-----Original Message----- Please be praying!
Hi all,
Wednesday March 24th - 10:00pm - Please pray. The bombs are already
hitting Pristina. Sirens have gone off in Leskovac (a town just south
of
us) and in Nis tonight. So far the people have not paniced but with the
sirens and the
beginning of bombing in Kosovo - people are very frightened. I was in
twoseparate prayer meetings today and people were crying out to God
with
allthat they had; for forgivness for their land, for peace to be
restored
and for God to miraculously intervene. Please stand with us in this
hour.
We are in desperate need of the peace of God.
Wednesday March 24 - midnight...I couldn't send this message earlier,
so
now I'm tacking on. It's midnight of the same day and they have just
signaled through the air raid sirens that the bombing has finished for
the night. It went on for four hours. They hit Pristina, Montenegro,
Novi
Sad, Panchevo, Uzice, Kraljevo, and Prokuplje (a town just 10 miles
south
of Nis towards Kosovo). They did not hit Nis tonight. Thank God. Pray
for
some
kind of intervention tomorrow - this is horrible.
March 25th - 7:30am - We made it through the night. After my last
message, the sirens went again, all night until 5:30am saying to be
prepared at any moment for bombs on Nis. We all tried to sleep together
in the basement of our house, watching the news and tossing and
turning.
I am expecting thattonight it will be here. Nis has several key
military
bases. They hit Novi Sad (where Nesa is) last night - they showed it on
TV, it was like Bosnia... They also hit Pristina, Podgorica, Prokuplje
(a
city just ouside ofNis), Danielo, Panchevo, Uzice, Belgrade, Kraljevo,
and Kraguevac. The fear is almost overwhelming - please keep praying
for
these precious people. I will be at the Baptist church praying with
people all day and then with my cell group in the early evening. We all
have to be home around
8:00pm as that's when it starts all over again. My emotions are on the
edge, but my spirit is strong.
March 25th - Well, I still can't send so I will keep adding on. It's
7:17pm on Thursday night and the day has been filled with sirens and
alerts, neighbors gathering around, police visits, etc... we are
expecting Nis tobe hit tonight. I have been at Bata and Sladjana's
house
all day. Sasa and Woody, two good friends from the church have been
called into the army.
They were with us for several hours this afternoon writing last minute
letters and praying with us. Saying good-bye to them was so hard.
Knowing that two of my dear friends were going away to possibly die at
the
hands of my countrymen made me sick inside. As I hugged them, we
promised
that we would be friends forever, no matter what came.
The police also came to visit me today. They said that it was time for
them to take me - there was several moments of tense silence until they
said -they were only checking to make sure that I was OK. They have
been
good friends to me throughout this crisis and I am praying for their
safety aswell. 8:41am - March 26th. Last night was the scariest night
of
my life. I had to stop writing last time because of the sirens, all
electric plugs have to be
unplugged. The sirens came steadily until 8:00 when the bombs started
coming. There was a black out in the city. I was with Bata and
Sladjana,
the pastors here, and their children. We were all on one couch against
a
wall with blankets and pillows over our heads. There was a blackout in
the city. With all the lights out, with our shoes on, with our
passports
in our pockets in case of hasty retreat, or death, we kept the children
between Sladjana and I. Bata knelt over us shielding us from possible
broken glass and debris that would come with the bombing. Nine rockets
hit Nis. One came within 200 meters of our house. It was horrible, you
could hear the planescoming, then the rockets and then you didn't know
how close it would come- the children would start crying, we were
praying
and then they would hit,one after the other after the other. The
windows
shook violently in the house, but we had them open so that the pressure
would not blow them out.Then, after the bomb would come a deadly
silence
and just when you thought you could get up, another would come. All of
us
were sick to our stomachs- the fear and anxiousness just ties you up
inside. Then we got phone callsfrom the church members in Leskovac, a
town just south of Nis that was also
hit last night. A whole neighborhood was set ablaze by a rocket.
Downtown buildings - all the winows shattered from the blasts. Friends
of
ours have homes where the doors and windows have been blown out. The
church members huddled in the church basement throughout the night
without
electricity. They showed news clips on TV of a lot of other cities in
Yugoslavia. The damage is not just military sites, there are houses,
coffee bars, downtown areas, totally destroyed. One Serbian village in
Kosovo was bombed, there is nothing left. From the time the sun goes
down
there is nothing but fear and terror, sirens and the horrible
anticipation of the bombs. I have come to believe that this is not
simply
about a humanitarian problem with the Kosovo Albanians - this is about
destroying a sovreign nation. This is about NATO gaining a foothold in
this country. Again, Milosevic appeared on TV last night saying that
they
were ready to start talks again, that they had been ready for a
political
solution - that they would even allow international soldiers in to
police
the agreement, just not NATO. There have been demonstrations all over
the
world against the strikes in London, Toronto, New York, Moscow, Italy,
France, etc... Please continue to pray with us. Write your congressman,
call your Senator, get in touch with your Parliament representatives
and
speak up for these people. I know what's
happened in Kosovo, I know it's wrong but to bomb villages, towns,
homes,of people who have in many cases been the ones protesting these
very problems - this is not the answer. And please please pray that
some
kind of intervention will take place today with the Contact Group or
another body- if this continues this whole country will be gone.
Physically, emotionally, mentally.... Please pray and help in anyway
that
you can in this hour. May God be with all of you.
March 26th - 7:45pm. I am writing you from Sofia Bulgaria. After last
night, I went back to my house to do some things and to get cleaned up.
Ihad been home maybe one hour when the landlady where I live said,
"come
quickly - the neighbors want to burn your car!" I ran outside and was
faced with about 10 angry young men who live just a few houses down. I
know them.
I said, "Vlada, - why?" He said, because your government is killing our
people - I hate Americans!! I had the chance to say to the whole group
-(by now, many neighbors had gathered around), how much I loved Serbia
and the people and how sorry I was that it was my country that was doing
this to them. After I spoke, they walked away in silence. By this time,
my
landlords had called the police. After 10 minutes the police arrived
and
basically a riot broke out in the neighborhood with people threatening
my landlords because of me.... Just after all of this, Bata and Sladjana
called me and said they were going to the village for a few days and
they thought it was best for me to leave. The whole church has dispersed
-everyone is with their families in their basements... At this point I
realized that for me to stay was actually endangering the lives of the
very people I was there for. I had always said that as soon as my
presence was harmful and not helpful - I would go. So I packed the van
with a few belongings and as the sirens were signaling another attack -
I
fled the city.
I had to leave my jeep and many other belongings there with my
landlords.As I hugged and kissed them goodbye, there were tears all
around. As I drove through the city, huge convoys of military personnel
were preparing for the nights activities. As I drove out of my city, my
body convulsed with tears and physical pain in my stomach and my heart.
>What pain must
God feel over this; for the Albanians, for the Serbs, for His world
that
refuses to turn to Him but pursues violence because of an unresolved
anger and hate that they are enslaved to. And Oh how I wish that the
window of time had lasted longer.... there are still so many that have
not heard ofthe only ONE who can free them from this pain and hate.
Where
were the missionaries? Where was the church ten years ago when we still
had time....
The border crossing from Yugoslavia to Bulgaria was extremely tense.
The
Yugoslav guys gave me a really hard time and I just kept telling them
how sorry I was about all of this. I think they saw my heart and they
let
me go. As I drove into Bulgaria, the sun was setting in my rear view
mirror over Yugoslavia. I knew the night was coming again and with it,
the
nightmares and the fear for everyone there. I cried and cried as I
drove
away, my heart breaking more with every kilometer that separated me
from
them. Even as I write, my hands are shaking and the tears won't stop.
Please, please, please keep praying. This has to stop. We are
destroying
a country. We are destroying a people. A people who have continually
protested this war, who have spoken out against their government time
and again, only to be silenced. These strikes are only entrenching
Milosevic as the savior of the people once again.... These same people
who desperately need Christ, who need to be discipled, who are waiting
with hunger for the truth of God, are the ones that we are destroying.
God help us, what havewe done.
March 27th - 4:35pm. I am still in the hotel in Sofia, Bulgaria. I
tried
to sleep last night but with every airplane sound, with every sharp
noise, I jumped. I was able to talk to my parents, my brother and
several
YWAM leaders from the region by telephone - I was encouraged by their
calls and was able to release some of the tension by talking things
through. Hal Young and Steve Johnson from the YWAM Budapest base are
flying into Sofia tonight to drive the van with me back to Budapest. I
just wish that we could drive back into Yugoslavia and take everyone to
safety... I hate that I feel safe right now.... there are so many who
don't have this privilege. Tonight the bombs will come again - as
night
draws closer, let us continue to remember them in our prayers;
Albanians,
Serbs, and the foreigners who have remained.
March 29th - Budapest. Angie and I will be working together over the
next few days to put a human face to the situation in Yugoslavia. We
are
contacting as many english news sources in the city as we can. I will
continue to try and get news out of Yugoslavia from the church there
and
pass it on to you for prayer. As news of the attacks continue to haunt
our
screens, let our prayers continue to fill the screens of heaven until
this horrible time is over. As you lie in the comfort and safety of
your
own home and family today, please continue to remember our brothers and
sisters in Yugoslavia. For the sake of the Albanians and the Serbians,
"Remember those who are mistreated as if you yourselves were
suffering." Return to Comments Menu
From: Witheld For Security Reasons
To: Undisclosed-Recipient:;
Date: Saturday, April 10, 1999 9:32 AM
Subject: Fw: Bombings - Kosovo, Nis, Yugolosvia and more
RE: from Martha RE: Serbia
I am currently writing you from Budapest Hungary where we arrived
safely
last night. I started writing this e-mail three days ago and could
never
send it due to the telephone lines being closed... so here are some of
the events of the last few days...
- Hebrews 13:3
Yours in Christ,
Send me your comments please
The Beginning or End
By Alicia Colombo
Allan B. Colombo
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