Dear Friends of Our Serbs;
I wanted to share this beautiful story with you.
It was written by Natasa Beader. She took my journal notes and created this heartwarming, in-depth account of our Christmas Trip to Serbia this year.
She was able to capture the love and passion that I feel so deeply during each of our visits. Thank you, Natasa for this kind gesture.
Sending Blessings...
Kathy
Christmas in Serbia...
As the Christmas songs played on the radio and the snow began to fall, it announced the arrival of our annual Our Serbs holiday trip to Belgrade for Bozic/Christmas. Each New Year and a new visit brings the same level of enthusiasm and anticipation as we look forward to meeting new families and reconnecting with old friends.
After many hours of travel, the Our Serbs group arrived in Serbia to fulfill their Annual Christmas Trip of bettering the lives of the less fortunate and providing help, hope, and guidance for a better future. Our days were filled with a myriad of emotions which are shared below.
There was no time for rest as our journey began immediately the day following our arrival with a visit to the home of Dejan Stojadinovic and his family. After meeting his wife and kids, we were amazed by their drive and passion even with the minimal means they lived with. They were nothing short of inspiring. Because of their moving story, Our Serbs has committed to helping the oldest son, Damjan, attend a culinary school which will eventually lead to a job in Belgrade as a chef. His younger siblings, brother Jakov (6thgrade) who spoke perfect English and sister Milica (4 years old) who has dreams of being a doctor, were a bright light at the beginning of our journey. As the family drove us up the road, I looked out the window as perfect snowflakes fell to the ground. We were on our way to visit with Baba Cveta, a 93-year-old woman that Dejan and his family take care of. She had a smile that warmed our hearts the minute we met her. The story in the village is that her home is older than America. The first day left us very inspired to continue on our trip to help our people.
When we do these trips, each day gets better than the last because of the surprises that occur outside of the planned itinerary. One such event occurred on our second day with an interview at the local radio station where we tearfully spoke about Our Serbs and the impact it has on not only us but the amazing Serbian people we get to help each day. The interviews help spread awareness about what Our Serbs does to help better lives of the Serbian people. This trip was a blessing and talking about it brought tears to both our eyes and as well as the interviewer.
Our next stop was to meet with Djakon Branislav and a family of six children that had lost their father four months prior. They were the strongest and most wonderfully kind children we had ever met and the trauma they endured was heartbreaking. Each member of the family was chosen by VDS to receive a pair of shoes. We not only bought them the shoes but celebrated with a treat at McDonald’s (their choice)! What could be better? The six children were not only happy to receive new shoes but so unbelievably grateful for the amazing family unit they have. We felt both blessed and honored to be able to meet and help such an inspiring family.
That special day led to an even better evening. What could be more rewarding than spending time distributing gifts to children with special needs and kids who do not have parental care? These children, from Zvencanska and two additional schools in Belgrade, were filled with joy and smiles as wide as can be when they received their tokens from Our Serbs. Patriarch Irinej spoke warm words to both the children and our group that reminded us yet again why this trip will forever inspire us and put life into perspective. The night ended with coffee, rakija, cakes, and a fabulous time singing along with the “Islon” choir from Novi Sad.
The next day, January 5th, brought hardships and tears but as always there was a positive experience unlike anything else. We visited four families and each one of their stories was as inspirational as the one before. We traveled from Panic Borka to Pancevo visiting families with profound experiences. As we walked into one small apartment consisting of only beds and a few cabinets, we immediately felt the cold air. We asked the daughter why it was so cold and received the sad but obvious answer that there is no wood to heat with. The condition of this apartment would make anyone cry. Trips like these put everything in your life into perspective and for that our group is forever grateful. Another family visit gave us hope as we were able to see a possibility for a much better future for this particular family. The most amazing part of these visits is realizing that the power of happiness and love does not come from money or material goods but rather from the people you surround yourself with. It makes one realize that high values, a strong family unit, and a great outlook can change everything. This day left us with hope. Hope for a better future and hope for the families we saw today and the others that we know are out there sharing the same battles.
The following day began with a visit to the soup kitchen to help prepare 1,700 meals. This day brought much fulfillment as the kitchen was organized and ready to serve the needy. We then traveled to the shelter that housed abused children as well as street kids and children of trafficking. We were greeted with great news: the shelter was scheduled to move within the next month to a newer and larger facility. The work these people do to ensure that adults and children feel safe and welcome is extraordinary and commendable. This long day was filled with many emotions just as the prior days were. It was Badnje Vece and the snow was falling in perfect snowflakes around the ferocious fire. Our group enjoyed hot wine and reminisced about the last three years of phenomenal trips and the stories of a lifetime. This day showed me that hope and hard work can provide change. It can get better if we stick together. We went to sleep excited as we knew our journey tomorrow would lead us to give 2000 gifts to families at St. Sava Hramwith Patriarch Irinej.
Finally, it was Christmas day! The snow was falling, and church bells were ringing as we entered the oldest church in Belgrade, St. Petar, and Paul, which radiates such beauty. Following the church service, we headed to the soup kitchen to hand out Christmas dinner packages to many, many people gathered in line. It made us so happy knowing that Our Serbs was able to provide meals for these people. Realizing that these people would not have a Christmas dinner without this soup kitchen makes the volunteering and the work we do so essential. The VDS soup kitchen staff of volunteers are so inspiring and working with Father Vladimir and Djakon Branislav is a true honor. The day concluded with singing and celebrations for what Bozic/Christmas is all about: coming together as one.
Due to bad weather at the end of our trip, we were unable to make one final trip to Vrnjacka Banja to deliver special bras that we secured for the Milica Breast Cancer Center. Those items will be delivered by Mira and Zoran, Our Serbs Board Members, in Serbia once it is safer to travel.
Even though we were not able to visit the Milica Center personally, we felt grateful that we were able to help this wonderful organization that assists women and their families during this painful time.
The last day finally arrived and as always our group spent it together. We reminisced on the past week and the past years that we have experienced this trip together. Once again, we all felt like we left a part of ourselves with the families we met and are taking a part of them home with each of us. We concluded our evening by focusing on the future goals and plans of the Our Serbs organization and the impact we hope to continue to have on the Serbian community.
Our Serbs realize that we will never solve all the problems of Serbia or Kosovo Metohija. However, we can definitely continue to make life a little bit easier for our people and give hope to our children. Our Serbs is a very small, but mighty organization that keeps growing and getting better every year. All we need is time, an abundance of help and compassionate people to help spread the word.
As told by Natasa Beader - from the Journal of Kathy Fanslow during the 2019 Christmas Trip.
