Stories From Our Local Partners in Bosnia & Herzegovina

A local partner in Bosnia said:

‘I’m delighted when kids find things in their shoebox gifts that they have always wanted. It reminds me that God knows exactly what the children need and want. Wherever we take the shoeboxes we also bring the joy of the Lord. The toys and gifts bring so much joy but this joy also comes because of the prayers of the people who send the shoeboxes.’

A Dream Come True

“One little girl from the Roma village of Živinice dreamt of having fancy clothes and bags. Her mother told us that she had asked for a pink bag a few times, but that they did not have money to buy one. When she received a shoebox gift and opened it, there was a big surprise inside…a pink bag! The little girl was delighted and it was a great opportunity to start talking to her and her parents more.”

The Perfect Gift

“During an outreach event in Kakanj one child came up to us and told us he had lost his favourite gloves and that he was sad because he needed them. When we finished praying for the shoeboxes we told the kids how the gifts came to us. We also told them that God knows what they need. When the kids opened their gifts the same little boy came over to us again, all happy and said ‘How is it possible for me to receive the same gloves in the same colour and the same size? I’m so happy. Thank you God!'”

Tears Of Joy!

“We distributed shoeboxes over two days on three different occasions for 120 children each and their parents. It was a great delight to see the joy on the children’s faces when they received their shoeboxes. For us as a church, we were particularly pleased for the opportunity to share the Gospel with local children in a child friendly way.  As a result of the outreach event, some children from the neighbourhood have started coming to our children’s programme on Sundays. 

 

It was also a great joy for us to distribute shoeboxes to children at the Ušivak migration camp and the House of All migration house. These kids do not have a lot of toys or stuff and many of them had tears of joy in their eyes as they received the gifts packed for them.”