Bosnia Missions Trip, July 2001

NM-Bosnia: from Nadine

hello all,

my days here in Bosnia are great! i guess i could speak for the rest of my team when i say that. flying here was a pain... in the neck, literally. sitting down for almost ten hours straight, wasn't doing me any good. then walking around the airport in germany for four hours wasn't helping me out at all. when we first arrived here i was really, really tired and could only think of a shower and a warm bed.
the second day here was so fun! we walked around "down town" all day. we saw so many things. 

it's so funny out here! there are so many different people and faces. it's like mexico, phoenix, and Bosnia all in one.  it reminds me of mexico because of the toilets( holes in the ground) and phx, because of the way people are. we have the ravers, the skaters, the taggers, we even have the tweekers! no thugs. there is a picture of me in here in frankfurt. i think it's cool.

what i like the most so far is that they still sell converse out here. the Bosnian boys still listen to vanilla ice! oh, we have pink toilet paper, pink phones, and one of the boys sleep with a pink blanket. i like to make fun of him. he is always calling me a chihuahua. it makes me so mad. it's funny, sometimes. he says that spanish people are good liars and that all americans smile for the camera like as if we just swallowed a rat. don't ask me what he meant by that. 

today we had our work day. it was so cool. i don't ever remember washing rugs being that fun. hanging out with my team, especially nancy, has been a great. speaking of nancy. she was working really hard today. pulling weeds that weren't really weeds. poison ivy or something. anyway- see picture.

on a more serious note. Bosnia is a very beautiful, beautiful, broken place. when we took that walk down town, a little gypsy boy came up to me and was begging for money. i didn't know how to handle that sort of thing. i just started crying. it really broke my heart. then seeing an old homeless lady in the middle of down town sarajevo, crying and begging for something. it just tore me apart. i felt bad because in the back of my head i was still thinking of them but, i was still having fun. i kind of thought to myself " is this what's wrong with the world"? we only hurt for the time their in our presence, then we keep walking by, forgetting that we still have brothers and sisters that are still in a lot of pain. i just stood there for a minute praying. i find myself doing that a lot these days. 

chris has been a wonderful team leader. he is always taking time to hear about our day. i think god put together a rather "different" team. 
1st we have lizzy. very sweet, patient, quiet, kind. 
2nd we have, nancy. very organized, CLEAN, nice, always making us get everything done on time.
3rd we have ashley. loud, crazy, fun, whiney, at times. she's sick so i'll cut her some slack.
4th shannon. quiet, cool, very helpful, to everyone.
5th FILIBERTA!!!!!. we all know her. funny, and cool.+ she has an amazing heart.
6th. katrina. so calm, doing whatever she's told.
7th. me. almost none of the above, j/k. but, it's working, we all keep each other in check. we all seem to be having a real heart for this place.

i miss nely. a lot. i wish she was here. and not in mexico. 

well guys there is much more to say but little time. my favorite picture is the one where we are standing over the city, praying. it was such a spiritual time for me. god is doing a lot. he is showing me, through people, how my attitude and actions affect my own reputation.

please be praying for me and the rest of my team. to stay focused and strong. and for me, so that i will be able to understand things and people. thank you all so much for making this time in my life so memorable.

my all in him <><
-nadine angela navarro.