Mission to Montenegro newsletter

In the ministry of the word on Sunday, Stan preached from Jeremiah 11:1-17 which details the people breaking the covenant and the sad consequences to come.  Stan showed that the essence of ‘covenant’ is relationship—then and now.  We long for the ultimate fulfillment when “No more shall every man teach his neighbor, and every man his brother, saying, ‘Know the Lord,’ for they all shall know Me, from the least of them to the greatest of them, says the Lord.  (Jer. 31:33) Amen!

We've made some small but positive changes to our meetings to allow others the opportunity to lead and serve.  Peter Stonelake (co-elder) is now leading most of the morning service while Stan continues to preach faithfully.  And for our midweek prayer meeting (which meets in various homes), the host family has the responsibility and privilege to lead the meeting.  These changes have switched things up in a good way.

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Please pray for Stan as he studies and prepares to preach and teach God's Word.  

Please pray for the church to grow in our love for God and to grow in serving His people as well as in reaching out to the lost.

Please pray for Stan, Peter, and others who are serving the church, to be wise in leadership and to be sustained with joyful perseverance.
 

The three summer camps  (Children's Camp, Teenager's Camp, Sports Camp) are finished and many children were blessed.    Camp Monty (sports) was held here in the city of Nikšić.  Sports and English classes were held during the day; the evenings were reserved for a program of fun, Christian music, testimony, and a sharing of Gospel truth.  Some children drew closer to God; some heard the gospel for the first time.  
 

• Late July and August are vacation weeks here in Europe.  We'll continue hosting a number of visitors coming through and are planning for our own getaway in very late August.  There's a season for everything including a time to rest.  Please pray especially for those in ministry roles to use this natural 'lull' in activities, programs, and outreaches to be refreshed physically, mentally, and spiritually.

In closing, we want to say once again how truly blessed we are to be co-laborers with you all in seeing God establish His church here in Nikšić. We truly could not be doing what we are doing without you.  

We appreciate your earnest prayers, your sacrificial support, your quick notes and cards, and the blessing of working together for God to be exalted here in Montenegro. 

One with you in Christ,

Stan and Vicki Surbatovich
 

For these Snapshots this year,  I’ve been following a loose theme of cultural differences because people ask me about them so very often.  So far we’ve looked at: perspectives of time, proper greetings, Easter traditions, as well as May Day and other holidays.

As I was contemplating further differences, I realized that an underlying factor for each is what I call ‘The Lay of Land’— the mountainous landscape of Montenegro plays a large role in this small country’s heritage and practices.

As you can see, Montenegro is a jewel of a country, a diamond approximately 100 miles wide by 100 miles long.  (We often refer to it as a 'Boutique' country.)

The narrow part along the coast boasts a Mediterranean climate, replete with olive and lemon trees.  The middle part including Podgorica (current capital) and Niksic is the industrial and agricultural center where nearly one half the population of the entire country lives.  The broad northern band is mountainous and the little villages dotted throughout can get snowed in for weeks in winter.  One little country—three very different climes. 
 

Old Roman Bridge

Nikšić, our hometown, is rather central and was a ‘crossroads’ stop way back in Roman times.  Remnants of that heritage are found in a small Roman bridge still standing as well as the foundation of an old fortress (later rebuilt by the Turks and currently renovated as an intimate setting for occasional outdoor concerts).

 
The Fortress
(Stan and the kids used to fly kites here--the updraft was great!)

The very name of the country, whether Crna Gora (in the local language) or Montenegro (the international name based on Italian) means Black Mountain.  It was on a early visit to Cetinje, the historic capital of Montenegro, with a visit to King Nikola’s museum, that I realized just how *very* apt this name is. 

Even though we had traveled north, south, east, west, it wasn’t till I saw this awesome relief map (scale 1:10,000) that I truly understood the layout of the country I lived in.
 

Montenegro!

Look at ALL THOSE MOUNTAINS!  There are 50 peaks over 6500ft and many others not quite so high.  Ergo, Montenegro is not easily traversed. 

Here's a real-life example:   Because Stan’s mother was born in Berane, we took the kids on a trip there to visit some of his maternal relatives.  Although the straight-line distance (as the crow flies) between Nikšić and Berane is approximately 50 miles, the actual route by car is 100 miles.  

Roads follow the rivers, so we had to travel south (along the Zeta river) to Podgorica and then back north on the eastern side of the country (along the Morača river).   These were not highways but winding roads cut into and literally through the sides of the mountains—we counted more than 42(!) tunnels on that 3 1/2 hour trip.  (NB: We are forever grateful that none of us suffered from car sickness!  God is kind!)

These crudely-hacked tunnels vary between a few feet up to a 100 feet.
Nowadays there are several modern tunnels more than a kilometer long.

All these mountains are one reason why Montenegro, though surrounded by the Ottoman Empire, was never fully conquered--mountain passes are easily defended.  It is why Montenegrins have their own cultural identity different from all the other Slavs despite being such a tiny country.  It is why Montenegro was the poorest of the Yugoslav Republics—there is not a lot of infrastructure.   And while the coast provides some access for trade, that coast butts right up against the mountains making it a difficult challenge to get into the interior (ie. populous) regions.

There’s so much more to Montenegro, but its many majestic mountains play a key part in understanding its people, culture, and history.  And the Mastermind behind it all:

The Lord is the great God, the great King above all gods.
In His hand are the depths of the earth, and the mountain peaks belong to Him.
Ps. 95: 3,4

Soli Deo Gloria!