An Occasion to Present a Vision in Action

The ravages of war were numbingly evident on street after street after street in Vukovar.Twelve years ago war between Serbs and Croats introduced us to the term "ethnic cleansing," and Vukovar was at the center.Today there are still mounds of rubble where houses used to be.You can see tall apartment buildings with shell holes exposing whole rooms to the elements.The major factory that once employed over 20,000 workers is now a large complex of shattered brick, weeds and wind.

But rebuilding is going on.New houses that have been raised on some of the streets break the monotony of ruin.The hulking shell of the main office building downtown is now flanked by a new glass structure.Vukovar isn't in the evening news anymore.More wars have pushed that tragic story out of our attention.So the rebuilding goes on quietly, with little support as the aid of the international community has been called to help with the latest horrifying crisis.Rebuilding doesn't make compelling news.But as one former soldier now working to rebuild said, "This is my city; I'm not leaving."

Perhaps more challenging than the ruined buildings are the ruined lives.The hatreds that spawned the war are still churning.There are no guns firing, but neither is there peace.I visited the mass grave of the 200 or so Croats taken from the Vukovar hospital and murdered.The memorial plaque spoke of the "murderous Serbs" who did the vile deed, as if all Serbs were guilty.The ghosts of Croatian Nazis are being revived in Neo-Nazis today.I saw an intimidating swastika painted on the gate of a Serbian Orthodox church in Osijek.Victimization stories can become the justification for the next cycle of violence.

There are alternative voices, however, people who are speaking and working for reconciliation.I taught a weeklong class on conflict transformation at the Evangelical Theological Faculty in Osijek, the city where the Serbian attacks where halted.We had students from Croatia, Bosnia and Macedonia participating.Four young peace activists from Vukovar attended as well, thinking throughout the sessions about how they could apply what they were learning to their reconciliation work with teens.I preached at an evening service in the Baptist church in a small village.They had been studying on the theme of reconciliation and invited me to explore that topic with them.

One weekend I led the Baptist Church in Osijek in a conflict transformation seminar, to which some Pentecostal friends were also invited.Toward the end as they were exploring ways their church could improve their ministries for peace and reconciliation, I suggested that they do something about the swastikas painted around the Orthodox church.Imagine Croatian Baptists and Pentecostals helping clean up hate messages aimed at Serbian Orthodox."Why don't we invite some Catholics to join us, too" they eagerly responded.Take the message of hate as an occasion to present a vision in action of a reconciled and healing community!That is what conflict transformation through Jesus Christ is all about.

During my visit to Croatia I was blessed to work with one of our American Baptist volunteer missionaries, Jayme Reeves.Jayme has been spending this academic year working with the Institute for Peace, Justice and Life at the Evangelical Theological Faculty.She has been a wonderful and dedicated witness for the love of Christ amid the pains and struggles of that region.

PRAYER REQUEST:In my last missionary journal I wrote about the Baptists in Georgia.Georgia is experiencing a dramatic increase in tension as the Ajarian Autonomous Republic, a predominantly Muslim region, in Georgia has refused to allow the Georgian President physical access to the region.The President responded by calling for an economic blockade of the region.Russian troops are in Ajaria against the wishes of the Georgian government, while U.S. military advisors are working with the Georgian army.Some of the Baptists and peace activists I was with in February have gone to the border area to establish a public peace witness.Please pray for them and all working for a peaceful settlement of this crisis.

Thank you to all of you who have under girded me in my travels with your prayers.God has been answering in an overflowing way!The training sessions have been intense and eagerly received.Thank you also to all of you who have given financially to support the work of International Ministries, including my ministry.All of your missionaries are very grateful for your partnership in this work.Blessings on you!

Yours in Christ,

Dan Buttry