Recently, Larry traveled to northern Serbia to visit the two churches and communities where our friend Zoltán serves. Thanks to gifts given through our Specifics account, he was able to purchase store vouchers for families in those communities as they prepare for Easter.

These vouchers allow people to choose the things they most need themselves—groceries for their Easter meals and basic hygiene items for their homes. Instead of receiving a pre-packed box, families can walk into the local shop and select what will best serve their household. This small detail preserves something very important: dignity.

Larry and Zoltán also give several extra vouchers to the store clerks. These clerks know the local community well. They see the same customers week after week and often know which families are quietly struggling the most. By entrusting some vouchers to them, they also become ministers of love.

Over the years, these moments have created surprising connections. More than once, a clerk has shared with Larry—sometimes with tears in their eyes—how meaningful it is to participate in giving. They are able to bless the very people they greet across the counter every day.

For all of this, we are deeply grateful to those of you who give to our Specifics account. Your generosity makes these moments possible: meals shared at Easter tables, needed items purchased with dignity, and small acts of compassion spreading quietly through a community.

A Renewed Friendship

During this trip, Zoltán also asked Larry to visit one of his old school friends. The two had recently reconnected after many years apart.

Zoltán’s friend spent nearly forty years working in a factory environment filled with toxic fumes, and today his health is not very good. When Zoli first visited him again, he noticed that the man’s wood stove was not working properly. Without good heat, winter can be very difficult.

At Zoli’s request, members of the church came to help. They cleaned and repaired the flue and fixed some plumbing problems in the home. It was a practical expression of care from a community that had just welcomed this man into their circle.

When Larry arrived for his visit, the man brought out a stack of old photographs from when he and Zoltán were young. One of them especially caught Larry’s attention—a picture of the man as a smiling little boy.

Larry often enjoys taking a photo of someone holding an old picture from their past, capturing both moments in one frame. When he asked if he could do this, the man was delighted. He held the photograph carefully while Larry took the picture, and the joy on his face was unmistakable.

Afterward, Zoltán asked Larry a question he often asks during visits: “Do you have a few words to share?”

Larry says he rarely feels prepared when this happens. But as he stood there, he felt prompted to say something simple.

He told the man that the Lord places friends in our lives for a reason. Zoltán and his friend had once been schoolmates, then life carried them in different directions for many years. Yet God had brought them back together again—renewing their friendship, improving the man’s living conditions, and bringing fresh joy into his home.

Larry encouraged him to thank God for the friends in his life and for the ways God uses those friendships to change lives.

As we think about that visit, we would like to pass along a similar encouragement to you. Perhaps there is an old friend you have not seen in a long time. Maybe the Lord is inviting you to reconnect.

You never know how God might use a simple visit, a shared memory, or a renewed friendship to bring encouragement, help, and hope.

Thanks so much for joining Larry in this ministry.