Ok...now what?

PRAGUE — Kosovo’s unilateral declaration of independence from Serbia in 2008 did not violate international law, the United Nations’ highest court said Thursday in a ruling that Kosovo heralded as a victory but that legal experts warned could spur separatist movements around the world.

Legal experts said that while the International Court of Justice had ruled that Kosovo’s declaration of independence was legal, it had avoided saying that the state of Kosovo was legal under international law, a narrow and carefully calibrated compromise that they said could allow both sides to declare victory in a dispute that remains raw even 11 years after the war there.

New York Times

How NOT to help your cause...Updated

Updated July 5th...

Kosovo Serb MP shot in flashpoint town

MITROVICA Kosovo (Reuters) - An unidentified gunman shot and slightly hurt an ethnic Serb member of the Kosovo parliament in a fresh incident in the divided northern town of Mitrovica, police said Monday.

It was the second act of political violence in Mitrovica in the past week, highlighting continuing tensions in the former Serb province, whose Albanian majority declared independence from Belgrade in 2008.

"The incident occurred at 8.20 (7:20 a.m. British time) when Petar Miletic was leaving his home in northern Mitrovica to go to work in Pristina," said Ergin Medic, deputy regional police chief.

Blast kills 1 at Serb protest in north Kosovo town.

MITROVICA, Kosovo — An explosion tore through a Serb protest in an ethnically divided town of Kosovo on Friday, fatally injuring one man and leaving about 11 others with shrapnel wounds, police and doctors said.
It was the latest in a series of violent incidents in Mitrovica over the last two years, as minority Serbs in northern Kosovo have rejected the country's independence from Serbia and bridle against the majority ethnic Albanian authority in Pristina.
Kosovo police said a hand grenade went off Friday in the crowd of about 1,000 Serbs protesting the opening of a civil registry office run by Pristina in the Serb-dominated part of Mitrovica.
Shots also were heard at the gathering, and about 11 people were injured in the blast, police said. NATO-led peacekeepers and European Union officers were also deployed to the site.

Headscarf ban upsets devout Muslims in Kosovo

(Reuters) - The leader of a protest against Kosovo's ban on headscarves in public schools says devout Muslims could resort to violence to get their way, though Islam is not central to the lives of most Kosovo Albanians.

The June 18 rally in the capital Pristina by 5,000 women in headscarves, supported by some bearded men, was held after a few headscarf-clad girls were prevented from entering their schools.

Full Article

Terror Suspect Released

RALEIGH, N.C. — A European judge has ruled that a man arrested in Kosovo last week will not be extradited to the U.S. to face charges that he aided a suspected terrorism ring in the Triangle.

Bajram Asllani, 29, an ethnic Albanian and native of Mitrovico, Kosovo, was convicted of terrorism in Serbia and was under surveillance in his home country when he was arrested Thursday following an extradition request from the United States, according to the U.S. Department of Justice. He faces charges of providing material support to terrorists and conspiracy to kill, kidnap, maim or injure persons.

Full Article

Man named as part of NC terror plot arrested

RALEIGH, N.C. — A man arrested Thursday in Kosovo is accused of being part of a terrorism plot that originated in North Carolina among people who planned attacks both at a U.S. military installation and abroad.
The U.S. Attorney's Office in Raleigh said Thursday that Bajram Asllani, 29, of Mitrovica, Kosovo, is accused of plotting with the men in North Carolina to engage in terrorism in Kosovo. Authorities say he asked the U.S. men for money so he could buy land in Kosovo and build a base there to store weapons and ammunition for terrorism.

Full Article

Summer 2010 Newsletter

Catching Up...

They say the first sentence of a blog post is always the hardest. Well, that wasn't so hard after all...ha! Good evening, or as we say here in Kosova,"Mirëmbrëma". It's been a little while since our last update so allow us to bring you up to speed...


Spring!!

While only being here for a month of the winter season, it was more than enough. Spring has finally sprung. While winter still claims the mountain peaks, down below the cherry trees are in full bloom.

     

Countless window boxes that for months had served as graves for flowers past are once again alive with the beautiful colors of pansies and other vibrant lule (flowers). Spring is drawing people out of their homes the same way the sun is drawing grass from the ground.

One area of the city that is a thermametor of sorts is the corza.

Restaurants, cafes and small shops flank both sides of what at times is a long outdoor fashion runway crowded with youth slowly making their way down and back again...and again.

Language

Learning the language has been our primary focus of preparation for what we will be doing here. To say that it's been challenging would be an accurate assessment, but we know that with hard work and much study and practice it will come. We can communicate well enough that shopping in the markets and stores is not a problem, but conversations still don't go much farther than a greeting before we have to admit we're Americans.

Our language teacher has been sick for sometime, but that has given us  plenty of time to review and study the mountain of material we at times feel we get buried under.


There's a first time for everything...

I've (Jason here) wondered if the person that first uttered these words did so after something bad happened.  With all the firsts that we've had in the past two months the following is one I could have definitely done without.    Peje, Kosovo now holds the dubious distinction as the place where I had my first car accident.  The combination of an American having never driven a manual being dropped into a country who's inhabitants have unique driving methods, to say it kindly, was bound to yield some smashing results.  A couple of tail lights, bumpers and some fragile confidence were the only victims.

Immediately after the man I rear ended discovered I was American, he gave me the biggest hug I've received to date.  Guys from the cafe across the street came out bringing me water and offers to sit with them to have coffee while we waited for the police.  If I hadn't been so taken aback by it all I would have been laughing.

My sense of relief quickly dissipated when I realized I was without both my license and registration documents for the vehicle I was driving.  My being American wasn't helping me at this point.  Enter a divinely placed angel.  An older woman, who is a believer that I had met happened on the scene.  She put her hand on my arm, smiled at me and proceeded to untangle the mess I made.  The officer at first wanted nothing to do with her, but within seconds his facial expression turned to that of a little boy being scolded by his grandmother.  The officer looked at me and said, "No problem.  Get your documents and meet us at the station when you can."  The old woman spoke in English for the first time to me saying, "God bless you." and walked on.

Two days later at my court date in a room no larger than a kitchen a judge looked at me and said, "You're American...no punishment for you."

I shook hands with the judge and the man I hit and that was the end of that.  Now every time I walk by that coffee shop the guys inside yell out to me and wave.  Everything truly happens with a purpose and for a reason greater than we can at the time perceive.  I know this will bear fruit in some wonderful way.

If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated me first... John 15:18

If you received our last newsletter you read briefly about the story of a dear young man who I share a birthday with.  As we I arrived I celebrated my 28th birthday as he celebrated his 18th.  He had become a believer last summer, and was baptized not long after we arrived.  The only believer in his family, his school and his village of about 200 people, he immediately began facing heat for converting.  He endured both verbal and physical abuse, and his Bible was also burned by his mother.

A few days ago Steve found him sitting on the side of the road praying that he could somehow get to their house.  He had been kicked out of his home.  That night he stayed with us.  This had not happened to a believer in our church before, so this was new territory for all of us.  The next 24 hours was, in a word, dramatic.

The young man's mother began texting and calling him incessantly.  When it appeared to her that he wasn't going to ever come back she threatened to have Steve and Lisa charged with kidnapping and threatened their lives as well.  At that point it was time to make a visit to the police.  Steve, I, the young man and a friend of his all went to the police station to report the incident.  They were taking the situation quite seriously given the fact that Americans were the ones being threatened.

The young man spent a second night in our home.  That morning we received a call that his mother and some relatives were looking for him, but ended up at the wrong house.  Wanting to have this issue done with Steve and Lisa, the young man and his family all met at the police station to talk this through.

Steve and Lisa were interrogated more so than interviewed.  They were being accused of running cult, in spite of repeated attempts to explain how someone becomes a believer.  The young boy was harshly treated as well.  He was threatened with jail time if he did not return home, and had officers tell him that if he was their son that they would beat him.

In the end, he came back to our house to retrieve his things and return home with his family.  We've had contact with him since he returned and he appears to be doing okay for the moment.  Currently we know that there are more than a thousand people praying for this young man and his family.  Please join us.

Thank you for your continued prayers and support of our work here.  We love all of you very much and will keep you updated.

God bless you.

Kosovo deports self-proclaimed imam, closes mosque

Kosovo police arrested and deported to Albania a self-proclaimed Muslim holy man last week.

Xhemajl Duka, known by the name Kastriot, had been living in the village of Marina, in the central region of Drenica.

In a press release, the interior ministry said that Duka was deported on March 3rd for violating laws regarding foreign nationals living within the country. That is, the reason he asked to reside in Kosovo differed greatly from what he was actually doing there, according to reports in Bota Sot, a daily newspaper.

Full article via SETimes.com

Winter Baptism

Two days after I arrived, I celebrated my 28th birthday. I celebrated this birthday with a very special young man named, Kushtrim. February 5th was his 18th birthday. Since coming here we've developed a wonderful friendship. I'mnot sure who's been a bigger encouragement to whom, but if you want my opinion, I'd say Kushtrim has been the bigger one.


Kushtrim is the only believer in his family, his school, in his village. He has endured more persecution over the last few months than I have my entire life. This young man has endured verbal and physical abuse from his own family, from those in his village. His mother recently burned his only copy of the Bible when she recently found it.


However, even in the midst of all of that, God has empowered Kushtrim with strength to endure and a heart to forgive. Just last week, Kushtrim made the decision to be baptized. We filled a tub with water, then just before Kushtrim was to get in a pot of boiling water was added to cut the chill.


I am so incredibly proud to call this young man my brother. Please keep Kushtrim in your prayers as he continues to grow into a strong man of God.

We're Here - Part 2

Good Grief!


So, I pull up our blog page in order to begin this update and the whole screen...EVERYTHING was in Serbian.  You gotta love how technology likes to think it's smarter than you sometimes.  Just because I've moved to another country doesn't mean I already know they language!  So, after clicking on nearly every link of the page...tada!  English....oh how I love English...moving on...

Home Sweet Home

After about a week of looking at various possible places to call home, we found the place that, as Goldilocks would say, "...was juuust right."  We're staying on the top floor of a two story home with an Albanian family and their three children living on the first floor.  Our level has a foyer, two bedrooms, one bath, a large living room, beautiful kitchen and balcony with a great view of the surrounding mountains.

Lindsey's taken to the place like a duck to water.  She absolutely loves the kitchen, the big windows that let in plenty of sunlight...when the sun actually gets a chance to come out from behind these dark winter days.  The electricity is much more consistent than when we were in Mitrovice a few years ago.  In the almost two weeks we've been in our home we've only been without power for a couple of hours.

Introducing...Peje

You can find plenty of information on the city that Lindsey and I currently call home here.  Depending on who you ask (Albanians or Serbians), you'll get different pronunciations and spellings of not only Peje, but all of the towns, cities and the name of the country itself.

A few observations of the town...

• The only Catholic church here likes to compete with the local mosques to see who can be the loudest.  Each day at the prescribed times, the Muslim call to prayer sounds through the speakers atop the minarets.  A few seconds before, the church bells begin to ring and continue on through the duration of the call to prayer.

  

• You can't walk more than 10-20 feet without coming to a small market shop, then another, then another...you get the idea.  The closest shop is barely 30 seconds from our home.  I've become good friends with the owner, Beki.  He helps me with my entry level Albanian when I come into in, helps me find the best produce of what he has (Lindsey greatly appreciates that).

    

• Pedestrians are respected much more here than in the U.S.  I remember reading a news story not too long before we left that ranked Raleigh, NC as one of the most dangerous cities in the nation for pedestrians.  Having worked in downtown Raleigh for nearly six and a half years I would have to agree.  Here is a different story all together.  Drivers, for the most part, yield to pedestrians regardless when and where you step out into traffic.  One tip to keep in mind...you're just as likely to hit walking on the sidewalk as you are walking in the road.  Parking and driving up on the sidewalk for brief moments is rather common.
• Peje would be even more beautiful if the people could find a trashcan for their garbage other than the ground.  The rest of Kosova is certainly not immune to this.  After we were picked up from the airport we commented as we were driving how beautiful everything looked with all the snow.  Steve, one of our mentors agreed, but only because it hid all of the trash and garbage strewn about.

  

The People

If you'd like to have a visual representation of what the young men here look like...just look at me.  Everywhere we've gone people start speaking to me in Albanian then comment about how much I look like them when they find out I'm American.  Lindsey...not so much.  Her fair skin is the biggest giveaway that she's isn't from around here.  The people here are extremely hospitable, warm, friendly and affectionate.  The women greet one another with kisses on the cheek.  The men will usually embrace, touch cheek to cheek.  It's common to see the men here walking around arm in arm.

The Food

The food here is a mix of Mediterranean, Greek and Turkish.  Frozen dinners, mac-n-cheese, chain restaurants, etc... are now a thing of the past for us.  If you want to eat a good meal, you have to prepare it, rather than pull it out of a box and bake for 25-30 min @ 350 degrees.  Butcher shops, bakeries, small markets, cafes dot both sides of the main road outside our neighborhood.  There's a store called ETC that's as close to Wal-Mart as we're going to get for now and a few other medium sized grocery stores.  The biggest challenge with regards to food is Lindsey's dairy allergy.  So much of what is prepared here has either milk or cheese or both.  It's taking some getting used to when grocery shopping.  Most items that we could get a dairy free version of back in America don't exist here, but she's done quite well with finding recipes online to supplement a smaller selection of options.

Our plan through this website and Facebook is to bring to you as much of Peje, Kosova and the ministry work being done here; not just our work here, but the work that's being done by other organizations as well.  The concept of the unity of the body of Christ most certainly extends to missionaries and the fulfillment of the Great Commission.  We do a disservice to our witness here if we refuse to work alongside our fellow brothers and sisters in the Lord simply because the initials of our Christ-centered organizations don't match.  The people of Kosova, believers and unbelievers alike, are watching us closely, and our witness goes beyond the words spoken in our church services.

Lindsey and I are greatly appreciative of prayers, and will continually be in need of them.  The work to be done here is great indeed, but we are thankful to serve a God who will do more than we could ever ask for or imagine.  We love you all, and remember you in our prayers as the Spirit lays you on our hearts.  We love hearing from you.  Even a simple two line email is such an encouragement to us.

God bless you!