occasionally).

My prayer today for the team and the churches they are visiting . . .

• That His will be done Leskovac.
• That in the face of jet lag and an exhausting schedule, they feel rested and sustained by Him.
• That they are protected in their travels.
• That they and their families are protected from the enemy.
• That even nine time zones away, their families feel no anxiety.
• That even with language barriers, there are no communication barriers and God's message is made clear.
• That God be praised for all He has accomplished in the trip so far.
• That the relationship between our churches be strengthened in a way that expands God's kingdom.
• That the team get to experience and truly feel in an extraordinary way God at work.
• That as the week comes to an end, the team expand their expectations for this trip -- and trade any human-sized expectations with a God-sized vision.
• That ongoing personal relationships are cemented between our churches.

Scott Peterson

God is so Faithful:)

       What a great day we had visiting the Roma community and eating lunch at Pastor Sarif's house. To be around these Roma Pastors who signify what it means to be a follower of Jesus, is so inspirational. They treated us to amazing food and fellowship that will never be forgotten. I for sure have gained wait after eating meat, cabbage, potatoes all week;)
        I'm  truly inspired by my God who is just shining and his work is evident through my bro's here who have been stretched in huge ways. From preaching, praying, encouraging, stepping out of our comfort zones, and seeing many hard situations that as Americans we don't even have a clue.
        Thank you everybody back home for the prayers. Keep praying, because Disciples will be made out here, they are all in on reproducing disciples for Jesus. Keep the Serbian and Roma church's in your prayers that  Discipleship will continue, resources can be provided, and life on life fellowship with Rolling Hills will help this process keep moving along. Thanks again, see you when we get home.
   

            With Love,
            Garrett and Jim

ps.  We teamed up on the Serbian service tonight with last minute change to a story telling session.  Small congregation of 30 but made a sizable group.  We did Matt 22:14 with Garrett finishing off with his testimony regarding getting out of the boat in living color.  It was great.    jim


ps. Hi to my Wifey Erica and kids Raechel, Will, and Tori:)
 

      

Marty Brown: A Dancing Machine!

Hello friends and church family!

We have arrived back in Leskovik to finish out our week. The Pastor's conference was amazing. Here are some comments from the Serbian Pastors about the discipleship conference:

"This is so relevant to our ministry and where we want to be."

"Thank you for bringing not just the pastors, but also the disciples. It helps us see a clear model of discipleship."

"It saddens my heart that so many people have come and gone from our ministry because they weren't being connected in relational discipleship"

"This stuff is crucial. Changing our church culture will be so difficult, but we believe God can use us to do it."

"Thank you for the sacrifice you made to spend time with us this week. Please thank your families."

We are praising God for moving beyond our expectations at the conference. We believe we have only just begun the conversation with our Serbian brothers and sisters as to how we can partner with them in making disciples of Jesus around the world.

Now that we back in Leskovic, our team will be splitting up in smaller groups and preaching at churches throughout the area.

Last night Pastor Marty Brown shared at a Roma service, but only after dancing around the room with the Roma people during worship. If you know Marty at all, you probably think I'm lying- But we have video to prove it and look forward to posting it on Facebook when we return :)

Our team was so blessed by the music, worship, passion and love for Jesus at the Roma Service. We were able to share our stories and pray for the sick.

While Marty was teaching at the Roma service, Frazier was a half hour away teaching at another Roma Service. I wasn't personally there, but I hear that God really used Frazier (it was his first time teaching a message), and that the crowd stood and clapped at the conclusion of his teaching.

All-in-all, our team is full of joy as we continue to bond together and grow closer to Jesus with our Serbian brothers and sisters. Please continue to pray as Shane, Garrett and Jim will all be giving messages at different churches tonight.

We love and miss you. Thanks for your continued prayers.

-Jerrad

(PS: Sorry for any poor grammar or mis-spellings. I'm trying on my iPhone in a busy cafe with limited internet! :)

Gods Hand On Our Retreat

We just finished our Pastor's retreat and we are praising God that He did immeaurably more than we expected!
We prayed that the Lord would knit our hearts together in ways that would not naturally happen in just 2 1/2 days. We ended our time today with tears and songs of joy for what we experienced together as Brothers.
The focus of our time was living the Great Commission as Pastor's and leaders. That theme deeply aligned us and all that God has been doing in us over the past year, was like a cup of cold water poured out on our Brothers - and now our friends.
We are now all eagerly awaiting what our "next step" will be as we know that the Lord would have us continue to work together.
Thanks to you all that were petitioning the Lord on our behalf these past couple of days.
With love and appreciation,

Monte - for the team.

Communicating in Spryski

We were advised by the Serbian Seven (the previous team who went last fall) to learn some words and phrases in the Serbian language. They advised that it would help smooth the path of communication. We have learned several phrases and words and have trying them out to various levels of success.

One of us felt confident and/or audacious enough to work extra hard on learning the language. This Person (TP, appropriately enough) came out on Monday morning to greet all of the Roma pastors on the front steps of the Leskovac church before heading off to the retreat with equal parts audacity and pride to be the first one to speak to the pastors. 

After greeting the entire group of twenty or so and then individual pastors with "Dovid Jenja" TP noticed that phenomenon we all see from time to time in the individuals' eyes when after hearing my greeting the eyes dart quickly to the right away from me and down before coming back to acknowledge me.  The behavior seemed to indicate they were thinking "what in the world is this person thinking". Later this person found out that dovid jenja means good bye. TP was saying good bye to all the pastors at their first encounter. Smooth.

TP also learned koliko kosta which you probably can figure out means "how much does this cost?" TP failed to learn the Serbian number names beyond the usual 10 so any response from a merchant was completely worthless to them. TP had no idea about the price of anything.