Apr 18, 2018 For a Second Time, Ilija Lost Everything!
Ilija had a great life living in Croatia before the war of independence. He was a hardworking man who started with nothing and built an impressive life. He grew his business until he oversaw 25 markets and 100 employees. In 1989, he built a hotel.
Though Ilija was not a Christian, he felt his life was smooth sailing. He was richÑa millionaireÑand had everything he could want.
In the early 1990s, war started between the Serbians, Croatians and the Muslims. To his dismay, Ilija’s hotel was targeted and bombed. It was completely destroyed and, in a matter of days, Ilija had lost everything. He was even thrown in jail for a week.
Attempting just to survive, Ilija went to Slovenia to work, starting again with nothing.
Soon, he was able to save some money, but he knew he shouldn’t stay in one place for too long because of the unstable political climate. So, Ilija started to pack and get ready to leave. He withdrew his cash and prepared to run for his life.
As he was leaving his apartment, masked robbers entered and brutally attacked him. They beat him so severely that there was blood everywhere in his apartment. They wanted to kill him, but miraculously, he survived.
He spent six months recovering in a hospital in Bosnia and, for a second time, Ilija had lost everything.
By 2011, Ilija was homeless, wandering the streets of Bosnia and living under a bridge. He got food from soup kitchens and churches. He was only a shadow of the man he had once been.
One night, in despair, he decided to commit suicide by jumping off a bridge. As he was moving towards the edge, he saw a lady doing the same. Realizing what was happening, Ilija quickly grabbed the woman just before she fell into the river.
Ilija hadn’t expected that the moment he was about to end his own life, he would, instead, save another’s. From that moment, his perspective changed. He wondered if his life could have been different. He had many questions about why God left him to experience such bitterness.
Not long after his life-saving experience, he was invited to church by a Seventh-day Adventist who had worked at the soup kitchen where he ate. Ilija started attending church, praying and studying the Bible with the pastor, Paul, who became his friend.
He never expected such kindness and love to be bestowed on a lowly, dirty person, as he saw himself. Ilija was so changed that, in 2013, he was baptized!
Today, Ilija is 67 years old. He works in Sarajevo and is a part-time Bible worker, preparing for our upcoming mission to Bosnia this May.
Although he has little compared to his previous life, Ilija has found peace and appreciates life, trusting God in everything he does.
May Forshee
Bosnia Team Leader
