Hey everyone! I apologize that I haven’t been updating my blogs as often as I would like. Hopefully I get better at that as this year continues! I am going to try to push out a couple of blogs in the next week or so.
Kosovo was crazy! It was the very first month without Alumni team leaders and with a brand new team. I had some nervousness going into it, but God provided in some amazing ways! He gave us ministry opportunities, provided above and beyond for food and physical needs, and brought us some life-long friends. He used us to do some incredible, albeit unusual, things.
Here is a quick run-down:
During a three-day period at Pristina to pray into ATL and figure out where we should go, we celebrated Easter as a team and as a squad, which was awesome.
On the day before heading out for ATL, we had decided to go to a smaller city called Peja, which we had driven through twice, before and after mini-debrief. But we couldn’t find any place within our lodging budget, so the plan was to just head there and see what would happen. Right before stopping, one of our teammates remembered a certain resource available to us. We hopped on and saw that there was a missionary in Peja who was close friends with a coffee-shop owner in Pristina. Armed only with the name of the coffee shop, Nathan (my team leader) and I ran over there. After some confusion due to the language barrier, we were handed a phone. The coffee shop owner listened to us saying that we were on the World Race and that we were looking for a place to stay or someone to partner with in Peja. She took Nathan’s number and said she would be in touch. Later that day, Nathan talked to a missionary in Pristina who does weekly youth events with a local church there, who had talked to a missionary in Peja, who talked to an elder of his church. The elder had a guesthouse which he regularly rented out to YWAM and other ministry teams. Though our budget was well under his regular asking price, he wholeheartedly agreed to let us stay there. He was honestly the godliest, most hospitable man I have met so far on the Race. We had a basketball court, an amazing meeting place that featured an incredible look over the city, a warm fire when it was rainy and cold, and he and his wife sometimes even cooked for us or brought us desserts.
When speaking about the price of the guesthouse and our budget, Nathan said that we would help out at the elder’s goat farm, so one of our ministry days was spent scooping poop out of a decent sized stable and hauling rocks, dirt, and wood on a different person’s property. This was by far one of my favorite days of ministry so far.
With the missionary from Pristina, we were able to help at four different youth events on two nights, in which we played games, told our life stories, and showed young Muslims and children the love of Christ.
Because of having hot chocolate for my birthday, we met a secret Christian, who our team leader was able to meet up with and encourage at a later date.
At the church we were partnering with, we met a group of Korean missionaries and a Scottish missionary, at whose property we hauled rocks. With the Korean missionaries, we got the opportunity to help at a children’s night, where we told a Bible story, got to know and play board games with some of the kids, and led a few games, like Simon Says (which is kind of difficult to play while translating).
The church services and prayer meeting that we attended were very good. We had the chance to tell our testimonies and listen to their testimonies! It was truly encouraging to participate in worship and prayer with a strong body of believers, no matter what language they speak.
We did prayer walking and street-evangelism in a crowded market several different days. This market is actually on the grounds of a mosque, so it desperately needed to be covered with prayer. Some of my teammates actually had some crazy encounters there, some funny, some amazing!
Made goody-bags filled with Bible verses and treats for children in the community. Because it was Ramadan, we decided it would be best to not hand out gifts, as that can be very confusing for the people there. Instead, we left them with the church to hand out.
Gave paper Bibles to a couple different people we had met.
We experienced some of the best hospitality we have received yet, with dinners and desserts being provided to us by the different missionaries.
For one Sabbath, we watched The Lord of the Rings. We had a late start so we weren’t able to watch them all in one night, but it was a great way to rest and bond with the team.
Altogether, we had an amazing time in Kosovo. The Gospel was spread and we were grown, both as a team and individuals. In many ways, we were blessed in incredible measures. Kosovo, especially Peja, will always have a soft spot in my heart.
Thank You, God, for always leading and speaking to us. You have such a heart for both the lost and Your children. We praise You for giving us the opportunity to minister to both groups!
