Miracle in Mostar by Lowell Sheppard
This volume tells the story of life in war-torn Bosnia and of a young couple's heroic efforts to rebuild the shattered community of Mostar. In January 1993, a Croat Christian working for a small aid agency drove a lorry-load of stoves into Mostar, the principal city of Herzogovina and the scene of fierce fighting between Croats, Muslims and Serbs. Once a symbol of peaceful co-existence, Mostar had become a hell of ethnic conflict. The lorry driver, Nikola Skrinjaric, and his fiancee Sandra decided to do what they could to alleviate the suffering of those who had not fled. Two months later, they were married in Mostar and were leading a church, offering support and consolation to those whose lists of bereavements grew by the week. The church has grown despite the hatred, and members of all three ethnic groups are united in a community which is already building bridges of reconciliation and forgiveness. The story of Nikola and Sandra is the focus for this account of the lives of individuals who lived through the hell of Mostar in 1993, each being profoundly affected and changed by their experience. Above all, the book is a story of a city and its people experiencing great suffering.