Friday, August 29, 2008

Pictures from Nevesinje

Below: Kokotovich relatives in Gacko, my mother's side.

Above: Lufthansa plane that took me to Belgrade at Munich, Germany.

Below Left: Serbian Eastern Orthodox Chapel at new Nevesinje hospital.
Below Right: Muslim Mosque on return trip to Belgrade.


Below: Dr. Gojko Ostoic and myself at The Bridge On the Drina, 1961 Nobel Peace Prize winner Ivo Andric's book about WWII Muslim atrocities against Serbs.

Above Left: Dusanka Bogdanovich, my hostess, shopping for groceries at Arizona Mini Market.
Above Right: U S Embassy and Consulate in Belgrade, Serbia.

(Click images for a larger view)

Back home from Nevesinje

The meetings went well in Nevesinje, not far from Mostar, seven nights and attendance varied. My relatives were very open about spiritual truths and that pleased me so very much. Over half my relatives in the entire world, and they are stretched out to Melbourne, Australia, live in the area.

The Nevesinje priest called the hotel in Gacko where we were to have meetings for a week, and they had been approved by the hotel for three months, but we got word that they would not allow us to use the hotel hall for religious meetings.

The whole area has been awakened with the distribution of over 40,000 copies of my book in Serbian, "Amazing Prophecies of hope." Hundreds went to their priest or called him about things which they read in the book about end time prophecies, including the Sabbath and second coming, a real Seventh-day Adventist book, a 120 page paperback.

We are hopeful of buying a building and turning it into a clinic with five different specialists coming for a week on a rotating basis giving their time to the people in the area free of charge to improve the people's health. We also plan a chapel of about 70 capacity. I will be sending a request to MFC for assistance for the clinic/chapel Life Center and follow up soul winning. It will be costly and I am hopeful they will match my gift of $200,000 which I am sending today by wire. Unfortunately the dollar is not worth much in Europe. The Euro hit the market at less value than the dollar and yesterday it was $1.67.

While there have been some disappointments it is the first time in history that evangelistic meetings had been held in that part of Bosnia-Herzegovina, an area of over 15,000 square miles.

Please remember that area in your personal devotions.

John V Stevens, Sr.



Thursday, August 14, 2008

Heading for Nevesinje

Leaving Beograd tomorrow at 6 AM for Nevesinje. My driver threre is ill and we are looking for another now. New driver does not know contacts or their locations so he will need to work with my ill driver to get me to the right place at the right time.

Also we got bumped at the hall for the first three nights and have a palce that seats 40-50. If we get more than that we will have a second meeting if they wait.

Always something to challenge us, isn't there? But this is God's meeting so I will let Him deal with it and solve it. I do what I can and what I can't do, I expect Him to do.

Waiting on projector to try it out before we leave town to make certain it is all working.

Blessings to you.
John

Monday, August 11, 2008

Spending Time in Bosnia Herzegovina

Please pray for me that I may be used by God in two short evangelistic series in Nevesinje and Gacko during August and early September. These cities are located in Republika Srpsk, a republic in Bosnia Herzegovina and well over half of all of my relatives reside in these two cities and their environs. I am leaving August 10 and will return late September 11.

I enjoy all the "goodies" that come from time to time but when one is gone almost 5 weeks literally hundreds of emails will be on my list to read and that is more than I can deal with. But anything that is personal you may feel free to share. I hope I can use my internet there. It is fairly remote in the mountains (Balkins)and I use DSL and if it is not there I may have problems accessing the phone modem.

Georgia is many miles away so it should not spill across the borders of several nations into the place where I will be.

I just finished talking to my point man in Serbia and he tells me I will need to extend my stay and preach in another city, Trebinje, so I may or I may not. Apparently the bishop of the Orthodox church resides there and wants to meet me next Friday and talk to me. We distributed 40,000 booklets which had the patriarch's approval and apparently there is a great interest.

It is my hope that I can be used by the Lord in a way acceptable to Him.

May you be happier, healthier and holier when I return than you are currently. That goes double for me.

- John