U periodu od 15. do 22. januara 2024. godine u poseti Beogradu boravio je član IPA Belgije gospodin Sven, koji je tom prilikom posetio kancelariju NS IPA Srbije i upoznao neke od članova IPA Regije Beograd, sa kojima je uspostavio blisku prijateljsku vezu i ostvario svoju Misiju koju je imao. U nastavku teksta prikazana je njegova priča, koja na poseban način ističe značaj povezanosti između IPA Sekcija u celom svetu, da se i „nemoguće misije“ mogu ostvariti i još jednom potvrđuje moto IPA organizacije „Servo per Amikeco“.
Pismo prosleđujemo u celosti:
„Sven… A man on a mission!
In December 2023 I had a plan in mind and started to execute it. Thanks to our International President, Martin Hoffman, I came in contact with Marija Kozomara. I told her about my plans to visit Belgrade and asked her for some recommendations. Besides the regular questions I informed her about my special mission. This mission is based on several personal reasons, but don’t worry, I will not bore you with this. I just want to tell about the process and how IPA Serbia, especially Marija helped me accomplish my mission.
My personal mission was to get baptized in a Serbian Orthodox church. So when I explained this to Marija she did everything in her power to get things done. Only after a few days Marija informed me she had the best news for me. She talked to Father Milan who is a priest in the Church of Saint Petka, based in Surcin. The decision was made that my baptism would take place on Saturday the 20th of January 2024, the feast of Saint John the Baptist. At that point I received the question who would become my godparent. Since I didn’t know anybody else in Serbia, but also because all the effort she made to make it happen, I asked Marija if she would become my Godmother. She was happy to do that for me.
After all the necessary paperwork and preparation it was time for my visit to Belgrade. On the 15th of January I had my flight to Belgrade from Brussels and I arrived around 11:30 AM. Marija informed me with advice on how to get to the city centre from the airport. When I arrived at the hotel and after checking in I started to explore the city centre since I had some time to spare before meeting Marija. Around 16:00 in the afternoon Marija was waiting for me in the lobby of the hotel I stayed in. We greeted warmly and had a walk in the city where we grabbed a drink. In the evening she took me to a secret place not many people know. A restaurant with a view. We had dinner in a restaurant on the top floor of the chambre of commerce where I was treated with some traditional Serbian food which I enjoyed a lot.
On Wednesday the 17th of January at around 18:00 we had a meeting planned with Father Milan in the Church of Saint Petka. We arrived a bit early in Surcin so we went for a cold drink in a bar. There I have met Dušan, Marija’s nephew. We had some pleasant talks and then we went off to visit Father Milan. Once we arrived I was informed that Father Milan didn’t speak any English except for a few words. So Marija was my translator during the conversation. I was informed about the practical procedure on the day of the baptism. Father Milan made a good impression. He is a kind man with his heart in the right place.
During the next days I have spent my time exploring Belgrade and visited the IPA office in Belgrade. Unfortunately on Friday the 19th I was struck by a fever and a stomach ache and stayed in bed the whole day trying to recover for the baptism on Saturday. Thanks to the medication and advice from Marija I felt better on Saturday morning. I wasn’t feeling 100% but I was good to go. So on Saturday around 13:00 I met Marija at the bus stop. I was informed that another colleague would join us to witness this event. When we arrived Marija’s nephew joined us as well and he became our photographer/videographer for that day.
Once we entered the church it was time for the proper proceedings. Father Milan and one of his disciples started doing what they do best. Although I didn’t understand any words I could feel an overwhelming blessing from them. Not only from Father Milan and his disciple, but also from Marija, who became my Kuma at that point. After the baptism was over I felt instantly better. We gathered again in the office of Father Milan for the necessary paperwork. At that point I received my official certificate of baptism. The least I could do was offer a donation for Father Milan’s church and community. In return I received a bottle of homemade Rakija which I will save for a special occasion. I was being overwhelmed with gifts I gratefully accepted and took those gifts back home. I knew at that point I was blessed, not only because of Father Milan and his disciple, but also because off the fact I gained a new family. Marija became my Kuma and I realise this is a connection for life. Although we are all busy people I will definitely visit my Kuma again.
So for all you readers and IPA members…when you see me in Serbia you can call me by the name Father Milan gave me… Call me Jovan!
A special thank you to Marija Kozomara for making this happen!”
„Sven… Čovek na misiji!
U decembru 2023. imao sam plan na umu i počeo sam da ga sprovodim. Zahvaljujući našem međunarodnom predsedniku Martinu Hofmanu došao sam u kontakt sa Marijom Kozomarom. Rekao sam joj o svojim planovima da posetim Beograd i zamolio je za neke preporuke. Pored redovnih pitanja obavestio sam je o svojoj specijalnoj misiji. Ova misija je zasnovana na nekoliko ličnih razloga, ali ne brinite, neću vas zamarati ovim. Samo želim da ispričam o procesu i kako mi je IPA Srbija, posebno Marija, pomogla da ostvarim svoju misiju.
Moja lična misija je bila da se krstim u srpskoj pravoslavnoj crkvi. Dakle, kada sam ovo objasnio Mariji, učinila je sve što je bilo u njenoj moći da se to ostvari. Već nakon nekoliko dana Marija me je obavestila da ima najbolje vesti za mene. Ona je razgovarala sa ocem Milanom koji je sveštenik u crkvi Svete Petke, u Surčinu. Doneta je odluka da se moje krštenje obavi u subotu 20. januara 2024. godine, na praznik Svetog Jovana Krstitelja. Tada sam dobio pitanje ko će mi biti kum. Pošto nisam poznavao nikog drugog u Srbiji, ali i zbog svog truda da se to ostvari, pitao sam Mariju da li bi postala moja kuma. Bila je srećna što je to uradila za mene.
Posle sve potrebne papirologije i pripreme došlo je vreme za moju posetu Beogradu. 15. januara sam imao let za Beograd iz Brisela i stigao sam oko 11.30 časova. Marija me je uputila kako sa aerodroma da dođem do centra grada. Kada sam stigao u hotel i nakon što sam se prijavio, počeo sam da istražujem centar grada, pošto sam imao malo vremena pre nego što sam upoznao Mariju. Oko 16:00 sati popodne Marija me je sačekala u holu hotela u kom sam odseo. Srdačno smo se pozdravili i prošetali gradom gde smo popili piće. Uveče me je odvela na tajno mesto koje mnogi ljudi ne znaju. Restoran sa pogledom. Večerali smo u restoranu na poslednjem spratu Privredne komore gde su me počastili tradicionalnom srpskom hranom u kojoj sam mnogo uživao.
U sredu 17. januara oko 18:00 časova planiran je sastanak sa ocem Milanom u crkvi Svete Petke. U Surčin smo stigli malo ranije pa smo otišli na hladno piće u bar. Tamo sam upoznao Dušana, Marijinog sestrića. Prijatno smo razgovarali, a zatim smo otišli u posetu ocu Milanu. Kada smo stigli, saznao sam da otac Milan ne govori engleski, osim nekoliko reči. Tako je Marija bila moj prevodilac tokom razgovora. O praktičnom postupku sam obavešten na dan krštenja. Otac Milan je ostavio dobar utisak. On je ljubazan čovek sa srcem na pravom mestu.
Tokom narednih dana proveo sam svoje vreme istražujući Beograd i posetio IPA kancelariju u Beogradu. Nažalost, u petak 19. imala sam temperaturu i bol u stomaku i ostao sam u krevetu ceo dan pokušavajući da se oporavim za krštenje u subotu. Zahvaljujući lekovima i savetima od Marije, u subotu ujutro sam se osećao bolje. Nisam se osećao 100%, ali sam bio spreman. Tako sam se u subotu oko 13:00 časova sastao sa Marijom na autobuskoj stanici. Rekla mi je da će nam se još jedna koleginica pridružiti kako bi prisustvovala ovom događaju. Kada smo stigli, pridružio nam se i Marijin sestrić koji je tog dana postao naš fotograf/videograf.
Kada smo ušli u crkvu, došlo je vreme za odgovarajući postupak. Otac Milan i jedan od njegovih učenika počeli su da rade ono što najbolje umeju. Iako nisam razumeo nijednu reč, mogao sam da osetim ogroman blagoslov od njih. Ne samo od oca Milana i njegovog učenika, već i od Marije, koja je tada postala moja Kuma. Nakon što je krštenje završeno, odmah sam se osećao bolje. Ponovo smo se okupili u kancelariji oca Milana radi potrebne papirologije. Tada sam dobio zvaničnu potvrdu o krštenju – krštenicu. Najmanje što sam mogao da uradim je da dam donaciju za crkvu i opštinu oca Milana. Zauzvrat sam dobio flašu domaće rakije koju ću sačuvati za posebnu priliku. Bio sam preplavljen poklonima koje sam sa zahvalnošću prihvatio i poneo te poklone kući. Tada sam znao da sam blagosloven, ne samo zbog oca Milana i njegovog učenika, već i zbog činjenice da sam stekao novu porodicu. Marija je postala moja Kuma i shvatam da je ovo veza za život. Iako smo svi zaposleni ljudi, svakako ću ponovo posetiti svoju Kumu.
Tako da, za sve vas čitaoce i članove IPA… kada me vidite u Srbiji možete me zvati imenom koje mi je dao otac Milan… Zovite me Jovan!
Posebno hvala Mariji Kozomari što je ovo uspela!“
Iz ove priče vidimo da IPA nije samo obična policijska organizacija, već nešto što nas spaja i vezuje u bliskim prijateljskim odnosima, bez obzira na granice i jezičke barijere. Želimo Jovanu blagosloven ulazak u pravoslavlje i čekamo ga u Beogradu.