Preparing for Bosnia

I will be going to Bosnia with about a dozen other students to serve in the city of Gorazde. Bosnia went through four years of war in the 90s to gain their independence and they have been left in a state of devastation in poverty. Unemployment runs around 70% to 75%.
We will be serving through the ministry of CrossWorld by distributing food and basic supplies to the poor. This will be done in the form of house visits. I have been told that in Bosnia, relationships are extremely important. It is not necessary to call before stopping by to see someone and going out for coffee (even with someone you’ve only just met) is normal. It is during these house visits that we will be able to build relationships with the people and share our faith.
While Bosnia is a Muslim culture, it has become more of an identity than a personal conviction. We’ve been told that in private they will be very curious about our faith and that we may answer their questions, but in public they will be very closed to it due to peer pressure and fear of what others might think.
We are supposed to call ourselves “believers” rather than “Christians” because during the war many atrocities were committed in the name of Christ. I have heard horrific stories of rape and murder done by supposed “Christians”. It is understandable that there would be a negative feeling towards anyone under that label.
This will be my first time in a Muslim culture and I’m very excited, but at the same time a bit nervous because there are so many customs and cultural differences and I’m afraid of accidentally offending people. Here are some examples:

• Cross-breezes are thought to cause illness. So airing out a room is a no-no.
• Women shouldn’t sit on concrete because it is thought to cause infertility.
• Cold drinks, ice cream, and cold feet are believed to cause illness.

While I am tempted to laugh at these, I have to remember that there are many ridiculous customs in my own home country. Since being here at school and having German room mates I have learned to see things (such as windows, locked doors, and flippant greetings) through a different paradigm.
I have a few specific prayer requests for my team and me:

o Unification of our team. (Pray that Satan would not succeed in destroying our fellowship while on the mission field – he will try)
o Health (a lot of sickness is going around here at school)
o Open doors for the gospel to be shared
o Support (most of us haven’t reached our financial goal yet. The cost of travel plus the missions trip is about 600 EUR, which comes out to about $800)

There is power in prayer because we serve a powerful God. I’m excited to see what He will do!