So as I said in my previous blog, my contact in Kosovo was amazing. I loved the people I met but I also loved our ministry. Here are a few of my favorite things from the month:
(Left: A view of Gjilan) (Right: A sign hanging in the center. “Perendia eshte Dashuri” means “God is Love”)
I loved Kids Camp. Kids camp lasted for 2 hours. We would have a morning and afternoon session each day. We played lots of games with the kids. It was so much fun to play games, act like a kid, and have a little healthy competition. (We did learn that our team is super competitive. One day we played capture the flag and ended up yelling at the kids because they were cheating. We stopped playing capture the flag after that.) Kids camp gave us a platform to get to know the kids and invite them to youth group on Saturday nights. We even got to play baseball one day, which was one of my favorite moments.
Andi was a boy I met during the last week of kids camp. I befriended him on the way home from playing baseball. We walked down the street tapping each other on the shoulder and laughing at nothing. I loved his smile. After that day, every time Andi showed up, I gave him and big hug and smiled. He’s a great kid!
(Left: Kids Camp week 2) (Right: Andi, me and his friend)
We got to celebrate Kosovo’s Independence Day (Happy 6th Birthday). America helped Kosovo gain independence so we saw lots of American flags flying with the Kosovo flags. There is a lot of Albania pride as well, as most people in Kosovo refer to themselves as Albanian (or Serbian) first and Kosovar second. We spent Independence Day in Pristina. Our friends showed us around the city. It was a nice sunny day and lots of people had the day off. It reminded me of being in America. There was a Bill Clinton statue and many beautiful churches. Also a crazy looking library that looks like it’s from the future. It was a great day of exploration and adventure.
(Left: Erjon and the Albania Flag) (Right: Independence Flags)
This month I was able to play soccer twice. Every Sunday Erjon plays soccer with the teenage boys. It was great to be able to play and interact with the guys outside of Kids Camp. If I could I’d play soccer every Sunday!
We got to spend one day in Macadonia. It is a beautiful city. We got to explore the city center, which some people describe as a chess board because there are many giant statues of soldiers and horses. It was a great day off.
(Top: Team (and Erjon) on Castle Wall overlooking city) (Left: Macedonia Flag/City Center) (Right: Linley and I by the river)
