A great way to spend a Sunday

It was a real privilege for me to preach at The Rebirth of Kosova Church this morning, relying again on the excellent translating of Rrezarta. In my introduction I shared how it had struck me that the 50 year celebrations of a small step for (a) man on the moon were in contrast to the really giant step for humankind when Jesus walked among us 2,000 years ago. I also played the bass! I felt really at home, not least because of the genuine warmth of the fellowship here, just like at Hope Baptist Stourbridge.
We then visited the capital, Pristina, and the famous Newborn monument which celebrates Kosova as a self-governing country. It was unveiled when independence was formally announced on 17th February 2008 and each year it is given a fresh face-lift to celebrate some issue of importance for the country. This year the issue is...?
It's an issue that really needs to be addressed here. The beauty of those waterfalls we visited the other day is sadly in sharp contrast to the vast amount of rubbish dumped in this beauty spot.
Even the sacred (to the Kosovans) house of Adem Jashari we visited the next day had empty drink cans dumped in it. It is, of course, an issue of global importance as well as personal responsibility.
Opposite the monument is the Heroinat memorial, a 3D picture of a woman, made up of 20,000 pins to give a typographical effect. It commemorates the 20,000  women raped in this country during the 1998-99 war.
We were there waiting for some friends of Diana's to meet us and then take us to their home. Rosemary took advantage of a nearby café to indulge in a sinful amount of ice cream.
We enjoyed good food and really interesting conversation with Di's friends, Angela and Paul. They are an amazing couple who have dedicated their lives to the people of Kosova, Angela works as a legal representative for the UN's Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe and Paul as a High School teacher. Here they are with their lovely daughters Joanna and Sophie.
As we drove through the city streets to find the main road back home, we encountered an obstruction which I don't think you'd find in many other European capital cities...
It was a great way to spend a Sunday.

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