The Bosniaks: A People at the Crossroads
Filmed May 2002 and May 2004

The people living in the Balkans and Bosnia, in particular, always seem to be at a crossroads.  For over a thousand years, the people in this area have been oppressed by towering political and religious systems … one powerful conqueror after another … each casting a shadow over this land, each representing another crossroad in the lives of the Bosnian people.

Today the country is at peace after a devastating civil war that occurred only a little over a decade ago.  Political stability is maintained by thousands of soldiers from the European Union countries. During this time of calm, the two million Bosnian Muslims, the Bosniaks, are also at a crossroad.  They now have access to a Bible in their own language. 

Now Bosniaks living in the villages and cities can discover Jesus Christ from God’s Word allowing them to make the choice leading to eternal life and away from the false teachings of the Koran. 

Bosnia … Then and Now  7:05  Less than seven years after the 1984 Olympics held in Sarajevo, a brutal war lasted for nearly four years.  The graves of the tens of thousands of people murdered by the warring factions cover the hillsides.  They remain as silent testimony of an event that occurred such a short time ago in comparison to the two millennia of recorded history of this land.  History, coupled with the beauty of the mountains, makes Bosnia an important tourist destination. The new offices and apartments of Sarajevo show economic progress.  Come and visit this historic land and its people!
The Tunnel  7:10  In April 1992, a long running conflict erupted into a brutal war.  Sarajevo became a killing field. As the siege stretched to months, survival was becoming desperate.  A tunnel would be dug under the airport runway. 150 men dug day and night, all by hand; in very adverse conditions.  The tunnel was 18 feet under the runway, a little over three feet wide and only five feet high.  The total length was about one half mile.
The Villages of Bosnia  8:10  Time seems to have stood still in the mountain villages of Bosnia.  Many of the villages are built along steep hillsides or on a saddle between two mountain peaks where the air is clear and crisp.   There are no busy streets. Traditional dress is still common in the villages. Villagers are usually friendly and complete strangers are invited in for coffee.   The lower elevation villages are more modern than those in the mountains. Daily life is somewhat different in these villages.  They have many up-to-date conveniences.   The villages of Bosnia, small or large,  in the mountains or in the lowlands,  need to hear about Jesus.

The Cities of Bosnia  4:38  Life in urban Bosnia is much like other western cities.  People appear to be slaves to the trappings of their own making.  All are hurrying through their day and through their life anxious to reach its end, yet, without true knowledge of what is at the end of life’s journey.   Do they know where their journey will end?  Do they know where they will spend eternity?  Jesus is calling them to the life He intended for them all along, but it is difficult to hear Him through all the noise…the traffic…the busyness of each day’s routine. 
We’ll Call Him Ibro  4:20   Perched atop a steep Bosnian mountain, Jezcica is much the same as thousands of other Bosnian villages. Ibro’s life is not very different from his father’s or his grandfather’s. Generations have lived and died in the tiny village where his forefathers embraced Islam hundreds of years ago, and where Ibro still follows blindly in their traditions.   
Why was it built?  8:10  In the Balkans, in the country of Bosnia-Herzegovina and on the eastern edge of the capital city of Sarajevo, is a bridge made of concrete and steel.  On one end is a small faded foot trail.  On the other is a sheer granite wall. This bridge will never be used Why was it built? There are few bridges that are able to cross the barriers that exist between the three major religious groups. The groups have become countries.   A new kind of bridge is needed in the hearts and minds of people. … Pray that the people of Bosnia will discover that Jesus is the only way … the only bridge to God.