What I Leave and What I Bring Home

In the Bible, Jesus is recorded as saying,

^{John 15:9} “As the Father has loved me,  so have I loved you. Now remain in my love. ¹⁰ If you obey my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have obeyed my Father’s commands and remain in his love.  ¹¹ I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete. ¹² My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you. ¹³ Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends. ¹⁴ You are my friends if you do what I command. ¹⁵ I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master’s business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you.

Jesus says this after talking about himself being the vine and we his branches…and as I read this again, nearing the end of my trip, I am struck by a few things.  First that He says and points to his authority by linking himself to God and then tells us what to do.  Second, he himself did exactly what he asked of us, laying his life down for all and any who would acknowledge his love and follow him…and third, we who do become his friends as we give our lives to our friends.

Earlier in my blog, I spoke of these here, in the Balkans laying down their lives for their friends here.  It isn’t the throwing yourself in front of the bus while pushing them out of the way.  It is the holding loosely to the comforts and ‘goodness’ of home to invest lives coming alongside others in foreign lands.  When they came, they had no friends here, and now, as they have given up years, part of a year and for a few, most of a decade of American living, they have friends; not just a few friends, but many.

I have given a week, and it is what I have been called to do, and in this second visit, have made more friends here.  These friends are dear, having only spent two weeks of my life with some, one last year, and one now.  I cannot believe how much love and admiration flows from this heart for them and with them in such a short interval.  They are called to a seemingly impossible task, but empowered by great faith in and with a loving God.  He will help them love and be part of the river of change destined for Livno and Bosnia, and I get to be here?  Very humbling.

I have met and shared my love for teaching and some methods I use.  Meeting  students, in their classroom, I presented  a method of teaching not used here via translator.  I had coffee with two school administrators facing great difficulties keeping teachers and drawing them here.  I was even offered a job teaching here if I wish (but I’d have to share my $420 a month salary with my translator…or learn the language).  I have had coffee and befriended my translator, Predrag, his mother having lymph cancer in remission undergoing treatment this week now because of low white cell counts.  I have had opportunity to share some words with Dr. Garner’s son who came with last year; words of encouragement and care.  But mostly I have once again breathed the air that is Livno, walking the streets while passing the people of Livno, a chance to work with some amazing teachers and a few deeply devoted friends.

Just as last year, I leave part of my heart here.  It joins the part I left then.  It seems so small, so insignificant, so trivial a piece, yet is all I have been called to do and leave.  Once again, I also get to bring a part of Livno home with me.  Tomorrow I climb into the van with a few of these friends and head to Split.  I’ll be staying the night there with a few more friends before the long journey, home.  Where I go, I give, or so I hope.  Where I am, I find abundance and peace.   Even in the midst of personal turmoil and struggle, indeed I find peace.  It is unexplainable, it is sweet, it is real.  We get chances to make differences in lives if we get it right.  Amazed, this trip extends my opportunity to make a difference here, or so I hope.  I’m not sure of the scope of the difference, but even this life, these footprints of faith have had the blessing to walk the streets, once again, of Livno.   And once again, I get to bring a part of Livno, home.