“A friend that sticketh closer than a brother…” Proverbs 18:4 offers us a contrast between two types of friends. One is a friend because you have something to offer them; yet there is another who exists because of genuine love and friendship.
What a blessing to have received several friends who are the second kind of friend. There were/are three friends who demonstrated genuine love and friendship to Rich and me when we lived in Croatia and are still very close to us. I have several here in the states, one of whom is Ann. We might not see each other for a while, but when we do, we pick up right where we left off. I have known her more than 34 years, and to my remembrance, have never had a disagreement. I thank God for this opportunity to do something she really desired for her birthday…write a simple blog entry on something the Lord has done in your life.
In Croatia, a dear husband and his wife were willing to do for us almost anything within their power. Rich and I had the flu during one of the coldest winters, with the greatest amount of snow in recent history. We were so ill, we did not have the strength to climb the stairs to our bedroom. Because of high fever, we could not get warm, though we had many blankets. They walked over five miles in deep snow to deliver a pot of homemade chicken soup, which brought us nourishment the next few days of healing. Pastor Vladimir and his wife Stana have done this for the “forgotten people” in the hills of the Croatian countryside for many years.
You may remember the Serbo-Croatian war, which went on in the early 90’s for five years. It was a violent and bloody war, like the Russian/Ukrainian war today. Serbia was trying to recapture Croatia to become part of “greater” Serbia. Many Serbs lived in Croatia and vice versa.
When Rich and I worked in these outlying areas, there was predominantly a Serb population. Serbs despised Croats, and Croats had no love loss for Serbs. Many mass graves of Croats dotted the area. The work was hard and we needed help, so we called on Vladimir. At first Vladimir said, “No way,” but he finally relented one Sunday and came with us. (He was a valiant prayer warrior, praying on his knees for hours in his attic every day, and had told the Lord, “No,” so many times.)
This continued for a couple of months. Rich had been teaching the people to pray about and to call someone to pastor their little band of “born again” believers. The Sunday came for their decision. The only one they loved and trusted enough to lead them was Vladimir. There were tears of happiness, humility, joy, and surprise from Vladimir and his family. God had chosen him, (a Croat), to be the Pastor of Donji Zirovac Baptist Church. The people (Serbian) love him, and he still pastors these people today.
When Rich asked Vladimir (age 82) if he thought he could do the job, his soft answer was, “I have been watching you for ten years. God has taught me what I need to do through you!”
Acts 1:8
“But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”
My dear friend…
Paula lives in San Antonio, Texas. She and her late husband, Rich, were missionaries to Europe and Eastern Europe for 30+ years, bringing the Gospel of Jesus Christ to a lost and dying world. Paula is now working in a ministry called Life Choices, sharing with women who find themselves in an unwanted pregnancy. She gives them counsel on other choices besides the termination of the life inside them and shares the gospel with them as the Lord opens doors. The motto of Life Choices is “Save the mother, and she will save her baby.”
In memory of Paula's dear Richard who
went home to be with the Lord in December 2018
Richard felt it was his God-given responsibility to make sure his wife could be all that God intended her to be. He always encouraged her in evangelistic efforts, no matter the time of day, where or when.
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