This Italian team is on fire - literally! This is Alessia during the performance of the second evening in central Gjakova. As she whirled the flaming torches around her body, one of them caught her T-shirt and it started to burn. You can just see it starting to catch fire on her right side. Only she didn't know it! As she was facing forward none of her team did either, so I rushed forward from inside the crowd to warn her. She quickly withdrew and was doused. Fortunately she wasn't burnt, but her shirt had a hole in it. Phew. The performance continued seemlessly.
This is Alessia the next day, talking to 50 children about God's love. She has a very personal reason for doing so. By the time she was 15, her life was a mess. She was trying so hard to find acceptance through relationships and body image, that she became anorexic and began a three year relationship. By the time she was 18 she had become suicidal, trapped in a relationship that wasn't working and trapped in a body that refused to become perfect. She cried out to God and left the relationship. Like the prodigal son in Luke chapter 15, she came to her senses, repented of a disastrous way of life and returned to the God who loves her unconditionally. She has found freedom! She knows that she needs ongoing grace and love to secure that freedom, but Jesus has made such a profound difference in her life, she just has to share it with others. This team of Italian young people are so inspirational to be around, even when they catch fire!
The morning was spent in a village where I have been every week since coming here, all because Jeton befriended a family in need. (see my blogpost 20 July 'Encounter with darkness). The family really wanted the Italian team to visit, so Jeton sought permission from the village school and local community leaders. He was turned down, so we decided to hold the event anyway, in the area in front of their house. When we arrived something had happened! God had been at work because we were directed and welcomed to the school by two community leaders, with full access to the school and its facilities! We had a great couple of hours there.
Jan, as always, getting fully involved...
We then spent some time in the family's house and grounds, with the dad harvesting melons from their allotment to give us all something to eat. Bearing in mind this is one of the poorest families I've seen in Kosova, this was costly hospitality. We then prayed for the family and again God touched these lovely people deeply. The church is trying to find a reasonably priced plumber to install water and water heater inside their house. The conditions they are living are very sparse, with a well for water supply and a leaky roof over one of the beds. With winter not far away there is real urgency to make sure they have an inside toilet and a water tight house. God's love isn't just talk here, it's intensely practical too.
Here are some of the team outside the family's house, enjoying some home grown melon.
On the previous day, Jan and I were able to revisit the family who so kindly gave us generous hospitality last week. (see blogpost 8 August 'An unexpected honour'.) We took the amazing Rrezarta, who has translated my sermons here, plus her Dutch husband Ton and two from the Italian team, Manuel and Sara. Saime, the daughter in law of the family who made us delicious burek last week, just happened to have spent ten years in ... Italy before she married into this family! No need for a translator for the Italians, then. We learnt that she had lost twins during a recent pregnancy and as we were leaving Sara was able to pray with her. We were able to share our faith with them, which they appreciated - along with some basic food supplies!
Please pray for these two poor families, particularly for Saime (third from right above picture removed) and Shpresa (second from right, next to me, below), the mum of the first family mentioned.
There is so much more I'd like to report but as we approach our last full day in Gjakova, no time to relate all the amazing things God is doing here. Like the Italians, I'm on fire!
