WELCOME

Prizren, Kosova Church of Christ

Prizren, Kosova
no telephone

Campaign to Kosova

To inquire or join the team write
Dick Ady

Thank you for your prayers. God does answer pray and is changing Kosova one person at a time.

"Kosovo" is the spelling used by Serbs and journalist; "Kosova" is the spelling used by Albanians. In Albanian, the pronunciation is on the second syllable "so."

The church in Kosova is under persecution.
 

The Republic of Kosova (Albanian: Republika e Kosovës) was a self declared state proclaimed in 1990 by the assembly of Kosovo.

August 1999 was the first visit to Kosova to survey the possibilities of a church there. It was following the war. Members from Tirana were very positive about planting a church in Prizren.

In Oct. 1999, Doug Smith of Longview, Washington committed himself to growing the church in Prizren, Kosova where the people were saying that the Muslims have failed them. "Now, they are interested in Christianity."

Doug began working with a family previously identified by the refugee work in Tirana. Much of his work was with the hospitals. He helped burned out families find materials and supplies to rebuild their homes. Rebuilding a village school was accomplished.

The church grew in number and in spirit for a period. In April 04, the people of Prizren raided the school stealing property. The church moved to a home where it was persecuted.

For some time, the faithful met regularly and continue to grow with Wes Dingman preaching. Wes was among the first to campaign in 2000. God bless! Wes is now a ACU in a study program.

You will find the church there, yet.

Kosova
Archive
 

April 04
Jan 2012
July 2012
Aug 2012

Photos

• Prizren
  

• Jeshkove

• Ciline

• Teaching

• Children

Ken Sandefur was there again in 2001. Darina Fojtikova from Czech Republic moved there in the summer of 2001. Darina typically winters back home in Czech Republic. In September, several teachers from America, along with Jim Cassie and his wife, Kath, joined Doug and Darina. Bob Patterson from Oregon trained local leaders for 2 months until Doug Smith returned. In 2002, after Jim and Kath secured funding in Scotland and from a continuation of support from Partners In Progress, Jim arrived May 20 right behind Sokol Haxhiu. Sokol, a young convert from Albania, worked in Prizren on his way home from his university studies in America.

Jim and Kath Cassie were joined by Darina and 5 teachers from America -- Jim & Ginny Bloxham from Texas (cbrooks@rollinghillschurch.com), Elsie Reid (elsiereid35@yahoo.com) & Phyllis Carter ( Cphyllisc@aol.com) from the SW church in Tigard, OR, and Helen Schwanke (hhschwanke@attbi.com) from Kaizer, OR.  They made a wonderful difference. Doug proceeded to Albania. Ken Sandefur began working in Albania. Others from Scotland were recently teaching in Prizren.

The church has changed significantly recently. Jim is back in Scotland. Several moved to Prishtina for university studies. The Muslim community has become violent, and the assembly is now in a home.  But, the small group of Christians remain faithful.

You may still go there to help and encourage all. You will make a difference by spending a few weeks as you spend your vacation and free time. May God lead you to help!

Subject: NEW BABY IN KOSOVA

Dear Ones, Rejoice with our Christian family in Kosova and particularly with the Selitaj family with the birth of their first child, born last Saturday. Her picture is attached and her name is Ana. You can write to them at nikollselitaj@hotmail.com if you wish. They would be thrilled to hear from you. The mother's name is Nazmija.

Ana

Please pray for this family and the church in Kosova everyday. They are mostly unemployed, struggle to heat their homes due to the high cost of wood and electricity and this has been a very cold winter, too. Praise God their faith is growing day by day.

God Bless,

Doug
 

July 2012

 I have just completed my 2012 short-term mission in Prizren Kosovo. This photo is of the 5 students who completed the WEI Basic Bible Course. Altogether, I taught some 70 hours of one-on-one classes during the month I have been here.

WEI Students with Diplomas

Several other students started and, for various reasons, dropped out. The mature man is a journalist, political analyst and published author. He and two of his teenage children are among these students. He has 5 daughters and one son. They attended our Sunday worship and will be traveling with a group from Prizren to Tirana this coming Sunday to experience a larger worship assembly.

Last Sunday we had 17 in worship, including some visitors and the 6 children the members have between them. One other member has 2 daughters, 9 and 11, who we are encouraging to come to the newly started children's class on Sunday morning. They are also going to try a mid-week children's bible study, at least for the summer.

All things considered I am encouraged by the enthusiasm and continuing commitment to the Lord. As you are aware, it's unusual to have 4 families in a mission church in this part of the world. They are usually made up of teenagers and single people. Two of the men in these families were teenage boys when I came here in 1999. If we could get two other young men back, who were baptized in early 2000, we would have 2 more families and 3 more children.

Pray that this new family will make a commitment to the Lord and the church here in Prizren.

God Bless,

Doug
 

Dear Brothers and Sisters, The photo is of our new brother in Christ that I baptized the day before I left Kosova. His name is Nikolle (Nicholas).

The picture is taken in front of the new meeting location for the church. I will be speaking, with Shelby, in the morning worship on the 11th and will share more about him. However, Nikolle has had a severe trial already. His mother passed away on Monday after a very short illness, possibly brought on from taking care of her invalid husband for many months. He is unemployed and is the sole source of income for his family now consisting of his 2 sisters, his father and his wife, who is expecting their first child in January. Through the generosity of several of you that gave me money before I went to Kosova, I was able to buy them the wood they needed for heat and cooking for the winter. His mother was SOOO thankful for that help and that her only son now has many "brothers" around the world.

If you would like to contribute to a "love offering" for this family, please let me know on Sunday. I have sent emergency funds to pay for the funeral expenses, but they still have many needs, as do many families in that country. As Paul did, "they have often gone without food" and other necessities without much complaint. This has been a good "teaching tool" for this new Christian for him to learn to be content in every circumstance and to trust God to make good things from seeming calamities.

May God bless each of us as we contemplate the great blessings, and more, that we receive at the hand of God every day. May the generosity of our hearts compel us to look outward to those, especially of the household of Faith, who are less fortunate.

God Bless, Doug Smith

"TO GOD BE THE GLORY"

Comments: The church in Prizren is in a city subject to conflicts between the resident Muslims and a few Serbs. The Serbs, confined to their homes for the most part, recently have seen their church buildings burned. NATO failed to halt this conflict. WEI's school and the church in Prizren suffered loss of some items in their building and are now meeting in homes, appropriately. We have always seen strength as a result of persecutions. Read Doug Smith's report to see how this is happening in Prizren. Yes, you can go there to help at anytime.

Note: August 04
It has been reported that shots were fired over the house where the church meets. This is the home of Ismajl who not only hosts the assemblies, but he regularly teaches students using WEI's lessons.

Bob Patterson

Dear Dick,

Thanks for your words  of encouragement.

There were two days of "demonstrations" in Kosova on the 18th and 19th of March. About 30 people were killed around the country, including several UN workers. I arrived the following week, and by then all was calm. The Cassies had scheduled a trip back to Scotland and had left a few days before I arrived. I was afraid that the little church might be scattered without some missionary presence, and the fact that all of the windows had been broken out of the WEI office and church meeting place.  However, they had regrouped, as it were, and were meeting in one of the members home.

Jim was planning to change the location of the office before all this happened, so this just sped up that decision. Meanwhile, the church seemed to rally together and decided that meeting in a home was a better idea, anyway. Wes Dingman, an American from New York, working for another English teaching group in Prizren, has been lending unusual leadership to the church. He has been there for three years, speaks fluent Albanian and is married to a sweet Albanian/Kosovar young lady, who was recently baptized into Christ. PS Wes is attending ACU (2011-2012)

We had thirteen in attendance on the 11th of April, and a great spirit of brotherly love was evident. There is still much work to be done in Kosova to tell people about the saving grace of Jesus, but I came home feeling optimistic about what I had previously envisioned to be a set-back for the church. Often we receive lessons to trust God that he will not allow Satan to overcome what he is building. I praise God for his faithfulness!

In  Christ  and  for  His  sake,

Doug

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