Food poisoning!

I was having such a good day yesterday. After a lazy morning and a late breakfast I went out for a cuppa with Jeton. He has helped me to understand so much since I've been here and his warm and loving acceptance of me as a friend is amazing and wonderful.

Amazing? Well, after the war, the heart response of many western European Christians and their relatively new mission agencies was generous, but, sadly in many cases, naive and patronising. Instead of asking the question "how can we help you?", the attitude was more one of "join us, we know best." These agencies have, for the most part, not lasted the course when a long term, humble commitment was what was needed. There is one special person I know who has lasted the course (18 years and still serving) and is the reason that we are here. Her name is Diana Seeney and she's my boss (well, church secretary of the church we serve together).

Jeton told me of one example of the naivity of one mission agency. The need to rebuild many of the damaged homes after the war was huge - at gunpoint, the Serbs would send thousands of the majority ethnic Kosovan Albanians over the border to Albania and then burn their homes, having killed many of their menfolk. When they came back, they needed help - and anyone offering help was welcomed. Well, this Christian agency rebuilt a whole village, a wonderful and practical sharing of the love of Christ. The whole village responded by saying that they had become Christians.

This was widely celebrated as a complete success, but when Jeton and other local Christians went to follow up and run a children's Bible club, the men of the village met them, one with a kalashnikov, and told them that if they didn't leave the village within five minutes they would be killed. The phenomenon of 'rice Christians', first experienced by Hudson Taylor in China during the C19th, is still alive and well in Kosova. Jeton is still asked to this day how much he is paying his church members to attend church. The influx of western Christians after the war has made Jeton's (and his fellow pastors) role far more difficult, so his open and loving attitude to me, a western Christian, is truly amazing. I hope I will never betray this risky openness.

An additional, but sadly not appreciated, aspect of the culture here is that many Kosovans have come to expect handouts and guaranteed work (a communist leftover). This attitude of entitlement is widespread and I believe Christian agencies did not do enough cultural research when they charged into this battered country on their white horses. An entirely different approach was needed. Getting under the skin of a culture is SO important for mission, and although I am far from being an expert here, I can see that the basic principles of mission taught me by the great Dr John Davis in the early '90's are proved right. Short termism and the need for instant success is not God's way.

During our cafe conversation, Jeton introduced me to an impressive young man who had genuinely become a Christian, the result of long term and loving relationship building and prayer. Jesus has appeared to him several times in dreams and visions and his testimony was powerful. Sadly, again, because of the lack of meaningful employment here, he is leaving for Germany in a couple of months. This has happened so many times to Jeton when he needs coworkers to stick around and help in the work. Please do pray for my very good friend Jeton as he determinedly continues to serve Christ in a really challenging context. I love this man!

O yes, what about the food poisoning? Well, Jeton kindly took me out for lunch and we enjoyed a delicious burger and chips together. Unfortunately the egg on top of my burger was half-cooked and by evening I was vomiting many times into the early hours. I don't feel too good today and am still in bed, but maybe symbolically I am experiencing the aftermath of the half-cooked help brought over by well intentioned sisters and brothers in Christ...