Ministry Update

Hello Everyone,
Greetings to you all from CC Prishtina... First of all thanks again for your prayers and support. The Lord has been so faithful in answering the prayers of his saints... We see the Lord faithfully sustaining us and strengthening us through trying times... Here are some things to update you on... On April 7th we will be going to the US for a four month visit till August 9th... We will be staying in several different regions throughout our visit. So here is our itinerary so that you will know where we are and hopefully we can meet up with many of you who are States side.

April 8th-May 12th we will be in Northern California (Bay Area)
May 12th-June 12th will be in Southern California
June 12th-July 22nd we will be in New Mexico/Arizona/Colorado
July 22nd-August 9th will be in Northern California
August 9th we return to Kosovo.

Here are some things we need prayer for in regards to our visit back to the States.
We still need someone who can come help with the work here at CC Prishtina while we are gone. Their responsibilities would be looking after the practical needs of our home and church facility, ministering to the believers in our fellowship, and teaching at least once a week. (Lirak could probably manage on his own but because he works a full time job he needs help).
We are in need of accommodations and vehicles in some of the places will be visiting.
Pray for God's provision in the area of practical needs.
Pray for the continued provision of the our financial needs of the ministry at CC Prishtina.

Other than our plans for the trip to the US here are some other things going on here. We have a couple teams coming this year. One from Vienna that was here last Spring... The team will be doing a soccer outreach in the community. They will be here over the Easter weekend. And then in July a team from CC Leipzig Germany will be coming to do a 10 day outreach. Among other things the team will be conducting a church retreat for the members of our fellowship.

Due to weather conditions and other factors lately we have canceled the community clean up project and have instead been going to the hospital to minister to patients on Saturday afternoons. A couple of the guys in our fellowship have been coming with me and they have really enjoyed ministering and praying for the patients and their families.

One young man in our fellowship named Besim who had been going through a lot of difficulties recently with his family has really experienced a touch of God in his life and is really on fire for the Lord and he has gotten really exited about serving the Lord and evangelizing in the community. Pray for Besim that God will protect him and use him. Pray also that God will provide work for him.

We continue to see God work among the US soldiers stationed here in Prishtina through the weekly Bible Study at Film City (NATO HQ base). It has been a great blessing to study the life of David with them, Pray that God will continue to bless this specially ministry that God has opened to us.

Recently we have had some new people coming around, that members in our fellowship have been inviting. Please keep them in your prayers... One is Ilir a law student studying at the university here in Prishtina. He is very open and close to receiving the Lord.

Also this past week I met with Armend, the brother who had back slidden last summer. While the desire is there to want to follow the Lord he faces much pressure in difficult circumstances, being at home among family members (especially his father) that oppose his decision to follow Christ and sadly he was pressured to get engaged to a Muslim girl.
He is hoping to find a job in Prishtina so that he can move back here and have greater freedom to follow Christ and attend church. Please pray that God will give Armend the strength and grace to stand strong and uncompromising in his faith and that God will allow a way of escape from the living situation that he is in to be able to move back to Prishtina.
Pray that God will really get a hold of his heart and bring about a restoration in his life.

Lirak is now working a new full time job at the US Army base called Camp Bondsteel which is 40 minutes from Prishtina. He is able to come on the days when we have meetings (Sundays and Wednesdays) but is living at the camp the rest of the time. Pray that God's hand and protect would be upon CC Prishtina and that he would continue to provide for the needs of our fellowship and ministry.

Pray for Lirak as he will start teaching the Word once a week when we leave to the US. Pray that God's anoint would be upon him to minister to the members of our fellowship. Pray that God will give him wisdom and a shepherds heart. Pray also that the Lord will work out his transportation needs to get between work the Army and Prishtina.

Thanks again for your faithful prayers and support... We really appreciate each one of you who have been standing in the gap. Again we hope to see many of you who are State side this coming Spring and Summer. keep in touch and God bless you.

By His Grace,
Mark, Celeste, and Isabella