News from the Oak Hall Expedition through the Balkans…

This week, an intrepid team are traveling from Budapest in Hungary, through Serbia and Montenegro, to Croatia – a journey of around 1000kms…

On our journey we are visiting a number of graduates of the Bible School in Belgrade. With well over 300 graduates serving across the region, there are many points at which we could make our stops!

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After a night tour of majestic Budapest and a then a good sleep, we rode a train south out of Hungary and into the North of Serbia. Eight hours of slowly transforming scenery, brought us to cross the Sava River and enter Serbia’s capital, Belgrade: home of the Belgrade Bible School.

This morning, we set off for the city centre, and took a boat down the Sava and into the mighty Danube River.

Dragan and Danijela studied at the Bible School and have been working among their own Romany people ever since. The highlight of the day was our visit to a Romany community with whom they work. Close to the centre of the city and surrounded by villas, this community live in a shanty-type settlement made from throw-away items from across the city.

This group of people, unnoticed or ignored by most in the city, have experienced a secret revolution since they began to hear from Dragan and Danijela about the God who has come in the person of Jesus Christ.

We heard some of these people’s amazing stories of how God has reached into their lives to bring them into relationship with Himself.

Danijel explained how 6 years ago, on an Oak Hall visit like ours today, he had the Message of God’s Love for the first time… Dragan and Danijela have supported him since and he is now one of the leaders of the Christ-following community here.

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With time to talk, play football and share more stories together, the afternoon has been a wonderful one.

Stopping at the Orthodox Cathedral and Parliament building on the way home, we returned to the Bible School this evening for an evening meal and our third Bible study before retiring for the night…

We hope to post more news shortly…

Thank you for praying on for the work of the Bible School and this journey through the Balkans.

Photographs from Dragan and Danijela’s Camps!

Dragan and Danijela have been leading camps for Romany children this summer time – it continues to be an excellent summer with many opportunities…

They have sent us these great photographs!

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Great News from the Children’s Team in Central Serbia!

 

 

 

 

Darko and Lidija are encouraged by news from the camp in Mrcajevci!  Click here here to read the latest!

Dragan and Danijela – also part of the team there – wrote recently,

“the work that the Oak Hall group did in the camp ground was a good practical example of love!”

It is excellent to hear of how well the camp is being used.

Thank you for continuing to pray for the Balkans…

News from Darko and Lidija as a Summer of Children Camps and Training Begin…

 

 

 

 

 

 

Last week, the Oak Hall “Taste of Mission” Team spent three days with Darko and Lidija helping to prepare the children’s camp for the summer programme.

They shared with us the needs that remained for them to be able to finally purchase the camp ground.  Many of us prayed for them.  Together we can now praise God that the purchase was successfully completed on the 1st July.  This is wonderful news and the camp ground in their ownership will bring blessing to thousands of children in the years to come…

Just before the purchase deadline, Darko and Lidija wrote this news: Prayer June 2011 – Darko and Lidija (Click to open)

 

 

A Summer of Blessing! – Dragan and Danijela

Dragan and Danijela write:

We want to share with you about the blessing that we’ve had through the summer!  We were able to be students on the first ‘Balkan Insitute’ learning much and meeting new people…  We have now become part of the team of ‘Child Evangelism Fellowship’ and so are able to continue to serve God in this way.

Six Children Received Christ as their Saviour!

We then had a ‘Romi Camp’ with forty young people from all over central Serbia.  We involved them in drama, music, language and craft lessons.  Together we studied Daniel in the Bible sessions.

Over half of the children were on a camp for the first time and they very much enjoyed it!  Six of the children received Jesus Christ as their Saviour – we are really encouraged by what God is doing through these camps and we want to thank those who have been praying for and supporting us… We are very happy that we can serve our Lord together in this way.

Please Continue to Pray…

We need your ongoing prayer that God would lead and use us for His glory.

With many greetings!

– Dragan and Danijela

Reaching the Children of Serbia: Dragan and Danijela serving with Darko and Lidija

Summer Camps Running throughout August

Today Dragan and Danijela finish an excellent course run by CEF in Serbia – “Child Evangelism Fellwship”. The course has been called “The Balkan Institute” – extremely practical, very intensive and developed by CEF over a number of years to equip children’s workers.

“Here we are at the end of the institute, we’ve worked hard – sometimes until 4am – but it’s been a real blessing to refresh what we knew and to learn much more…  We’re going straight to a camp now – 60 people will be there: a real adventure!”

The CEF team is dynamically lead by Bible School graduates Darko and Lidija Adamek and is committed to reaching the children of Serbia with the Good News of the Lord Jesus.

Now Dragan and Danijela will spend the next weeks leading camps.  Filled with laughter, friendship and a life-changing message, these times together will be the highlight of the year for many of the children enjoying them.

Please pray for these important events!

Holidays for Refugees…

Some of the children enjoying these camps this summer time will be from the refugee camps – children to whom we have been bringing humanitarian aid for many years…

Read On!

There is much more to read about what is happening through Darko and Lidija, Dragan and Danijela and those around them.  Click here to read Darko and Lidija’s latest bulletin…

Leaving the Bible School and heading to a hidden Romany Village

After warm farewells, this Saturday morning, we left Belgrade and “comfort” of the Bible School to travel into the centre of Belgrade.  Rather than visiting the “standard” tourist sights, we met Dragan – a Rom from the central city of Arandjelovac.

As we drove together, he told us how in 1999, aware of a personal need for forgiveness and aware of his own vulunerability magnified by the bombing, he found refuge in a friend’s house.  These friends walk with Jesus and through what they shared, Dragan and his wife committed their lives into the hands of Lord Jesus Christ.

Since then, Dragan and Danijela have been joyfully sharing about what God has done in their lives with others from Romany communities across Serbia.

Romany people are viewed as outcasts in this society.  They often live in makeshift homes made out of nothing more than reclaimed junk.  A living made by recycling rubbish they pull out of containers, ignored and often despised by the rest of the population – this is not an easy existence.  The Romany people have their own language and trace their ancestory back to North India – both their colouring and their language carry hints of the Indian culture.

This morning, Dragan brought us to a makeshift settlement where he and Danijela have been working for a number of years.  The welcome we received was immense with drinks, smiles and laughter.

Those in the settlement were very keen to sing to us new songs that they have written about their new found faith in Jesus Christ – “the One whom their hearts longed” as one song explained.

I think for some of us, this has been one of the most moving visits so far.  It has put on many of our hearts a keenness to find ways we can help the Romany community in Serbia and across this region, it has deepened our respect for this people group.  It has also given us an insight into the amazing work that Dragan and Danijela are doing.  Most of all it has shown us the dignity, vibrancy and life that comes to a person, a family, a community as they trust their lives into the hands of Jesus Christ.

We drive on now towards Nis…

25/08/10 – The Story Continues…

It’s two months since our coach left the Romany settlement here in the centre of Belgrade…

Wonderful things continued to happen the day that we visited…  One of the men who is a “patriarch” of this community that day realised his own need for a saviour and trusted his life into the hands of Jesus Christ – the One who has died personally for him…  This will have a great impact on this community.

Dragan, Danijela and Nesa delightedly shared this news with us by text as we drove south…  We praise God with them.