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The war is over, but Kosovars are suffering and their needs are great. Christian workers in this tiny, embattled Balkan nation find that outreach there is rewarding but the people’s needs are staggering.

A woman (name withheld) with Operation Mobilization (OM) working in Kosovo, says a lot of work remains to restore Kosovo and its people. “A lot of families with small kids have lost their breadwinners,” she said. Around 200 destitute families are still living in tents donated by the UN High Commission for Refugees and other groups.

After leading several teams to the country since the war ended, she moved there last year. Fourteen OMers and OM associates from seven countries now work in Kosovo. One team is planting a church in the city of Peja, which was devastated by the fighting but has since been almost rebuilt. A second team is working in Decan.

“People are so hospitable,” she said. “You walk down the street and they invite you for coffee. Ministry is easy!”

OM has had an ongoing building team that last summer alone helped 15 desperate widows and families into better housing. Now team members may follow the example of an Assemblies of God church in Decan that is buying cows for families. “Kosovars live on dairy products a lot,” she said. “We want to help with this project, maybe provide a matching fund and partner with churches.”

Another aspect of OM’s ministry will focus on teaching women skills. “Many of them have lost their husbands and have taken their children to live with their husbands’ relatives,” she said. “Often they are treated like slaves, but they have no option. We are starting English classes and are already doing crafts with the women.” The summer outreach to youth included teams that played basketball and football with them. “We see sports ministry as one way forward and are looking into holding sports clinics.”

Although the number of churches in Kosovo has doubled in some cities since the war, she has also noticed stepped-up activity by Muslim missionaries coming from surrounding countries. “Kosovo is over 90 percent Muslim, but it’s not a way of life for most people,” she said. “They see it as more important to be Albanian than to be Muslim.” She asked a person on the street how he felt about the Westerners in their country. “We need the international workers because we need to rebuild the infrastructure,” he told her. “But we don’t want you here forever. We need our own identity.”

Some Kosovars, however, are now convinced that Islam is part of their Albanian identity. “New believers are very persecuted,” she said. “I know some who have packed bags, knowing they may be kicked out of the house.” She describes the plight of one teenage girl whose family has burned her Bible, beaten and threatened her with a knife, and followed her when she leaves the house. “She has been forbidden all contact with us. She tells her family, ‘I can never give up Jesus!’ I am so humbled by her life. I don’t know when I’ll see her next.”

Older believers are discouraged by the lack of jobs and lack of prospects. “Everyone visualized a prosperous post-war world,” she said. “But now the NGOs are leaving, and [Kosovars] don’t see any hope for the future. Pray that believers don’t leave the country.”

Right now, she said, there’s little danger for expatriates who come to minister, and it’s easier for them than locals to actively witness their faith. When an Albanian on her team last summer gave a 5-minute “Bridge to Life” presentation during a gospel concert, the crowd picked up stones and threw them at him. It hurt, but he finished the message.

“Things are going to change in Kosovo within a few years, she said. “Opposition has visibly increased everywhere, even in the last five months. So we work as if our time is coming to an end. After evangelizing and discipling people, we need to be training leaders.”

April 5, 2002