Here are 3 short stories about my first week in Kosovo and how real Persecution is…
When the word Persecution comes up, most people just think of…well I can’t speak for everyone else but I have seen Religious Persecution scare people to their core.(No names other than mine will be disclosed in the stories)
Story 1
(You may have already read about this story but it’s important to share again)
On Wednesday April 19th, the team went out to celebrate a birthday within our team. My team leader and I scoped out a place to have some treats with our team for the birthday. And well we stumbled upon a young man who loves the Lord. He asked what we were doing in Kosovo, to which I responded about the World Race Mission Trip. He got wide eyed and smiled but then quickly stopped and spoke in a very soft voice saying…I can’t be open about my love for Jesus cause it’s all muslim here and my dad owns this shop. He deleted all social media because he followed christian meme pages and other christian people. We are trying to communicate with him and answer any questions he has about faith.
Story 2
Youth night on Friday April 22nd….A young girl wearing one of the biggest smiles I’ve ever seen walks in and just starts to have a blast with everyone there…After some time of observation I ask the youth leader what is her story….well bad situation made her mom and her younger brother leave the dad. If you know anything about the muslim faith women really can’t just leave their husband. So the mom risked it all to get away from that man for her and her children to have a better life. But having to look over her shoulder making sure nothing happens to her or her children is a lot.
Story 3
Prayer walk/Personal outreach ministry. I….yes me, Matthew, went to have a coffee at a coffee place that looked very inviting. It was inviting to anyone who isn’t a christian. I walked in and order a coffee to start. As the coffee arrived I had already pulled out a book called “Kingdom Journey” by Seth Barnes(world race founder) and I got a strange look for the waiter. He sat the coffee down and didn’t look my way for another 35 mins. When he came back I had transitioned to having my bible out reading it. Once again, I got a strange look but this time is was more intense. Ordered food and literally 5-6 mins later, a cop came up to me and looked at me then sat down next to me. I was a little scared but he eventually turned away to look at the menu and ordered lunch. Nothing was really said but they kept looking at me knowing I was reading the Bible.
Persecution is real and it’s scary. In all of these stories, we all could be in danger, beaten up, kicked out of the country(not here in Kosovo) or place of establishment, disowned, and even killed.
“If the world hates you, know that it has hated me before it hated you. If you were of the world, the world would love you as its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you.
John 15:18-19
