paqe ne botes

This week has been full. Time feels like it is going fast, but sometimes the work feels like it is going slow. We began our 2 week break from language study, to celebrate three holidays: the muslim holiday of bajram, which began last thursday, christmas,and the new year. We spent time visiting some families that we have gotten to know over the past month, and we got the chance to make some new aquaintances. Probably one of the relationships i am most excited about is one with our language teacher.She is a young beautiful mother. She comes to our home five days a week to tutor us. This week during language study we began to talk a little bit about the war that took place here nine years ago. I asked her a personal question about what her family did during the war. For the next half an hour I sat there listening. With tears in her eyes and a shakey voice she told her story. It was one full of bombs, hiding, crowded ships, and terror. Finally she put her head in her hands crying, when she looked up again she simply said, you cannot imagine. I sat there speechless with so many things swirling around in my mind, all i could say was no i cannot. Her story was so incredible. I felt horrible, I wanted to pray for her, or give her some comforting word, but all I felt was how much I could not possibly pretend to understand that kind of pain. Her story is just one. The market, the stores, the coffee shops, they are all packed full of stories that I cannot relate to. Hatred, unforgiveness, revenge, these are very real spiritual strongholds here. As much as I have not experienced these things to the extent that the people I meet have, I carry around with me the answer. This week while the muslim call to prayer rings out over this city, I am celebrating the birth of the one who can bring real freedom to the people of k-land. I am praying that the Lord leads our team to the people who are ready to meet Jesus, those who are ready to see that there is a differant way to live, a way of peace, love, forgivenss, and joy. I pray we as a team will be faithful with the gift we have been given, and we would realize the power we carry with us to change lives. There is a sign that was just recently put up across the street from our apartment it has the words "peace on earth" written in four differant languages including shqip. We claim "Paqe ne botes" over this region, please join with us.
Sara