Productive week!

 This week at the Family Life Training Center we started the Family Assisted Care and Training Sessions (FACTS).   It’s a 9:00am – 3:00pm routine schedule of activities that includes 2 meals.  Three families (3 moms, 9 children) are involved at this time.

The day starts at 9:00am with showers and preparing breakfast.  Since many families do not have running water in the home, let alone showers, one mom is bathing and instructing her children how to clean themselves, while another is working to prepare breakfast.  It never ceases to amaze how people who usually eat only a few times a week, change when they are fed twice a day 3 times a week.

 After breakfast is brushing of teeth and getting ready for a devotional time. Devotional times are for the whole family and involve testimonies, personal prayer and training on praying for one another.

 After devotions comes some school work. During the summer months there is no school so we practice numbers, letters, colors, writing, and other basics to give some added confidence, and show the importance of education. When school starts we hope to have volunteers to give more individual help with homework, etc.

After school work the children are ready for some physical activity. They do group exercises and play physical games.

Next up is story time. A story is read to them to help stimulate their imagination and encourage reading. 

After story time comes quiet time. This time may be used by the children to rest/ sleep, read, or just sit quietly and consider the story of the day.

After rest time comes Art or Music time. Again to stimulate creativity the children are given some project choices and let their mind expand into the craft or art project of the day. This time is alternated with a music time.  Lessons on the drum, tambourine, or shaker bells give them a sense of timing, and teach them how we worship.

2:30 is lunch time, where they also practice please, thank you, how to use their utensils, and clear their plates.  They then clean themselves up, brush their teeth, and play until their moms finish cleaning up and it’s time to go home.

We were able to buy a “tapani”. This is a small, round, electric oven designed for a specific style baking pan called a “tepsi”. The bread dough is prepared, formed into 20 mounds the size of a softball, and put into the tepsi.  After the dough rises, the tepsi  goes into the tapani and in 30 minutes we have hot fresh bread. They call this grouping of small loaves “Kolaqi”. Bread is a staple food here and served with almost every meal.  For some, it is a meal.

Each of the moms has an area of responsibility with preparing lunch, making the bread for both that day’s lunch and for the next day for their homes, as well as an active part in the training of the children.  She also has access to the washing machine, another luxury they don’t have at home, if she desires.

Thursday one of the young boys kept pulling his shirt collar up to his nose. I asked him what he was doing and he said “Smell my shirt. It smells sooo good!” I guess laundering in a machine with laundry soap is better than hand washing without any soap. I can only imagine his reaction to fabric softener.

We also work with both the children and the moms on courtesy and respect for others. Our hope is to see productive Christian members of society growing and expanding the Kingdom of God here in Kosova.

Please pray:

We need volunteers to help with the work of the ministry, or the finances to hire staff. We will train them if they will only come with a heart to serve and work.  It is very difficult to find someone to help without pay because they need to work for food in their homes. A typical work day here is 12 hours long. We are doing this program for 6 hours in the middle of the day.

Our van needs some transmission work, about $1000 worth. It is worthy as it is a 2004 VW transporter with a turbo diesel engine and serves the ministry daily.

Pray that Jesus is who is seen in us, those who are working with these families, and the ones to come. Our desire is to see Him lifted up and the people to know He is their provider.

Pray in finances as it does take money for food, soap, shampoo, detergent, etc.

Our need for a new facility is becoming increasingly evident. Please pray God would open the door for a different location.

Several families in the church are in desperate need of housing. Please pray God will open doors for them, and remain in the area they are now.

Thank you!