Nesa Radeka, 4D’s partner in Serbia, wrote in September, “There she was, almost a shadow, or that “something” you never quite see out of the corner of your eye. She is thousands of miles from home. She is scared. She is lonely. She is running for her life.
She is just one in a group of refugees currently “living” in a camp located just outside the city of Subotica Serbia. She is on the run with thousands of Pakistanis, Afghans, Syrians, Somalians, and others. For all their cultural and ethnic differences they share a common goal, they want to live in a place far, far away from the threat of ISIS.
Our paths first crossed as we walked through the wooded area where the refugees seek shelter from the summer heat, and a place away from the police. The area is dotted with makeshift campsites; some with tents, some with a piece of plastic draped over some branches for shelter, some with nothing but the hard dry ground beneath them.
Our presence was met with a mix of suspicion and joy. We had come here with members of another ministry to let the people know they could come to a nearby building to receive water, food, personal care items, and even baby diapers. Many quickly accepted the invitation, many were hesitant, but trusted the word of others who knew this wasn’t a trap.
Our paths crossed again as she stood in line with over 100 others. She was waiting her turn to get to the table and receive a loaf of bread, water, 3 hard boiled eggs, a bottle of shampoo, some hand wipes, and some cookies for her granddaughter.
It was her eyes that told the story. In a fraction of a second you knew of the fear, the uncertainty, the physical strain of a journey through many strange countries and over more than 5000km, and her worries about the future. As she clutched the loaf of bread and bottle of water, suddenly, something changed in her countenance. Beneath the fear, anxiety, fatigue, you could see there was the faintest glimmer of hope.
Hundreds of thousands of refugees are expected to come through Serbia over the next few months. We want to continue to assist as we are able, be it through helping supply food and water, and (hopefully) rearranging the schedule of a medical team we have coming in September to include time to tend to these beautiful people at this most desperate time.
We can’t help them all, but we will help all we can.
To those who support our work, you too are part of this woman’s glimmer of hope. To those of you who would like to support ongoing work in Serbia there’s no better time than now to start.
Make sure to make your tax deductible gift payable to: https://4dministries.org/donate/ using the donation page, marking your gift for the Nexus/Serbia ministry and using the comment box to give an exact designation.
To those who support other charities, ministries, and causes…Thank you for helping them with their specific burdens.”
–Per Nesa’s reports, 4-5,000 migrants are coming into Serbia each day. And the Nexus Team — as well as many others throughout Serbia — are busy bringing them food, water, and other necessary items. Please pray with us for Nesa and his team, the migrants, and others who are helping.
