Croatia joins EU, Bosnia takes a hit, I rant

This article describes how, when neighboring Croatia joins the EU on July 1, Bosnia’s farmers will lose their main export market and get hit bad.  I could add it to the long list of economic ailments in our dear country, most of whose origins can be traced to the top.

Here’s how:  In order to sell food to EU nations, Bosnia needs to make sure its food meets EU hygiene codes.  Many private farmers have already met these standards, but Bosnia’s government still has not agreed on a unified verification system.

Image: Bosnian farmers protesting government idiocy. 

In politically-divided postwar Bosnia (now 18 years after the war ended) the three ethno-religious groups cannot agree on much of anything.  Gridlock ensues, progress is not made, and the average Bosnian suffers.  In this case, farmers who are making good products could lose their livelihood because the government can’t agree on a way to certify the products.  If verifying the quality of their nation’s products so that citizens can earn a living isn’t among the very obvious duties of a government, I don’t know what is.

What to say?  It’s insane, it’s exasperating.  Bosnians of all ethic stripes are already sick of a political system that only helps those in power to get rich and stay in power.  Yet before each election nationalistic politicians stir up paranoid xenophobia (“You can’t vote for the other guy, ’cause he’s not one of us. We have to stick together and look out for our own.”) and stay in power.  Pray that next time, people will be so sick of it that their frustration will dominate the fear and they’ll throw the bums out.

“Be angry, but do not sin.” -Ephesians 4:26

Cajdžinica

Here’s the view from the Cajdžinica, lit. “tea shop,” a place we just discovered hidden away right off the main plaza of Sarajevo’s Turkish district, Baščaršija.  We sat on a little bench looking down the alley to the plaza and Sebilj, the lit centerpiece in the distance, which is on every Sarajevo postcard.

The Cajdžinica’s quaint, has great decor, exotic imported teas like Moroccan mint, cinnamon and rose, and my favorite, chocolate and almond.  Yes, they really do taste like those flavors.  Oh, and the owner is a really friendly guy named Hussein who wears a giant flowing white caftan robe and has a wild head and beard of white hair…making him look like a hippie Jesus.  Wish you were here!

Cajon

I (D) love woodworking.  It’s my introverted outlet, and a chance to produce something extremely tangible (alas, there are times when ministry feels a bit intangible).  I’ve been working on a few projects lately, one of which will be unveiled in a few days when done.

This one is a cajon, Spanish for “box”, a Latin drum used in a lot of great music.  If you’ve never seen one, you sit on it and lean over, slapping the faceplate (the part with the brass screws).  The sound is perfect for syncopated funky rhythms, like flamenco and latin jazz.

Mine has a drum snare inside, which can be turned on or off using the knobs on the sides.  Play it right, and you get 3-4 different sounds.  The only bummer is that since making it a month ago, I’ve rarely been able to play it!  At church and other venues, I’m usually playing guitar.

And since my production costs were only about $30, if we fall onto hard times maybe making and selling these in BiH could become my cottage industry.  Comparable ones on Amazon with the snare run around $200.

20th anniversary of Bosnian war

Right now there are ceremonies in Sarajevo marking 20 years since the start of the war that destroyed much of Bosnia & Herzegovina and killed more than 100,000 people. Each of the red chairs pictured above marks one of the 11,541 Sarajevo residents who lost their life. The chairs stretch down the main street for more than a kilometer (for those of you who have been there, from the eternal flame all the way beyond BBI Centar to Marjindvor).

We pray for God’s healing for this land so precious to us, and we miss being there even more today.

Introducing David & Irena

Here’s a short video with our co-workers David and Irena, in the northern Bosnia city of Banja Luka:

Some pics…

Gabi, growing like crazy!

Favorite activities these days are dancing, clapping, and bopping mom and dad in the face with a pillow.

Our staff team, at last week’s training.

Caption contest

“Because nobody likes dirty troath.”

So we can probably all guess what they were trying to say. But c’mon, with the name “Nerko,” the burly guy with a French mustache, and the Superman-esque t-shirt exposure revealing “EVRO” (Euro in Cyrillic), I’m sure we can come up with a good slogan for this corporation.

Let’s have ’em!

Dixon, Loveridge, Garrett, and Jeremy, I at least expect to hear from you guys.

EUS Summer Project!

You find strange things when hiking in Bosnia

If I’m honest, this was my favorite day of the entire summer

Beautful Bosnia! Come visit!

Students discussing Matthew’s Gospel, chapter 5

At camp, the best conversations happen around the edges

Trying to stay young to keep up with these students

When you look this good, you’re always the life of the party

Worship together at camp

Students stayed after this night’s message for a 2 1/2 hour question/answer session!

Throughout the week, students learn and grow together in small groups

Translating for David, co-worker from Banja Luka

Awesome intern Miranda with awesome co-worker Enisa

Saturday hike to a beautiful waterfall just outside Sarajevo

Getting excited about nature/camp/Jesus/life/friends

Ice cream is an important part of all ministry

Deron preaching the Gospel at camp, using Luke 15 and the parable of the two sons

Students from one of the English Classes in Banja Luka, our first time having a team there!

Make it to the end of these photos, and you get a reward. 🙂

Indulging my right brain

We’re not the first ministers to realize we need a physical, tactile hobby for our free time. When your day job involves conversations, conversations, and more conversations, at times it’s frustrating to not see a physical result of your work. At the end of a long day, computer programmers see tons of code. Teachers have completed lessons. Postal workers have a now-empty bag of mail. We have, well, often nothing that’s visible. I’m not saying we think nothing was accomplished, just that you sometimes long to see some tangible output for your input. There are a plethora of sermon illustrations available in this idea, but I’ll spare you.

Jess sews like a woman possessed. I got her a sewing machine for our first Christmas here, and she proceeded to make several duvet covers, pillowcases, and curtains for our room. As for me, I love woodworking. In high school I took several classes, enough to give me the know how if not the skill of a fine craftsman. Last year I discovered that my friend Saša, who works part-time in our church, also works building cabinetry for homes out of a shop below his house in Sarajevo. He welcomed me to use it whenever I want. Last year I built two large countertop sections for our EUS office as we were expanding, and those three days I spent with the planer, table saw, and chop saw were some of the funnest all year.

Last weekend I finally got around to building a bookshelf for us. Books were overflowing every possible space in our home, and we needed some storage pronto. Here’s the result of two more fun days’ work:

It’s nothing like Saša would have created, but we’re pleased with it and it gets the job done! And coming home those days covered in sawdust and smelling like wood stain, I was a very happy guy.

Quick pic of Bos on BBC News

Just came across this article on BBC.

The picture at the top is from southern Bosnia, and is of a Turkish Tekija, or Muslim dervish‘s house, at the mouth of the river Buna at Blagaj.

Blagaj is one of our favorite spots in Bosnia, and has great fish and riverside cafes, in addition to the incredible view. Spots this beautiful are literally all over Bosnia, nearly undiscovered.

Here’s our picture of the same spot: