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.

Clearing Waters

When people are truly engaged in meaningful learning it is most often messy looking. We have presented some ideas to the pastors that, although they are looking for ways to sustain their flocks, are challenging some of their usual ways of doing things and will involve some initial risk taking. They have been wrestling with these ideas the first two days of the retreat. If they weren't, God would not be working deeply within them. They would either be giving us lip service to considering the ideas or they would be rejecting the ideas outright.  They are not doing either of those. They are debating and challenging the truths that God has allowed us to bring to them.

Late yesterday afternoon after finishing the last of the three aspects of Discipleship (Intentional Leadership, Relational Environment, Reproducible Process) the light bulbs seemed to be clicking on. Praise God.  We have half a day left to clarify their concerns, answer their questions, and help them plan for the future. Please pray that all these things happen for each of the pastor teams.

Thank you for your consistent prayers over these three days. God has been answering them for each of the Pastor teams.

 Thanks to God,

Frazer

A big day ahead

Today is a big day for our team!

After a wonderful start at the Pastor's conference yesterday, today will be a day that we hope and expect to really get close with the Pastor's and get down to some deep areas with them with regards to their ministry and their lives. Our team is so impressed with the heart and caliber of these Pastor's and we pray the Lord will use us as ambassador's of encouragement and equipping.
These Pastor's have come in from all different areas of Southern Serbia for these 3 days, and are here  hungry to learn, grow and become even more effective servants for the Lord. Their faith is contagious!

Specific prayers we would appreciate today as a team include:

* Stamina: Already we find ourselves fighting the mid to late day drain of our travel time and time change.
* Sensitivity: We've already made some fine tunings and adjustments to what we are covering with the Pastor's in order to better meet their specific needs (no surprise - after all it is a missions trip!). We would appreciate prayer for clarity and wisdom as to when it will be best to stay the course of what we've prepared, and when we need to change our plans to better serve our Brothers.
* Heart: Pray that our hearts will remain humble and open towards our brothers as we are called these few days to lead them forward, but more importantly love and encourage them.
* Wisdom: That we would be guided by supernatural wisdom and not be swayed by circumstances or the little we know and understand about this culture.

Finally, a heart felt thank you to you all for all your support prayerfully and practically. I was laying in bed early this morning being so thankful for the honor it is to be here. There is no way our team would be having this chance to pour into these Pastor's if it weren't for all of you that helped to provide the means for us to come and minister here is Serbia. I hope you are encouraged by the fact that significant eternal work is being done here and all your prayers and support are being used to make all this happen - thank you so very much!

Well, time to sign off and get ready to go to work!

On behalf of our team - blessings to everyone,

Monte

Wonderful Start!

       What a great start today on building relationships with our Serbian and Roma brothers. What passonate people we have been blessed to be around. Like we expected we are learning from their firey hearts for Jesus.
        Today God showed his faithfulness in our meetings. The first meeting that Jim, Marty, and Myself had with some of the leaders of the church turned out to be challenging when it came some of the Discipleship topics. They seem to be so busy with the just leading the church, that it can be over whelming to even imagine pooring their lives into indivduals full time when so many other needs to be met.  We had some good prayer and trust with God for the next meeting in the afternoon and of course God came through. The pastors really seemed to open their hearts in just hours after the first, tuff meeting.
        What a honor to serve next to these seven men from Rolling Hills. You would be so proud of how they are all representing Jesus with such peace. Keep us in your prayers, cause we all know that God is working in wonderful ways.
         Hi to my wonderful wife, Erica and the kiddos. I love you guys so much and I wll see you soon:)



Thanks,
Garrett

We made it!

Hello Friends & Family!

Our team has safely arrived in Serbia and we our beginning our Discipleship Conference today with the Pastors!

Last night, after 21 hours of travel, we arrived in Leskovik at the church where we will be staying. We enjoyed an amazing home-cooked meal with some of the Pastors and leaders. After dinner, we all quickly went to bed to try and adjust our bodies to the Serbian time-zone.

This morning we woke up, ate breakfast, spent time in prayer as a team and made the 2 hour trek to the hotel where the conference will be held.

Please continue to pray for our team as we are 30 minutes away from launching into the first session.

Would you join us in praying that:

-God would break down any and all communication barriers that would keep us from teaching what He has placed on our hearts.

-The Serbian pastors would find peace, rest, and encouragement as they take time away from their ministry this week to be with us.

-Please also continue to pray for us; that our bodies would find rest, our minds would be sharp, we would continue to grow in unity, and finally that our families would have peace at home.

We love and miss you all!

Jerrad and The Team

Big changes have taken place...it must be a Missions Trip!

Ever since our team came together last fall, I've been telling them that because this is Missions trip -  get ready to expect the unexpected!
Well, as much as I hate to say "I told you so", this very thing happened yesterday when we learned that one of our team members, Scott Peterson, would not be making the trip to Serbia with us. Due to circumstances beyond Scott's control, and after a ton of prayer and wrestling to see how we could get Scott on the plane, we painfully accepted that Scott's role on our team would be to stay on U.S. soil and be our #1 prayer warrior.
As hard as this pill was for our team to swallow, we soon found out that this would be a bitter sweet experience.
Once it was certain that Scott would not be traveling with us, I began to wonder if there might be anyone who could come in Scott's place? Thinking of the hundreds of reasons why no one would be able to say "yes" at a moments notice, I decided to throw up a "Hail Mary" and ask a couple of men who I have a discipleship relationship with if they would consider the near impossible. Boy did the Lord have an unexpected surprise!
As of late yesterday afternoon, I am thrilled to announce that Marty Brown is now an official member of our Serbia 2012 Team! As many of you reading this know, Marty is our Executive Pastor at Rolling Hills and will be an amazing addition to our team and to the work we've been called to in Serbia. With 30 plus years of ministry under his belt, Marty brings a wealth of wisdom, experience and heart to our service in Serbia. 
So while our hearts are heavy that our brother Scott will not be making this journey with us, we are so excited to have Marty on board with us.
Proverbs 16:9 says, "In their hearts humans plan their course, but the Lord establishes their steps".
Thank you Lord that whatever comes on this trip, we are confident You are establishing our steps!

In His grip,

Monte - on behalf of the team

God's Plan

Are you kidding me, Jesus the king of the universe wants to use me, a plain old sinner that is so broken, praise God!! I am so humbled and honored to go and serve our brothers and sisters in Serbia. What a growing process to have to fully rely on God. I think it is so funny as soon as I opened my heart to God through prayer and tell God I'm down for your plan I am then asked to go out of the country the very next week! Our Creator is a funny guy, so full of surprises.
I know he has a mission for us all and I am so excited to actually be obedient and surrender to my Savior and take part on His plan. I get it now when He says in John 10:10 "...I have come so they may have life, and have it to the full".  Now is the time to bring others to Christ at home and other countries. Then we continue on building  Disciples who will then go on and do the same. Mathew 28:18-20 says, "Then Jesus came to them and said, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I will be with you always, to the very end of the age."" This is also called  "The Great Commission" and it's stating what God's mission is for all of us who believe. This does not just mean pastors at the church, but all of us who surrender their lives to Christ.
Please pray for our team heading to Serbia, that we may have a boldness that can only be from the Holy Spirit. Pray that we will not be side tracked from the sin of this world. Pray for the people of Serbia that their hearts will be prepared for what God has in store for them. Last pray for our families that God's peace will comfort them when we are gone. Blessed is all I can say to have a wife that is in full support of God's calling on my life.

Garrett Alexander

Serbia Prayer Schedule

Saturday - Fly to Leskovac. Serbia
Sunday   - Arrive in Leskovac - Monte's Message to Leskovac Church
Monday   - Pastors' Retreat begins. Discussion of Intentional leadership
Tuesday  - Pastors' Retreat. Discussion of Relational Environment and Reproducible Process
Wednesday - Pastor's Retreat. Next Steps working together. Leskovac Roma service
Thursday - Meet with Leskovac mayor, Team 1 in Leskovac, Team 2 to Nis
Friday      - Team 1 to Lebane, Team 2 to Vranje
Saturday  - Pastor's Meeting, Travel to Belgrade
Sunday    - Fly to Portland

Shane? Going on a Missions Trip!?

I can answer that question, YES. In just about 10 days actually. This will be my first missions trip EVER! And while God Calls us to LIVE on Mission, I feel that this has also just begun in my life and I am beginning to take God seriously as his call to us.

When Jerrad lopes (not Lopez) asked me to go on this trip my first response was……(with a blank stare right into Jerrads eyes) Seriously, I didn’t have anything to say and Jerrad left my house with me saying “bye!” I was scared to death and thought to myself “seriously Me?” I am the biggest worrier on earth. But as he left I could already feel the Holy Spirit at work, A feeling of comfort, and clarity and the words came right out of my mouth as I was talking it over with Carly (my beautiful wife) “I need to go on the trip, I don’t have an excuse!” WHAT!! I said that!? While it came out of my mouth, I truly feel that this was the Spirit speaking to me and telling me “You are going I don’t care what you think”.

That brings me to where I am at. Going on a missions trip to Serbia in 10 days. While at times I get scared to death about being apart of Gods Plan, and specifically leaving my business and my Family for a week. I am also excited he has wanted to use me. He would be more effective not using me, or any of us but he lets us join him if we just say YES. I have needed to realize that spreading the Good News is what we as Christians are called to do. If we truly believe in Heaven and Hell, and are called to have a loving heart, shouldn’t the World know about Jesus and the beautiful power of discipleship and the way Jesus lived his life? He poured his time here on earth relationally and intentionally with 12 dudes that would spread the Good News. Shouldn’t we spread that, as he calls us to do in Matthew 28:18-20? My answer is Yes, And I pray and ask for prayer that this continues until God brings me home to meet him in Heaven.

Before we go it has been hard for me in the realization that I do not know everything and wont know everything, EVER. And while I can prepare to know as much as possible I have needed to let go and let God do what he wants from me on this trip. 1 Corinthians 2:1-5 “And so it was with me, brothers and sisters. When I came to you, I did not come with eloquence or human wisdom as I proclaimed to you the testimony about God. For I resolved to know nothing While I was with you except Jesus Christ and Him crucified. I came to you in weakness with great fear and trembling. My message and preaching were not with wise and persuasive words, but with a demonstration of the Spirit’s power, so that your faith might not rest on Human wisdom, but on Gods Power”. We are going for a pastors conference, who knows if that is where we will end up. I just Pray that Gods will be done with us on this trip. Discipleship and intentional relationships is one of the Greatest Gifts God has given us and Jesus displayed its power. It has changed my life. Let it change yours, if it hasn’t already.

Shane Hillier

We're gearin' up!

Twelve days to go and counting...

The last months and weeks have brought about many thoughts and feelings regarding this my first missions trip. My natural tendency is first to worry about ME and how I will PERFORM in Serbia. We have been asked to be ready to share our journey that last 18 - 24  months that has brought each of us to this place as well as a short sermon on a topic of our choice.

Additionally, we should be ready to sermonize (I like to think of it as pontification) on other topics that are brought to mind, to lead a devotional for the team once we are in Leskovac, and to carry Monte's luggage. That last part I made up. It does illustrate in a very  cloudy and semi-connected way, though, the spirit with which we are going.

I tend to rely on myself for solutions and minimize my reliance on God for any tasks or problems that come my way. It is something that I was made aware of several months ago. My wife, Becky, and I were leading a community group in which I felt that something was  missing. I approached Monte Schmidt about what I could do to become a better and more effective leader. His advice was to forget about being a better leader and work on getting  closer to God. I hadn't even thought of that. Involve God?? It was leadership skills and  strategies I thought I needed! I came to realize in an embarrassing and humbling way that I needed to grow closer to God through praying and Bible-ing. Nor was I including God a  whole lot in preparing for, leading, or following up with our group. It was all about me and my performance.

These last months have required that I actually include God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit in my  preparations both personally and as a team. I have come to realize that all if have to do is show  up obediently and then let God do the work. It is not up to me and my pathetic efforts to bring about others' connection to God. He doesn't really need me. He let's me and the rest of our team be part of His work. He will get done what He will get done whether it is with us or  without us. All He asks is that we trust Him. 2 Chronicles 20:12 says "we do not know what to  do but our eyes are on You."We will be prepared, we will have focus, but we know God may  have something unique for us once we are there.

Please pray that all that He would have happen in Serbia take place.

Frazer

What are we doing?

On February 25th our team of seven will leave Oregon to begin our trip. We pray the Lord will use us to minister, serve, and learn from our Brothers and Sisters in Leskovac, Serbia. Thank you for taking time to think of us, to pray for us, and for any practical support you feel led to give.

The primary areas we feel the Lord and our church are asking our team to focus on while in Serbia are:

• To provide personal encouragement to the Pastors and to the churches in Southern Serbia
• To pass along teachings and trainings that are helping us grow in living as relational disciple-making leaders
• To seek to learn and grow from the Pastors and leaders as we minister with them and observe them
• To be assist in the distribution of food and practical goods in their communities

As a team we so appreciate your prayers for:

• Humility - as we prepare ourselves to minister with the Lord on His agenda and not our own
• Unity - to function as interdependent brothers in Christ
• Trust - giving over our families to the Lord while we are away, being thankful for their sacrifice
• Preparation - that all the truly necessary details leading up to our departure will come together
• Faithfulness -  that we trust in God's provision for the funds necessary to pay for our travel/trip expenses
• Wisdom - as we make our plans and are preparing to carry them out - that we allow God to direct our steps

If you would like to make a donation towards our trip expenses we have set up two options for you to choose from.

Option 1 - Donating by cash or check:

Make checks payable to:
Rolling HIlls Community Church
3550 SW Borland Rd
Tualatin, OR 97062
Note: Please do not write the team members name on the memo line of your check, instead use one of the reference codes listed below:

Garrett Alexander (ME0225-1)
Frazer Boergadine (ME0225-2)
Shane Hillier (ME0225-3)
Jerrad Lopes (ME0225-4)
Scott Peterson (ME0225-5)
Monte Schmidt (ME0225-6)
Jim Watson (ME0225-7)

Option 2 - Making an online donation:

To make an online donation, Click here to donate >>

 Please note that our system does not allow online donations to be credited to individual team members. Online donations will be placed into a collective team account that will be used to defray overall team costs. If after making a donation online you wish to have your contribution credited to a specific team member, please email that team member and notify them that you have made a contribution, giving them the date, time and amount of your donation.

Meet the Team!

From Left to Right:  Garrett Alexander, Monte Schmidt, Scott Peterson,
Jim Watson, Frazer Boergadine, Jerrad Lopes and Shane Hillier