Novi Sad and Kisac

After living in a foreign land for long periods of time, the stomach begins to miss the simplest things….like a good ole hamburger. A burger? Yes, a burger. And the access to a good ole hamburger can be reason enough to travel.  Thus, Amy, Danielle, and I traveled to Novi Sad to eat at Harvey’s where their hamburgers could seriously compete with America’s and at a fraction of the price.

It lived up to its hype for sure!

 They were much more excited than I since they have lived without such for a longer period. But I was up for the trip for numerous reasons: 1)I lived in Novi Sad last summer and the chance to show it around those  unfamiliar with its history and beauty was exciting 2) I was itching for an Index Sandwich---something I had nearly every day 3) I would be able to reconnect with Hannah, a likeminded friend from last summer.

It was actually my first time to go to the actual clock of the fortress.

Love me some Index sandwich....even at 4:30

Great time of fellowship with Hannah, Amanda, Amy, and Danielle!

Little did I know that the train ride back to Belgrade would be even more exciting! We got on the 1 hour late train that was on our platform….that began heading North instead of South…imagine my nervousness...and on a janky train.

Doors are not supposed to swing outward. First sign something was wrong.

We landed in a small village just outside of Novi Sad, Kisač. And that was an adventure itself for numerous reasons.

•  Moths, beetles, mosquitoes, and other small flying insects are inevitable!  They landed in mouths, ears, eyes, and noses.  Still finding bug bites. You would hate it Kyle!
• Common to hear children chanting/singing in the woods.
• Even more common for men to be shirtless and drunk. 
• Apparently between Danielle, myself, and Amy, I look most interested in the old, drunk, shirtless man.
• You do not want to mess with Danielle in Kisač. 

The "friendly" fellow of the two. Isn't he a catch?

The older, hippie..hair to his butt. But he was going to fight off the other fellow.

 Overall, most definitely one for the books...even though we got back 3 hours later than planned.

Budawin All the Way

The ability to travel to another country in Europe equivalent to the price of a full tank of gas is one thing I love about this continent and will dearly miss. And on top of that the transportation is a train. Therefore, when Amy and I embarked on our night train to Budapest, my excitement was a 14 on a scale of 1-10. I have always wanted to travel by train and visit Budapest after hearing how beautiful of a city it is. So you can imagine my excitement on a lovely 8 hour train ride!

Nothing like getting to an unfamiliar city at 6 am.

 The city lived up to everyone’s hype. But imagine sightseeing this city for 15 straight hours after an 8 hour train ride. That was rough but completely worth it! One great advantage of getting to a tourist town so early like 6am is the fact that no other tourists are up and at it. Thus, we were able to get fabulous photos minus all the white tube socks and fanny packs!! 

St. Matthias Church

Memorial to the Jews. They were forced to remove their shoes prior to being shot into the Danube.

House of Parliament

Tour of the secret hospital and then nuclear bunkers under Castle Hill.

We were pretty excited about the itchy wool capes we got to wear for the tour.

Furthermore, I was also able to cross off---Stay at hostel---on my bucketlist. Admittedly, I was nervous since I have never stayed in a hostel before and enjoy my privacy. But Tiger Tim’s was a great place to rest for the night and was much cleaner than some hotels I have stayed in. And for 12 euros a night, you can’t bet it! Well maybe the hostel for 5 euros a night, but we were not going to test that out.

After a restful night’s sleep and lunch at the same restaurant we had lunch and dinner the day before, we hopped on the “day train” that took 9 hours and landed back at Belgrade. You call it a success. We call it a Budawin!

 She was too excited to have Arriba!

After traveling another 8 plus hours we made it back! #Budawin

week tri.

We began Roma ESL Monday and it was wonderful!! Their faces lit up as we walked in the door and it is hard not to wrap your arms around each one and squeeze their beautifully tanned cheeks. On Wednesday we could see from a distance the kids outside the church and as soon as they realized we could see them, they dashed inside and acted like they never knew we were coming in. It was absolutely precious! It is a shame that the Roma people are synonymous with negative connotations, just like the South. It is not until you actually invest time that you see that those connotations might be true for a minority but are false for the majority. These people need your love and paryers. 

Tuesday Amy took me to Sveti Sava---the largest Orthodox church in Europe. This one is a bit different from the other orthodox churches in the city because it is financed by the congregation not the State. Thus, it is in a continuous state of work-in-progress.  Though it is not finished, the icons of various saints and prophets are everywhere and they have a divided area of the church blocked off to separate the area where “G0d” presides.  May the people understand that He is so personal and doesn’t reside behind a curtain for the privileged. He predicted that the temple would be destroyed in Matthew 24:2...then in Matthew 27:50-51, "Jesus shouted again with a loud voice and gave up His spirit. Suddenly, the curtain of the sanctuary was split in two from top to bottom; the earth quaked and the rocks were split." 

Friday, it was so refreshing to walk the block I live on and cover it in paryer and lift up my neighbors, the children on the playground, the old men playing cheese, and the businesses throughout the block. After parying for my community, the Stevens’ family, Amy, and I went to pary for another community…more specifically for Mira. Recently, a judge has ruled for her eviction despite the fact that she has the papers claiming she owns her apartment.  She was warned that Friday she would be served papers for eviction, which gives ample notice for people to protest. Click here for the previous protest. From what I was told, this time around was much more serious. Compared to last time, there were many more cops and riot police present. Political cards were exchanged and eventually the police decided to come back for another yet undetermined date. So please pary for YOUR Sister, Mira. 

The guys in all navy blue are legit po po and weren't going to joke around. 

 A good size came out to support Mira.

The police asked for people's id to write down their info. The people swiftly came them to the police suggesting that jail would not stop them from protesting.

 It's a whole family affair. To the right is Mira.

doors opening.

This past week wrapped up my second week in Srbija. Life here is picking up pace with the opportunities starting since school is now out. Although, the pace cannot get too quick because time is of no issue here. Except for maybe when I am 45 minutes late to the apartment to let in Amy (who was 20 minutes late herself). So 45-20= 25 minutes...not too shabby, Amy :)

This weekend was a bit different for me. Amy and I traveled by train to Budapest, Hungary for the weekend. Everyone should be impressed with our mad sightseeing skills. Our train left at 10:10 Thursday night and arrived Friday morning at 6. From then onward we were seeing the town! And boy, we did not stop until we arrived at the hostel to sleep. So from waking up Thursday morning around 10am to Friday night at 11:45 we were awake give and take a nap or two on the train ride. But we saw the beautiful city and got to walk...a lot!!! But I will save all of that for another post with some great photos.

But this upcoming week doors are opening wide with our Roma ESL and movie/game night at Second BC [not sure where FBC went]. Both of which I am extremely excited about doing! Especially the Roma ESL since this will be my first time to get to interact with a people group I've heard about and lifted up for years.


Mondays and Wednesdays
Roma ESL 11-12:30 (4-5:30 am Central)
Second BC movie/game night 6:30 (11:30 am Central) Mondays Only

We are excited about these finally beginning. So please be lifting those up and for the team to have Peace that surpasses all understanding and for us to find rest and strength in Him when faced with the attacks of the evil one.

sights, sounds, and smells

I thought I let you enjoy the delightful scenery and places I get to see all the time. Sounds and smells you obviously cannot experience through cyberspace. However, just imagine people honking their horns all the time. Sounds--check. Now imagine riding in a bus and people holding onto the railing and figuring out which direction the body odor originates. Smell--check. Yet, the Father is growing my appreciation and adoration for this city!

Blurry but the town center

i

Serbs love some graffiti. It is of the city with 'My Belgrade' in Cyrillic.

An Orthodox priest. I used my covert skills.

Amy (roommate) is super excited about the movie store membership.

Boy can Amy cook!! Medium rare steak, fresh spring veggies with bread and feta cheese.

Shout out! Meridian.

The country side. Majestic scenery!

Lola (L) and Cole (R). Cats are growing on me, Mom!

Only a portion of the city from the Fortress.

Lastly, the Serb govt decided not to tear down the NATO bombed-out buildings.

one week later

So this past week I ventured into language school and soon realized that it's not as easy as one would hope. It was challenging and frustrating but rewarding as well. I now know several phrases and verbs to form sentences along with numbers and various food items. Each day after language school, Amy (my roommate for the summer who has finished up one of two years here) would take me to various destinations in the city like the fortress, town centre, and local beach hangout.

This weekend Amy and I along with one of the families in Belgrade traveled south to meet up with the two other families. I had never met them before but thoroughly enjoyed getting to know them and their families. It was great weekend filled with laughs, mosquitoes, great food, encouraging fellowship, and more laughs!!

Cannot wait to see more of this ever-growing, ever-searching land and peoples this week!

Jokingly, Amy has referred to herself as my assistant since I am the celebrity and fail to remember the day's agenda..well, she fulfilled such duties this week by documenting my first full week in the city. Feel free to check out this post about my first week ---> here    and the rest of her fabulous blog!!

srbski

Language is how you can specifically think of me this week. Last year I learned a few words and greetings, but this year I will get a week long session of language. It is said that Srbski is one of the hardest languages to learn because it has so many cases. Yahhooo! But each day from 12-1:15 (5-6:15 Central) I will join a married couple from the States and our teacher to learn numbers, common words, and crucial phrases.  

May confusion will be limited, pronunciation be clear, and easily retain the words and meanings.

Wish me luck!! 

back to Srbija

Thank you everyone for thinking of me as I traveled back to Europe!! It was weird for sure traveling by myself but good! I met the sweetest elderly lady while waiting in Memphis. She was a great encouragement and blessing as I began traveling. Ms. Caroldean Jones will never know how truly blessed by her like-mindedness and sweet spirit. I'm not going to lie and say that I wasn't scared of delays or misunderstandings with ticket agents. But it went much more smoothly than anticipated! I had no problems at all during my 24 hour travel period. However, I will tell you that if you fly transcontinental, go Swiss!! Boy, it was nice and enjoyable for the two flights I had with them.

But once I landed in Srbija, a girl from my flight asked me while in line for passport control if I was going to Novi Sad for youth lab. Thus we struck up a conversation since I was in Novi Sad last year. She then asked how to find a bus to get there. I didn't know but the people picking me up would so I told her they would tell her. Well instead of telling her, they decided to just take her to the bus station. At one point in the trip to the station, we all confused how we would normally not ride with strangers. hahaha They thought we had met on the plane. Nope! I had met her only 10 minutes before they did.

Anyways, it has been great to be back in the country I grew to love last go-around. Unlike Novi Sad, Belgrade is much larger (1.5 million larger) so everything is bigger and further apart. Buses or trams are now necessary instead of walking with the occasional bus. I miss being so close to the town centre and all that "small-town charm" as we say it, even though the town has 500,000 folks.

Nonetheless, tonight I attended a Study, which was all done in Serbian. Though I didn't understand but a word it was great to be in a room with Sisters and Brothers living like Acts and going through Acts! My Friend here is leading International church tomorrow, which will be in English but think of him throughout your day today and if you stay up until 2am :)

I hope all is well on your side of the world and that you'll find His joy and overwhelming presence in all things as you finish up the weekend.