Day 12: Our Last Day Here

We worshiped today in a house church at Banush and Fitnete's apartment.  It was wonderful to worship with a family from Vushtrri and Agon from Prizren who also joined us.  Ron presented a message on what it means to be a disciple and did an outstanding job.  We again celebrated communion at the end of our service with our fellow Kosovar brothers and sisters.

Afterward, Fitnete prepared our Sunday lunch, which again was very tasty--and complemented with a luscious torte, Turkish coffee and Schweppe's!

Agon headed back to Prizren, and we met Agron Sopaj on the plaza for a macchiato.  It was interesting to hear about his work and the work of his teammates on the campus of the University of Prishtina.

Banush & Agron

Now we are all packed and will be picked up at the guesthouse at 3:30 am to make our 5:30 am departure flight to Munich.  We will be back in Minnesota in about 30 hours from now.  This is a bittersweet time.  We have grown to love and appreciate the people and the ministry in Kosova, but we are all anxious to get back home to see our families and re-enter normal routines.  "Even in darkness a little light helps."  We hope we have been able to spark a little light in lives of those we've come into contact with, and encourage those who will continue on in this task.  We look forward to the time that we can return.  We will continue to pray for and encourage those who remain here to continue the work that each has personally felt called to do.  Please keep the various Kosovar ministeries in your prayers.  Lamtumirë dhe Zoti i bekoftë (Good-bye and God bless)!

--Kosova Impact Team 10

PS: Via the internet and a smartphone, we are able to pull in the Vikings-Tampa Bay game.  Way to go Vikes!!

Day 11: The Pastors' Confefrence--"We Are One in the Bond of Love"

In keeping with our theme of encouraging and equipping, we held a pastors' conference today for all church leaders and church workers throughout Kosova.  There were 22 in attendance; they came from Djakova, Peja, Prizren and Prishtina.  Both Pastor Dan and Ron did an outstanding job in covering various topics along the theme of discipleship.  Special thanks to the Nazarene Church for the use of their building and to our translator, Arjeta Ajeti, who did a phenomenal job throughout the conference.  The conference concluded with a prayer for unity among all evangelical churches throughout Kosova.

Some of the conference attendees

Pastor Banush & Arjeta

Pastor Dan during one of the teaching sessions

Ron lead a session on "Sharing Jesus Without Fear."

Day 10: "You're in the Army Now..."

Last evening, Banush and Les went to Mitrovica to do a home visit to a family whose little boy has orthopedic problems.  It's a God-cidence how this meeting even took place.  The father is a sergeant-major for the Kosovo Security Force, second in line to the general.  His translator is a personal friend of Banush, and she informed him of the special needs of his son, Ensar, who is 7 years old.  This has been a difficult 5 years for the family and again they were able to encourage the family and provide medications to try and correct his medical condition.  This will require periodic follow-up.  The family was so appreciative of the home visit, let alone the medication.  In appreciation, the sergeant-major invited the team to graduation ceremonies at the land forces command center this morning, which we were all honored to attend.

This morning, before the ceremony, we met with the sergeant-major in his office briefly before the ceremony.  To show his deep appreciation for the time and assistance given his son, he presented Les with a military medal of honor and insignias from his unit.  We are not sure what all that means, but Les reports for basic training with the Kosovo Security Force next week (not really...just kidding, Deb!). 

Kosovo Security Force medal of honor with land forces command insignias.

As honored guests of Sergeant-Major Zejnullahu, we were given front-row seats for the ceremony then a personal tour by him afterwards.  Duty called, and he was off to do field maneuvers with his troops.  It was indeed an honor and a privilege to meet this very gracious man.

We spent most of the afternoon preparing for the pastors' conference that will take place tomorrow.  We spent the latter part of the afternoon on Mother Teresa Boulevard doing some sight-seeing a people-watching.  We met Banush and his family for dinner at one of our favorite restaurants and had an enjoyable evening with them and with the woman who will be translating for us at the conference tomorrow.  The cooler temperatures and light breeze made for an enjoyable evening on the plaza. 

We say good-bye to Carolyn and Ivahn Dockter as they need to return to the States a couple days earlier than the rest of us.  Thank you, Carolyn and Ivahn, for your marvelous contribution to this team and for your caring spirit.  You were both an asset to this team, and we look forward to ministering with you again someday.

"Take Me Out to the Ball Game..."

The HandiKOS All-Stars!

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Gang

The purpose of this team is to encourage and equip our Kosovar friends and colleagues.  Today we held an appreciation picnic for the HandiKOS Centre at Germia Park in Prishtina.  It was a beautiful day and the weather was perfect.  We introduced the kids to American baseball (actually wiffle ball), and it was a huge hit (pardon the pun)!  Besides helping them with eye-hand coordination, they also had a chance for just plain old fun.  Some of these kids are born naturals!  After having a pizza lunch, we presented the staff with appreciation gifts to help them in their jobs.  We appreciate all they do to meet specific needs in their community.  We are happy for the opportunity to deepen our relationships with HandiKOS.

Ivahn and Carolyn spent time in Ferizaj with Chendressa and her family this afternoon as well.  They were able to deepen these bonds of friendship as well.

--Kosova Team 10

Seeing clearly for the first time in 7 years...priceless!

Today we made our way to Vushtrri and did our first eyeglass clinic at the HandiKOS Centre.  We distributed about 80 pair of eyeglasses and sunglasses with the help of our very fine translators.  It was fun to see the smiles spread across the faces of those people who were finally given the chance to improve their eyesight from their new pair of reading glasses.  Laminated reading chart: $2.00.  A pair of brand new readers: 50 cents.  Seeing clearly for the first time in 7 years...priceless!

We also went to do 4 home visits this afternoon.  The first 3 took us up into the foothills around Vushtrri which offered a spectacular view.  One home visit was particularly intriguing.  Before the war, a family of 7 lived in a tiny little house before the war (see photo). Afterwards, KFOR (Kosova military police) helped them build a more sturdier structure. The family lives several kilometers outside Vushtrri, but Isak (HandiKOS manager) has made the long trek on foot several times to visit the families in this area.

 After we got back from Vushtrri, Banush's wife, Fitnete, made a wonderful Albanian meal for us this evening.  We deeply appreciate their hospitality.  We ate like kings!  We had a demonstration on the fine art of Turkish coffee-making and enjoyed a cup as well.

Tomorrow it's back to Vushtrri for more home visits and another eyeglass clinic.

The old cottage

A grateful family

Banush's family

Arriving in Vushtrri

Today we said goodbye to Prizren as we traveled northeast to Vushtrri.  There, we will work with HandiKOS, a Kosovar NGO (non-governmental organization) for the next several days.  The weather was already warming up quite a bit when we left mid-morning, and even the limited air conditioning on the bus was welcomed.  The forecast is for hot, dry weather (in the mid- to low-90s) all week.  No one here remembers a hot, dry September as this before. 

                             As you can see from the photo, we got to the bus stop before our taxi did! 

After settling in at our guesthouse and picking up a van, we headed out to Vushtrri.  This is about a 30-minute drive from Prishtina.  We will be encouraging and equipping the staff at the HandiKOS Centre for most of this week.  HandiKOS has been given the responsibility from the Kosovar government to care for and treat handicapped children in and around Vushtrri.  They also take care of some of the elderly folks (pensioners) that are also handicapped or disadvantaged.  All total, HandiKOS cares for about 700 persons. 

Our main task today was to get reacquainted with Isak Hysini (the director) and do five home visits.  We will be visiting many of the families who received food parcels from our church at Christmastime last year.  Isak was very happy to see us and we are happy to partner with him in these various projects.  Before the home visits, we purchased basic food items (such as cooking oil, sugar, flour, salt, pasta, dish soap) and we included health/hygiene kits for each family.  It was humbling to be in these homes; seeing they had little means but their hospitality was outstanding!  The government only gives these families about $60 a month to care for these with special needs, which is a big challenge.  Special thanks goes to Faith Church in Farmington, MN for making these food parcels possible.  We will be distributing several more of these parcels over the next few days.

There was less of a breeze tonight, but the sunset was still beautiful.  It's as if God put his signature to the closing of our day.  
--Kosova Team 10

9/11 went by rather uneventfully here in Kosova, politically speaking.  We tried to catch some of the news online regarding 9/11 remembrances, and found these quite moving.  How our world has changed in the last 10 years! 

We had a great time with about 20 Kosovar believers  worshiping in the "lower room" this morning.  Pastor Dan gave a challenging message based on Luke 10, the parable of the Good Samaritan.  Several commented on the new perspective they received as the result of his message.  We concluded our worship time with a communion service, which made this all the more special. The young teacher-turned-parking-lot-attendant came to worship with us this morning, and it was a privilege to connect and share life with him today.

This evening, we met with Pastor Besim (the translator in the photo above) and Pastor Banush, who told us their faith stories and talked about the challenges and rewards of doing ministry in Kosova.  Once again, we were reminded that none of us from America know what it's like to suffer for our faith.  The future of the Kosovar evangelical church lies in its youth, and it was encouraging to hear of their plans for ministry in this area.


Yesterday, a couple of us took a long hike up the hill to the old Turkish castle ruins overlooking Prizren.  The view was phenomenal, and it reminded us of the biblical account of Jesus overlooking Jerusalem and weeping for the city.  We also prayed over this city and for a spiritual awakening in this country.

As Chris Tomlin sings, "Greater things are yet to come, greater things are yet to be done in this city..."


Tomorrow we leave for Prishtina and Vushtrri.  Our week is starting to get busier.  It is also remaining quite hot here--about 90-95 degrees.  We will miss the cool mountain air in the evening.


Comments?  Thoughts? 

Saturday in Kosova

Different parts of our team were off doing different things today. Ivahn and Carolyn traveled to Gjakova to visit a former coordinator for Samaritan's Purse Children's Heart Project and exchange gifts.  A Kosovar family had gone to the US so their daughter could have corrective heart surgery.  Their host family sent a gift for the Kosovar family, and Alma will see that the package is delivered.  This is what she had to say:

Greetings!

I thought to let you know that I have met today with a family from Rochester. My God it felt like my life has been renewed, I felt like Sp is back again and CHP is here. Spending some time with them and just sharing with them for the work of Sp through  CHP in Kosova made my heart glad and thankful for having a chance to experience all of this and to plant His Seed around Kosova.   I wanted to be all the time with them, but unexpectedly at the church that I am going they gave me two duties to handle. I usually handle one but one of the members hasn't been well and I needed to cover her  and I found out while worship was taking place.  I had a great time, I want to keep them here but I understand they had to go. 

 

I got the package for Edona, I will go and visit her on Monday. Thank you for thinking of her.   I handle them the Bible and three other books ( great ones) but I couldn't find "I dare to call Him Father" in Albanian. 

 

Thought to let you know and I will keep you posted! You are a a blessing!

 

Love,

Alma

Later in the afternoon, we divided up into teams and canvassed several areas of the city center, engaging several of the locals in conversation.  One group struck up a conversation with a parking lot attendant who was also a teacher and student of philosophy.  The discussion soon led to spiritual matters, and the young man accepted the invitation to attend our church service tomorrow.  Despite being a strong Muslim community, people seem open to discussing "religious" things.  Another group had a conversation with a  group of 4 Kosovar young men, engaging them about family and travel and our purpose in Kosova.  When they stated we were working with a local pastor.   Spiritually speaking, the conversation seemed to end at that point.

Les had the opportunity to lecture at a pain conference in Prevalle today, which also provided a means of deepening friendships and developing potential ministry opportunities in the future through medical contacts.

Hearing the imam from several nearby mosques several times a day seems like it should be a call to reverence, however many people in the street seem to ignore them and it's life as usual.

Arriving in Kosova and First Day

What a surprise to be greeted in Prishtina by the family we hosted back in 2003!  We will be visiting this family early next week, and hope to share the Gospel with them as Pastor Banush has developed a real friendship with them.  Today was street evangelism, which I hadn't done for many years.  There are so many young people walking around so we had lots of opportunity to invite them to tonight's meeting where Pastor Dan will be talking about "What is Truth" and "Is the Bible True", where we all hope to share what the Gospel means to us and how it has impacted our lives as Believers.  Pray that God would open the eyes and hearts of those we made contact with today.  We are in the city of Prizren for several days, it is very warm here and we are all wearing Jeans, so showers at the end of the day are very welcoming.   More later as we continue our ministry.  Ivahn & Carolyn 

We arrived safely!

Mire menjes! ("good morning"!)

We just wanted everyone to know that everyone and everything arrived safely--and actually ahead of schedule!  We were officially welcomed at the terminal after flying in from Munich this morning. 

The weather is very hot here.  It's been between 90-110 degrees for the past several weeks and they have not had any rain for 2 months.  Everything is drying up.

We were surprised by Chendresa and her family, who met us at the airport.  Chendresa is the little girl who came to Mayo Clinic for heart surgery about 9 years ago.  Ivahn and CArolyn Dockter hosted her, her mother and translator while they were in Rochester.  It was a wonderful reunion!  As you can see, she is doing remarkable well!

We are staying at Hotel Bujtina while we are in Prizren, which is just 2 blocks away from the center plaza.  We do have air conditioning, which makes this hot weather much more tolerable.  After getting settled, we went for dinner, and Les introduced everyone to Schweppe's bitter lemon--he thinks it should be the national drink in Kosova!  Later, we discussed our itinerary with Banush, who filled in many of the details.  If all goes as planned, we will have a busy 10 days here!

We've all been up way to long, so we are going to call it a night...or a day...or whatever it happens to be!



And they're off!

All our bags are packed and we are ready to roll!  Kosova Impact Team members: (l to r) Les Kiemele, Carolyn Doctker, Ivahn Dockter, Ron Schaap & Pastor Dan Farm.

An Introduction...

Tell most people you are going to Kosova, and their first question is, "where's that?!?"  Kosova (we know it as Kosovo) is one of the 9 republics that resulted after the break-up of the former Yugoslavia.  It was a province until Kosova declared their independence on February 17, 2008.

The first 4 days, we will be in Prizren, an old Turkish city near the Albanian border.  We will be lecturing at a medical conference, doing book distribution and assisting the local evangelical church by holding evangelistic meetings our first weekend there.

The last 7 days, we will be working with the staff at the HandiKOS Centre, a Kosovar non-government organization in Vushtrri.  We will also be leading a pastors' conference in Prishtina our last weekend there, equipping and encouraging leaders of local evangelical churches.

Kosova Impact Team members:

• Carolyn Dockter
• Ivahn Dockter
• Dan Farm
• Les Kiemele
• Ron Schaap

We will be leaving Wednesday noon, September 7 and arrive in Kosova at 11:00 a.m. local time (Kosova is 7 hours ahead of Central Time).  Keep watching this site for frequent updates and photos that will journal our trip.  Special thanks to those who have helped our team materially, financially, physically and prayerfully so far.  You have blessed us so we can be a blessing to others.

Zoti ju bekoftë! (God bless you!)

Kosova Impact Team 10

"im·pact [n. im-pakt]: a forcible contact between two things."

In two days, the Kosova Impact Team  from Autumn Ridge Church will embark on trip #10.  We've chose "impact team" rather than "mission team" because we will be in forcible contact with different social, political, spiritual and ideological beliefs than what we are used to.  This trip will be unique, in that our main focus is to encourage and equip local evangelical believers and impact new Christians in Kosova.  In Kosova, God is working in many different lives in many different ways.  While the window of opportunity is still open to share our hope in Christ and the Good News, we want to go, encourage and equip those who will continue on in this task long after we return home.  Some ways we have been asked to serve: 

*Perform vision clinics for pensioners and disadvantaged persons at the HandiKOS Centre, a social service agency in Vushtrri

*Equip and encourage the HandiKOS staff as they care for the patients and their families at the Centre;

*Deliver food parcels and health kits to disadvantaged families--the poorest of the poor;

*Participate in a medical conference to foster on-going relationships that could lead to potential areas of evangelism later;

*Hold public evangelistic meetings in Prizren;

*Lead a pastors' conference in Prishtina;

*Home visits with HandiKOS families.

As you can see, we believe God has a radical purpose for this team, and we want to be radically obedient.  We also know this won't be a church picnic.  It'll be trying.  It'll be tiring.  It'll be tedious.  It might even be painful, because this trip will be relational.  That is why we are enclosing a prayer guide for those of you who want to partner with us through prayer.  We know we will need all the help we can get!  

Kosova Impact Team Prayer Guide:

Wednesday, September 7	Leaving for Kosova.  Pray for safety for our team and that we will make all our connections.  Pray for protection over our families who remain at home during our absence.
Thursday, September 8	Arrive in Prishtina.  Pray that all our baggage and supplies arrive on time and that our team will have a clear purpose of God’s agenda (and not our own) as we impact those we serve in Kosova.
Friday, September 9	We begin working with New Generation Church in Prizren.  Pray for the evangelistic meetings that begin this evening.  Pray for Pastor Dan as he leads these meetings.
Saturday, September 10	As we conclude the evangelistic meetings tonight, pray that many would come to faith in Christ through the working of the Holy Spirit.
Sunday, September 11	We will be worshipping with New Generation Church in Prizren.  Pray that this would be an awesome time of worshipping cross-culturally with our Kosovar brothers and sisters.
Monday, September 12	Today we will be leaving Prizren and travel to Prishtina for the remainder of our trip.  Pray for all the new Kosovar believers that they would grow and be encouraged in their new-found faith.
Tuesday, September 13	We will be doing home visits to handicapped children and their families through the HandiKOS Centre in Vushtrri.  We will deliver family health kits and Christian literature as part of these visits.  Pray that these “loaves and fishes” represent Christ as we minister to “the least of these.”
Wednesday, September 14	We will be doing vision clinics for the pensioners at the HandiKOS Centre.  Pray that physical and spiritual needs would be met through this ministry.
Thursday, September 15	We will take 10 children and the HandiKOS staff to a local park for a day trip.  As we show our appreciation to the staff for all their hard work, pray that “loving God and serving people” in this way would impact these relationships.
Friday, September 16	Pray for the nation of Kosova.  Pray for national stability and that the elected officials would allow religious liberties to continue.  Pray for local evangelical partners who labor in Kosova long-term.
Saturday, September 17	We will hold a pastors’ conference today in Prishtina.  As a first-time event, pray that those who attend would be encouraged and equipped as they impact their local churches. Pray for Pastor Dan as he leads the conference.
Sunday, September 18	Today we will worship in a house church in Prishtina.  Pray that God will continue to use this community of believers as salt and light to accomplish His kingdom’s purpose.
Monday, September 19	Leave for home.  Praise God for the work He accomplished through this team.  Pray that the Spirit would continue the work in Kosova long after we return home.

"Now, sit right back and you'll hear a tale, a tale of a faithful trip..."

¡