Tag Archives: Testimonies from Kosovo

News from Balkans

The needs of the church in Gjakova

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       The past year has been marked with lots of events: Pastor Skender coming to America, his injury, his death, and burial. Starting January 8, 2017, life took a different shift for the church, especially for Valbona, Debora, Sara, and Sion. The timeline of life before and after Pastor Skender’s death was marked forever in Valbona’s and the kids’ life.  God has been taking care of them always meeting every need. He also provided an apartment for them which Balkans Partners rents every month. Something we are praying to keep continuing to do through your support and your prayers.
       However, they are keeping their Sunday services over at Valbona’s apartment as well every week. In the beginning, they started having the services sometimes at Pastor Selman’s house and sometimes at Valbona’s house.  Pastor Selman is the one leading the services.
       Meanwhile, the church is in need of a place to gather every Sunday and other days when needed. For now, there has been no place to rent yet. Please pray with us as we continue to search for an adequate and affordable place to rent for the church so that it can meet their needs.
       Valbona and the kids need money every month for rent, food, water, electricity and other expenses. Balkans Partners is also on a search for a new apartment to buy for Valbona and the kids so that they can call it home after everything that happened. For now, we are in need of raising support since the dollar exchange rate is changing every month. And unfortunately, the dollar rate to euros is growing weaker. The main issue right now is that the apartments in Kosovo need to be legalized. All the apartments that are being built have no legalization while in the process. After the building is all finished and people buy the apartment complex it is then that the building is legalized. This is also another huge reason we want to wait so that we can purchase one with legalized papers in our hand.

Please continue to keep the church in Gjakova in your prayers.

Requests:

  1. For a place that the church can gather and worship our Savior
  2. For an apartment for Valbona and the kids
  3. For support with monthly expenses for Pastor Skender’s family
News from Balkans, Testimonies

Cracked bone healed from the Lord.

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unnamedBlediar Kela is a 6 year-old child that lives in our neighborhood. His two older sisters attend our church; both are Christians and love Jesus Christ. His family is Muslim in background.

Blediar broke his leg when he was hit by a different child with bicycle about three weeks before he and his family were to go to the church’s summer camp for families. He was sent to the doctor to be examined and the doctor treated him, but the problem recurred again one week before camp. The bone had cracked again where he broke it. He went again to the doctor and was treated again, and he was told to not step on the leg for 30 days. Because Blediar’s parents had applied for the camp, they took Blediar with him.

On the second day of camp in the morning meeting, Dr. Robert Primrose spoke on prayer as he had on the first day, and then we prayed for people that needed prayer. Blediar told his mom Valinda that he wanted us specifically to pray for him, so his mom brought him forward and one of the friends that came from USA, Brian Primrose– nephew of Dr.Primrose– prayed for his leg to be healed. A day later we noticed him being stepping on the leg though the doctor said to not do it. However, Blediar still feared to release his weight on it completely because of what happened to him before when the bone cracked.

Right after camp I was asked by Brian how Blediar was, and I had this answer for him.

Watch here and see the answer.

 

 

Testimonies

How I Came to Follow Jesus

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F.LBy: GM

My story of hearing about Christ began when some missionaries started

a meeting in my neighbor’s house. My older daughter S was a friend with

my neighbor’s daughter Y and every time the missionary came she would

invite my daughter and they would gather in that house and learn about

the Bible and Jesus.

My husband was alive in that time, and He found out that they teach Bible  and teach about Jesus there. So he forbade S to go. She came to me and  started to share with me about her experience, how she believed in Christ  and repented. I understood that my daughter had changed her faith from

Muslim to Christianity. I was angry and did not like that at all, but I did not share this with my husband, knowing what reaction He would do.

During that time my younger daughter met a young man who had a Muslim name, and he came and asked the hand of our younger daughter, which my husband approved not knowing that He was a believer in Jesus, and also the brother of a Christian preacher. In about seven months time, He married my younger daughter, and then some months later, his older brother comes in my neighborhood and speaks to a crowd of people out in tent meeting that my oldest daughter and other young people attended secretly and without my permission. This preacher, who was now brother in law to my younger daughter, came and visited us and spoke to our family about sin, forgiveness of sin and salvation that is offered by Jesus. He challenged my family to repent and believe, something that my husband refused categorically. To make the long story short, several weeks later I found out that my older daughter was dating this preacher in a hidden way, which made me think that he is fake and not a believer at all in any kind of religion,  that he preaches just to change our religion, and that he is paid by that other German missionary. Sometime later he came and visited us again, asking the hand of my daughter in marriage, something that was refused instantly from my husband and me. We did not like that.

Three months after his visit, my daughter left and went and married him, which was hard for my family since my husband was making plans to kill him, because He showed disrespect for our family. The worst came when two weeks after the marriage, he came and entered inside of the house with our daughter. They took a seat at a table in the yard and called my husband, challenging him to reconcile with them or to kill them both. Something that my husband really liked was his courage and boldness, so he gave a right hand to him and accepted him as son. My husband had a sympathy for the son-in-law if he was brave, and he saw that in this man. That made him really happy and also made him forget that he belongs to different religion and has a completely different faith.

Several years later, after the unexplained disappearance of my husband, I started to have a pain in my heart. My blood pressure would move up and down, and my head was in pain. My older daughter S came to visit me, and she started to share with me, telling me if I repent and ask the Lord Jesus for forgiveness of my sin and accept him by declaring and believing that He is God, He will give me peace and heal my heart. I had no option; truth was spoken in my face. Though I had heard it many times and deep down knew they are right and I knew their lives were different,  I had rejected it. This time I decided to make a step, and I said to my daughter in tears, “Teach me how to confess my sins and become a believer.” After a prayer with my daughter, I felt peace, and somehow I knew Lord had touched my body and healed it, which later a doctor confirmed that it was true. I was healed in my body.

That’s how I came to know the Lord Jesus Christ, and I challenge any of you reading this, to make a commitment, repent of your sins and give  your life to Christ by believing in Him. Then declare Him to others as Lord and God of your life.

GM

Note:  We believe you have been blessed with the testimony, Balkans Partners Inc is in contact with leadership and people that work in this area and is helping to advance the Kingdom of God. If you want to help a pastor, a church, in this area with needs that are present please click here and see the option how you can be blessed by contributing online or by sending old fashion check.

Testimonies

How God called me.

Argolida-300x225
Argolida Kela with girl from Haiti

My name is Argolida Kela and I’m from Kosovo. I grew up in a Muslim family.

We are all 6 members, my parents, my older brother Lirik, me then my sister Artina and my youngest brother Lirim.When I was 8 years old I was exposed to a war that happened in Kosovo (my country) with Serbia. The war was severe and it affected in how I viewed things and how I grew up. When I was 9 years old, one of my friends invited me to go to this “church”, because during that time it was an organization to help kids that had been influenced by the war. I really did like it there. I felt more alive, more joyful. My life and behavior started to change day by day.

When I was 9 I accepted Jesus in my life and since then I walk with the Lord, holding His hands as I face trials and temptations, knowing and realizing that I don’t want to be the wandering sheep anymore, I want to be changed and shaped by His Presence. It was not easy to grow in Jesus, the discipline by the Father was worth it because I wouldn’t be where I am right now if I would have given up. ‘Never quit, never let it go,’ was my stubbornness in Jesus. But the other part was holding onto hope because I knew one day I would be able to face the storms that come in my life by allowing Jesus to be strong in my weaknesses.

My family is not rich enough to pay for my education, but my Heavenly Father, the one who created me, the one who is the head of my family table, is able to provide for my education and everything I need in my life. I did Discipleship Training School (DTS), in YWAM (YouthWithAMission) in Lakeside, Montana in 2010. We were trained how to be missionaries and grow in the Lord. We had 3 months lecture and 2 months we went somewhere to actually practice what we had learned. I felt I was supposed to go to Haiti, which was a completely new experience for me. God’s hand worked miraculously through our team which of 12, including our leaders. After that I did School of Biblical Studies in the same base, YWAM, Lakeside, Montana, where I studied the Bible 9 months really intensely. That completely changed my perspective even how I viewed people. Going back to the provision, God provided every single cent for both training.

Waiting anxiously to go to college in United States after I went back home in 2012 from YWAM, God closed the doors. I was so confused, I didn’t know what to think anymore, but Proverbs 16:9, “The heart of man plans his way, but the LORD establishes his steps,” was planted in my heart. I trusted that He would do His way. I gave up my own plans and relied on Him even though it was hard. Proverbs 3:5-6 says, “Trust in the LORD with all your hear, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him, and he will make straight your paths.” During that year I was having a Bible study with the youth in my church that my Pastor Skender Hoti started years ago, even when I was part of it, growing up as a kid. During the year, my two youngest siblings became Christians, Artina who is 17 and my younger brother Lirim who is 16. It has passed a year since they became Christians. There was no greater joy for me to be witness to their conversion. It was worth it to be home for a year. God didn’t stop with that; my two cousins that I live with became Christians, and Jesus is moving in my other family members’ hearts. God opened the doors after praying and praying.

I applied to Moody Bible Institute and was accepted, even though people said it was hard to get accepted. God provided for my tuition and He will continue to provide for the rest of the education. I am a third year studying Communications but in the same time Biblical Studies (it’s a double major). I am so thankful to be part of this community. God never ceases to surprise us and make us taste His Presence and joyfulness through everything in this life. Without Him I wouldn’t have anything I have right now. Suffering, trials, downs and messing up are things that grow us in walking with Him, always being reminded to go before Him with a sincere heart full of repentance so that it can be acceptable before God.

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Argolida Kela – Finished Education Project

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Argolida-Kela-200x300Argolida Kela is one of the students that Balkans Partners have supported in the study with Youth With a Mission. Courses she has completed with YWAM include the Discipleship Training School and the School of Biblical Studies.

Here is what Argolida says about her studies.

As you noticed, my name is Argolida Kela, and what I can say to you is that God Loves You. I have been thinking what to put about me in this page, so I will make it short: I am a student, my heart is to lead people in worship and teach them about God. I love to go to different mission fields and talk to people about the good news of salvation. I want to share with you my testimony and how I met God and came to know the truth, –  Click Here

On May 2017, Argolida Kela finished Moody Bible Insitute with a BA in Communications and Biblical Studies. She got married (yet with the celebration to happen in Kosovo) and lives with her husband in New York.

Prayers are still appreciated as living in a new place is not easy. The need now is to find a good job and a very solid church. Thank you for your support and your prayers.