Easter Blessings!

Our Easter Celebration!

He is not here! He is Risen!
Luke 24:6

Hope your Easter was blessed, we enjoyed a neat time with the church in Malisheve!

It was a wonderful time to remember the Resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ, and to think upon the new life God has given us in His Son. What an incredible testimony of God's LOVE for us...Jesus was crucified for our sins and buried in a grave yet, the POWER of God raised Him from the dead....We love and serve a living God, One that is alive and active in our daily lives, and the One who we will spend together with in eternity...Our Creator, Our God and our Redeemer!

Here are some highlights of our time together

We had a beautiful Easter Day!
The heavens declare the glory of God, and the firmament shows His handiwork
Psalm 19:1

Spring is here! The flowers are blooming on the hillsides

Looking toward Malisheve
The cows even enjoy the beautiful weather!
Taking time in the sunshine: Sam and Kim
Jen being cute!

The kids put on a Easter drama..it was the best! They memorized verses from the bible and shared the story of the Resurrection

He is not here, He is Risen!

We went to Prishtine for an Easter celebration with all the evangelical churches in the area, it was so neat to see so many Kosovar believers gathered together!
The believers met their friends and enjoyed sweet fellowship



We had a nice lunch out with Sam, his friend Liroc , Hana, Sherea and Fatmir...

The Girls!

The Guys!

God gave us a beautiful sunset on our drive home...You can just see the power and glory of God in His creation!
Our God is an awesome God, He reigns in heaven and earth, with wisdom, power and love, our God is an awesome God!

Happy Spring and New life in Christ!
May your hearts draw nearer to the incredible LOVE of the Lord
He loves us with an everlasting LOVE


Prayer Requests:

**The believers: Their hearts as they walk with Jesus

**Randy and Lycia: Preparing to return to Kosovo

**Jen and Kim: Continued direction in serving the Lord

Overdue update

Hi Everyone,

Forgive us for this overdue update! We are doing well, and it has been a very busy month for us.
There is lots going on each day just being in the midst of the believers daily lives here, although we are enjoying being a part of it all. We have certainly felt the spiritual oppression here, as we see the discouragements that can come along. This has also been mixed with physical sickness and many of us have had another round of colds and flu which is commonly known as "The Grip"
Jen was sick for a full week in Feb. Now we are all doing much better and stronger.



Life is also just normal living here, and watching the church struggle with basics areas of Christian growth, as we all do! We are here to encourage them in these areas, like leadership, servanthood, and just simple decision making however, like all of us, growth can be slow yet steady. We pray the church grows more and more in HEART knowledge, rather than just head knowledge.

It's been wonderful to see God's hand through the time we have been here. Although the trials come, we have also seen the victories! We praise the Lord for His constant care and faithfulness and answered prayer!

Your prayers have helped us abundantly, and we are so thankful for being with us in this way!

Sherea is doing well, We have had times of discipleship with her and she seems sincere with a desire to change and grow in the Lord. It has been a very hard time for her, now facing the consequences of not finishing this year of school, but, God has helped her keep focus. She was turned down by two other schools, for this year, however, found out that her old school will take her back next year. Meanwhile, she is in English classes. This will help her learn more English and also develop her studying skills. Sherea has expressed her gratefulness for the love and care she has experienced...thank you for being a part of her life in your prayers!

Please keep Sherea in your prayers for growth in the Lord as well as in practical decisions she will make for her life.

We pray our morning devotions with the girls are encouraging their hearts in the Lord, we have also had opportunities to share with them through some of their struggles and it's a blessing to watch God knit our hearts together. Currently, we are learning about Jesus, our Good Shepherd as we study Psalm 23 at Sarah's home. We enjoy our Friday bible study group!

We are enjoying sweet fellowship with many of the people:
Here are some of the ways!

Jen makes wonderful scarfs for the girls

Mira visited from Albania
(It was a wonderful time!)

Wash Day in Kosovo

(This is how they shampoo their living room rugs!)

Kim and Burim being silly

Jen & Emeria enjoy a cappucinno together!

We play wild games of "UNO" with wild rules!

Jen and Ilir fix lunch after church

Sam and Sheptime help do the dishes

Serious Missionaries!

Ha! Taking a break from the stress of the day



Please PRAY for Kim, Jen and Sam
We have 5 short weeks left here in Kosovo, and the days are flying by quickly!
We have really enjoyed serving together here, and we are seeking the Lord as He leads us individually in our call and direction for the next step in life.

"He who calls you is FAITHFUL, Who also will do it "
1 Thess. 5:24

Last Week...

{Sheria & Abnora}

"And the prayer of faith will save the sick, and the Lord will raise him up. And if he has commited sins, he will be forgiven. Confess your trespasses to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much." James 5:15&16

Wow...thank you guys all so much for your prayers...we can't stress enough how we require them of you in order to serve here in God's strength. For those of you who don't know last Wednesday on of the girls living with us, Sheria, tried to take her own life. She had been kicked out of school and consumed with hopelessness of her life situation she drank soap. Her cousin Emria was worried because she had locked herself in the bathroom, she got in and found her unconscious. We rushed her to the clinic behind our building and they sent her to Prishtina via ambulance for treatment. Her stomach was pumped and she is OK, praise God. We have had some good time to talk and pray with her and are excited at what God will be doing in this new chapter of life. She no longer imagines herself to be alone and has seen the body of Christ here become her family during this time. Both her parents are deaf mute and her brother (probably early 20's) provides for the family. Please continue to keep her in your prayers as she has agreed to change her school and communication habits so as to still live with us. Monday she will be attempting to register at a school 30 minuets away to finish out her 12 year in high school. She is 17 and has 13th year left after this. Also please pray for the body of Christ here as they learn to reach out to one another and to be open with one another about their struggles. The leading guys in the church are already talking about making a point to reach out to the younger believers. Please pray that there would be greater discipleship one with another here. Also please pray for our home as we serve the body and the girls living with us. We will be holding them more accountable for their school and time. Please pray as we endeavor to love them through accountability :o) Please pray for Burim as he was accompanying Sheria in the ambulance he was thrown against a chair and hurt his rib. He doesn't know if he has only bruised it or worse as the medical attention here isn't the best. Also he has been sick for almost a month with a bad cough which adds more pain to the rib situation. He is also going to be counseling some with Sheria as he is a leader (they call them Deacons) in the church here. None of have ever dealt with anything like this so please pray for God's wisdom and leading in our words and actions. Also the interview that Kim had with the police on Friday went well and they even said that they do not consider the church or English school related to the incident (PRAISE GOD..that was a fear or ours). They have proven relatively easy to deal with which is a huge praise report! Thank you again for all you prayers and know that they "avail much"

Zoti ju Bekoft (God Bless you)

Kim & Jen

PRAISE REPORTS

• Sheria is safe and sound and growing in her understanding of God's love for her as well as the love of the family of Christ


• The church and Deacons are being challanged to be responsible for one another


• The police - our dealings with them have gone well


• Yeah! By God's grace we made it through this week!!!

PRAYER REQUESTS

• Sheria-continued healing


• Burim-rib and sickness


• Deacons-wisdom in leading the church


• Us-wisdom for our home


• The church-greater discipleship with the older leading the younger


• The church-A greater openess with one another and increased prayer for one another
  

Village Visit

Fatmir & Gezim asked us to visit their families in the village of Ladrotz this last Saturday after our church service.
We went to Gezim's house first where we met his Mother and his seven siblings, four under the age of six. It was a very busy house. Kim got to share some from the bible and we prayed with them. Unfortunately our camera wasn't working too good so mostly we have pictures of Fatmir's family who lives right next door. Fatmir and Gezim are cousins.

Ever helpful Fatmir & Gesime helping jump start the Toyota so we could go visit their families in the village. Thankfully now we think we know why the battery has been acting up though and should have the problem fixed soon :o) Life in Kosovo! Ha!

Fatmir with his baby brother Genc. Please pray for Genc as he has been sick for almost a month now with a bad cough and trouble breathing. We brought him to the hospital in Prishtina yesterday and they have him in the intensive care unit. From his x-rays it seems that he may have pnemoinia..not sure with translation and all. Please pray for him as he is only 2 months old.

Group picture with Fatmir's family. We had a very sweet visit with them. Fatmir and at least one of his sisters are believers. Please pray for his parents who do not yet know the lord.

Fatmir's dad..when Fatmir was out of the room he was still determined to communicate with us so he used lots of hand motions to try and make us understand. We were all laughing :o)


Fatmir's little brother Lek-so cute! Named after a king.


Kim had a great conversation with this visiting Muslim girl (17 years old) who had lots of questions about the differences between Christianity and Islam. Please pray for her, her name is Ariana. Lycia has been witnessing to her. We are praying she comes to the Valentine's night.

Pray Requests...

• Fatmir & Gezim as they Provide for their households
• Fatmir's baby brother Genc: for strength and health
• Gezim's Mom: grace to handle all her kids and her poor health
• Ariana's Salvation
• Wisdom for us
• Toyota & Van...Lord keep 'em runnin'!

God bless you all..we think and pray for you often!

Love

Kim & Jen