Our 1st Week in Serbia

     It's hard to believe a little over a week ago, Mike and I arrived in Novi Sad, Serbia with 4 boxes, 2 suitcases, and a couple of carry on's.  Eventually our crate will arrive but that will be several months down the road.  We arrived on schedule and our team was waiting in Belgrade to meet us.  After clearing customs, we loaded the vehicles and drove to Novi Sad, an hour north.  Our team members had a wonderful dinner for us and we didn't have any problems sleeping that night.
     This first week has been exciting but overwhelming at times.  We are learning our way around the city and familiarizing ourselves with our neighborhood including the local apoteka (pharmacy) and pekara (bakery).  Our apartment is in a great location...one block from the Danube River and walking distance to Dunavska Park and the City Center which are beautiful, especially at night.

Mike getting dinar from ATM

     The church that we're going to is close.  It's all in serbian but they supply headphones and translate into english so we're able to understand most of it.  There's a small seminary connected to the church and Mike will eventually be doing some teaching there.  Right now our number one focus and priority is language study.  We began classes last week and are enjoying the challenge.  It's definitely something we'll be working on daily.
     It is all so different.  I've been taken out of my comfort zone more this past week than I could have ever imagined.  For the first time in my life, I'm a minority with minimal knowledge of the culture and the language in which I live...quite a humbling experience.  However, many of the fears that I experienced the first days after arriving have been replaced with a growing love for the city.  Mike and I have experienced nothing but kindness and hospitality from the people that we've met.  A simple phrase like "Izvinite, ne resumem. Ja ucim srpski", (I'm sorry, I don't understand.  I'm learning serbian) goes a long way.
     God has been faithful in meeting every need we've had and He's provided abundantly more than all we've asked or imagined.