Another afternoon at the pool. Hot and dry here, so walking along the street is like walking into a hairdryer. I did a 2km swim today, and then some comedy aqua aerobics made up by Jenny, one of my team mates. We are now so competent with the language that a lady in the market managed to communicate that she had taken her baby to Sheffield for an operation once. And a man in the market, who insists we eat his figs, told us all about his special honey which wins prizes in Sarajevo and can cure a cold in 50 minutes.

This morning the club was open as usual, we do crafts and play games and clean up. Tonight is the turn of the younger ones, 11-13s, and it went ok last week, we did the story of Cain and Abel, and talked about families and how to make choices. Tonight is Jacob and Esau, again talking about families and arguments and how to make good choices. We are using the CURBS programme of materials which I use for GGG and which we have used in the past at Sunday am church for a time.


Our best session so far was on Sunday afternoon, when 10 little children came for a treat. They all live in the community on the edge of town and are mostly refugees or gypsies and looked down on by other people here. It was a great treat for these little kids, aged 3-10, as their older brothers and sisters etc come to Klub, so they were dressed in their best and were delightful. Definitely confirmed my gifting for children rather than teens! I did a godly play style story of the 4 friends and the paralysed man, using a banana box as the house and play dough people. They were so into it. They concentrated so well and I did the 4 classic wondering questions and they responded brilliantly to them too. So, as far as I know the first GP to take place in BiH was a big hit, and once again proves my theory that it works for everyone! Even the marginalized and despised smallest kids in a poor and struggling nation.... who are Muslim by tradition and have no knowledge of Jesus other than what they see lived out among them in the lives of the Christians here.

On Monday we got a trip to the beach, in Croatia, where the sea is Adriatic and the beach packed. Such fun to be in the sea, and we came back by a mountainous route which showed the incredible beauty of such a mountain filled country as Hercegovina. That is the bit of Bosnia we are in, btw. Its a bit like how people talk about England when they mean the UK, people say Bosnia when they mean Bosnia and Hercegovina.