God moved in cool ways in Kosovo! It was amazing being able to work for Him in a beautiful country by being a light to the muslims and discipling the Kosovar Christians. Me and my boys team, New Creationz, became close quickly and God has really been working on our brotherhood as we encourage, call each other higher and fight for each other. This is all work the Holy Spirit is doing in the team to make us more like Jesus.
God had us meet so many people at the church I was going to while I was in Peja! I met Americans, Koreans and a man named Allister who was Scottish. It was so amazing and all glory to Him!!!
Allister was a great man of God and his story is an inspiration to the Christian world! It was incredible getting to know him. He was actually one of the first to go to Albania after communism fell and tell that country about Jesus! He went on to tell us how many Christian missionaries came to Albania during that time. In Tirana alone, there were 300 Christian families who came to spread the name of Jesus.
Later on, Allister went north to Kosovo where he built houses in Peja.
I was glad me and the team were able to help him at our hosts’ goat farm and do some yard work at his home. It was hard to say if Allister who is in is seventies or us boys were working harder.
I also got to help the Korean family who have been faithfully serving in Kosovo for 7 years. I was able to go to their youth center that they run and have fun with a bunch of kids. After hours, of making art crafts and playing ping pong with the kids the family invited us to dinner at a restaraunt that was famous for their chicken. It was such a blessing working alongside them and getting to know them!
I feel like God showed his glory the most just a couple days before I left Kosovo. The team split up to do different ministry, Matt and Nathan very generously helped Allister build a chicken coop while Malachi and I went into the city and did evanglism.
That day, I went to a market with Malachi and prayed over it. I asked God that people who came to the market would not be deceived because there was a mosque in the middle of it but would come to Christ. After talking to teenage boys who were 14 years old, I felt sad because when I told them the simple gospel, one of the boys said they did not like Jesus. It made me mad too because they are taught to hate what they do not know. It is tragic that people hate the only God who can save them. I pray and trust that the Spirit would do a work in those boys that only He can do.
After I talked with those teenagers, I walked around a sat at a bench at the center of the market and was going to read my Bible. I was not expecting what would happen next. I had hardly read a sentence when a young man about 19 years old came up to me and was looking at my Bible. I smiled and greeted him and asked how he was doing and what his name was He said that he was a Christian and that he had lost his Bible and needed a new one. I was thrilled and said that I was attending a church in town and would get a Bible for him.
Shortly after this, a man who was muslim approached me and asked where I was from and we started talking using the translator app on my phone. As the conversation progressed, I found an opening to tell him the gospel when he said he believed God created the earth. I told him I also believed that and went into the fall of man and how Jesus came and died so we wouldn’t have to be separated from God anymore. He was very open to the gospel and knowing that the 19 year old was a Christian because they both worked in the market, he said,”Muslim, Christian, no problem!” and kissed him on the head. Haha!
The next day I excitedly went to the church with my team and got a Bible and went to the market. I found the young man and gave it to him and he thanked me and was beaming with a big ole smile. I said it was glad to help a fellow believer out. Before we said our goodbyes, I introduced him to Nathan and prayed over him. I was so happy because I knew what was happening was pure God. It all started because I opened my Bible!
And now with a hop, skip and a jump, that brings us to the present! I am now in the country of Georgia! I have been here for a week in the capital of Tbilisi! It is by far one of my favorite cities I have been to so far! I have been exploring the heck out of it and quite literally with Matt and I walking 12 miles in one day when we were on a wild goose chase to find a a bus that could take us to a place we wanted to go to for trekking.
The city has the third largest cathedral in all of Europe, castles, a river, parks, zip-lining, and a beautiful waterfall! My team and I are staying in a hostel and have shared the gospel with a girl from Mexico and a boy from Russia who left the country with his family because they does not approve of the war.
Me and the team have really been wanting to trek here in Georgia because it is a trekkers paradise so we have decided to hike across the country this Tuesday which is a day after my birthday! I’m so happy I get to spend my birthday here in Georgia with my awesome team! Trekking across the country is going to be an adventure and so much fun but it will also be intense so please be praying!
Let the journey across Georgia begin!
Prayer requests: Pray that trekking goes well and that we will meet people we can share our faith with and point them to Jesus. Pray that I would have the mental and physical strength to do this. Pray that even though it will be hard my team and I would still be kind and loving to one another. Pray that everyday that we will be walking, we would allow the Holy Spirit to guide each step.
Praises: I went to an amazing international church called Love Dominion that was mostly Nigerian and had a glorious time worshipping and hearing God’s word! We talked to the pastor after the service and he would like us to come back and tell the church about our work with the World Race if the Lord wills after our trek. Me and the boys were the only white people there! I loved it!!!
Tbilisi, Georgia!!!!
