Some people we seem to know even before we meet them—I feel that way when thinking about Sonja and our three deep Kosovo nights over Metohian wine. Serbs don’t just visit Kosovo—they always return to their Patriarchate, even if it’s the first time. Our dear Sonja felt that with her whole soul, guided by her heart from Rotterdam, through Zrenjanin and Belgrade, along the intercity line to Parteš, and from there to Peć—to red-haired M.
Sonja writes to me about the joy of meeting, her love for her people, and the beauty of youth, granting permission to share that joy with anyone who wishes to embrace it, just like Sonja M., in the Patriarchate yard in Peć.
-My family and I decided, through the Humanitarian Organization Kosovo Pomoravlje, to participate in the monthly scholarship program for a young person from our southern province. That’s how we got in touch with M. As months passed, my desire to visit our holy sites in Kosovo and Metohija grew, and I hoped to meet my scholarship recipient in person. Everything aligned, including our meeting in the yard of the Peć Patriarchatе. She, slender, graceful, red-haired (young women with such hair often radiate strength and stability), stood with her parents, waiting for the woman who had come from afar. It’s a wonderful feeling to form a connection. That image will stay with me forever. After sitting a while in the church yard and taking a few photos, our meeting continued in Peć city, where we laughed and talked over coffee and cakes. We parted with warm hugs and an agreement to meet again, this time at their home. Returning to our own lives, you realize that through this scholarship program, you’ve brought joy and a glimmer of hope to a young person for their future and survival. The only true feeling that overwhelms you afterward is the sense of pure divine love for your people. Only then do you understand the lines of the song: ‘Wherever I go, I always return to you, as if someone could take Kosovo from my soul.’
As I read her message, I see again the woman with a radiant face and sparkling eyes, speaking passionately about Metohija, about M., about the pastry shop in Peć. Unconsciously, finishing her words, unable to express the joy in her heart, she simply sits before me, while her heart quietly still sobs before the coffin of the Holy King—in Dečani.
“Something happened to me,” she said when we said goodbye. “I am leaving here completely changed, but I cannot explain it, nor describe it.”
Prepared by Marija Vasić
Call to Donors
We invite donors to support the scholarship program and help educate young people in Kosovo and Metohija!
Learn more about the program: Scholarship Program for Students
