UPDATE BY ROBERT JURJEVICH

The Center For Life THE LIGHTHOUSE was founded by Bob and Eileen Pressler in 2001 for the purpose of establishing the first pro-life ministry in former-Yugoslavia. Northriver, a United Kingdom Christian foundation, purchased a building for the ministry.  They added a third floor apartment for Bob and Eileen to live in and oversee the facility. When Eileen passed away in the Fall of 2016, Sandrina was asked to become the new director of the pro-life ministry. In the Spring of 2017, the Northriver owners expressed their desire to transfer ownership of the facility to THE LIGHTHOUSE ministry.

When we first sat with the attorney to discuss the transfer of ownership, she told us the legal process would take 2-3 months. Finally, on July 30, after 18 months of legal work, we sat together with the completed documents in front of us.  After a few laughs, a few minor changes, and a few photos, we signed on the line. The moment we had long waited for, came and went in a matter of seconds. After 18 years, the Christian foundation Northriver officially donated their facility in Sarajevo to the ministry Center For Life THE LIGHTHOUSE.  ”It is highly unusual in Bosnia,” the notary said at the signing, ”for one organization to release a property as a donation to another organization.”

That brings us to where we are today – awaiting the Bosnian tax office to inform us of their appraisal of the facility’s value, which will require us to pay a 5% property appraisal tax up front. Upon completing the payment, we will be issued a new property deed, and the ownership process will be 100% completed!

Presently, Sandrina and Edita, her assistant, are focused on establishing a strong presence of THE LIGHTHOUSE on social media platforms and promoting the website   as a primary source for Bosnian women to find information and answers to their questions concerning pregnancy, abortion and other relevant issues facing women, — see www.svjetionikcentarzazivot.com.

Monthly ads are being run on Facebook to promote a culture of life, the value of life, and the life of the unborn. In a land where abortion is a form of birth control, the opportunities to reach Bosnian women with a pro-life message are challenged by a mindset that is opposite to it.

This week during our daily children’s creative workshop at our church, Sandrina sat with a lady who has been bringing two boys every day for the last three weeks. It turns out she was not their grandmother as we thought, but their nanny. While they sat together, the lady became very talkative and asking Sandrina about herself. Sandrina shared about her work through THE LIGHTHOUSE ministry in helping women, especially in the areas of pregnancy, education, and counseling. The lady immediately opened her heart and shared that, several years prior, she had had an abortion.  During the Bosnian civil war (1992-1995), she became pregnant with her second child after just 6 months of giving birth to her first. With tears in her eyes, she recounted how she chose to have an abortion.  After that, she was never again able to bear children. She encouraged Sandrina and expressed  how important the pro-life ministry of THE LIGHTHOUSE is. ”Abortion is a dark secret in the lives of many Bosnian women which is never  spoken openly about”, she said.

RAFAEL FELLOWSHIP

Our church family, RAFAEL FELLOWSHIP, is located in one of the most densely populated areas of Sarajevo, which is 95% Muslim. Among Bosnia’s population of 4 million, there are only about 400 Protestant evangelicals in the nation. Like most ministries and churches in Bosnia, we have experienced our share of hopes and disappointments in pioneering a new church over the past five years.

While our fellowship meets on Sunday mornings for worship service, our facility is presently used during the week for the following outreaches:

• Monday evenings – a sort of AA group meets that is providing help, not only for alcoholics, but mostly for drug addicts.
• Tuesday and Thursday afternoons – a member of our church family provides a program for children with special needs.
• Monday through Fridays – we provide a daily 2-hour creative workshop for children.

Whenever there are no other activities in the local community, we open the facility for the neighborhood teenagers to get them off the street. We build  personal relationships with them through music and games.

OUR FAMILY

As full-time missionaries on the field, we are only able to see our own children once or twice a year. In June, we came together in The Netherlands for a very special occassion – the wedding of our youngest son Joshua to his bride Joyce. All our children and their spouses love the Lord, which is a tremendous blessing to our hearts. Here is an update on our kids, with photos from 1995 and 2018:

Johan & Kristen (to the right) live in Virginia Beach, VA.  They volunteer in different capacities in their local church. Johan is a corporate CPA/Auditor; Kristen a corporate lawyer who recently became a partner in the law firm. As young professionals, they are directly influencing the Marketplace.

Lennart & Lydia (right of newlyweds) live in Amsterdam, The Netherlands, where they serve on the staff at Crossroads International Church. They are expecting their first baby (our first grandchild!) in January, 2019!

Timothy & Julianne (couple on left) live in Nashville Tennessee, USA. After a number of years as a children’s and youth pastor, Timothy is now working on staff at Gideon’s International as an assistant to the international director. Julianne is a registered nurse, and will be soon finishing up her training as an anesthesiologist.

Joshua and Joyce, the newlyweds, live in Amersfoort, The Netherlands, where they both serve on staff at Thousand Hills International Church as youth pastors and support staff.

PRAYER NEEDS FOR …

• our finances, and the remaining funds for the property appraisal tax, estimated to be a total of $20,000.00.
• for favor to be granted by the authorities for permanent resident visas to replace our present two year visas.
• Sandrina – to follow the leading of the Holy Spirit in the further development of THE LIGHTHOUSE, as there are many opportunities available for the pro-life message.

FROM R.K.’s CORNER

Robert and Sandrina Jurjevich need no introduction to our longstanding Bridge friends who have, for nearly thirty years, followed their adventures as missionaries with a call to serving the Lord in the Balkans, specifically among Muslims in the city of Sarajevo.  If you are not familiar with their background and history, I encourage you to take time to check them out on prior pages on this  website.  Please click on the following links:
https://www.bridgeinternational.org/2013/06/
https://www.bridgeinternational.org/2015/08/
https://www.bridgeinternational.org/2018/05/
This issue is a celebration of a long awaited answer to prayer! Their ministry finally owns a building which is housing their home, pro-life ministry, and their church’s many mercy outreach ministries to the community.  This is a dream come true since the 1992-95 Civil War destroyed the first church they had planted, scattered the believers, and bombed their apartment, which burned to the ground with all their belongings.  THE LIGHTHOUSE teems with joyful activities, and reflects the light and hope of the Gospel to the people of Sarajevo through Robert and Sandrina’s labor of love!

NB!  If you want to partner with the Robert and Sandrina and their ministry to reach the Bosnian people with the Gospel – the Good News of  Jesus Christ – please click on the DONATE button above and mark your gift 8345 BOSNIAN WORKERS  Thank you!  R.K.