Oak Hall in Serbia

Dear brothers, sisters and friends,

This week, life at HUB is back to its normal course. After week one, where we had a number of guests from Serbia and America, in week two there are only our students and the HUB team left.

A teacher from Scotland, Howel Jones joined us. He visited us with his wife Anne this time. Howel always teaches in a unique and special way, this time I and II Chronicles. Howel has been with us from the very beginnings of the school’s work and is a huge support and encouragement for the students and all of us.

Also, Andy Mayo was with us last week. He taught the epistle to Colossians. It is always special time for the students when Andy is here, because he spends much time with the students even outside the classes. Andy is well known for always encouraging our students, praying with them, playing the guitar for them…

We are so grateful to Howel, Anne and Andy for all the time they have given to us and our students this week. God has blessed us so much through them.

The practical day and visit to church

For the practical day, we went with the students to Pancevo to a youth meeting. Our students served the youth through songs, testimonies and the Word of God. On Sunday, we were also at a service, at a very small church where our former students Igor and Anita Urosevic are, who founded the church. We had a very blessed time. We were so encouraged by their desire to sing the songs of praise to the Lord. We were especially blessed by seeing that the members of this church enjoyed our visit too, and that they want to see us again soon.

As the end of the school year is approaching, our students are starting to think about their future plans, while we are thinking about the preparations for the next school year. One of our students, Simonce Misev, shared with us his impressions about his studies so far and his future plans:

»When I first came to the Bible school, I came with a goal to get closer to God and get to know him better. God has been truly revealing himself to me through lectures, changing my life through the relationships with the other students and speaking to me daily. He has been teaching me how to serve him in humility and that everything I do, I should be doing to God’s glory. My desire and prayer for the future is to work with the people who are in drug problems, and also share the gospel with them. For the start, I would like to finish the second year of the Bible school, which I believe would help my edification and practical preparation for further ministry.«

Please pray for the generation that finishes, for God to reveal them where he wants them to serve him. Also, please pray for the new students, for God to give them the desire at the right time to come and study the Word of God.

Thank you so much for supporting us and for being a part of our ministry.

Riste and the HUB team

Draga braćo, sestre i prijatelji,

 

Život u HUB-u ove nedelje vratio se u uobičajeni tok. Nakon prve nedelje, u kojoj smo imali veliki broj gostiju iz Srbije i Amerike, u drugoj nedelji ostali su samo naši studenti i tim HUB-a.

Pridružio nam se predavač iz Škotske Hauel Džons, koji nam je bio u poseti sa svojom suprugom En i koji je na uvek jedinstven i poseban način predavao knjige Prva i Druga Dnevnika. Hauel je sa nama od samog početka rada škole i velika je podrška i ohrabrenje za studente i sve nas.

Takođe je sa nama ove nedelje bio Endi Mejo, koji je predavao poslanicu Kološanima. Za studente je uvek posebno vreme kada Endi dođe u školu, jer on i pored predavanja provodi mnogo vremena sa studentima. Endi je poznat po tome što uvek ohrabruje naše studente, moli se sa njima, svira gitaru…

Zahvalni smo mnogo Hauelu, En i Endiju za vreme koje su odvojili za nas i naše studente ove nedelje. Bog nas je veoma blagoslovio kroz njih.

Praktičan dan i poseta crkvi

Za praktičan dan smo išli sa studentima u Pančevo na omladinski sastanak. Naši studenti su služili kroz pesme, svedočanstva i Božiju Reč.

 U nedelju smo takođe bili na jednom bogosluženju, u jednoj veoma maloj crkvi kod naših bivših studenata Igora i Anite Uroševića, koji su osnovali tu crkvu. Imali smo veoma blagoslovljeno vreme. Bili smo baš ohrabreni njihovom željom da pevaju pesme slavljenja Boga. Posebno smo blagosloveni što vidimo i da su članovi ove crkve uživali i što žele da nas vide ponovo uskoro.

Dok se bliži kraj školske godine, naši studenti počinju da razmišljaju o svojim budućim planovima, a mi o pripremama za sledeću školsku godinu. Jedan od naših studenata, Simonče Mišev, podelio je sa nama svoje utiske o dosadašnjem školovanju i budućim planovima:

»Kad sam došao u Biblijsku školu, došao sam sa ciljem da se približim Bogu i da ga bolje upoznam. Zaista mi se Bog otkrivao kroz predavanja, menjao mi život kroz odnose sa drugim studentima i govorio mi svakodnevno. Učio me je kako da mu služim u poniznosti i da sve što radim, radim na njegovu slavu. Moja želja i molitva za dalje jeste da radim sa ljudima koji imaju problem sa drogom i da im govorim evanđelje. Voleo bih za početak da završim i drugu godinu Biblijske škole, za koju verujem da će mi takođe biti na izgradnju i praktičnu pripremu za dalju službu.«

 

Molite se za ovu generaciju koja završava, da im Bog otkriva gde žele da mu služe. Takođe, molimo vas da se molite i za nove studente, da im Bog da želju da u pravo vreme dođu i studiraju Božiju Reč.

Hvala vam mnogo što nas podržavate i što ste deo naše službe.

Riste i tim HUB-a

Our dear friends,

The third semester of the 17th generation has started. It is always special for our students because of the nice spring weather and because most students finish their school and these are the last weeks of their life here.

As far as the very beginning of the semester is concerned, we’ve had a visiting group from the Downline Bible program from Memphis, Tennessee, USA. They taught a seminar on discipleship, which was attended, other then by our students, by many guests from different churches and towns in Serbia. There were altogether over 40 of us in HUB. It was a very blessed time for all of us. Conversations, hangouts, encouragements, sport activities, art workshops etc. made the participants leave full of good impressions. We ourselves have been blessed by serving people and being a spiritual refreshment for them.

I asked Dr. Jim Rearden, one of the teachers from the team, and his wife, to share with us their impressions about HUB.

“This was our first visit to HUB. We didn’t know what to expect, and God surprised with us with joy. We’ve met wonderful brothers and sisters in Christ, we were able to share God’s Word, God’s joy, God’s Spirit and so much more. This connected our team and made us feel like tools in the hands of the Carpenter. We are thankful that He has used us in the lives of our brothers and sisters in Serbia.”

There are great challenges in front of us and this is why we need you to keep supporting us in prayer. Thank you for doing it. May God bless you.

“Therefore, my dear brothers and sisters, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain.“ – 1. Corinthians 15:58

Riste and the HUB team

Dragi naši prijatelji,

Počeo je i treći semestar u 17. generaciji, koji je uvek poseban za naše studente zbog lepog proletnjeg vremena, a naročito zbog toga što većina studenata završava školu i što su ovo poslednje nedelje njihovog boravka ovde.

Što se tiče samog početka semestra, u poseti nam je bila grupa ljudi sa biblijskog programa Downline iz Memfisa u Tenesiju, SAD. Oni su održali seminar o učeništvu, kojem su, uz naše studente, prisustvovali i brojni gosti iz raznih crkava i gradova u Srbiji. Ukupno nas je bilo preko 40 u HUB-u. Bilo je to veoma bagosloveno vreme za sve nas. Razgovori, druženja, molitve, ohrabrenja, sportske aktivnosti, likovne radionice i drugo učinili su da učesnici odu puni utisaka. I mi sami smo bili blagosloveni što smo služili ljudima i bili im duhovno osveženje.

Zamolio sam dr Džima Rirdena, jednog od predavača koji su bili u timu, i njegovu ženu, da sa nama podele svoje utiske iz HUB-a.

“Ovo je bila naša prva poseta HUB-u. Nismo znali šta da očekujemo, a Bog nas je iznenadio radošću. Upoznali smo predivnu braću i sestre u Hristu, mogli smo da delimo Božiju Reč, Božiju radost, Božijeg Duha i mnogo toga. To je naš tim spojilo i učinilo da se osećamo kao da smo oruđe u rukama Tesara. Zahvalni smo da nas je koristio u životima naše braće i sestara u Srbiji.”

Veliki su izazovi ispred nas i zbog toga nam je potrebno da nastavite da nas podržavate u molitvi. Hvala vam što to radite. Neka vas Bog blagoslovi.

“Stoga, braćo moja draga, budite čvrsti, nepokolebljivi, uvek bogati u delu Gospodnjem, znajući da vaš trud  nije besplodan u Gospodu.” – 1. Korinćanima 15:58

Riste i tim HUB-a

Our dear friends and all of you who are thinking and praying for Sara and our family,

Thank you for standing with us faithfully in these times when we need your prayers and support so much. I am writing this letter as I sit next to Sara in the hospital before the very beginning of the third cycle of chemotherapy. We are halfway done, but thank God for all the strength and guidance so far. We’ve been going through a rough period, but we have truly seen God work in many situations. God is here and He answers prayers, hears the cries and responds. We’ve been able to see many times how God shows His grace and helps in these moments when it’s really hard. We have seen Him do miracles and the doctors confirm it, we have seen Him give the supernatural strength when the human strength is completely gone. He is faithful, always, even when our faith yields, our worries overpower us and our flesh takes over us and disables us to see clearly. He is faithful.

Sara is a great fighter and her spirit, warmth and joy not only do not decrease, but increase daily and radiate on all of us. Even though she hasn’t had a single normal meal in two months, and that she has to take blood transfusion, food through her veins, that she has nauseas and that she has to go through frequent procedures in the hospital, she is a happy girl who enjoys life, rejoices that her Mom and her sisters are now here with her, that she can read, play, even run sometimes, go to church…

We are happy that her last results from a few days ago are good and there are no signs of the further development of the disease. These are really encouraging and good news, but we still have a long way to go. The fact that we are all here now as a family is a big thing for Sara and each one of us.

Our baby Lena is doing well, she is growing and is very cute. Jana has started going to a very good school recently and it’s great how God has wonderfully lead all that.

 

 

Thank you for your letters, emails, messages, prayers and every kind of support that you give us. Thank you all who are forwarding the news about Sara and encouraging others to pray for Sara. Thank you all who might not be contacting us, but are reading this and mentioning Sara in your prayers. Thank you all who don’t know us personally, but you have a little 9 year old girl who loves life and is fighting this disease on your heart.

 

At the end, dear friends, never forget this: “For the Lord is good and his love endures forever; his faithfulness continues through all generations. “ Ps. 100:5.

Thankfully and sincerely yours,

Sladjan, Jaroslava, Sara, Jana & Lena

PS. If you are still not receiving emails from us, please send me a short email to sladjanmilenkovic@gmail.com and we will be pleased to send you our newsletters. Here is our postal address:

Sladjan Milenkovic

1811 Poplar Ave

Target House r.220

TN38104

Memphis,  USA

 

 

Dragi naši prijatelji, braćo i sestre u Hristu,

Završio se drugi semester školske 2012/2013 godine i još uvek smo puni utisaka koje želimo barem jednim delom i vama da prenesemo, i da vam ukratko kažemo kako je to protekao ceo semestar..

Pre svega, ovaj semestar je bio veliki izazov za tim, jer je to bio naš prvi celi semestar bez Slađana ovde. Međutim, naučili smo da upravo u ovakvim izazovima Bog najviše radi i najviše nas uči. Tek kada smo suočeni sa ovakvim izazovima, usuđujemo se da preuzmemo odgovornosti, da radimo i pokušavamo stvari koje inače ne bismo, i na takav način učimo i rastemo.

Bilo je veoma blagosloveno iskustvo raditi sa studentima i gledati kako rastu ovoga semestra. Bilo ih je ukupno dvanaest, devetoro muškaraca i tri žene, od kojih je svako pokazao posebne darove, posebne snage i potencijale za službu. Videli smo kako rastu i teološki, kroz prisustvovanje časovima, i praktično, kroz praktične aktivnosti, zajedništvo i svakodnevni život.

Deo njihovog iskustva ovog trimestra bilo je posećivanje i služenje mnogim crkvama, naročito onima u kojima nikada nismo bili ili onima u kojima dugo nismo bili. Studenti su učili šta znači služiti drugima i blagosiljati druge, i videli su kako oni sami mogu biti time blagoslovljeni.

Jedan od studenata, Radomir Jovetić, sada je završio svoju prvu godinu u Biblijskoj školi, pa je preostalo jedanaestoro studenata, plus moguć broj novih koji će se možda pridružiti od sledećeg semestra, koji počinje 15. aprila. Ne znamo još uvek da li će ih biti i koliko će ih možda biti, ali molimo se za Božiju volju.

Hvala svima za to što čitate naše vesti, molite se za nas i podržavate nas. Mnogo nam znači svaki vid vaše podrške i sve ovo ne bi bilo moguće bez vas. Hvala vam na svemu.

„A onome koji svojom silom, što dejstvuje u nama, može da učini preko svega i iznad svega što mi ištemo ili mislimo, njemu slava u Crkvi i u Hristu Isusu u sva pokolenja od večnosti do večnosti; amin.”

U Hristu vaši,

Riste i tim HUB-a

Our dear friends, brothers and sisters in Christ,

The 2nd trimester of the school year 2012/2013 is now over, and we are still under the impression that we’d like to share with you at least partially, and tell you how the trimester ended.

First of all, it was quite challenging for the team, because this was our first full trimester without Sladjan here. However, we have learned that it’s precisely through these challenges that God works and teaches us the most. Only when we are challenged like this do we dare to take responsibilities to do or try things that we normally wouldn’t, and this is how we learn and grow.

It was a very blessed experience to work with students and watch them grow this trimester. There were 12 of them during the term, nine men and three women, out of which each showed special gifts, special strengths and potentials for ministry. We’ve seen them grow both theologically, through attending classes, and practically, through practical activities, fellowship and everyday life.

A part of their experience this trimester was visiting and serving in many churches, especially those that we’ve either never been to or those that we haven’t been to for a long time. They’ve been learning what it means to serve and bless others, and they’ve seen how themselves can be blessed by it.

One of the students, Radomir Jovetić, has now finished his 1st year at the Bible school, so we are left off with 11 of them, plus a possible number of the new students who might join from the next term, which starts on April 15. We still don’t know if there will be any of them and how many of them might there be, but we are praying for God’s will.

We would like to thank you all for reading our news, praying for us and supporting us. Any kind of your support means a lot to us and our whole ministry would be impossible without you. Thank you for everything.

“Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen.” Ephesians 3:20-21

Yours in Christ,

Riste and the HUB team