In a few weeks, Serbia’s president will meet with his Kosovar counterpart to discuss Serbia’s “guidelines and directions of state policy towards Kosovo”. Both want to join the European Union (EU), but there’s a catch — the two leaders first need to agree on Kosovo’s sovereignty and borders.

(Map credit CIA World Factbook)

It’s a decade-old disagreement, and experts like this one say redrawing the map will only make things worse. The recent shift toward diplomacy already has some groups on-edge in Kosovo.

However, not all of the government’s alterations are making people unhappy. Pierre Houssney of Horizons International says one change is actually working in their favor.

“There has recently been a shift in the government of accepting the evangelical Christian movement,” he explains. “There is a parliament member, a Muslim parliament member, who spoke at the inauguration ceremony of the evangelical church.

“He said that the evangelicals in Kosovo are the future of Kosovo.”

Growing pains

Kosovo’s history is full of struggle. Nation heads have fought to control the small Balkan realm for centuries. “The Albanians were one of last kingdoms the Muslims were able to take over when they were expanding and trying to get into Europe,” says Houssney, referring to the Turkish Ottoman Empire.

In February 2008, Kosovo declared its independence. And, while the constitution defines Kosovo as a “secular state,” its population is 95% Muslim. Houssney says many of them are coming to Christ.

“The Kosovar people, the Albanian people, are still quite open to the Gospel,” he shares.

“We need the Christian community to wake up and realize what a strategic place this is; a beachhead in the Muslim world.”

Horizons International is at the forefront of the Church’s growth in Kosovo. They’ve been partnering with Kosovar believers since 1994. In December 2017, after years of growth and struggle, Christians finished work on the largest evangelical church in Kosovo.

Read the complete journey here.

“It’s exciting because it’s a fully-indigenous church from a Muslim background,” Houssney says. “They are now planting churches and ministry centers around Kosovo among the Albanian Muslim people group that they come from.”

Supporting the Church in Kosovo

Although the building is up and its doors are open, work isn’t completely done yet. Houssney says their partners need $150,000 to finish the interior of the church’s top two floors. They also need to purchase land and install a parking lot nearby. You can help them finish the project here.

Though the church’s doors opened in December 2017, some interior work remains.
(Photo courtesy Horizons International)

“This is a really amazing church because it is one of the most developed Muslim-background church movements,” says Houssney. “All the leadership of the church are Muslim-background, indigenous people, and they even have a mind for missions.

“They’re going out into other villages and they’re starting to plant churches…just as the Muslims are going in and building mosques.”

Additionally, translation teams working with the newly-established Kosovo Bible Society are starting to translate God’s Word into modern Albanian. This will serve as an essential resource as Albanian Muslims seek to understand the Gospel in their heart language.

“Pray about getting behind this movement to Christ among this Muslim people,” requests Houssney.

See how you can partner with Horizons in Kosovo.

Header photo credit Baudouin via Flickr.

(Map courtesy of Operation World)

Bulgaria (MNN) — In April, Bulgaria is receiving its very first week-long training session from the Haggai Institute. Why is it a big deal?

“It’s not just knowledge, it’s not just training. Of course, [that] matters a lot, but it’s also experience, it’s also fellowship. All these things, mixed and combined, make you a whole new person,” explains Haggai alum and Bulgarian native Dr. Kiril Svilenov.

The Haggai Institute teaches leaders from all walks of life how to share the Gospel within their specific context. Learn more about the Haggai Institute’s training model here.

After attending his first Haggai conference in 2011, Dr. Svilenov was motivated to expand his “Bible Project.”

“So far, we’ve managed to deliver 3.5 million Bibles,” he says, adding that his group hopes to increase that number to 4.3 million Bibles in 2015.

Svilenov and his ministry peers distribute Bulgarian Bibles to government institutions such as hospitals, fire departments, police departments, and so forth.

They are also distributing “Children’s Bibles in Bulgaria state schools, which was a real miracle because none of the other European countries are allowed to do that, because of the human rights [law],” he adds.

“I know that not everybody will become a Christian, but at least they’ll have the first primary tool which is needed to read and to understand and to get information about Christ.”

Reaching the Balkans for Christ

As a family practitioner, Kiril Svilenov is able
to share his faith with many people and reach
different generations within a family.
(Photo and caption courtesy of the Haggai Institute)

By day, Dr. Kiril Svilenov is a family doctor who’s been practicing medicine for the past 18 years. By night, the good doctor tells his community about the Great Physician: Jesus Christ.

“There is some interest in spiritual life and what the Bible says,” he shares.

Dr. Svilenov shares the Gospel and disciples believers not just in Bulgaria, but also in neighboring Macedonia and Greece. The territory Dr. Svilenov reaches is part of an area more widely known as “the Balkans.”

However, the rich traditions and Communist history of the Balkans present some challenges. Most Bulgarians, specifically, call themselves Christians because Greek Orthodoxy is so commonplace.

“95% of those [individuals] will go to church traditionally, or just for major Christian holidays,” says Svilenov. “They won’t have any clue about a real life with Christ.”

Communism presents another challenge. Bulgaria was a member of the USSR from 1946 to 1990. Atheism is still widely practiced in the Balkans at-large.

Haggai training addresses these challenges and more.

“For [the] full week that I spent there, I learned new methods, how to approach people from different backgrounds,” Svilenov recounts.

“Also, there were topics to help me improve my communication skills with people coming from atheist backgrounds.”

The Balkan Peninsula

Dr. Svilenov applied the methods and Haggai training he received to both the workplace and mission field. As a result, between 200 and 300 people have since become followers of Jesus.

Following a reach-disciple-multiply model, Dr. Svilenov and his team help new believers become Kingdom workers.

“The goal is to have workers ready for the [harvest] field of the Kingdom,” he states.

“Through prayer and through devotions, and when you keep the fire burning in your heart, miracles happen.”

At Haggai’s Web site, you can help train up a Christian leader like Dr. Svilenov and expand God’s Kingdom worldwide.

In one lesson, Boris (all names
changed for privacy) suddenly asked Miranda whether she believed in God. He went on to say that it was too late for
him to believe, since he's 50 years old. 
According to Miranda, the influence of the Orthodox Church leads many to
think that religion is about doing good works. 

"They believe if you've gone so long without
following God, it's impossible to make up for a lifetime of not doing good
deeds–which are often considered essential for earning salvation," she
explained.

The conversation later turned to the issue of
corruption in politics. Boris said he
believes the government needs to teach people about right and wrong, and
Miranda had the opportunity to explain that only God can change people. When the lesson was over, Boris and his
colleague invited Miranda to see their office, according to their custom. 

They showed her family photographs and talked
to her about their culture. "God
must have given grace," Miranda said, "or else I don't think Boris
would have invited me back."

20-40 members of Parliament have studied
English with Miranda and another missionary colleague. Parliament pays for them to do so, because
English is the international business language. 
The missionaries plan to continue taking turns teaching for a week every
month. 

Miranda plans to network with
more government officials by studying European social work at a local university. 3,800 students attend the school, and all the
faculty are government employees. 

"This will put me in a position to be offered
an internship in a government or nonprofit role," Miranda explained. "I may get to be involved in systemic change,
and hopefully try to influence the direction of politics."

If Miranda's experience goes well, the team
would like to recruit more missionaries to pursue similar projects. Pray that God will use Miranda to spread
the Gospel message in a corrupt political system.