How in the world did this happen? A million thoughts are streaming through my mind. Do you ever feel like time flies so fast that it almost seems unreal? Almost like a dream or something. Honestly, it seems like just yesterday my team and I got here to Kosovo and now tomorrow morning we will be saying goodbye to our host family and friends. My heart is so heavy.
I have learned so much from the people and this culture in a short time that I never want to forget. I want to encourage you all with the things I have learned from the people here in the Fellowship of the Lord’s people church. I want to fill you in with a more detailed description of the ministries happening here. One thing though, will you pray?
Sometimes we get so busy and caught up in the hustle and bustle of life, that we forget to pray. A man named Elijah was human, just like us. He prayed fervently that it might not rain and for three years and six months it did not rain on the earth. Then he prayed again and Heaven poured down rain. From that the earth was fruitful. Scripture says “the prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective.” James 5:16
I ask that you take a moment to read the stories behind these ministries and put your life in their shoes. Not to take pity on them by any means, but to stand in the gap with me to pray and believe that the Lord will bring REVIVAL to this area.
True revival begins when a follower of Jesus is down on their knees at the altar crying out to the Lord. I’m asking you please, take a moment to pray for these people and ministries. Why? Not only because they mean so much to me but they mean so much to Jesus.
Below is a description of the ministries we have been working with. There is a video also at: https://youtu.be/ZAG19Jj2XQg
Kacanik:
“It’s a little scary but I’m not scared,” Dani one of my teammates had said about this place. A place where the heaviness of spiritual darkness was more real than the air I breathed. Reality of freedom in America hit me when I was told that ISIS camps were literally happening on mountains above our ministry sight. The fact that name Jesus being forbidden to be spoken of in the area, brought chills to my soul. But left us fearless because we know our God is bringing hope and restoration to the children and teens in that area already.
How did you do ministry there? You might ask. We worked with an organization that had a center for children to come and hear more about good morals and values, play games, and just build solid relationships with hopes that sharing the gospel will come in due time.
Roma Community:
A center where teens that are high school dropouts feel welcomed to come as they are and feel loved. It’s also a place where the greetings of warm hugs that holds children’s meetings that when you walk in the room hugs of strangers warm you Saturday’s They hear from Biblical teaching and interact with church members to build solid relationships with hopes many will come to Jesus.
Children’s Ministry in Millosheve:
Over 100 children came flooding in giving high-fives, hugs, and beaming in bright smiles. Through dance, song, games, and a message Jesus is so prevalently shared. Still many refrain from coming to Jesus because of their family’s background and fear of what could happen when/if they chose Jesus.
The Warehouse:
A place where boxes stacked upon boxes, are filled with clothing donated from Germany and Sweden to be sold in a store called Mozaik. Mozaik is a store with a mission. A mission to share the hope and redemption of Jesus Christ with every item of clothing sold. My team and I got the chance to work in the warehouse and sort through/organize the clothing. Then we loaded them into the truck to be sold in the store.
Mercy Ministry:
80 families are registered with Mercy Ministries. An organization that provides clothing to families in need. When I looked at the piles of clothing, heard testimonies shared, and the gospel shared it made me want to dance with joy. As groups of 15-20 take clothes for their need, we know that Jesus is in the midst.
Local Outreach:
Statistics state that it can take up to 100 times of sharing the gospel to a Muslim until coming to Jesus. This week, over 400 gospel tracks were passed out to people walking in the square of Pristina city, students in Pristina University, apartment homes, and mailboxes. Prayers kept flowing through my mind as we silently walked over 50 flights of stairs in the week with hope that every single gospel track we dropped at individuals door steps would take root and change lives.
Teen ministry in Pristina and Vushtrri:
God is doing something big, a vision that will become reality. A way to unite students to loving God and loving others. Currently teen ministry in Vushtrri and Pristina meet to hear a message shared from a leader about Christ and thrives to see lives changed by the gospel.
These are just brief descriptions of some of the ministries happening in the Fellowship of the Lord’s people church that my team and I partnered with. Ultimately though, each and EVERY person that is working/serving in the church LIVES THE CHURCH. Their genuine heart for the Lord, relationships with people, boldness in prayer, and steadfastness in the word of God has shown me more of who Jesus is.
THANK YOU to every single person in the Fellowship of the Lord’s people church. Whether I talked to you briefly or you had to put up with my talking a lot more than you probably wanted to, your obedience to Jesus has and will drastically changes lives. I am one that can truly attest to that. Family and friends back at home, I ask that you partner with me and this church to pray for our Kosovo family. May we all trust that God is going to do mighty things in Kosovo as it is in Heaven.
