My name is Xhevat Bytyqi and I am a missionary in the country of Kosovo. On Sunday, we hold our main church service. On Tuesdays we study the Bible and the book “In Search for Holy.” On Thursday we go to the streets to share the gospel. On Fridays we have prayers meetings. On Saturday we are continuing with the children program. In all the meetings especially the Saturday and Sunday service everyone can join. However, many believers cannot attend most of our services because of their harsh work schedules. Please pray that they would have more liberty.
During this month, I had the opportunity to talk with a professing brother (L.B.) regarding the Christian faith and the doctrines that we should believe. After we bumped into each other on the street, he invited me at his home. This gave me the opportunity to explain at him that even though our Bibles are the same, the way we interpret it is different. I also explained to him the way of salvation more clearly—that God is the only one who saves us and drags us from slavery. This month, I also had the opportunity to talk with another man (I.B.) after he had shared a post on Facebook that preachers should not preach about sin in churches. My relative in the United States commented on his post and told him that it was not biblical. Afterwards, the man sought my counsel. I shared with him that it is very important to teach about sin in the church because we must constantly fight against it. I also told him to remember that sin is the reason why Jesus came to earth and why He died. Please pray for the members in our church and for these two men that we might continue to have good relationships through which we might discuss the Scriptures and the Gospel.
This month I had to the opportunity to share the gospel with my sister Arbenita and one of her very good friends Sona. Sona had attended another Evangelical church in Malisheva, but then she left the church and started attending the Catholic church. I talk to her about the nature of a biblical church and invited her to come to our church more frequently. I also prayed for them that they might one day marry Christian husbands. Because we live in a Muslim country, there are very few Christian men. In the past, many girls who came at our church were married to non-Christians and they never came back to church again.
Liridon is one of newest men that comes at our church. He began to believe in Jesus one year ago. Now he is married, but his wife does not believe in Jesus. Please pray that he will be an instrument through which God will change her heart. Also, two young brothers—Bleart (12 years old) and Leart (10 years old) have started to come to every meeting that we have. It makes me very happy to know that they understand why Jesus came to earth and why He died for our sins. I am also happy that, thanks to God, they are now confessing Jesus. One night as I was going home I ran into their father and we began to discus the work what I do. Later that night we became friends on Facebook, I have created very good relationships with Blear and Leart’s father and we had coffee six times during this month. I give thanks to God that he promised me that he would not prohibit his boys from coming to our services. I have shared the Gospel with him. I ask for you to pray for this man and his wife. Pray also for his two boys Bleart and Leart. Pray that God will change their hearts and open their eyes. One thing that makes me afraid is that the community in which we live is almost entirely Muslim. Because of this the pressure that is placed upon people who have attended our church causes them to stop coming. Pray that God will help them and not let the fear affect them.
A few months ago, I had the chance to share the Gospel with E.B. and I gave him the book of the New Testament. A few days ago, a member from our church said that he had the chance to talk to Erjon and that he was curious to know more about our faith. Pray that we will have opportunities to talk to him so that he can know God.
One thing which is very disappointing and sad is that a family that used to come to our church have all but stopped attending. Ten years ago their aunt came to our church and she believed in Jesus, but then she stopped. In the beginning she encouraged the children to continue to attend. She told them to go at the church because they teach you very good things. But now I have heard that she has become a Muslim and she is putting pressure on the children to not attend our church. I ask for you to pray for the aunt that she will change and not put pressure on the children. Pray that God will change her heart because she knows who Jesus is and she knows a lot about the Bible.
It is important to mention that new children are joining our children’s program (Saturday Service for Kids). Donika and Drenusha are mostly responsible for the children’s program and teaching the Bible. At the moment, they are teaching on the creation of the world. After the teaching, we let the children play soccer or PlayStation. This gives them joy. In Kosovo, most people love soccer that is why I believe soccer is a good way of bringing people to God. Pray that more children will join our program and that God will bless all that we do in His name
We seek to share the Gospel in every opportunity, but as I have already written, we have set aside every Thursday to go out and share the Gospel. Recently, I had the chance to share with B.B. and L.B. while they were working close to our house. Please pray for both of them. I also had the chance to share around 30 minutes with A. He is around 50 years old. I had the chance to talk to him about how sin came into the world and how in Old Testament they used to clean the sins with blood. In order to explain why Jesus died for our sins I read the Bible to him from Hebrews 1 and Philippians 2. Then I explained how it was necessary for Jesus to die on the Cross and how the righteousness of God was satisfied through the Cross. He said that years ago someone in Albania had given him a Bible and that he never was against it. He also said that he believed that everyone should pay for the bad things they have done. Pray for A. Pray that I will have more opportunities to talk to him about Jesus.
Paul is the founder of HeartCry Missionary Society and currently serves as its missions director. He also ministered as a missionary in Peru for ten years. He has preached hundreds of sermons and has authored a dozen published works. Paul lives in Radford, Virginia, with his wife Charo and their four children: Ian, Evan, Rowan, and Bronwyn.
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