The week in miracles

Hello!
 This week has been a week full of ministry,restoration, healings and provision. We saw great spiritual warfare take place in the church over the past several weeks. Satan is not happy with the vision God has for this place and has tried to destroy it. Through pride and offenses, early in the week the church had been divided greatly. This week God used us, as well as those who are praying with us, to minister to each person involved and see restoration in relationships. Kathi worked with each woman separately and led them to a place of healing. We watched offenses being forgiven, repentance of sins and unity restored. What a Great God!
 Earlier this week one of the babies, 8 months old and weighing 11 lbs., from a family in the church, was sick. The parents had taken her to the Dr. and gotten prescriptions for her but could not afford to buy the medicine. We were able to get the medicine needed and give it to the parents.
 Friday one of the women in church ended up in the hospital from lack of food and water combined with heat well over 90. She walks 1/2 hour to work each day in the intense heat of the day for 4 euros. She was dehydrated and feeling very weak. She received an IV of saline and an injection for the pain. We were able to take her home after we stopped and bought some food for her family and some bottled water. Her neighborhood has not had running water these past few days. Because of some poor financial decisions, they had been doing without food except when they come to the FLC 3 times per week. She is doing better now and continues to feel stronger.
 One of the men I,Al, am working with has been going through a very difficult season. Because of the lack of work and the great need in his home he had been very angry lately and confessed to having considered going back to his old way of getting what he wanted/ needed which was to steal it. I was able to sit with him on Friday and Holy Spirit ministered to him. As I repented to him for a mistake I had made with him something broke. I shared with him that Holy Spirit had been showing us something was wrong and we had to wait for him to come to us with it. As we talked about sin and restoration he suddenly got up from his chair and asked me to pray with him. He repented for his sins before the Lord and I immediately saw a difference in his countenance. Later that day he went to his wife and asked forgiveness for the sins he had committed against her. Last night after church our translator came to me and asked," did you talk with this man or did he come to me on his own"? I said yes I had talked to him about something he had said to her a few days earlier which was not nice. I had told him, just before worship, he should not have done that and he immediately went to her and repented. He said he wanted to do that before worship started. She said,"that is just not normal for a man to do that here, especially to a woman, that is not the culture here". She has been seeing a difference in the work God is doing and using us to do.
 As we prayed for people after service one woman was healed from a sore throat and back pain. Another was healed from stomach, back and head pain. Praise God!
 Needless to say, it has been a full and satisfying week.
 God's Spirit is tearing holes in the darkness here in this corner of Kosova. What an awesome time and awesome privilege to be in the midst of it.
Today we rest and study.
We love you all,
Blessings,
Al and Kathi

Rose petal tea!

Arton came over yesterday and was admiring our roses. He asked if we ever made a drink from them. This can be a dangerous question here because Shqiptars/ Albanians have a tendency to make "Raki", a sort of alcohol, out of just about everything. In fact he was referring to rose petal tea. We said no so he proceeded to show us the process.
 First they plucked and cleaned about 2 dozen roses.

Kathi stuffed them in an empty bottle and added 3 teaspoons of sugar and a product they call "limontoz", as far as we can tell it is like lemon flavored sugar.

Fill the bottle with water, mix and let stand 3 days in the sun. Just like sun tea!

Day 2 starting to see the change.
Stay tuned for the final result.

May newsletter

Building Project

Arton helping to add finishing touches to his house!

In December God placed on some friends’ hearts to finance a house/ church building project for one of the families in the church. This couple has become a true son and daughter in the church and we see much potential for leadership. God has greatly touched them and they are very involved serving in the church. Arton has been working with the teen age boys praying with and sharing the Gospel each week. Many of them still confess to be Muslim but we are praying for breakthrough as we build relationships and live as examples of lives redeemed. Didarje has been a great encouragement with the women and serves where needed in the church. Their family, friends and neighbors have seen a great change in their lives and are coming to church, and ultimately Jesus, seeking this same change.

Their current landlord came to them the first of May and gave them until the 15^th to get out. God’s timing is amazing as they should move in to the new house on the 15^th.

 They are both very excited as we near completion. They are already planning the first worship service/ cell group meeting in that neighborhood.

Family Life Center

God gave us a vision for a Family life center almost one year ago. Today we are in the midst of seeing that vision working in the physical realm.  These are the areas currently operating at the Family Life Center.

Feeding the poor

A little guy enjoying his spaghetti and Greek salad;

One of the three weekly meals he now receives.

We have been feeding 40-50 people on Saturday evening after service for the last 6 weeks. This not only gives us an opportunity to preach the Gospel but to demonstrate it also by meeting the needs of families who don’t have much to eat.

Three of the families in the church cannot find good work. The men have found jobs and work hard but because of their ethnic status as “Roma’s” their employers work them for a month or sometimes more and then say they have no money to pay them. They live multiple families in one house to try to make it on a promised income. When they get used like this, and we have seen it several times, it degrades and disheartens them. Your gifts make it possible to help feed these families 3 meals a week. Please pray they would find “good” work!

Feeding one of the more needy families in the church

a hot, healthy meal.

Medical attention and healthy living classes

The Doc is in!

Recently we had to call our doctor friend for some sick children. She was on her vacation again, but was more than willing to see those who needed, and she came to us at the FLC. She has been a doctor for 28 years and a tremendous blessing to us in caring for these families. As we shared our vision for preventive health training she got excited. She said the main problem is these folks are a lower socioeconomic people group who were never trained how to care for themselves or their children. She said, “When you are ready, call me, I want to help you”. She is not a Christian….yet! God is already showing His favor in this area. That day she examined 3 families of which 1 adult and 5 children were in need of prescription medications.  We were able to provide the medications.

Laundry Services 

We were blessed with donations for the Family Life Center that included a washing machine where some of the families from the church could come to wash clothes. For these young mothers who cannot afford disposable diapers and do not have access to cloth diapers this is a huge blessing. Kathi is in the process of teaching them how to make and apply cloth diapers using a cotton fabric with a plastic covering. This should help reduce the laundry demands on then. We’ve also strung plenty of clothes line for drying.

The youth getting ready for ping pong.

All this and more

We are still seeing the children’/youth ministry grow on Saturday mornings where kids come and hear the Gospel and pray and sing songs like, “Jesus Loves the Little Children”. When we visit their neighborhoods we hear these songs being sung by the kids. Music gets into the Spirit and is something they will never forget.

 Each week on Saturday morning we are averaging 30-40 kids under age 11 and 15 young men 11-15 years old. God is softening hearts and they all hear the Good News.

Hello to all who make this program possible!

 After one of the meals served during the week, Kathi was talking with a woman and she remembered being in a refugee camp in Albania during the war in 1999. She remembered “Christians” singing songs and tried to remember how one particular song went. Kathi was able to pick it up from the tune and soon they were singing, “Jesus, Prince of Peace, Glory, Hallelujah” in Shqip. The woman picked up the tambourine and started to play. Her brother-in-law, who plays drums for weddings, soon joined in and helped with the timing. Spontaneous worship broke out and all were encouraged in The Lord.

Our vision for the Family Life Center includes not only feeding the poor, but training in various life skills. We want to not only supply the fish but teach them how to fish for themselves. 

Please be in prayer for: 

 

· The men of the church to find good work.

· Finances to continue to build on the vision of the Family Life Center.

· Holy Spirit to continue to touch and change lives in our midst.

· We will need to pay 700 Euros, about $1000, in July for annual health insurance required by Kosova to maintain our permit to live here. This amount will cover both Kathi and I.

· We are also seeking God to provide 200 Euros for tires on the van and another 200 Euros, approximately $300, for our membership to the National Association for Churches in Kosova.

It is only through your financial and prayer support that we can continue to do His work here in Kosova. If you would like to be a part of our financial team please send tax free donations to: HCC 1741 Oakhill Rd. Wooster, Ohio 44691. For tax reasons make checks payable to HCC and mark Kosova-Z in the memo. 

Grateful for a hot meal!