Evidence of God's Provision

We've been in Kosovo for 3 weeks. Some times, we feel so comfortable it feels as though we've been in Kosovo for years...but most of the time we can't help but realize how much we are strangers in this place. There's so much we don't understand...and this is frustrating sometimes. Some moments, I wonder what the heck we're doing here...other times I feel like we truly belong here. Some days it seems like all the details fall in to place and we end up being productive...other days we spend a lot of time sitting around and seem to be spinning our wheels (figuratively, of course, since we are still trying to find a suitable vehicle).

And through it all, the Lord God is faithful. He truly is a God of provision and He has provided in so many ways. This blog has served as a journal for us since the day we started it back in 2010. I love reading through old posts to see how God has provided.

I want to use this post to list many of the ways God has provided in the past three weeks. So "let this be mine Ebenezer" and may it continually remind us of how God has helped us. Fortunately, this is a long post as the Lord continues to confirm this calling and provide for it.

• Safe flight from Vienna to Kosovo. On this flight we met a young lady working to creatively come alongside Kosovars for the glory of God. The cool thing is that Rebecca had already connected with her on Instagram and didn't realize we were on the same flight until hours before departure.

• A restful and comfortable place to stay while we searched for a home. The Smile Centre has served as a temporary home for ministry workers for quite a few years now. Not only did we have a place to stay but we were encouraged by a group of Brits staying there whilst delivering wheel chairs throughout Kosovo and we were able to grow close to new friends Xaja, Emily, Tim, and Leta.

• New friends who have come alongside to help us. Getting established in a new country is HARD. Fortunately, we've had a number of local friends who have gone well out of their way too come alongside us and help us make Gjakova home. The list is long as so many have stepped in to help us...

• A pleasant house in the city. Originally we were thinking to live outside of town. It quickly became apparent that not only would a house to rent outside the city be hard to find, but establishing ministry and relationships would be much more fluid within the city. God provided and great little neighborhood to move in to (more on the neighborhood in a later post).

• An Catholic landlord. The Lord saw fit to allow us to have an amazing landlord. While many tenant/owner relationships can be strained, the last week and a half has been great because of a man who is a believer and wants to help us get settled comfortably. Our landlord is amazingly connected and has used those connections to help us. He genuinely cares for our family and has made this transition in to renting here in Gjakova much smoother than it would have otherwise been.

• Fast registration. One of the necessary steps in moving to a new country is legally establishing our residence. The first step in doing so was establishing Global Baseball as a NGO (non government organization). We just received notification that our application was accepted! Our application was turned in on Wednesday and the certificate was signed Friday! Again, God has used a local guy who sees the ministry value in the vision to help us get all of this sorted out.

• Opportunities to get started with baseball activities. I just received an invitation to help another Sports NGO in Kosovo to train 10 volunteers as baseball coaches as part of a development grant. The goal will be to train and equip them so they can go and do at least 20 activities teaching young people in their own communities. So cool to see these opportunities get initiated by local Kosovars! 

As you can see, the Lord continues to confirm, provide, and encourage us as we work for His Glory. HE has done marvelous things and we are excited to see how he will continue to work.

Please join us in lifting up some of the following needs, events, and people...

• All the Kosovars and internationals serving as witnesses to the Gospel here in Gjakova. Pray that they will be encouraged by the Holy Spirit.
• The upcoming session where I get to train coaches. Pray that I will prepare well and be a good testimony of our Risen Savior.
• Final plans for our month long academy in Vienna. 
• Financial provision (our set up costs were a bit more than expected and an under-budget car is proving hard to find).
• Continued encouragement for our family as we "settle" here in Kosovo. Especially in the stressful times that we will continually extend grace (and allow ourselves to accept it).
• CAR!!! This has been a frustrating experience as all cars here in Kosovo are more expensive than they should be due to high customs fees and supply issues. Help us to be wise and discerning as we look to purchase a vehicle. If you want to pray specifics, pray for a VW Passat wagon (automatic if at all possible) with around 150,000 KM (or less) that is already cleared through customs and registered in Kosovo.