Serbia, Croatia, Slovenia Missionaries

[nuclearfuels]

Hi all -

Any of you all served in Croatia, Serbia, Slovenia? 

We met a very kind grandma and grandpa at the Temple recently.

They shared part of their experience in 2016 serving in Serbia. They said their branch (small congregation) had 8 (eight) members and that was it, including them - and possibly including a pair of younger missionaries! Wow! They also shared that the younger missionaries in that area have to learn Serbian, Croatian and Slovenian. Absolutely guaranteed they had the Lord’s help and the gift of tongues to help them. Sadly, the senior couple also shared that after they completed their mission and returned home, the branch may have dissolved or been discontinued. Apparently it was part of a stake which crossed the borders of some more than one country or ethnic area and the branch was too far or of a disagreeable area or there were political problems. I hope the branch members have been able to stay strong and faithful.

I don't know - did the stake need to cross borders into a military zone? or was the branch too far and had too few resources? No online options?

Since I'm not familiar with the area and its history, I used AI to produce this:

Around 2016, the political and military conflicts in Serbia, Croatia, and Slovenia were largely residual effects of the Yugoslav Wars, which took place in the 1990s. Here are some key points to note:

• Kosovo Conflict: Although the conflict in Kosovo had largely subsided by 2016, tensions between Serbia and Kosovo remained. The two countries had been engaged in EU-facilitated talks since 2011, but progress was slow ¹.

• Croatia-Serbia Relations: Relations between Croatia and Serbia were still strained in 2016, due to unresolved issues from the Croatian War of Independence (1991-1995). However, the two countries had made efforts to improve relations, including the establishment of a joint commission to investigate war crimes ².

• Slovenia-Croatia Border Dispute: Slovenia and Croatia had a longstanding border dispute, which remained unresolved in 2016. The dispute centered on the Bay of Piran and the surrounding land border ².

• Radical Nationalism: Radical nationalist groups remained active in all three countries, posing a threat to regional stability. These groups often promoted anti-minority and anti-EU sentiments ¹.

Overall, while the region had made significant progress in rebuilding and reconciliation since the Yugoslav Wars, lingering tensions and unresolved issues continued to affect Serbia, Croatia, and Slovenia in 2016.

 

tl;dr: what and how do GA's do to help branches and wards in areas that are facing conflict? Also, what and how do GA's help members who live in countries where Christianity is illegal?

[Calm]

https://newsroom.churchofjesuschrist.org/facts-and-statistics/country/serbia

https://newsroom.churchofjesuschrist.org/facts-and-statistics/country/croatia

https://newsroom.churchofjesuschrist.org/facts-and-statistics/country/slovenia

https://local.churchofjesuschrist.org/en/rs

Edited December 14, 2024 by Calm

[Calm]

https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/history/global-histories/serbia/stories-of-faith/rs-01-a-beautiful-spirit?lang=eng#p1

[Kenngo1969]

Just goes to show how much of an absolute hash we humans can make of things, and how so many things we think are central to our beings and to our relationships (ethnicity, nationality, etc.) really are quite peripheral, quite tangential.  I'm under absolutely no illusions what it might take until, finally, we get there, but I do anticipate, eagerly, the reign of the Prince of Peace and of the King of Kings.

[Dario_M]

Oh my oh my.. i'm gonna be honest. I don't really like those eastern bloc countries. No offense.

But i wish those missionaries who need to go there a lot of strength, may God bless them. 🙏 I wouldn't set one food on Serbia, Croatia or Slovenia. My reasons why is because of safety issues, Culture differents, and last but not least....the language barrier.

And i've learnt from my Portugal adventure that not every foreigner wants to (or can't) speak English with you.