The Jurjeviches and the Nations
March 2009

From top down: Robert, Sandrina, Johan, Lydia, Timothy and Josh

.........In 1985, Robert and his Dutch-born wife, Sandrina, went as missionaries to Zagreb, Croatia with their two month old firstborn son, Johan. It was there that the Lord made clear to them that He was sending them to pioneer a church in Sarajevo, Bosnia. In 1987, they moved to Sarajevo and pioneered the church Biblijska Vjerska Zajednica “RAFAEL”, where they served as pastors up until the Yugoslavian civil war of 1992. In 1989, The Bridge International began to support their ministry and send various ministry teams that brought tremendous spiritual breakthroughs for the city. When the war took place, Robert and Sandrina relocated to Holland and served several years as the Balkan coordinators for The Bridge, focusing their personal efforts especially on Kosovo, Macedonia, Greece and Turkey.

.........Since 2000, the Jurjevich family have lived in the USA, serving on staff with two different churches, first in Alabama and presently in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. Robert works in business management and Sandrina continues on staff as church counselor. Their children are all serving the Lord and each finding their place in the ministry. Robert and Sandrina travel back each year into the Balkan region to encourage the churches and leaders. Their vision is to return as full-time church- planters in the near future to that region of the world.

Leadership Bible Training Students in Irbid

SYRIA — three days

.........Damascus, which means ‘silent is the sackcloth weaver’, is the capital of Syria. It is a city of two million and boasts of being the oldest inhabited city in the world. It certainly dates back from before Abraham, for the administrator of his wealth, Eliezer, was from Damascus (Genesis 15:2).

.........My three day visit to Damascus was spent with the pastor and his family in their home sharing and having fellowship together during the daytime. Each evening, a number of the believers gathered together in their living room for a few hours of teaching and prophetic ministry. Due to the persecution and threats against their ministry, we could only meet in a small group, though that was not without risk. The focus of their core team is on friendship evangelism and small group ministry. They are praying for approval by the Syrian government to become a registered church. Although they face social and political restrictions, their faith and vision is for revival and church-planting throughout their nation.

JORDAN — six days

.........Upon arriving in Jordan from Syria, I immediately felt a special grace in my spirit for this nation. I was struck with the beauty of the homes and well plowed fields, giving the visitor a very good impression of the country. I strongly sensed that the Lord will use Jordan as a source of living water to be released throughout the entire Middle East.

.........I spent the next six days with Bolis Abadeer, pastor of the Assemblies of God church in the city of Irbid, located in the northwestern corner of the nation of Jordan. Pastor Bolis and his wife Vivian have three wonderful children, and a church filled with some of the most spiritually gifted and generous believers you will ever meet. Their hospitality is more than Middle Eastern custom; it is a heart felt passion of caring for others.

.........I spent the morning hours with pastor Bolis in prayer, mid-day visitation in the homes of church families and ministering the Word at night. Two evenings were for the entire church, one evening training for the youth group and I taught three 45-minute sessions on three evenings on discipleship for the leadership team of the church. They kept me busy!

.........On the last evening, I was honored by the church presenting me with the national Jordanian headdress for men (Boris is in the back). The service was followed by an intense time of ministry.

Robert being honored with Jordanian headress for men

CYPRUS — one day

.........My Saturday morning flight from Jordan had me arriving in Larnaca, Cyprus, around 9:30 am, and greeted by the director of the Youth with a Mission (YWAM) ministry for Cyprus, Helge Brudeli. Helge, and his wife Solvei, are from Norway and have been serving the Lord in the nation of Cyprus for many years. The first half of 2009 will be a time of rebuilding their team and ministry base, while spending a couple of months in Norway for the birth of their second child. We spent most of the day in fellowship together, meeting with their core team and having a time of intercession. Upon their return to Cyprus in the month of May, Helge will begin his vision for a prayer and ministry center that will serve the believers and churches of Cyprus as a facility for moving the nation toward spiritual revival. Before catching my flight to Thessaloniki in the evening, Helge took me to the property where they are preparing for the ministry center to be built. After a walk around the property and time of prayer, it was on to the airport.

MACEDONIA — one day

.........Early on the Sunday morning, Tommie and I set out for Skopje, capital of the former-Yugoslav republic of Macedonia, about a two hour drive from Thessaloniki, Greece. It was strange to hear a familiar Slavic language after having listened to Arabic and Greek for two weeks. Tommie Naumann and his wife Gunilla pioneered the church in Skopje during the 1990's before moving on to neighboring Thessaloniki, Greece.

.........The church in Skopje has in total about 150 members and is focused on church planting in the nation. The pastor, Sasha, described to me some of the evangelistic strategies they are pursuing, like focusing on specific professional groups (police, teachers, etc.) with hosting evangelistic dinners. After the meeting, we drove back to Thessaloniki, arriving just in time for the evening service.

.........The spirit of the Thessaloniki church is very refreshing and relaxing, as they attempt to keep simplicity in their fellowship and having relationships, not programs, at the heart of all they do. I sensed strongly that this church will be a catalyst for revival in Thessaloniki. Although a young church, the maturity of the core team and their pure character will be a strong witness in the city.

TURKEY— three days

.........Tommie and I first met one another in Istanbul, Turkey, back in ’92, so we decided to travel there for a couple of days. Istanbul, a city of over 18 million, never seems to lose its charm and mystic attraction, being the pivot point between Europe and Asia, the bridge between East and West. Our time there was one of renewing old friendships with Turkish pastors and friends. Opposition and persecution of those walking with the Lord is on a heightened level, with the killings of five Christian leaders over the past four years.

.........In the face of adverse conditions, the Lord Jesus continues to manifest His presence throughout the nation and strengthening the churches. The believers count the cost on a daily basis in following the Lord, knowing that they are an open target for physical harm. Pray for their protection and for boldness to continue in the faith by God’s grace and strength.

GREECE — four days
Samuel -the Need for Spiritual Fatherhood

.........On the last night of the trip, Tommie asked me to meet with the team that is launching the men’s ministry of the Thessaloniki church, and to bring a prophetic word from the Lord for them. One of the challenges of the Balkan/Middle East is for men to take up their leadership role in the family, community ministry .I could sense the prophetic anointing upon the Thessaloniki church as I sat with the three men who are forming the foundation for the men’s ministry, brother Costas and two other brothers, one from Albania and one from Ghana. The ministry and grace of the Thessaloniki church will overflow into other nations and continents. In preparation for the meeting, I was led by the Lord to the passage where the prophet Samuel anointed the shepherd boy David as King of Israel (I Sam.15:27-16:13).

Contact info: robertjurjevich@gmail.com,
Blog: www.robertjurjevich.wordpress.com