I know what you’re thinking…what happened in Kosovo to include Jesus, Macchiatos, and playing chicken? Well, here’s a little something that happened this month in Kosovo.
1. Jesus
Funny thing about being a missionary, you want to tell everyone about Jesus. Funny thing about Jesus, he loves everyone and sometimes just wants you to love them too…no strings attached. My teammate Rachael challenged me this month with a comment that she didn’t want people to be projects. Now, I’ve never knowingly thought of people as projects, but it got me thinking…does the way I approach ministry come from a pure heart desiring that everyone know about the love of God – or does it stem from a place of obligation and duty? Do I really love people or was I only trying to meet people to tell them about God? When Jesus mingled with the sketchy crowd, did he say, “Hi, haaave you met God?” No, he mingled, ate dinner at their home, walked with them…loved them. I find myself needing to follow His example. I don’t want to ever get to a place where I need to fill some sort of quota for how many people I was able to force to listen to my “come to Jesus” speech. I want to love people and watch God do crazy things with that love.
2. Macchiatos.
They’re a spiritual experience. I love them. I love them twice a day sometimes. I love them so much that sometimes I forget I still need to sleep at night. Morning prayer starts early and you can’t focus on praying for 2 hours when you’re just wanting to lose consciousness and have a mini-coma. So a warning, if you want to be productive, limit the Macchiatos to one per day – or evolve into a creature that only needs 4 hours of sleep. But seriously, best $0.50 I’ve spent this month! I’m gonna miss these little guys.
3. Playing Chicken
When anyone talks about playing chicken, I can’t help but think of two tractors heading toward each other at breakneck speeds. But alas, Kosovo is not Footloose, and I’m not Lori Singer. What I did learn this month is that drivers around these parts are 1/2 crazy and…1/2 crazy. They park on the sidewalk so everyone walks in the roads and I found myself getting very comfortable walking inches away from cars that were headed straight for me. Jaywalking is just crossing the street when there’s the biggest break in cars and traffic laws are merely suggestions. You think taxi drivers are crazy? Just imagine an entire region where everyone drives like that. On the upside, I had a great excuse to pray continuously this month.
The best part of this month, however, was being blessed by our wonderful host family!
(The family – minus Emmanuel, who was taking this photo)
This family loves the Lord! Pastor Nik and his family pastor the church that we called home this past month. In a country where most people are Muslim, it can be hard to be a Christian. But their love for God is real, and so is their desire to see everyone come to know Christ. If you’re looking for a way to serve in God’s kingdom, you should consider coming to Kosovo and walking alongside this amazing family. (Contact me for more info.)
So, as I leave today for my next country, please pray for Kosovo. God is not done here yet and I’m excited to see what He has up His sleeve for these amazing people!
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Thank you for reading! Next stop Albania!!! To help me raise all of the money I need to stay with the World Race, please consider donating into my account by clicking on the Support Me button at the bottom or left hand side. Thanks!
