Main YWAM Page, or to YWAM CommunicationsCHRISTIAN VOLUNTEERS HELPING implement the critical peace agreement that ended fighting in the former Yugoslavia had to be rescued by soldiers when rioting broke out.
Impact Teams International workers were forced to hide when their offices were looted and burned during the disturbances that halted the return of displaced Serbs to Drvar, the city they fled four years ago as "ethnic cleansing" swept the region.
The volunteers - part of a relief organization affiliated with Youth With A Mission - had to be evacuated by United Nations troops when Bosnian residents set fire to buildings and vehicles, and stole property in retaliation for incidents involving Bosnians in other parts of the country.
But despite the scare, the ITI team was planning to return to its important "chaperone" role late last month, said director Pieter Heres. "It was a close call, and yet although they lost almost all their possessions they have prayed and all want to continue the work."
Serving as international observers for the UN since last June, the ITI volunteers have made it possible for around 1,000 Serbs to go back to their former homes - the first official returnees under the 1995 Dayton Peace Agreement that brought an end to the fighting. Resettlement is a vital part of the treaty.
The ITI workers' presence has been credited with significantly reducing the tension between the Serbs and the Croats who took over Drvar. In constant radio contact with nearby UN forces, the international volunteers have been helping the returnees repair and refurbish their homes, most of which had been looted and gutted.
Equipment and personal effects worth around $40,000 were lost or destroyed during the violence of April 24, said Heres. For the time being, the team will continue its project - called Operation Emmaus - from a nearby town, commuting to Drvar daily.
"There is an ongoing risk factor, but we are doing everything that we can to cover ourselves," said Heres. "The area is an important international test for the Dayton agreement, which says that everyone has a right to return to their own home."
Based in Hawaii, United States, ITI is due to continue its observer role for the UN until the end of the year. Half of the 75 or so people who have volunteered with Operation Emmaus since it was launched have been YWAM staff, with the rest coming from churches familiar with ITI's international relief and development work.
Despite the continuing unrest in Bosnia, plans are going ahead for a multi-media Christian production promoting reconciliation in the region. The musical drama A Song In The Night is due to travel through Bosnia in August and September. The tour is being organized by staff from YWAM's University of the Nations training center in Kona, Hawaii.
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