Merry Christmas to all and to all a Happy New Year!
Winter '99 - 2000

Dear Friends in Christ,

It gives me great joy to once again greet you in the name of our Lord! I pray this letter finds all of you and yours blessed with good health and enjoying this holy season! I am so appreciative of your continued support and interest in my ministry here in Croatia. Thanks to the many blessings I have received through your prayers, friendship, and financial contributions, I am able to work to further His kingdom here on earth. I consider it a great honor that He sees fit to continue using me and that you all allow me to serve in such a capacity. I have been so fortunate to witness first hand the fruits of Christ's grace as it intervenes in the lives of my Eastern European colleagues and friends. Recently I have been especially moved by the outpouring of love and positive responses I have received from those with whom I work and serve. I have truly seen and benefited from the fruits of the harvest - results of my ministry here - as the following stories will illustrate. I am so pleased to share them with you because without your assistance I would not have had the opportunity to sew the seeds and thus would not be here to enjoy the harvest.

When I first came to Croatia my main assignment was to work directly with hospitals, orphanages, refugee camps and other humanitarian aid agencies, I did not envision that I would be teaching psychology and counseling at a seminary. As I began teaching I realized that I loved what I did and thus was able to teach it enthusiastically. This proved contagious, the students also became interested in counseling. I have come to enjoy mentoring these young adults and God has made me realize that through this work I can reach many more people since these students will all go forth and work in their respective countries. True I still love the direct work best, but I have been blessed by teaching as well. Here is one example which illustrates what I mean: One day several students (two from Bulgaria, another from Macedonia) and I were working in the hospital with children in the playroom. A little girl who was autistic was brought in by the nurse to play. The Bulgarian student took special interest in this girl and asked me, "So this is what autism looks like?" (We had just finished studying about autism in an abnormal psychology class.) The student worked hard to find which activities would give the girl pleasure since by her facial expression she appeared sad and distressed. My student worked patiently with her and finally through careful observation she realized that the girl responded to music. The student played the xylophone with her and the girl seemed happier, but when she placed a small battery operated guitar in front of her, the girl listened to the music and a big, broad smile appeared on her face! My student was also very happy and she called me over to share her success with me. It was then I realized that this was the essence of my work, not only bringing joy to children, but also mentoring students so that they also could bring joy to children. I was happy for both of them. I was honored that not only had I taught her knowledge about a disorder, but had also instilled an interest in working to improve the lives of people affected by such a disorder.

I have also seen the fruits of my work on a larger, institutional scale. For 3 years now, I have been working at the children's hospital and the staff have always been appreciative of my work and kind and caring toward me. However, I did not see many changes in the overall institution which would benefit children. For example, visiting hours had still been very restricted, there was very little parent education about children's illnesses, and in general the attitude was that this psychology stuff was nice, but not so important. I do not know exactly what made the staff's attitude change, other than to give credit to God's presence working slowly, but steadfastly in the hearts of the staff. True, I think the concrete presence of the playroom has encouraged the staff too, especially as they see its results on the children - the children always leave the room happier and less anxious. Now the director of pediatrics has increased visiting hours, authorized the hospital psychologist and me to lead workshops for nurses on the effects of hospitalization on children and he has given us hospital funds to publish brochures for parents about different illnesses and how to help their children cope with the hospital and medical procedures! We are now looking to expand our program to serve outpatients, especially those with chronic illnesses such as diabetes, asthma, epilepsy and hemophilia as well as those with physical symptoms (head and stomach aches) due to emotional reactions to stress. Surely the Lord is at work though, since changes are also happening on a national level too - a Croatian foundation for children has adapted as one of its main causes the psychosocial care of hospitalized children! This foundation has recommended certain changes in policy (such as visiting hours) and implementing special programs (such play therapy). I can see the pride in our staff when they respond, "Oh, that! Yes, we already have such a policy/program!" I am grateful to be a part of these changes benefiting children!

Meanwhile I have also continued my work at the 2 orphanages. Here I also have been blessed, not only in successfully completing program activities, but also in the relationships I have forged with the children and staff over these past 3 years. In fact many of my successes with children have been a result of having a caring relationship built on trust and respect. (Any counseling text will tell you the same thing - the most important aspect of therapy is the relationship between the one seeking counseling and the one providing it). I have literally seen the children mature right before my eyes! I've helped them overcome struggles with math concepts, resolved many an argument between peers and siblings, taught them patience while waiting their turn for my undivided attention, listened to their accounts of winning medals for various activities to let them experience pride in their accomplishments, and let them share their pain and confusion over losses, especially those from parents who have abandoned and/or deceived them. The only disadvantage to working with these kids as they grow is that they are getting heavier and heavier to carry on my back!

In other brief, but positive news: the refugee camp where I have worked in Croatia, has closed! All the refugees have successfully been returned to their homelands or have been accepted to other host countries such as the USA! While I miss ministering to the children there, I am so happy that they are all living lives with freedom, dignity and safety once again! Praise the Lord that this chapter of the war has finally come to an end!

Working in missions has taught me many things - especially that it takes time to see the results of one's work and that sometimes we may not see the results since it is not by our design or schedule that things occur, but rather by the Lord's. As we see in the parable of the talents, the men who invest them get returns, but he who hides them receives nothing. We must be careful to not only look at this aspect of the story, though it is a powerful lesson in its own right. We must remember that the men received their talents from the master (i.e. the Lord) in the first place. Without such a gift they would have had nothing to invest! Thus I have come to truly appreciate any and all opportunities in which the Lord sees fit to let me experience the results of His talents invested in the world, I am merely the steward He has chosen to invest them at this particular time and place!

May the compassion of Christ, the joy of the Holy Spirit and the wisdom of the Lord guide and sustain you during these uncertain, but hopeful times!

Your brother in Christ,
Brett McMichael

Dear Friends,

As you know from the news, the Peace Accords between NATO and Serbia have been signed and Serb troops have pulled out of Kosovo. Now NATO troops have moved in and are beginning the long process of re-establishing security, human rights and civil order to the province. Close behind the NATO troops are the UNHCR (United Nations High Commission for Refugees) and other humanitarian aid agencies. They will have the task of first addressing the immediate needs of all the kosovars who have been in hiding in the mountains and who are severely malnourished and ill. Then will come the task of rebuilding the infrastructure of the country (roads, water and electrical systems, etc.) and finally the renovation of thousands of houses so that the refugee families can return to an inhabitable place.

All this takes time to implement so none of us here are expecting a mass exodus of refugees overnight. Still the situation is constantly changing - nothing is definite at this point.

The Situation

Here's how confused it is: On Wednesday 6/8 UNHCR (UN High Commissioner for Refugees) briefed all the aid organizations in Albania and told them to continue all their work, including winterization plans, new projects etc. as these refugees were likely to be in Albania for yet some time and in need of services. But the very next day, in Paris, THE High Commissioner did an interview in which he said 400,000 Kosovars should be back home by Sept. with priority on those in refugee camps. Most think the overcrowded camps in Macedonia are the HIGHEST priority, but they have only about 250,000, so he must be thinking Albania, too. Hundreds of thousands of Kosovars still inside their country may be in as great a need for aid as well.

So, indeed, everyone continues the work and planning in Albania AND Kosovo, but no one knows what tomorrow will bring. Meanwhile there are still many kids (and adults for that matter) who need trauma counseling, health services, clothes and food. I do not expect to be out of a job anytime soon. Many of us aid workers feel that most children, elderly and infirm/disabled (i.e. more vulnerable people) will remain here through the winter. The men will return earlier to start rebuilding their homes. Many aid agencies will jump on the "bandwagon" and rush to do work in Kosovo so even if there are substantially fewer refugees there will be just as much need for workers here since Albania will also experience a substantial loss of aid workers too.

There are many refugees eager to go back, to just sit on their land and enjoy "being at home." However there seem to be just as many who do not want to return right away since they are unsure of the "peace" that now exists. This second group is more cautious and may wait several months or longer before returning. Nobody has taken a scientific survey as far as I know, so it is hard to calculate the percentages of each group.

Meanwhile work goes very well. I have trained two more groups (one was a Kids Care Team, the other was a group from another humanitarian aid agency who heard about my trainings and asked if I could provide trainings for their group as well. SO the word is out! I have another training this week and still plugging away at the training manual.

In addition to all this I am setting up a project at the children's hospital (what else is new, right?!) with Save the Children from Sweden. We are planning to establish playrooms on two of the units and refurnish 4 existing play areas which have a few old toys. The hospital is THE main university/teaching hospital of Albania. For e.g., all cases of childhood cancer, kidney failure, etc. in the entire nation are referred there. (sadly though I was told there is no dialysis so eventually the kids who need it, die). I am REALLY looking forward to assisting this program, it reminds me of my days in Honduras! Besides material aid, I will be training nurses, psychology and social work students and teachers (who will work directly with the kids in the play rooms).

Also, had a very good meeting with 2 Kosovar psychiatrists and 1 psychologist. They are working at a center which is open to refugees staying with host families in Tirana. It has facilities for all ages. There are programs for adults - recreational, art/cultural, educational etc. as well as for children. General groups of kids divided by age have various activities as listed above while the special groups of kids needing more in depth psychological help are seen by those 3 professionals I mentioned. The kids needing more help are referred by paraprofessionals living in camps trained by the Kosovar mental health professionals. They are between the ages of 4 and 18. My role would be to assist them with technical expertise (activity planning and implementation).

I have been attending a nice church called the International Church. Its worship is conducted bilingually (English/Albanian). The preaching is good and the songs (praise choruses) not bad either, but I still miss my Presbyterian liturgy!

Must close for now, thanks for all your prayers of peace...it looks like the Lord has heard and responded! Keeping all of you in my prayers too!!!

Blessings of Mercy and Hope to you all!
Brett

I am now living in the capital of Albania, Tirana, but am often working in other cities and towns. I am training groups of volunteers from various countries who have come to Albania to provide programs for Kosovar refugee children living in the camps. I will be training approximately 20 teams this summer.

Tirana is 350,000 people crammed into a place built to hold 80,000! ... streets filled with donkeys pulling carts, vehicles from aid agencies, workers riding bicycles, mini vans in various stages of decay serving as taxis... decrepit urban buses. Dust hangs in the air as only half of the city's streets are paved. ...the constant din of people, except between 3pm to 6pm when people rest inside to escape the heat. Radios blasting, kids shouting, roosters crowing, horns honking, bicycle bells ringing, etc. The streets are lined with vendors & beggars. Five times a day we can hear the call to prayer from the mosques and also several times a day the bells ring from both the Catholic and Orthodox churches, all are just down the street from where we live.

Six of us live in the Presbyterian Team house, a clean and calm refuge after a long, tiring day. We all share cooking and cleaning responsibilities. We can not get TV which we can understand, so we usually listen to BBC or sometimes VOA for the news on the radio. On Saturday I went with some colleagues to Kruja, a place very important in the history of Albania. ... ruins of a castle, a museum detailing the exploits of their national hero, Scenderbeg, who repelled the Ottoman Empire's invasions into Albania 4 times.

I have been working with two volunteer teams in Shkoder, near the northern border of Albania with Montenegro. There is much machine gun fire at night, so we were sure to be in by dusk at the latest. A lot of the shooting is aimed in the air and is simply done when people are drunk and expressing their emotions. Also a lot of gangs -- organized crime has rapidly increased with the money from all the humanitarian aid....

The first time I went with the volunteer team to the refugee camp I noticed the children's play area. Broken glass, boards with nails sticking out of them, sharp rocks, pipes sticking up out of the ground! Later as I came back again and again my attention was instead drawn to the children themselves. In the dusty, dirty faces brightly glistened their eyes, eyes which were so happy to see us and ones which showed glimmers of hope.

One day a drama was presented called "The 4th Little Pig." The story starts with the sister pig visiting her 3 brothers who are hiding inside the brick home from the big, bad wolf. The sister convinces them that there is no more wolf and that it is safe for them to come outside once again and play. ...a direct connection to the experience of the children who have lost their homes also and now are struggling to once again live life to the fullest despite their fears. Then the children draw pictures of their fears. After the drawing, enough of sitting and talking! It's time for "letting off steam!"

The second team that came to Shkoder worked at a camp which was formerly a tobacco factory. ... buildings without glass in the windows and without lighting or plumbing. People live in large open halls on wooden bunks separated only occasionally by plastic sheeting. ... the smell of make-shift latrines and trash everywhere. This camp was supposed to hold 3,000 refugees, but it has approximately 5,000. Many refugees sleep outside on the street as there simply is no more space to house them inside. There is a building which serves as the school, but the lighting is so poor that we prefer to work with the children outdoors. Besides there are no desks inside anyway and the classrooms are inadequately divided by walls which are in fact tobacco leaf drying tables laying on their sides.

Thanks again for all your prayers on my behalf!

Your brother in Christ,
Brett

My trip has been finalized; I am flying to Albania on Friday afternoon. Now I am packing and saying my farewells, some temporary others most likely permanent - that is until heaven. For example, I will not see again the fourth year students who are not coming back next year for their masters degree and those mission workers who are ending their term of service. It is hard to leave, yet I am equally excited about going to Albania!

The local church in Albania and mission workers have been working hard to lay the foundation for my ministry with children there and have arranged all the necessary logistics such as accomodations, food preparation etc. so I can give my full attention to my work. I will be living in a house which has been leased for Presbyterian (USA) mission workers (both short and long term) assigned to assist with the refugee crisis. Some will be working in the administrative aspects of the relief effort, others with the distribution of humanitarian aid or providing psychosocial support programs for women or children. I will be working with 2 organizations - the local association of evangelical churches in Albania (which basically means all Protestant churches) and the other is the World Council of Churches - Disaster Assistance Division. The Albanian Evangelical Churches have a Crisis Center in Tirana which will be providing counseling. The World Council of Churches has asked the PC(USA) to coordinate the psychosocial aspect of the relief to the refugees so we are planning to offer a program in the camps especially for kids. This program will provide recreation, entertainment and therapy through both play as well as expressive arts (music, drawing, puppetry, etc).

I will help train local college age youth and international volunteers covering the topics of how children are affected by trauma and loss and how to intervene to ameliorate such effects. I also will help plan and implement the activities and supervise these volunteers in the camps.

Just getting to Albania will be an adventure... talk about "trains planes and automobiles" I will be using all of these plus a boat and possibly a bus to get to my final destination - Tirana, Albania. First I take a train from Osijek to Zagreb, Croatia. Then I will fly to Rome, catch another train to Bari, Italy, and board a ferry which takes me to Dures, the seaport of Albania. Hopefully in Dures I will be met by someone with a car, otherwise I will take a bus to Tirana. This is definitely a trip around "robin hood's barn" but I can not safely travel to Albania from Croatia through Montenegro. If I could, I would just take a bus to Dubrovnik, Croatia and then another to Tirana. So see... here is another disadvantage to war, as if there were not enough, inconvenient travel!

Since my remaining days in Croatia are hectic, I may only have one more chance to write to you again until I am in Albania. Also, when in Albania I will not have my own lap top computer so I will have to borrow others' computers. This fact, along with difficult phone connections in the first place, will most likely make writing emails to you more difficult. Therefore do not be surprised if they are less frequent or I rely more on using mass mailings of news/prayer letters. I WILL DO MY BEST TO KEEP YOU AS WELL INFORMED AS POSSIBLE OF MY SAFETY AND THE PROGRESS OF MY WORK. Our friendship means so much to me so I want to keep it alive through correspondence.

I am very excited, I LOVE to be used by the Lord. For me it is a WONDERFUL feeling. I praise His name and thank Him so much for all He has done for me.

I must close, but please know you are in my thoughts and prayers! God Bless and keep you!!!

Yours in Christ,
Brett

PS do not send forwards, although I enjoy the stories, I must use email for essential communications only.

Dear Friends and Family,

Update on the situation 4 16 99

I am glad you all appreciate my emails! Thanks so much for your prayers, they mean so much to us all over here right now! Things are still calm here in Osijek, though you can sense the tension. People have been worried that Russia would get involved which would mean the probably of at least a European if not world war! Now, however, Russia seems to have backed down from their position a bit so the tension is not as high as it was a week ago at this time. Also people worry about Montenegro. It is populated with 50% Serbs, many of whom still have loyalty to Serbia if not Milosevic. The government there is not so stable and Milosevic won't let Montenegro go without a fight. It was NOT a positive sign to hear about Serb troops crossing over the border of Albania and occupying a village in Albania. I pray everyday that Milosevic will sign AND comply with the peace accords!

Meanwhile it is also tragic to hear of NATO's accidental bombing of refugee convoys. I am glad though that the Serbs are at least letting the refugees out again rather than forcibly holding them as human shields. Still many reports of mass killings are occurring. Croatia is now taking some refugees as are many other European nations. Although there are dissenters in these other nations, who feel we should not bomb Serbia, nobody seems to be contesting the need for providing massive assistance to the refugees. I am worried though how many more refugees Albania can handle, as the vast majority of them are heading there and it is the poorest nation in Europe. From what I hear the infrastructure was already over-taxed to begin with, certainly with all the refugees pouring in it will be severely inadequate to accommodate them.

I continue my work with the orphanages and hospital as normal, but I am preparing now to be transferred temporarily to work in Tirana, Albania with the children in the refugee camps. I will leave around the beginning of May to work with the local Albanian Christian churches and organizations. My role will be to orient and train the youth to serve on "Care Teams." We will provide therapeutic activities such as art, music, sports and puppet shows with themes that address the issues of trauma and loss. Besides assisting the children to cope with past traumas our goal is to help them adjust to the stresses of life in the crowded camps as well. Of course or ultimate goal is to serve as a witness to Christ as he illustrates in the story of the "Good Samaritan." We will not be focused on proselytizing, rather "giving a cold cup of water in His name." When I know more details about my work there I will let you know.

Prayers are still the most powerful weapon we have against all this evil! Pray for peace, pray for emotional healing, pray for good weather! (bad conditions make it harder on both the refugees who live in the camps as well as those still hiding/living in the forests on the mountains in Kosovo) Pray for aid to get where it is needed, pray that there is no outbreak of debilitating disease in the camps as people are too weak to fight off any serious illnesses. Pray for wisdom for all those who work with the refugees - it is hard to imagine the logistical nightmare! Pray also for the workers' endurance as such work is tiring, from dawn to dusk, non-stop!

Bless you all!
Peace...Brett

The following was written by Duncan Hansen, Coordinator for Europe, World Wide Ministries Division of the Presbyterian Church (USA). The following was written based on his recent 10 day trip in Albania. Hope you find it useful in better understanding the situation here.

Brett

The view from Kukes ...

How could it happen in Europe? And how could it happen in Europe at the end of the twentieth century? And how could it happen that Europe did not see what was occurring and intervene sooner? And, most importantly, what can be done now, to stop even more killing?

These are the questions that occupied the thoughts of my companions and I as we sought to make sense of what we saw around us in Kukes, the small town on the Albania - Kosovo border that has become the first safe haven for refugees fleeing from Kosovo. To us, as to everyone else we met, whether refugee, relief worker or reporter, it was no longer a question of whether genocide was happening but how genocide might be stopped.

The stories would have been monotonous in their similarity if they had not been so horrible in their content. The police knocked on the door of a young Kosovar woman as she was nursing her baby. "You need to leave now," they said. "Let me pack my bag," she said. "No, leave now," was the reply. Down the hall she heard gunshots and was told that her neighbor had been killed for not moving more quickly. When I met this woman at Kukes, she had not eaten for five days.

Several other women came from the same village. The police had come to their doors and said that all Kosovars had to gather before the village school. Quickly the police separated the men from the women and the children. Then, while the women and children watched, the men were shot. The soldiers said, now it's time for you to leave. They begged for time to bury their husbands and fathers and sons. "No," the police replied, "leave now, or we'll shoot you too." So they started walking. Eighteen hours later they arrived at the border and told their story to an Englishman, John Campbell, who works for the United Nations High Commission for Refugees. He telephoned the War Crimes Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia in the Hague and reported what these women had told him along with their names, since they now were not only mourners but also potential witnesses for the War Crimes Tribunal.

Another woman told how the men from her village were gathered in a school house which was then set ablaze. Those men who tried to escape from the flames were shot.

So it happened over and over again. Almost shyly someone would come up to me and begin to tell her story. Soon many others would gather around. There was no reticence to talk. Each once wanted to say what had happened to her husband, her son, her father or herself. I saw few tears, perhaps because most of those I talked with were too weak to cry, not having eaten for days, or maybe because they were too weak to cry, having had to sleep on freezing mountain hillsides without adequate clothing. Or perhaps they were just numb from what had happened. Even so, hungry, cold or numb, they wanted to tell what had happened to them.

I knew the question would seem preposterous to those I asked, but I wanted to ask anyway, to be able to report the answer later. Did you leave because of the bombing? "The bombing?" they said. No one I spoke with had even seen any bombing. They had heard airplanes overhead. Some had seen fires they understood had been caused by bombing. The idea that they had left because of the bombing was ludicrous to the refugees with whom I spoke. "You want to know why I left?," said one woman who appeared to be in her early twenties, "I left because my husband was murdered." An older woman, who looked very tired, said, "we left because the police came to our door and told us we had to." A teenage girl said, "we left because all the inhabitants of the next village were killed." A young man, one of the relatively few adult men at Kukes, said, "I left because I saw the police coming to my house and I ran out the back door before they could find me." Another young man said, "I left because when I came home from a friend's house, my house had been burned."

During the ten-hour drive back to Tirana, my companions and I recounted the stories we had heard. In spite of all the stories we had heard of men being shot singly in their apartments, or in groups in public places, or burned in school houses or blown up in cars, we were even more struck by the number of women who did not know the fate of their men. Where were these men? When we were in Kukes there were perhaps 170,000 people there. I guess that perhaps 80% of the adults I saw were women. Any way you calculate, there are a great many missing men. Some of these men have, no doubt, joined the KLA, the Kosovo Liberation Army. Indeed, a couple kilometers from Kukes there was a tent set up where men could enlist in the KLA. It did not appear that men were being forced to join, since we saw cars and busses with male passengers drive by without being stopped. Yet if all the missing husbands, fathers, brothers and sons that belonged to the women we saw in Kukes had joined the KLA, it would certainly be one of the largest armies in Europe.

It was equally inconceivable that the Serb police or army had set up a camp big enough to house all the men who were missing. My companions were experts in the logistics of supplying food and water to large groups of people. If the Serbs were housing and feeding many tens of thousands of men, it would be hard to keep it secret. More likely, we concluded, the missing men are dead. Indeed, a few days after we left Kukes, NATO satellite intelligence analysts reported they had made out in pictures taken over Kosovo the first indications of mass graves.

How could genocide happen a second time in this century in Europe?

Assuming the missing men have been killed, the number of victims - so far - of the second Holocaust in Europe in this century lies somewhere between 60,000 and 200,000. If all those men are still alive, which is unlikely, the number killed so far would still exceed 20,000. And every day, according to the reports of refugees just arriving from Kosovo, more are being killed. How could this be happening now for the second time in this century in Europe? No doubt historians and social scientists will be occupied for decades with trying to find an answer. I would like to offer some initial reflections about the killing that is now going on in Kosovo, which are based mainly on my own impressions and observations. A comprehensive explanation will have to wait until the end of the war.

I believe that the Serb people as a whole simply do not understand what is happening in their name. They have been told that there are terrorists operating in Kosovo, which seems credible, particularly since for years they (like all of us) have been reading newspaper accounts of terrorists all over the world. They know that their police and soldiers have been trying to capture the terrorists and that sometimes some terrorists, not to mention police or soldiers, have been killed in the process. They do not consider that killing a terrorist in a police action is a war crime any more than the average citizen of the United States believes that his government is committing a war crime when it bombs a suspected terrorist camp in Sudan or Afghanistan.

Clearly Serbs (see "Conversation with a Serb" below) have been influenced by the ferocity with which NATO countries and particularly the United States have gone after putative international criminals. If the United States, which in some ways defines for Serbs what a democratic nation should be, would be so harsh in treating those it regards as terrorists, why should the Serbs not do likewise with their own terrorists in Kosovo? There is, of course, a crucial distinction between targeting terrorists and killing, for instance, all the men in a medium-size village. Even so, the willingness of the United States and NATO to use force, even when doing so sometimes puts civilian populations at risk, probably contributes subliminally to the willingness of Serbs to tolerate what they view as civilian casualties in their government's campaign against terrorism in Kosovo.

What about those Serbs who do know about the genocide or who have been actually participating in it? How could they have convinced themselves that killing is morally acceptable? It is only partly enough to say that these Serbs consider that they are fighting terrorism. Nor is it enough to say they view Kosovo as part of the Serb homeland and that they see the Kosovars as interlopers in it. Perhaps part of the explanation lies also in the negative beliefs about Kosovars that many Serbs learn so early in life that when they grow up the veracity of these beliefs seems self evident. I remember, as far back as 1965 or 1970, traveling in what was then Yugoslavia and hearing young Serbs tell about how profoundly lazy and disloyal the Kosovars were. Even then, I was struck by the passion with which these beliefs were expressed, all the more since most of us in the West then regarded Yugoslavia as a model of a successful multiethnic state. Of course, Serbia is not the only country in which the prejudices of adults are inculcated in the children.

Another part of the explanation may have to do with how the history of World War II was taught and perhaps still is taught in Serb schools. My impression, from conversations with Serbs over the course of the last thirty years, is that their schools taught them a lot about the real and very serious evils inflicted on the Serbs by the Croats and Germans during World War II but relatively little about the killing of the Jews. Even up until 1989 many former East Bloc governments still considered that the quasi-Marxist societies which they governed constituted a more or less complete break from the bourgeois societies that preceded them. Therefore they could treat the murder of the Jews as a phenomenon of capitalist society which did not concern them. The crimes of the Nazis and their eastern European allies could be subsumed into those of the capitalists. The practical result was that for several decades there were school children in the former East Bloc who never studied the Holocaust and never had the chance to learn the crucial lesson of the Holocaust, namely that not only is genocide wrong, but that it also destroys those who commit it.

Does the church in Serbia bear some responsibility for the genocide of the Kosovars? The willingness of both the Roman Catholic and Protestant churches in the United States, including the churches from which the Presbyterian Church (USA) traces its decent, to accommodate themselves to slavery and segregation shows that it is empirically untrue that the church is somehow supernaturally protected from serious moral error. In fairness, it must be said that Patriarch Pavle and Bishop Artemije of the Serbian Orthodox Church have long been critics of Milosevic and that many Serbian Orthodox clergy and laity oppose his policies in Kosovo. Still, on balance, the Serbian Orthodox Church in Serbia has probably not done enough to challenge the prejudices of many Serbs toward their Muslim neighbors in Kosovo and Bosnia. Indeed, even after the killings at Srebrenica by Bosnian Serbs in 1995, only a few church leaders were willing to acknowledge that the killings had even happened, let alone speak out against them.

But finally, as a practical matter, most Serbs simply do not have access to objective reporting about the killing in Kosovo that they consider credible. As I write, I have just read a newspaper story about a member of Italy's Green Party who last week managed to get an invitation to visit Belgrade. Because he opposed the bombing, he was interviewed on Yugoslav Television. But the interview was terminated when he mentioned that people in Italy had been hearing reports of genocide. His Yugoslav television interviewers said they did not believe the reports and they were not going to be responsible for such lies being broadcast.

The Serb people can be held responsible for tolerating one of Europe's last dictatorships, ten years after most of the rest of them have disappeared. They have been willing to live in a society in which, for practical purposes, all politically significant news is either censored or manipulated. For that too, the Serb people are also ultimately responsible. It is hard to imagine that the killing in Kosovo could go on if the news media in Serbia were not so completely controlled. But they can only be held responsible for the genocide of the Kosovars itself if they knew that genocide was happening and then did nothing to resist it.

Conversation with a Serb ...

I spoke last week with a 25-year-old Serb man somewhere in western Europe. He was willing for me to take notes but asked me not to reveal his name or the city in which he lives.

Question: Can you explain what is happening now in Serbia and Kosovo?

Answer: Unfortunately neither Serbs nor Kosovars are ready to live with each other. We Serbs must insist that Kosovo belongs to us. For centuries Kosovo was the heartland of the Serbs. Not only was it our political center, it was also the center of our church. Until the Kosovars can recognize this history we will not get along. There is not a difference in principle between your country attacking your enemies in Iraq and Sudan and Afghanistan and our country defending itself in Kosovo. Our ancestors fought for our freedom; now it's our turn. As one of my friends says, what people like your president don't understand is that we Serbs are willing to die for our history.

Question: Is there a solution to this conflict? Answer: Bombing us will not help.

Question: But you have heard the news about what some of the Serb military are doing to the Kosovars. Could NATO really remain passive while that was going on in Europe?

Answer: I recognize that NATO thinks it is helping. But NATO doesn't understand our mentality. They don't realize that no matter how long they bomb us, we Serbs will never sign the so-called peace treaty. Bombing will never force us to surrender.

Question: Many people in Western Europe hold President Milosevic responsible for the present war. They say he is a war criminal. What do you think?

Answer: I will not comment on your question. We Serbs need to support each other. Any criticism right now of Milosevic could give grist to those who want to attack the Serbs ...

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ,

Now more than ever we must turn our hearts to fervent prayer, even meeting for special prayer times is strongly recommended! The situation is worsening here little by little and things are getting more tense.

PRAYER NEEDS:

1. With Russia becoming a bit unstable and rattling her chains we are all a bit concerned. Although Yeltsin is generally in accord with the West and many non-vocal Russians tacitly agree with us, many radicals, ultra-nationalists, and communists sympathize with the Serbs and see us as the aggressors. Already some Russian young adults are in Serbia supporting them. If these radicals come to power we are in DEEP trouble!

2. Serbia may use its military to overthrow the democratically elected government of Montenegro. There are roughly half who support Milosevic, the Serb president, and half who support the Montenegro gov't - so it could go either way. This would definitely complicate things and escalate the conflict, not to mention disrupt the distribution of relief for the refugees there.

3. Meanwhile now refugees - the elderly, young children and those already sick are starting to die on the Macedonian border. Aid is not coming to them all quick enough, plus the cold and rain and the fact that they were already without food and water for days means they are so weak the can not take any more.

So as you can see we are very occupied with the events here! (I heard Paraguay was having some problems and Malaysia too but believe all those are overshadowed by the events here - the "superpowers" are involved. ALL these things need your prayers desperately.)

4. It is hard to see all the anti American sentiment propagated by the Serb media, we can pick up the Serb TV channels here since we are so close. All are wildly against NATO, but esp the USA! I realize they are being misinformed, but still the images and sound bites are quite disturbing. Meanwhile, the Croats are more pro-USA than ever. Pray that the Serb populace somehow comes to realize the consequences of their actions and understands why we have intervened through bombing of military targets.

5. What also will need your prayers is the possibility that I may go to one of the borders along Kosovo to provide relief (initially) and then to do psychological counseling for the children. I am not sure where yet, perhaps Albania or Macedonia. I am called to these places, this is my mission, why I am here. I know it will be risky and it will be uncomfortable, long hours, dirty, etc etc, but I can not ignore the cries for help of these innocent people any longer. There are details to be ironed out, logistics etc, but I am ready in my heart to go. I have prayed and the Lord has told me to go and concretely demonstrate the compassion of Christ to these war ravaged refugees. I will keep you informed about this. Both the Presbyterian Church USA and the local church are involved in coordinating these efforts.

Meanwhile, thanks so much for writing, my dear friends, all your letters are such an encouragement! We had a wonderful church service today with several choirs and children's poems. Also we had a visit by the mayor, which is an important event as our church is Protestant and this country is primarily Catholic. The day was warm and sunny and many flowers are blooming! The trees are also starting to open their leaves! As I saw the news and yet experienced the beauty of God's creation, I truly thought to myself what a bitter-sweet Easter!

Now I must close ...
May the Lord bless and keep all of you!
Brett

 

Dear Friends in Christ,

As you watch the events unfolding in the news here in the Balkans I can imagine you are a bit worried how these will affect us here in Croatia. Certainly I can not deny that the actions taken by NATO do indeed increase tensions around here, however, I want to reassure all of you that we mission workers here in Osijek are safe and do not fear for our safety. Although the recent bombings of the cities of Sombor and Novi Sad are only approximately 40 miles away from us in Osijek such events seem far away. We learn of the actions taken by NATO just as you do, via the TV news. Across the border in Serbia the people are I am sure worried and upset, but here in Croatia the mood is calm and assured. The war's events are removed from the daily experience of the average Croatian, though deep down some do wonder if by some chance it could spread. Most feel confident though that Serbia will NOT attack Croatia as Croatia is much better prepared than it was in 1991 and it would be foolish for Serbia to open up another front line, they have their hands full in Kosovo.

People here, including our seminary students and staff, DO watch the news intently, some have more reason to worry as they have family in Serbia and one student in particular has family in Novi Sad. This gives this conflict a more personal dimension, it is hard to be completely detached when you know someone who is directly affected by these bombings. No matter how angry we are at the Serb government, we still can feel sorry for the Serb people who are caught in the cross fire. We even have to realize that those Serb people who are angry at us and who support their leaders have been influenced and misinformed by their own government's propaganda machine. The NATO bombings have curtailed travel in the region, some of us were going to go to Macedonia with our students over the Easter break to celebrate the holidays with them in their churches, others were planning to do mission work in Bosnia, now both trips have been cancelled.

We all are praying for the innocent people of Kosovo, as many of us have been personally touched by their plight as we have interacted with incoming refugees from Kosovo at a refugee camp here in Croatia. To see the deeply grieved and anxious faces of the women and children makes one stop and reflect on the sheer devastation that has befallen them. They have lost everything, homes, furniture, clothing, toys, etc. not to mention other family members and friends. Truly all they have is the clothes on their backs and the belongings they could carry in their hands. Such unbridled aggression towards civilians had to be stopped. It is just a shame that diplomacy could not work and that we had to bomb not just in Kosovo but various cities around Serbia to prevent the Serbs from using their ammunitions and weapons against these people.

As events continue to unfold, things change - peoples opinions, moods, etc. certainly though Croats are glad the West has finally decided to intervene with Serbia, they just wish that the West would have intervened in their war of independence from Serbia from 1991 to 1996. The Croats know first hand the horrors of ethnic cleansing and the brutalities the Serbs can inflict upon an oppressed population.

Our prayers should be first and foremost with these refugees and those who are still trapped in the Kosovo region undergoing shelling, sniper fire, torture, forced marches, and even facing death. Also for the families of those who have loved ones in this region, these are times of sleepless nights and little appetites for them. As Christ has asked we should also pray for the Serbs - the leaders and the people, that the Lord will open their eyes to the suffering they have inflicted. We pray that the Lord many soften their hearts to the cries for mercy and we pray that the people would find it in themselves to overthrow the current regime and start a new democratically elected one that respects human rights for all, even ethnic minorities. Last, but certainly not least, we must keep in our prayers the NATO soldiers who partake in this campaign to restore human rights. There is always a risk with this kind of intervention. May the Lord keep them safe and watch over them and their families, give them all a peace in their hearts.

I was planning to write you all an Easter update newsletter but these events changed my mind. It is important to focus our attention and prayers to the concerns mentioned above. For your information the Christian Counseling center is now operational! This is good news! I sincerely thank all of you who contributed to this worthwhile project. Although we still need to do a few more things to the main building before beginning the children's part (in a separate building) the adult section is functioning and serving the needs of the local community! Already Croatian Christian professionals are offering counseling to those who request appointments!

Meanwhile my work at the orphanage and hospital continues, the children are always such a source of joy! Their laughter during these tension filled times helps to relieve the anxiety and inspire hope. Can this next generation learn to live in peace with their neighbors regardless of ethnic identity? I pray that my students and I are serving as good models for forgiveness and compassion.

As spring emerges once again after the long, cold, gray, winter we are again reminded that life overcomes death since we have our hope in Christ who is the source of eternal life! The many colors of the various blossoms also remind us that there is beauty in diversity. What a drab world it would be with only one color flower! My sincere wish is that the Serbs would be awakened to all the signs of nature which point towards peace, harmony and love. May spring and MORE IMPORTANTLY EASTER, be a time of renewed compassion in their hearts and a desire to nurture life rather than extinguish it.

May the Lord, our saviour, watch over you and yours this most blessed of all holidays! Please know that all of you are in my prayers!

In Christian Love,
Brett

 

Dear Frank and Linda and all my friends at 2nd Presby,

I hope everyone is doing well and enjoying a lovely autumn. I imagine the landscape is now becoming ablaze with beautiful red, orange and golden yellow leaves. Oh, how I wish I could witness such wonderful handiwork by the Lord. Unfortunately here we don't experience such colors. I suppose due to the types of trees in the vicinity. However the days have been cool and sunny so I DO appreciate that!

I am proud to announce that all the books we collected from the International Book Project have arrived and in good condition! I am so happy and grateful. Please pass on this official acknowledgment of thanks to the Project for their records. I will mail them a copy, but this is a more certain and quicker way to express my thanks. Already other faculty and students are commenting how nice a gesture it was for the church and IBP to do this. The quantity and quality of the books have sparked their interest in counseling! These 2 donations have substantially increased our library's holdings in the psych/counseling field. This will make our students' preparation much more credible and allow current professionals to update their knowledge and skills. I hope the photos of my work have proved useful in demonstrating the impact of the congregation's generosity on the lives of the children here! Thanks again for all your support! And thank you again for hosting me!

I was able to take care of all of my medical concerns while home so now I am doing fine! I also got the chance to spend precious time with some old friends I had not seen since working with them in Honduras 4 years ago! It was great to reminisce and create new happy memories! As we shared it was so inspiring to see how the Lord works in all our lives in unique ways to serve others, to bring about His kingdom here on earth! He truly uses us in ways we never thought possible or never even thought of! How revealing it is to see God's hand in arranging just the right mix of time, place and peoples' talents to achieve His plans for the world and for each of our own lives!

I am extremely busy now with classes. We have many new students so there is a new "feel" to the seminary this year. A lot more energy and vitality. We have 12 students from Romania alone and more than ever before are staying on to complete their masters degrees. There is also a bunch of new faculty so we have been scrambling around trying to accommodate them into our very limited office space! We now have a full time biblical languages professor for the first time, but we still need a residential (as opposed to visiting) professor in Old Testament and a full time certified librarian - since thanks to prayers our collection is growing!

Meanwhile the director of pediatrics at the main children's hospital where I work has apparently been impressed enough with our work there to give us more rooms to expand our program!!! We will start serving outpatients with mental, emotional and physical challenges in addition to the inpatients. The bibliotherapy program is going excellently, with only one problem, trying to accommodate all the requests I get to visit schools! With the donations I was able to purchase many useful story books for children (in addition to the great ones you gave me!) that address all types of problems they face such as death in the family, learning difficulties, facing illness and disability, coping with divorce or blended families, etc. (from those catalogs you gave me). As an outgrowth of this program the children's library staff and I have been invited to help a Croatian children's foundation. The foundation wants us to start a children's theater (performances for children by child actors) training them how to do pantomime, puppetry, expressive dance etc. We will incorporate mental health themes like issues affecting self-esteem, overcoming negative peer pressure and healing from past hurts.

Also our seminary's president has moved back here from the US. This is great news for me as his wife studied counseling at Gordon Conwell Seminary so she will be able to help relieve some of the burden of administration of the Christian Counseling Institute that I direct here. She will also supervise students field placements and work on her own in the Osijek area to start groups for women. It is reassuring that more laborers are joining me in the fields to bring the harvest. As you may remember I recently wrote saying the harvest is plenty but the laborers few, well apparently the Lord HAS heard my cry! The Christian counseling institute has acquired a spacious but old house for establishing our center! However we will need some funds to repair the heaters (natural gas, hot water circulating type), buy furniture, a carpet and curtains and repaint the walls - in general spruce up the place to make it a warm (literally!) and inviting location suitable for people to relax, laugh and work through past traumas and present stresses. Let me know if this last need is something with which the congregation might be able to help. I hope we can work together to achieve this worthwhile goal!

I am now writing to you on my own computer! It is finally running and connected to the internet. We have 24 hour FREE access since the seminary is recognized as an official academic institution by the Croatian government. I have to watch that I don't become "addicted" to being online, there is so many neat things out there! For example, using software called REALPLAYER that came with our NET NAVIGATOR we can listen to both recorded and live radio and TV stations from all over the world (as long as they are online). Now I can get news from CNN, watch movie previews, listen to country music from Dallas etc.! The video is somewhat blurry and the connecting and download time can be a little annoying, but still this technology amazes me! I also have my own email account, finally!
    Bamcmichl@hotmail.com

Thanks again for all your support!
Take care,
Brett