Jun 26, 2018 His Life was Destroyed, Now it’s Being Rebuilt

Antun is a 61-year-old Bosnian native. During the breakup of Yugoslavia and the Bosnian war in the 1990s, his whole life came crashing down. Political upheaval and military conflicts between ethnic groups tore the whole country apart economically and socially. Antun’s career, family, home and safety were lost, along with his health.

Those years during the war were brutal for everyone. As Bosnian society destabilized, social status, career, education and even family ties evaporated. Many fled the country and those who didn’t, were forced into survival mode.

Born into a Catholic home, Antun had attended the finest schools for his education as an attorney. For many years, he had practiced law in one of the government’s highest courts. He’d also held a post as a professor.

But amid the turmoil of the war, he, like so many others in Sarajevo, was forced to drop everything and live moment-by-moment. Food, safety and every routine of life were all taken away as fighting raged across the country.

This trying time was when he first discovered the Adventist church. As the country disintegrated and lives were uprooted by fighting between factions, Antun noticed that the charity work sponsored by this unique church was done equally for all, regardless of creed or ethnic group. These are good people, he had told himself.

His hardships did not end there, however, and Antun was forced to flee to Germany after the tragic death of his wife. In Germany, he was the victim of a vicious attack. He never saw the faces of his attackers but was beaten severely and left for dead.

Even after months of recovery in the hospital, his health was permanently affected. Because of his poor health, he was unable to work and as a result, became homeless. Again, in his wanderings and attempt to survive, his path crossed with some Adventist believers.

At this point in his life, Antun was agnostic. His tribulations had given him serious doubts about God and the purpose of life. But he still remembered his first impression that these Adventists were good people. Because of that, he was softened to accept a Bible when they visited with him in 2016.

This is where Antun’s long, difficult journey had brought him by the time our mission team arrived in Bosnia this past May. Although he’s still homeless and unable to work, Antun has set his eyes upon his mansion in heaven.

To the joy and celebration of our team, this precious soul was baptized at the end of the evangelism meetings. Now, Antun, along with the rest of his Adventist brothers and sisters, looks forward to the day when there will be no more sorrow, pain or tears and no more homelessness, nor hunger!

Missions Minute: Gus Molina

Gus connects with a little boy in the foster home.

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