Bosnian Bulletin #20
October 21, 2000
Hello again, everyone,
I always reread the previous
month's update before starting to write the next one.
Sometimes I think to myself that we have nothing new to
write about. And other months, like this one, it seems that
things have happened that we never would have guessed last
month. Some good, some bad.
First of all, you might
remember that we went to Budapest to apply for visas to
Yugoslavia. We were there just 3 days before the elections
in Yugoslavia. The people at the embassy were kind, and
said that they would need to take our passports and mail them to
Belgrade for approval. We were not about to let our
passports get mailed to Belgrade (!) so we quickly withdrew our
application. So, no trip to Belgrade.
We did go on to Prijedor, Bosnia to meet Mike and Val Smith, new
MCCers to the region. The plan was for them to go to
Belgrade to study language for 3-4 months before returning to
Prijedor where they will be working. As it turned out MCC
and our partners in Belgrade decided it would be better for them
to wait to enter Belgrade until the elections were over and the
situation more clear. So, after the weekend in Prijedor,
Mike and Val came to stay with us in Sarajevo!
We really enjoyed getting to know each other
and helping them get started in Bosnia. We tried
to orient them to grocery shopping and many aspects of the
culture in Bosnia. In addition, I gave them language
lessons everyday so they wouldn't be behind if they
missed the beginning of their classes in Belgrade. They
were fast learners and I was a proud teacher!
We watched with amazement as
events unfolded in Belgrade: Kostunica receives
more than 50% of the vote to Milosevic's 33%; Milosevic
denies defeat (not a surprise!); massive non-violent
protests are staged across the country; citizens overtake the
parliament building and state radio station; Milosevic admits
defeat!!!; and Kostunica is sworn in as the new president of
Yugoslavia! Amazing! It's unfortunate that a few
demonstrators got carried away and became destructive and
the a few people were injured (2 were killed) in what
was otherwise a peaceful movement.
It remains to be seen
how Kostunica will lead Yugoslavia and if he will improve
the lives of the people of Yugoslavia who have struggled to
live under international sanctions and isolation. In
Bosnia, people are waiting to see how the change in
government will affect them and the entire region -politically,
economically, socially, etc. In Sarajevo, many people
celebrated the fall of Milosevic who they hold responsible for
the 3 1/2 years that they and their city were held under
siege. Others remain pessimistic that there will be
any change in the policies of the Yugoslav government toward its
neighbors and fear that Milosevic still has control over many
politicians in powerful positions. Only time will tell, but
we are hopeful that the people of Yugoslavia
might have a better life and that this government will work
toward stronger peace in the region.
Mike and Val did enter Yugoslavia on October 11 and seem to be
well into the adjustment process.
Here in Bosnia we are also
anticipating elections on November 11. The
elections are for: Members of Parliament, Representatives
to the Council of Ministers, and for the three Presidents.
Bosnia-Herzegovina now has a 3-member rotating presidency:
one Bosnian-Serb, one Bosnian-Croat and one Bosnian-Muslim.
(There is also a president for each of the
two-entities -that's 5 presidents for a country the size of
West Virginia!!) After the fall of the nationalist party in
Croatia and now the fall of Milosevic and his party in
Yugoslavia, there are hopes that nationalist parties in Bosnia
will also lose. The 3 nationalist parties (of all 3 major
ethnicities) are campaigning hard for their survival. Their
best tool is to frighten their people into voting for them.
For example, one of the Bosnian-Muslim nationalist party
posters says, "Everyone has chosen 'their
own'. What about you?" The Bosnian-Croat
nationalist party has posted billboards that read "Decision
or Extermination".
We'll let you know the results of the elections.
Work continues to go well. I've been doing a lot of work on
the web site for Face to Face. I'll let you know when it's
up and ready for viewing. Also, this week will be the
annual interreligious meeting where all the religious communities
come together to share a reading from their holy book(s), a
prayer or meditation and a song. The goal is to be in
community and to better understand and respect each other.
It's usually a beautiful service and we find it so
interesting to observe the other religious communities.
We're also excited about
the upcoming visit of Olivia Bartel, a friend from Bethel College
days. She'll be arriving on the 2nd of November and staying
until the 18th or 21st. We can't wait to show her
Sarajevo and Bosnia!! Having guests is always refreshing
for us because they ask different questions and observe things
from their own perspectives.
**********
Frequently Asked Question:
Do you plan to extend your MCC term in Bosnia?
Well, that's a difficult one. In fact, it's one of our
major prayer concerns right now. MCC would like
to have an answer from us in November, so we don't have much time
left to decide. Our term officially ends in July
2001. At this time we are considering a 6-month
extension, but that would not allow us a home leave.
If we would extend one year, we would be allowed a home leave
(about 5 weeks). There is still the possibility that
we won't extend at all, but would come home in mid-August
2001. There are so many factors to consider and we are
praying that we will sense God's guidance. We
will let you know when a decision has been made.
**********
The other major news and prayer concern is for my (Karin's)
family. This week we learned that my mom has breast cancer
again. Four years ago, she had a mastectomy, radiation and
chemotherapy and since then has gone for routine checks
which have all come back clear. Until now. She will
have a mastectomy on Monday morning (the 23rd) in the Freeman
hospital. The tumor is much smaller than the last one and a
totally different type of cancer. She will most likely
not have to have radiation again, but might have to have
chemotherapy again, depending on whether the lymph nodes are
clear, and what the pathology report shows. We
are all hoping and praying that she doesn't have to go
through that again.
It's very difficult to be more than an ocean away at a time
like this. We would so much like to be home to keep
Dad company and help with household chores while Mom
recovers. Somehow it just doesn't seem fair that she
has to go through all of this again. Please remember Mom
and Dad and our family on Monday and throughout the week as
we wait for the test results and information about future
treatment, etc.
Thanks for all of your
thoughts, prayers and e-mails. We always enjoy hearing from
you.
In God's Love and Peace,
Karin & John
Face to Face Interreligious
Service
Splitska 39
71000 Sarajevo
Bosnia-Herzegovina
home tel: 387 33 207 860 office
tel/fax: 387 33 442 468
home: jandk@bih.net.ba
office: ociuoci@bih.net.ba
http://www.progressive-bih.com/ociuoci
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