Spring 1996 Macedonian Outreach Mission Trips

Serbia , Yugoslavia (April 7-11)

We left Greece with two large suitcases of clothes, some of which we initially distributed in Belgrade to some former patients and to doctors and their families with whom we had dealt. Later, the largest portion of clothing was given to the Home for Children Without Parents.

We were hosted warmly and royally by the pediatric cardiologists at the University Children’s Hospital, Belgrade. We visited the cardiology and cancer areas and distributed candy to the children during Holy Week.

While at the hospital we saw Vlada, the 13 year-old, who had just returned after having open-heart surgery in March, and Sonja and her parents. Sonja underwent open-heart surgery also at Pennsylvania State University Medical Center on December 14. During the time we were in Belgrade, Sonja and her parents had also come to the hospital in Belgrade from Kosovo because Sonja had some emerging rhythmic problems. Thus, she is being closely watched.

We also saw and visited Ana and her family with Dr. Coran Vukomanovic. Her mother and Dr. Coran accompanied Ana to Arkansas Children’s Hospital in February 1995 because Ana had a dangerously enlarged heart. Dr. C.C. Frickson and the staff in Arkansas corrected the problem through a unique rhythmic procedure (one of three hospitals using this procedure in the United States). Ana is doing well.

The night before we left Belgrade, Dusan and his parents along with Ana and her mother visited us at our hotel. Five-year old Dusan is currently at the Cleveland Clinic undergoing open-heart surgery on May 22 (Haig’s birthday) along with nine-month-old Aleksandar from Bosnia. Dusan is the most critical case we have had. He would have been sent to the United States earlier but his mother, Suzanne, who accompanied him here, underwent cancer surgery and has just recuperated. Dr. Ida Jovanovic from the Belgrade hospital accompanied the children and mothers to Cleveland.

Two more patients are scheduled for Arkansas Children’s Hospital in late July, six- and thirteen-year-old boys. Two others are slated for Pennsylvania State University Medical Center at a date yet to be determined.

Many other decisions and eventful occurrences took place while we were in Serbia. Important decisions were as follows: (1) Dr. Zoran Jovanovic, Dr. Ida’s husband, heads Internet for Yugoslavia. It was agreed he would e-mail all hospital correspondence through our Graphics Committee member Roland Gustafsson; (2) The Macedonian Outreach would underwrite air and housing expenses for the Cleveland project; (3) Dr. Slavko Simeunovic, Head of Cardiology at University Children’s Hospital in Belgrade, would first try to make all air reservations from there, hopefully saving time and money; (4) through an audience with H.R.H. Tomaslav Karageorgevic, Dr. Ida Jovanovic from the hospital and His Majesty will try to coordinate activities for placements of patients in England for treatment; (5) a medical portfolio will be designed by The Outreach and sent to the hospital there and to His Majesty; and (6) thanks to Dr. Goran and his wife Dr. Tanja Vukomanovic, also an M.D. and in charge of the Home for Children Without Parents, we will now ship via surface mail clothes to the five satellite orphanages there for infants through nineteen years of age.

Greece

Prior to our mission trip from our home in Greece to visit orphans and refugees in the most northern part of Greece, we prepared four big boxes of clothing for distribution among them (the Child Support Society Benjamin organization had already received 29 boxes of clothing from us). An additional box of clothing was prepared for shipment to Albania.

Also prior to our mission trip we bought and packaged food and food supplies to distribute among 15 specific families we were stated to visit. Also clothes were packaged for those 15 families.

On April 17-18, we visited Sapes, Alexandroupolis, and Palagia to distribute food and clothing and to assess needs. We also visited other refugee camps where food and clothing were distributed.

Through Haig’s ability to speak Armenian, scores of Armenians were found in these refugee camps, including a family of one young mother with three children. Her husband abandoned the family in 1989. Their needs were partially met on this trip. Plans are being made to help them more fully during our summer mission trip there.

In addition to helping this family since our return to the States we have sent six boxes of clothing to our home in Greece to be sure that other refugees, not just the orphans, will be included in the distribution of clothes.

On April 21, we went to a suburb of Athens to meet and distribute clothes to Thalia, our Albanian refugee. She was the sixth of the seven orphans the Outreach supports that we were able to see.

Summary

Both mission trips, Serbia as well as Greece, were emotional, exhausting, exhilarating, and rewarding. For Vula, to return to the same hotel in Belgrade where she first stayed in March/April 1993 was almost an overwhelming experience. The unity of the Serbian doctors and their commitment and dedication to the children and support of one another was both reassuring and overwhelming. Neither of us had ever experienced this in our business and professional careers. Imagine these young Serbian doctors, whose apartments are extremely small and who felt so badly that they could not put us up in their homes, pooling their money to pay our hotel bill for all four nights. Just think of it! Their monthly salaries are less than $200.

Belgrade was a city of two million. With refugees pouring into the city, it is now 2,500,000! We saw and helped beggars on the streets. We had to weave in and around swarms of refugees in the Children’s Hospital, pleading with the doctors to help the children. We saw the scars that sanctions had left on the hospital and in the areas of Serbia we visited. We were drawn to tears witnessing the patients there. For example, one young mother was waiting for her child to die. Due to sanctions against Serbia, no medications were sent in time to help her baby.

On a happier note, we rejoiced when a doctor traced a young Albanian Muslim child for us that Vula met there in 1993. At that time the child was suffering from leukemia but now we were told that she was healed and was sent back home to Kosovo! We were given her address and will try to find her by mail.

There were times we could hardly speak. Even now as we write this piece our eyes are swelling with tears. May God have mercy on us! May God forgive our governmental leadership for so unfairly putting on these sanctions and causing the death of so many adults and children alike.

Our people here should know that our leadership, because of their political interests, ignored the fact and did not realize that by putting these sanctions on Serbia they were also punishing children from all parts of former Yugoslavia as well. You see, because Belgrade was not actively involved in the war, the injured and sick children were brought to the Children’s Hospital in Belgrade from the war-torn areas. But because of the sanctions and because no medication was allowed in, these children alongside Serbian children were not receiving any medication. Unfairly many of these children died when they could have been helped… if they had had the proper medications and surgical supplies.

Our experience with the refugees and orphans in Greece was much of the same. The horror stories we learned through translation again overwhelmed us. Time and again we could not even complete a sentence because our emotions overwhelmed us. We left frustrated because so much more can be done and we can do only so little. We compliment the Greek government for housing these people so that the homeless are fewer in number. We found tremendous need if not only for clothing and food (the latter we buy for them while there), but for such things as children’s aspirin, vitamins, toothbrushes, and toothpaste. Because the children get such little nourishment, vitamins and aspirin are our greatest needs right now. (Friends, if you know of any pharmaceutical companies that can help us with this need, please let us know).

Since our return, friends of the Outreach have been responding with clothes and money for shipping. Also, undesignated money is being used to meet medical and spiritual needs. The work continues to expand and the needs as well. Thus far, our Lord has been faithful, supplying the needs for these unfortunates in the Balkans. We pray that those who have been blessed with material blessings will share some of their wealth with those who do not, for as Jesus said, “For if you have done it to the least of these... you have done it unto me.”

God is truly at work, and we praise His Name! We are so blessed to be able to serve Him and can hardly wait for our next trip on July the 11th for Vula and August the 8th for Haig. We come back together on October 8th. Vula is going a month in advance to work specifically with the refugees in Greece and especially the Armenians. Please pray for health and strength for both of us.

To Him, who first loved us, be the GLORY AND HONOR FOREVER!

P. S. Dusan underwent a nine-hour open-heart surgery. He almost died in the process. A pacemaker was placed in his heart. If his heart responds to the pacemaker in the next 4- 5 days, it will be removed; otherwise a permanent one will be inserted. Aleksandar survived his three-hour surgery well. In another week, he will undergo a second surgery. As you can see, these two are our most critical cases thus far. So, please continue to keep them in prayer.