Asim and Alisa live in Bosnia-Herzegovina, where jobs are scarce and poverty is widespread. Both of them felt the urgency of providing for their three children – and the pressure and anxiety was unrelenting. Asim’s frequent mood swings and drinking did not help, and the couple found themselves constantly arguing. They were growing apart.
One day, as Asim was collecting plastic bottles and other scraps to sell, to try and eke a living, a man approached him and said he was amazed by Asim’s hard work. As Asim and Alisa became friends with this man and his wife, their lives began to change.
Alisa said, “We became very close to this couple, and I was wondering how they managed to keep such a positive attitude and never argue. They explained that they were Jesus’ followers. We were intrigued and asked to read the Bible with them. We found out more about Jesus, his life and what he did for us.”
Less than 0.01% of Bosnia-Herzegovina’s population is evangelical – and it is one of the least evangelised countries in the world. With religion so closely related to ethnicity, people are often resistant to change and not open to hearing the gospel.
Asim and Alisa, however, had their interest in Christianity sparked by their new friends – who turned out to be members of the Evangelical Church that partners with Mission Without Borders (MWB).
“Through the Evangelical Church, we were introduced to MWB who recognised us as hardworking people with a strong faith. Thanks to them, we received support that has helped us to strengthen ourselves materially as a family and to provide things for our children that we would never have been able to afford,” Alisa said.