December 8, 2009
Sarajevo Story 8
Šta ima?! (that is, “What’s up?!”)
I’m very sorry that it has been awhile once again since the last story. Please know that we will try to keep the stories coming as often as possible. It definitely helps us as well to have these stories recorded. I guess they are kind of like building an altar as the Israelites would do to help them remember. So, here you go…
It is amazing how music can bring people together and make relationships happen.
We try to meet every Friday at our office for a time to practice the Bosnian worship songs. So, a couple of Fridays ago I was on my way down the stairs in our apartment building, with guitar in hand, to head to this music meeting. This particular Friday, there ended up being a gentleman waiting for someone at the bottom of the stairs.
I noticed the man (whom we will call Sanel) looking at my guitar and he looked me in the eyes and began talking. Just to let you know, when you are in a foreign country where you know just a little bit of the language, it can sometimes be pretty scary when someone starts talking to you. However, I have an idea now that God had this encounter under control.
My strength with the language so far has been speaking it, but understanding what someone says to me has been a challenge for. To my surprise, though, I was instantly understanding what Sanel was saying to me. We began to talk about the guitar and music (that’s right…in Bosnian). Next thing I know, he wants to see my guitar and asks if he can play it. His daughter also happens to be a music professor in Sarajevo.
Another amazing thing is that he tells me he has a piano (at least, I’m pretty sure he says this). Jess loves to play that piano and has been wondering where she could find one to play. I love when God gives us encounters like this. However, I was leaving for Bible school for two weeks a couple of days later. I got his cell phone number and told him we should play guitar together.
So, like I said, God is good and He continues to open doors for new relationships like this. As for this story…it is to be continued…
