Update from Dario:
Greetings from Bosnia & Herzegovina!
It has been an unusually hot and dry summer here, with very little rain and many forest fires throughout the region. The heat has also meant a lot of extra work caring for and protecting our bees, but we are thankful that the work continues.
In Derventa, we continue building relationships, sharing the Gospel, and praying for doors to open for a future church plant. We don’t have any major news yet concerning the Mission Project there, but we continue to trust that God will open the right doors at the right time.
Our church in Zenica is doing well. We may not yet be seeing everything we have prayed and hoped to see, but we are not discouraged. We continue to pray, serve, and believe that God will accomplish His purposes in His way and in His timing.
Recently, God gave us a simple reminder of that through a very unexpected little visitor.
One morning while I was at prayer, my wife, Silvia, and a man working at a nearby store heard a kitten crying from inside a garbage container. They opened it but couldn’t see where the sound was coming from because it was filled with garbage.
Then a young man appeared. Without hesitation, he set his belongings aside, climbed into the container, and searched until he discovered a plastic bag. Inside that bag was another sack—and inside was a tiny, terrified kitten, only about two months old. She was wet, dirty, frightened, and completely helpless.
Silvia immediately took her home, washed and dried her, and when I returned from prayer, we took her to the veterinarian to receive the care she needed. Today she is clean, healthy, safe, and often joins me during my morning prayer and worship.
As I thought about what happened, I couldn’t help but see a picture of the Gospel.
Scripture tells us that we have been brought out of darkness. In many ways, we were like that little kitten—trapped in a place we could never escape on our own. And then Jesus came for us. He entered our darkness, rescued us, cleansed us, healed us, and gave us a place of safety in the arms of our Heavenly Father.
That little kitten reminded me of why we are here.
For almost 23 years, we have continued sharing the Gospel in Zenica and throughout Bosnia & Herzegovina. There have been times when it has seemed that very few people were calling out for salvation. But we continue believing there are people around us who are hurting, searching, and waiting for someone to hear their cry.
Our prayer is that when we hear it, we will be willing to go wherever God sends us—even into the difficult and messy places—to reach people with the hope of Jesus.
Please continue praying with us for the ministry here in Zenica, for the relationships we are building in Derventa, and especially for God to open the doors for a new church to be planted there. Pray also that we would remain faithful and sensitive to the people God places in front of us.
Thank you for your love, prayers, and faithful support. We may not always see immediately what God is doing beneath the surface, but we continue trusting Him, listening for the voices that need hope, and believing that He is still drawing people out of darkness and into His light.
Stay blessed!
Pastor Dario Kapin
Bosnia & Herzegovina