Life in Bosnia
 

One of our supporters writes on her move to Bosnia.

 

"I am now living in Bosnia its -21 outside, loads of snow, language is interesting and I’m loving it!!

 

I am working as an English teacher in a small Christian language school. Its is attached to the local evangelical church and we run as one of their main outreach ventures, with the pastor as an overseer to the school, although day to day running is the job of our director, who is a great Christian Bosnian who set up the school 7 years ago when only 22!! Had no experience of business or running school but was sure it was what God wanted and so did it!!)

 

There are 3 other teachers including myself,  We've got a great team and they have been fantastic at helping me to settle in, find a flat and get into the teaching. So I now have 3 classes of 12 students at different levels, all adults - we teach in the evenings from 4-8pm. I spend my mornings planning and marking, the joys! Most of the students are working professionals, doctors, lawyers, accountants etc with quite a few students. Although the classes obviously are not the place for spoken evangelism each student has to have an hour long one-to-one speaking practice 4 times a term with one of the staff.  If it is possible to tell them the gospel you can and actually they seem to usually ask us what we believe so its just an amazing opportunity. I think we maybe the only mission organisation where people indirectly pay to hear the Gospel!!

 

I've been able to make friends with quite a few of the students, there is a real coffee culture here so I spend a lot of my free time drinking incredibly strong coffee with one or two of the students and chatting about life/football/Bosnia etc. Actually there is so much more that could be done here (especially with the university students), I'm limited to an extent by having to teach!! But it is the way we make contact with people and its just an incredible way because the kind of relationship you build up between teachers/pupils is obviously unique.
 

Sport in Bosnia
However, I’m hoping that sport will be able to play a role in what I’m doing here. I certainly need to find something to do or I’ll go mad!! (not much cricket and or rugby and or hockey and but there is handball/basketball/volleyball&.!!!) I’ve got a couple of really sporty students and I’ve bought a rugby ball with me so hope to start some touch rugby in the spring!! I think I'll try and join a gym as well as that maybe a chance to meet people, there isn’t much sport for the general public its usually for kids or professional athletes, so I think social sport is really limited to the gym and maybe tennis in the summer.
 

Christianity explored
We are starting, I hope, a Christianity Explored course after Easter with some of the students and I would love to be able to do the course perhaps with a small group of my friends here as well in my new flat who knows what God has got planned. He has been amazing at providing for me, encouraging me, disciplining me everything, there really have been some amazing stories just in the past few months. Its incredible though how what has gone in the past has helped me to be at least vaguely prepared for what I'm doing now.

 

We are always looking for Christian teachers so if you have the relevant qualifications or are interested in exploring such options to serve in Eastern Europe then do email me at kbutlin@inet.ba”