Mission to Montenegro newsletter

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

One with you in Christ,

Stan and Vicki Surbatovich

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Vicki's Snapshot: Back to the Beginning Part 2: Sunday Lunches

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The last Snapshot gave a quick overview of the development of the ministry from home bible study to NK Bible Fellowship. Those first few years of Bible Study seeded a core group of local believers, and we were ready to take next steps.

We rented suitable facilities.  We met regularly on Sunday morning.  No longer “just” a prayer meeting or a bible study, we developed an order of service consisting of prayer, readings, singing, and preaching.

Truly, we saw how God has made everything beautiful and appropriate in its time.     For it was at this time (and no sooner), that we started having people reaching out to us about coming to help:  Kristina from Romania desiring to reach university students, Ryan and later Cameron from the States exploring missionary life, Dragan from Serbia eager to help a fledgling work, and many others over those early years.

       Dragan                           Kristina

If someone was planning to be in NK for more than a month or two, they were encouraged to find a small rental because we lived in cozy quarters at the time (seven people in 700 sq. feet).  Additionally, such an arrangement helped them see the realities of living the “missionary life”:  not only meeting, visiting, and sharing with others, but *also* needing to spend time and energy on daily necessities such as shopping, cooking, bill paying, cleaning—all of which doesn’t typically enter the picture on a 2-week Missions Trip.

Both to foster fellowship and because meal prepping in those early days was time-consuming as there was very (very) little choice of convenience foods at stores and very few fast food places in town, we would often have the helper over for lunch (the main meal of the day). This meant some joined us nearly every day for lunch, others twice a week, some for Friday Pizza, but everyone was *always* invited for lunch on Sunday.  Spending time and breaking bread together after the morning service delightfully set the Sabbath apart as a special day unto the Lord.

Along with any helper, we might invite another single or student or family to join us.  If we had unexpected guests show up, they’d be invited for lunch, too. And, while I cannot say we in Nikšić have lots of unexpected guests, we have far more than I ever dreamed we would considering our city is not any kind of special destination.

Nevertheless, out of all this, our family tradition of Sunday Lunch was born:  our family, expected guests, and an open invitation to any visitors to regularly enjoy lunch and fellowship after the morning service.

Now I know some of you are wondering, because you’ve asked, How do you plan and prepare for unknown numbers every week? 

As a general rule, I prepare for the known number (family and regulars) plus two. 

However! There have been times I’ve found myself grocery shopping and been inspired by a sudden whim and burst of energy to cook an extra pot roast or stew or lasagna thinking to stash the second one in the freezer.   More times than I can count, that would be the weekend a visiting family of 6 showed up unexpectedly at church.   What I destined for the freezer, God destined for that family.

Once, more than a dozen years ago, I broke my own rule about prepping for ‘expected number+2’ guests because:

1. It was a low-activity season and I didn’t really expect any extras,
2. We were about to leave on furlough, so
3. I was eking out what items we had, and
4. I didn’t want any leftovers because I had hopes of being able to leave the fridge cleaned, unplugged, and airing out while we were gone.  

Therefore, I planned a “just right" amount for Sunday lunch.

Of course, that morning I got a phone call from one of our regulars that two people, a brother and a sister, would be coming up from the coast late that morning but were planning to catch our evening service and would it be possible to invite them for lunch anyway?

"Absolutely!" I say as I decide that we can slice the bread thinner and serve smaller portions of meat and dessert.  

Then, 15 minutes before I’m expecting everyone to arrive and am putting final touches on the table and getting the serving dishes ready, I get another phone call.  Turns out that it wasn’t only a brother and sister, but parents and a friend, too, rolling into town.  Knowing that adding the two was going to be a stretch, our regular asks if they should stop and try to pick up some food somewhere, somehow.

I took a deep breath, thought for a moment, and realized:

1. There was nothing good they could pick up *and* be at our place in 15 minutes,
2. The stress of trying to do so would be unpleasant for everyone, and 
3. The most important part of Sunday Lunch isn’t the food but the fellowship.

So I told them to come on over, no worries.  Once off the phone, I immediately took a couple of bags of frozen veggies out of the freezer, nuked them with butter and seasonings, and voila!  An extra side dish.  The last of the apples and oranges on hand got sliced, arranged on a platter, garnished with toasted almonds and a sprinkling of cinnamon.  Voila!  Another but different side dish.

With a bit of fear and trembling on my part, all ten of us sat down to eat. While I was secretly wondering how to ensure that everyone got at least one serving of every dish, I watched in amazement as serving bowls were passed around and provided not only enough first servings, but also seconds and even some third helpings. 

Despite my repeated urges to "Take more!" (and being met with a chorus of "I can't, I'm full!"), I actually ended up with leftovers.  I remain fully convinced we experienced our own little Matthew 14 miracle that day; it was physically impossible for ten people to have had seconds and thirds from what was on the table.

Ever since our miracle lunch, I have never stressed about having enough food. I prayerfully make my plans, yes, but I *know* that God will ultimately provide for all whom He brings to our door and table.  What an awesome God! Soli Deo gloria!