Six children have been left without a father. The Grbićs from Zemun need our help!
Good Friday is the saddest day for all Christians worldwide. Unfortunately, Good Friday this year brought additional sorrow to the pious Grbić family from Zemun. The father and pillar of the family, Ivan, died unexpectedly following a short illness.
But whoever suffers to the end, will be saved (Matthew 10, 22) the Lord Jesus Christ told us.
Mother Ekatarina’s patience and strong faith have been put to the test, along with that of her six young children for whom she will be their only support, and hope, until they can care for themselves. With the loss of their father they will have to grow up faster, setting aside their carefree and joyous childhoods, in order to make things easier for their mother. The burden of raising six children is not easy, requiring superhuman strength to face challenges, especially when a spouse is left alone.
As soon as we heard of the Grbić tragedy, we responded to the appeal for help and visited them in their humble family home. Mother Ekatarina seems prepared for the fight that lies ahead, as we listened to her words, which would truly encourage even the greatest pessimist.
God’s will, what else can I tell you. I have to keep fighting. Life and obligations cannot wait and we must all come together, to support each other and to hope that with God’s help everything will be fine – says Ekaterina decisively.
Željko (18), and even Uroš (15), are no longer so small, so they will certainly continue to help their mother with everyday chores, as well as with the upbringing of their younger brothers Mihajlo (10) and Gavrilo (6), as well as sisters Jelena (12) and Milica (3).
We noticed that the children were very well raised, brought up in piety and faith, and on top of all that they are excellent students. They have received numerous awards at school and state competitions in various subjects. Željko loves history and won 3rd place at the national competition, and he also plays the guitar. Uroš, on the other hand, opted for the piano, and also participated in the national competition. Following the example of her brother Uroš, Jelena opted for the piano and participated in numerous competitions with equal success. Mihajlo excels on the violin, which we had the opportunity to hear live, for which he was recognized at the recent school competition, and awarded first prize in that area. This is just a part of the rich assortment of awards that the youngest Grbićs managed to tell us about.
Fortunately, in this situation, the mother is not without a job, as is the case in many large families we visit. A modest but regular income with child allowance means a lot, but the costs for a single parent with six children, with a loan that has to be repaid for their family house they bought 10 years ago, is certainly not enough
An additional problem is the house’s poor heating system, that along with poor carpentry and insulation, makes them spend a lot of money on electric heaters that they are forced to turn on to heat all the rooms that the children use.
We have four rooms, so it is not terrible in that respect, as if the children have nowhere to sleep. The conditions are fine for us, but it is problematic in the winter, because the heating in the house is badly done, and the carpentry is not the best, so we are constantly adding more heating and we receive high electricity bills.It would mean a lot to have this resolved. Thank you for your visit and your desire to help as much as possible – Ekatarina finished modestly.
This family, that radiates faith, harmony, sacrifice, deserves to have the wind behind its back, so that they can rise and bravely face life’s challenges facing them. Now is the ideal time to start work on the Grbić family home so that everything is ready by winter. We are sure that all our generous donors who already support us will take part in this fundraiser as well.
Here is how you can donate:
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