Since 2001 Allen Belton has been a speaker
and mentor every summer at the ROM (Renewing Our Minds) Gathering which takes
place in Fuzine, Croatia. Here is Allen’s brief report on the past summer ROM
Gathering.
My time in Fuzine at the Renewing Our Minds
Gathering 2014 was rich inspirational experience for me and everyone attending
the gathering.
I would like to share one story that
demonstrates that. It is about two young couples. Both couples were married
just before ROM and both couples decided to come to ROM for their honeymoons.
Shenaj and Erman Belegu are from Kosovo. Shenaj’s first time at ROM was in the
summer of 2013 and she decided to bring her husband to the next ROM. When I
asked her why they came to ROM for their honeymoon she said, “Because I don’t
know of another place that has so much peace, that I can feel so comfortable
and be myself. I wanted my husband to experience this place for himself.”
The other couple just married who came to ROM
2014 were Marko and Mateja Stupar, from Serbia. They have been part of ROM for
a number of years. “ROM is our extended family and we wouldn’t miss it”, they
said. They shared a joint wedding reception, together with Erman and Shenaj, at
ROM Gathering 2014.
The remarkable thing is that not all is well
between Serbia and Kosovo, and ROM is probably the only place in the recent
history of Serbia and Kosovo, where one could witness two couples, one from
Serbia and another one from Kosovo, celebrating their marriages together, in
the same room.
This is what ROM is all about. Each person
that experiences ROM is a change person. I am a changed person. ROM is a time
to learn from one another, a powerful time of building relationships, learning
about Jesus, a time to have our minds renewed and being challenged to home and
make a difference.
As a speaker at ROM I felt that what God gave
me to share with those present at the last ROM was well received, understood,
appreciated with open minds and hearts. I had many one-on-one conversations,
and God used me to help others see that Jesus loves them, and that in God’s
eyes we are all ‘Designer Originals’.
Allen Belton, published by Balkan Task Force
Newsletter, October 2014.
