Driving in Kosova...

Yesterday I had the opportunity to drive in Kosova...my first time driving in Kosova, or anywhere else outside of the US.

To start with...it was easier than I expected. I was nervous though. I borrowed my pastor's car, for a trip to Prishtina so I could take care of some immigration ID business. I got a quick tutorial about traffic laws: no right turns on red, headlights on, must have tire chains, and what the international traffic signs mean, especially the speed limits.

Speed limits for the most part are 60kph (about 40-45mph), but just like in the US...people were passing me like I was not even moving, even though I was going the speed limit. There has been a large amount of road construction, and I think some of the lower speed limit signs were still up, even though the construction is complete. There were only 2-3 stretches of road where the road was really bad, the rest was new highway and very nice.

There was one area where I thought the oncoming traffic was a little close to my side of the road, especially the big trucks hauling sand. The roads seem narrower than those in the US.

So...I have finally driven in Kosova. Now I am ready to be able to start traveling to the smaller villages to see patients that are not able to travel to the clinic in Malishevë. Currently I have 3 patients that I need to go see: Blerta, a 17yr old girl with paralysis, Elona, an 11yr old girl with Cerebral Palsy, and Aferdita, a 27 yr old woman with Multiple Sclerosis. I am still raising funds for a ministry vehicle, up to ~1500€. Still have a ways to go, but I am confident that the Lord will provide in His timing. Stay tuned!

I am still moving forward each day...

Christmas thoughts...

This is my 3rd Christmas season in a Muslim country, and this year was a very special time. It was a time when I was mostly alone, but not lonely. (Well, maybe a little lonely at times...) I am away from my daughters, Nicole and Elissa, and my kinship family and friends in New Mexico. Due to the timing of events in our fellowship in Malishevë there were no Christmas Day gatherings. Also, I have been fighting a bad cold for over a week, so a day spent in my "jammies" with no visitors was just what I needed. Just me and the Lord...

This year the Lord showed me several things about the Celebration of the Birth of Jesus. Being removed from all of the "buzy-ness" of Christmas, the day became very special because of the one thing that is most important...The GIFT! It has been a wonderful time of reflection for me...

Christmas Eve, our fellowship in Malishevë all gathered together to worship. Familiar carols sung in Albanian, a little different, but still a precious time to join our voices in celebration. The teaching was about the gifts the magi brought to give to the Christ Child, and how those gifts were of great value, and the men traveled a great distance to present them.

Christmas is about the "Gift" of God's Son to the world, I am sure that most everyone is aware of that. But for me...this year it was about the need for each of us to receive that "Gift" and to allow that "Gift" to change our lives. Most importantly, it is a gift that is to be shared with all of man kind. Once we have received the "gift of salvation through Jesus Christ"...we are called to give the gift away, sharing openly with all the world. Christmas is not about what we get, but what we give. For those of us that have already accepted God's Gift of Jesus, we have something so valuable to share with people around us that have not heard the gospel.

Also, since today is the day after Christmas, each of us has to decide what we are going to do now. Is the celebration just until the 25th and then it is over? Or is it a time when each of us need to get busy and share the gospel with the people we meet each day? The gift of salvation is not something that we keep to ourselves, tucked away and safe. It is a gift that cost God His only begotten Son. It is a gift we are to give away.

"For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that who so ever believes, will not perish, but have everlasting life." John 3:16

What are you going to do with your "Gift" today...?

Sidewalk skating...

We have our first major winter storm right now with really cold temperatures and lots of ice and snow. When I first moved here I was amazed at the "technique" the Kosovars used while walking in the snow and ice. It is a kind of shuffle step and slide motion. I haven't tried this technique yet, as I am pretty sure I will be on some body part other than my feet. Even with my hiking boots.

When the snow and ice first came on Wednesday, it was about an hour before the students got out of classes. In Malishevë, the high school students commute by bus and they go past my apartment to get to the bus station. I watched from my window as they were slipping and sliding, and having too much fun. Most of the guys would run and then slide on the sidewalks about 10-15feet, which only made the sidewalks icier for the other students. I saw several students who had umbrellas, since it was still snowing, and they would try some creative style techniques on the icy streets. Hmmm...maybe a new Olympic sport?

I used to think that this shuffle/slide step was an acquired skill just for fun. Someone shared with me that it is a survival skill for ice and snow in Kosova. Come to think of it...I didn't see anyone falling.

I was in Prishtina yesterday...and did not like negotiating the ice/snow covered steps. Handrails are often not included. I am so careful because I do not want to fall. (I have fallen in the past, and it provided entertainment for those around me...not a pretty sight!)

The Kosovars...well they just keep shuffling and sliding.

I did it...

Today was my first day in the clinic without a translator. My regular translator, Besnik, was busy helping a couple from England. All of the patients that were scheduled to come I had treated previously so I thought I would be able to treat them on my own without too much difficulty.

It was a great day, I was able to communicate with the staff and explain where Besnik was. I was able to treat 7 patients, ask questions, teach new exercises, and just "chat" with them. I also had a new patient with Bell's palsy, (facial paralysis), that I was able to easily understand and treat. The dictionary did come out a few times, but my patients didn't mind.

After 5 hours, my brain hurt and I was exhausted, but also very excited at this big step in my Albanian language skills. I wrote down phrases that I couldn't come up with in the clinic, and have already figured out how to say what I couldn't think of earlier.

It has been so frustrating for me in learning Albanian, but GOD...! He was with me today, and He continues to provide opportunities for me to grow in my language skills. I am so excited and encouraged...there will be a time when I won't need a translator in the clinic.

Now, if I could just get to the place where I can understand my landlord...