Back in Kosova
Hi everyone!
So sorry this took so long to get out!
Every time I get on the Internet the power goes off! It is Tuesday
1:00pm and as I was writing this the power just went off so I am continuing this
in word to just paste the moment I get back on. Ha!!! Be smarter
than the power.
I made it here safely after 24 hours of flying and Anthony,
an American serving here, picked me up from the airport as Lycia was able
to get a last minuet ticket to accompany Randy and some of the guys to speakers
week last week. ALL the luggage made it Praise the Lord including three
laptops! yaye!
I am staying with Randy & Lycia in their apartment
along with Calvin, their son and Anthony. There is also another new guy
serving here named Josh who is currently in Germany so I haven’t met him
yet. Randy is working hard on the house with his meister (general
construction guy) and hoping to have it finished or at least able to move in
soon. Soon is an extremely fluid term here in Kosovo so I am guessing by
the new year maybe? The exterior is almost done so they could sorta camp
and finish the inside if they want. When that happens the guys and I would
have to have moved out of their apartment. We are planning to look for
apartments this week as well as talk to our landlord tonight about partitioning
this apartment into two or we are also trying to figure out how to bring the
rent down enough for me to stay here by myself. That would be ideal as I
am realizing it will cost about 1000 Euros most likely to just get into an
apartment since you literally have to buy everything down to the kitchen
sink! Wood stove 150 Euros, wood for the winter 200 Euros, carpeting 150
euros, kitchen and sink 300 euros...and on and on. The blessing about the
place we are in now is it has a lot already and some things Randy and Lycia will
be leaving here. The church would still have a place to meet for Friday
nights and we would still have the huge unfinished floor downstairs to our
disposal for the church’s meetings. Also rent would be reasonable split
and then with the church pitching in some. Also we have awesome central
heating! Whoo! Hooo! Man I am such a wimpy SOCAL girl.
At this very moment I am in 3 layers and I am IN the apartment WITH the heat
on! HA! Anyway that is a big prayer request but we of course want
what God wants. He may have a better situation all together for the church
and for those of us here serving.
The first night I got here I was greeted
with the girls making Pite for dinner! Yum! My favorite! It
was so sweet! Also after church on Saturday I went and hung out with my
Kosovar family that I lived with before. I had brought over some small
gifts from the states for the kids and a few clothing items for Rabishe which
they loved. We made Supe me Pula (chicken soup) and I taught Majrema again
how to do it and left enough for at least one more batch for them. Majrema
is now 15 and seems so much more grownup. I am hoping to get her into the
English courses here soon even if I have to pay for her myself. She is a
really sharp girl and has been studying in her sister’s book who was taking the
classes before. She had me test her the other day and knows the first two
chapters already. She and little brother Besnik are the equivalent of
straight A students and work very hard at their schooling. There is a
container coming over soon and I am looking for a super basic used laptop for
their family as Majreme (May-daym-jah) is now taking a computer class but is
having trouble with the home work with not having a computer to practice on at
home. She still studies her book like crazy but I know it would make much
more sense if she actually had the real thing. Her course this year covers
xl and power point. I am going to have a friend look on
craigslist. But if anyone knows of anything or has one hanging
around let me know. It doesn’t have to have a DVD drive but a cd would be
good and a decent battery. Software doesn’t matter as we can get windows
2000 or XP here if need be.
I have spent the last two days working on the
website (www.mesonianglisht.com) school finances
and records trying to get them organized at least in xl but I am looking for an
access template or to make one soon (American soon not Kosovar soon!
Ha!). Also Lycia and I hope to have time to sit down and really
systematize the teaching methods and get a teacher’s manual together. This
is all stuff totally up my ally so I am excited to help. It will also be
great for when (I say in faith) we have interns come. We can train them
and equip them efficiently. I haven’t actually taught yet as we are still
trying to figure out scheduling with the different schools and who is going to
be where. I am anxious to get back in the classroom but know that this is
all just as important.
Wow this is a long one! Thanks for taking the time to read it! Sorry guys and no pics
well because it just isn’t that exciting seeing me working on the computer! It looks something like this :)
Zoti ju Bekofte!
Jen
So sorry this took so long to get out!
Every time I get on the Internet the power goes off! It is Tuesday
1:00pm and as I was writing this the power just went off so I am continuing this
in word to just paste the moment I get back on. Ha!!! Be smarter
than the power.
I made it here safely after 24 hours of flying and Anthony,
an American serving here, picked me up from the airport as Lycia was able
to get a last minuet ticket to accompany Randy and some of the guys to speakers
week last week. ALL the luggage made it Praise the Lord including three
laptops! yaye!
I am staying with Randy & Lycia in their apartment
along with Calvin, their son and Anthony. There is also another new guy
serving here named Josh who is currently in Germany so I haven’t met him
yet. Randy is working hard on the house with his meister (general
construction guy) and hoping to have it finished or at least able to move in
soon. Soon is an extremely fluid term here in Kosovo so I am guessing by
the new year maybe? The exterior is almost done so they could sorta camp
and finish the inside if they want. When that happens the guys and I would
have to have moved out of their apartment. We are planning to look for
apartments this week as well as talk to our landlord tonight about partitioning
this apartment into two or we are also trying to figure out how to bring the
rent down enough for me to stay here by myself. That would be ideal as I
am realizing it will cost about 1000 Euros most likely to just get into an
apartment since you literally have to buy everything down to the kitchen
sink! Wood stove 150 Euros, wood for the winter 200 Euros, carpeting 150
euros, kitchen and sink 300 euros...and on and on. The blessing about the
place we are in now is it has a lot already and some things Randy and Lycia will
be leaving here. The church would still have a place to meet for Friday
nights and we would still have the huge unfinished floor downstairs to our
disposal for the church’s meetings. Also rent would be reasonable split
and then with the church pitching in some. Also we have awesome central
heating! Whoo! Hooo! Man I am such a wimpy SOCAL girl.
At this very moment I am in 3 layers and I am IN the apartment WITH the heat
on! HA! Anyway that is a big prayer request but we of course want
what God wants. He may have a better situation all together for the church
and for those of us here serving.
The first night I got here I was greeted
with the girls making Pite for dinner! Yum! My favorite! It
was so sweet! Also after church on Saturday I went and hung out with my
Kosovar family that I lived with before. I had brought over some small
gifts from the states for the kids and a few clothing items for Rabishe which
they loved. We made Supe me Pula (chicken soup) and I taught Majrema again
how to do it and left enough for at least one more batch for them. Majrema
is now 15 and seems so much more grownup. I am hoping to get her into the
English courses here soon even if I have to pay for her myself. She is a
really sharp girl and has been studying in her sister’s book who was taking the
classes before. She had me test her the other day and knows the first two
chapters already. She and little brother Besnik are the equivalent of
straight A students and work very hard at their schooling. There is a
container coming over soon and I am looking for a super basic used laptop for
their family as Majreme (May-daym-jah) is now taking a computer class but is
having trouble with the home work with not having a computer to practice on at
home. She still studies her book like crazy but I know it would make much
more sense if she actually had the real thing. Her course this year covers
xl and power point. I am going to have a friend look on
craigslist. But if anyone knows of anything or has one hanging
around let me know. It doesn’t have to have a DVD drive but a cd would be
good and a decent battery. Software doesn’t matter as we can get windows
2000 or XP here if need be.
I have spent the last two days working on the
website (www.mesonianglisht.com) school finances
and records trying to get them organized at least in xl but I am looking for an
access template or to make one soon (American soon not Kosovar soon!
Ha!). Also Lycia and I hope to have time to sit down and really
systematize the teaching methods and get a teacher’s manual together. This
is all stuff totally up my ally so I am excited to help. It will also be
great for when (I say in faith) we have interns come. We can train them
and equip them efficiently. I haven’t actually taught yet as we are still
trying to figure out scheduling with the different schools and who is going to
be where. I am anxious to get back in the classroom but know that this is
all just as important.
Wow this is a long one! Thanks for taking the time to read it! Sorry guys and no pics
well because it just isn’t that exciting seeing me working on the computer! It looks something like this :)
Zoti ju Bekofte!
Jen
Praise Him for…
*Safe travels & luggage!
*The language is coming right back to me! My friends are amazed as am I! It feels like I know more than when I left!
*Cool bros in Calvin, Josh & Anthony serving here!
Pray for…
*Apartment stuff…should we stay or
should we go now? :o) hmmm I feel a song coming on.
*Randy & Lycia’s exterior to be finished before it snows!!!!
*Interns! It has been on R&L’s heart to pray for “just that one intern” And really only one makes such a HUGE difference.
*Unity in the body, growth in the church (not in size but more importantly in our hearts and lives)
Comments
love u!!