Bosnian Marriages Turn a Corner

What joy it was for Dan and I to minister to married couples in Bosnia Herzegovina. We came away assured of this:

Couples of all faiths want to make their marriages stronger.

I spoke on my book We All Married Idiots, available in Bosnian. The people who organized events throughout Bosnia Herzegovina were shocked at the response. Couples of all faiths filled the room, were attentive to my teaching, and to  my sharing of how God healed our marriage. Afterwards, Dan joined me  for a 15 minute Q & A that lasted well over an hour. These dear couples were hungry for hope and truth.

Afterwards, the lady above shared 

"I see light in you." 

I pray that light will shine through her as she dreams of becoming a marriage counselor.

The couple above are not married, but came together to learn more of marriage. Just like in the United States, the unmarried also seek marriage advice to help in choosing a life-long marriage partner.

One pastor in a local church had little faith that couples would attend the event in his church. He bought a few cakes for refreshments, happy he would have to eat them all. The couples came and more came and more came. Rows of chairs were added and then another row and another.  Laughing, the Pastor thanked everyone for attending, but acknowledged he needed to go buy more cake.

Afterwards, the Pastor said 

"This night is a turning point for Bosnian marriages.

 Most Bosnians sweep their troubles under the rug.

 For couples to come to a marriage seminar was evidence marriages wanted help.

 Bosnian marriages turned a corner tonight."

In another town, I wondered how the evening would go as husbands and wives entered the hotel conference room.

The Bosnian husbands were like American husbands 

attending a marriage seminar: 

A bit apprehensive about what this women will tell them 

and wondering whether my teaching will hurt their marriages and/or their manhood. 

After all, no one likes to be told they are an idiot. 

They sat with arms folded, looking straight ahead, not smiling. 

After a few minutes I was blessed to see  

husbands relax, smile, laugh, 

unfold their arms and hold their wives.

It was a delight to meet these sweet ladies at another event for women in Mostar. They were very happy to receive their signed copies of the Bosnian translation of We All Married Idiots.

And the woman who did an amazing job of translating and designing a cover appropriate for the Bosnian culture. Thank you my talented new friend. Without your hard work, We All Married Idiots would not be before the eyes of Bosnian readers.

Our nearly two weeks in Bosnia Herzegovina began with a weekend retreat of church leaders from churches in this beautiful country. We traveled to Neum, a seaside resort, where Dan and I enjoyed two days of teaching, encouraging, and loving these dear people.

Thank you to the churches and individuals who invested in this ministry to the marriages in Bosnia Herzegovina. Many seeds were planted. Couples were encouraged to Glorify God, Please God, and Point People to God through their married life. Plus no one left without knowing they all married idiots!!!

Many lives were touched and changed. I know mine was. Thank you for all who prayed.

Please keep praying for marriages in Bosnia Herzegovina,

 that they won't just turn a corner, 

but will walk down the path of eternal life in Heaven 

and abundant life on earth.

I will share more about the specifics of our trip at a later date. Right now Dan and I are preparing for another marriage retreat here in the USA and then I'm away speaking for four days. Meanwhile, don't forget these dear ones. Splash serenity on their lives with your prayers.

Miller's Ministering to Marriages in Bosnia Herzegovina

Please Lord, let  one marriage be impacted by this book, I prayed as I typed away writing We All Married Idiots: Three Things You Will Never Change About Your Marriage and Ten Things You Can.

If just one marriage is helped, all this work will be worth it.  I cried (literally) as I bared my soul and my marriage troubles for all the world to read. And, indeed, the world is reading. Little did I know the plans God had for We All Married Idiots would be greater than I ever asked or imagined.

"Now all glory to God, 

Who is able,

 through His mighty power at work within us, 

to accomplish infinitely more than we might ask or think."

Ephesians 3:20 (NLT)

When International Workers (IW's) in Bosnia Herzegovina (BiH) asked permission to translate We All Married Idiots into their language, my publisher and I didn't hesitate to give them the go ahead. There are few books on marriage available in the BiH language, and the IW's saw We All Married Idiots as a ministry tool. They were right in their assessment. And didn't they choose an amazing cover!

Soon the invitation came for my husband Dan and I to come to Bosnia Herzegovina for two weeks of book promotion and marriage seminars. We leave March 9. Our schedule is packed with opportunities as we lead a marriage retreat for BiH church leaders, speak in churches, and teach
at Mostar Bible School. Booksigning and speaking events are also planned in community centers where the target audience is secular.

Thank you to all who have encouraged and prayed for me for many years. You are dear to my heart.

If ever I need prayer, I feel it is now.

Please pray as Dan and I speak many times over two weeks.

Pray for our health and safety.

Pray for BiH marriages.

Pray we will have wisdom to counsel and connect with BiH couples despite the cultural and language barriers.

Thank you to all who travel my journey with me.

To those who dream big dreams, don't give up. Don't grow weary. Keep writing and impacting the world for Christ.

May God give splashes of serenity to the marriages in Bosnia Herzegovina, I pray,

We All Married Idiots — Oh the Places You'll Go!

One thing I know — marriage difficulties are universal. I felt that when I wrote We All Married Idiots: Three Things You Will Never Change About Your Marriage and Ten Things You Can, although I never imagined where God was taking this book.

One of my first reviewers lives in Alaska. Amazon geographics show We All Married Idiots sold in every state except Utah and New Mexico.

One of the first Kindle sales went to Uruguay. Within days I received word from this buyer asking if We All Married Idiots could be translated into Spanish. That's happening right now. Please pray as this Spanish edition is produced.

A woman from Spain whom I've never met, (she also read Idiots via Kindle) read my blog post about the Spanish translation and offered her help to see Idiots translated. Spain needs marriage help too! An  English-speaking friend in El Salvador is anxious to see this Spanish translation as well. There is a need in El Salvador.

My husband and I just returned from a ministry trip to Bosnia/Herzegovina. Our hosts  also read We All Married Idiots on their Kindle. They asked for a hard copy (of course I had five with me). They took them all and asked permission to translate Idiots into the Bosnian language. WOW!

Dear ones, will you pray for this work as it goes into all the world. I always wanted to be a missionary. God closed that door. But He is opening this one — WIDE!

Meanwhile my speaking opportunities come in weekly. To my surprise I received a CONGRATULATIONS! from LinkedIn announcing I was in the top one percent most endorsed in the United Sates for Public Speaking out of 200 million people. Woo Hoo!

I'm not tooting my horn. I'm thanking God and asking you to pray for this ministry God has opened to me. satan would like nothing more than to destroy me and  you and all of our marriages. Your prayers will stop his attacks. Please pray for the Spanish and Bosnian translators. Pray for their protection as they produce multi-lingual copies of We All Married Idiots.  

Thank you for being a splash of serenity in my life and in the lives of marriages yet to read We All Married Idiots,