‎"We thought God had forgotten Kosovo."

The last week of July I teamed up with our campus ministry in Kosovo and Albania for an English language camp. Both Kosovo and Albania are ethnically Muslim and war-torn yet they are open to the gospel and friendly to Americans. The above quote is a response I heard when conversation turned to Jesus at camp.



Many of their names I could not pronounced so I relied on nicknames. This is my class starting back left: Me, Luan, Taulant "Mr. T.", Xhelal "J-Lo", Denis "Hopper", Ardit "DT", Genci. The front row: Dianna, Kaltrina, Alketa "Katie" and Flora.

That week was one of the funnest weeks of ministry I have had in years. There were difficult parts, most certainly, but connecting with the students in my class made it a fantastic week. Mine was the advanced level of 4 different classes which led to good conversations with these students, both inside and outside the classroom.



I had in-depth gospel conservations with just about everyone in my class. When I met with "DT" (pictured here with his girlfriend Ela) he told me, "I believe that Jesus was the Son of God. What should I do next?" I was floored with how the Holy Spirit had prepared his heart. DT trusted Christ with me that very evening! Another student in my class also trusted Christ that week.



In the evenings on the beach our class had "discussion group" when we read from the Bible and discussed what we read. Bible readings for the week including Genesis 1 ("do you believe there is a God who created the universe?"), John 1, Romans 5 and Matthew 27-28, the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus. Although most of the students were not Christ-followers and most were at least ethnically Muslim, the conversation and questions led me to believe these students were attentive to what the Spirit wanted to show them.



Two law students in my class, Kaltrina and Flora, both had birthdays during camp week and we gave each a UGA baseball hat. They are both from Muslim homes yet they do not fit the American stereotype of young Muslims.



Jennie and Ron Rush from our church in Atlanta (Johnson Ferry Baptist Church) traveled over to help teach at the camp. The students respect and look up to older people, contrary to many western societies, and they loved Jennie and Ron. Here they are pictured with Izmiri.



Dave Stubblefield (middle), on staff at Johnson Ferry Baptist Church, also joined us for the week. Dave taught one of the classes and did a great job connecting with the students. Here he is with Denis (left) and Xhelal "J-Lo."



One day we had a discussion about different countries. Here are my notes about what my class said they liked (left panel) and didn't like (right panel) about America. I kept the in-depth discussion to spiritual things even though it was interesting to see how this culture viewed the rest of the world.



Need to use the bathroom while at school? May I introduce you to the "squatty potty"! Just put your feet on either side of that hole and the rest is self-explanatory. Also, they turned off the electricity to the school for the summer so our classrooms were without any electrical power, including fans and lights.



From a distance, the beach where we stayed was new and beautiful. Yet there was trash everywhere. Cows scavenged thru the trash on the beach and wandering pigs rummaged thru the garbage along side the roads.



Our flight leaving Albania departed at 5am for Budapest. Since we were picked up at the hotel at 2:30 am for the 1 1/2 hour drive to the airport, I just didn't go to bed that final night and stayed up with the students. One of the blessings of a 5am flight was that I was able to catch the sunrise out my airplane window.

Thank you for your prayers and giving so we can be ambassadors for Christ in far-away places. The world is hurting and needs what God has entrusted to the American church.

Here is one last glimpse into our week...