I sit in a rotunda above the emerald green lake that is home to coupled white and black swans. It is nearing sunset. The golden light is softening this exceptional pallet of beauty. The arched stone bridge frames a single black swan on his emerald lake. It is 6pm and the church bells make themselves heard over the song playing on the speakers.
It is an odd combination, a girl from the Sunshine coast Australia, here in Bosnia. Sitting at a café and village surrounds that is not unlike a page from a brothers Grimm fairy tale book. Interestingly enough the music played in this particular café are love songs I grew up listening to in the 80’s. When I sat down it was “Total eclipse of the heart. Then came Rod Stewart crooning out one of his hits and presently “I wanna know what love is”
I smile at the bizarreness. Surrounded by weekend patrons all communicating and laughing in a language I cannot understand. God is amazing. He has such good gifts, His love never fails.
I think of my family and how blessed I am. Life can be so harsh here, this is a land recovering from war and the break up of communism. So many lives lost, so much damage, so many hearts broken. One of the most common situations I have come across here is “I want to open up my heart but I don’t know how.”
Every heart is so precious, so beautiful. It’s like digging through the rubble sometimes meters thick to rescue a heart still beating. Many still bleeding, but holding on to what life they have. I am overwhelmed by their courage, strength and beauty. All of which they struggle see.
Story after story breaks your own heart and you wonder how they have survived the tsunami of grief and trauma. But they have, and they want to love again. They want to be whole. They want to give and they want to help others.
I hug and I cry. I give everything I can in my spirit to break off the lies, and after it all; we dance. We laugh and we hug some more. What an honour it has been to be a part of the Daughters of the King conference here in Bosnia. I pray God continues to breathe His breath of life and these women rise up into the mighty army they are. That their eyes see more and more the Truth of who they are in Christ and that they can do everything He has created them for and called them to be.
“Bog te Bogoslovio” (God bless you), you mighty Daughters of the King, I hope we meet again, it would be my Privilege and Honour!