If there was ever a day to pray....................

Did I ever tell you about a friend of mine, Izmet Naziri? He burst into the seen last year having attended a prophetic prayer evening and became a Christian. Since then he’s been ‘that guy with the fire’ he’s on it bruv, telling everyone and anyone he could about Jesus. He opened his house to start a house church thing and even in the face of difficulties, threats and challenges the spirit of an evangelist was bubbling up in this guy.
Then comes a dark day – Today on our extinctive program we were gonna visit Izmet and the few families that have begun to except the truth of Jesus. The threats, the lack of employment and difficult times had obviously taken a toll on this solid soldier. Last week we went with him to the school with him to assess it for a potential kids program. He wasn’t quite himself! The frayed tethers of the simple difficulties of life were blowing in the wind, slowly unwinding. Then today, we planed to visit, encourage and uplift the small band on believers in Babaloce, the village that has chased out religion. But! We hear that Izmet has decided to quit! To give up! To turn away! Not only that, but as this guy was responsible for the entrance of Jesus he seems to have made it his job to send him out too. As we role up the village seems almost deserted. With the help of one, sound local we walk from house to house of those we’ve met on various occasions but are met, with closed doors. The warning call has been sounded, windows are closed and curtains are drawn. The road leads to the view of the perfect mountains. Under the shadow of greatness stands emptiness in a harrowing form. Izmet Nazire had become more than just a church goer to me, but a friend, we had shard many strange conversations in broken English and Albanian, we had travelled together shared food and drinks. We had prayed in his house and spoken the word of the living God over his life. Together with had pleaded the case of God over the city of Gjakova my mum and Dad had even been to his house. But today his door is well and truly closed. In the seemingly deserted streets and meet Hackie, even he, under the guise of having ‘visitors’ soon, didn’t seem to have time for the church, to pray or to simply talk.
This is a village that called the police on the Christians, and beat the Muslims into to hospital. This village seems to be trying its best to claim another life to its total. And this time it’s a friend of mine. My heart is heavy, my burden hard my eyes slowly filling and the thought of this incredible story of faith facing and undeserved, early exit. As we left we passed the house of this amazing man, his familiar sandals sit on the steps outside almost hinting that he had left something important behind.

But, I believe, this isn’t the end of the story; I believe with everything in me that there is another chapter to be told, a new tail to unfold and Greater things to come in this, harshest of environments. ‘’Are battle is not against flesh and blood but against the powers and principalities of darkness..’’ The battle is on for the lives of Izmet Naziri, Islam Naziri, Bekim, Hakie, Solomen and the people of Babaloc.

What can you do? Pray, as if it all depends on God. Coz it really does. It’s only Jesus, that will free this village!

Oh yeah, then just a quick trip to Slovan, the trailer village, that turned into 3 hours, with family after family of desperate, difficult, tragic circumstances. With nothing to offer but sweets and prayers we were armed for the vary job we were sent to do. To preach Jesus, to show kindness and to be love. What more can you do?

‘’...Lord, please! Teach us how to pray....!’’