Be Strong and Courageous!

Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.” Joshua 1:9

In this season of our lives we have been relying on God's strength! On Friday Arian's parents transitioned back to their house. Arian's mom is doing very well with the walker and even sometimes without it and is building up strength. Arian's dad is still having numbness in his left foot but is doing much better. They were like caged cats that we had pinned up for too long! They couldn't wait to get into their own beds and space. Their time here was difficult but also a blessing from the Lord! The time they got to interact with their grandchildren was beautiful and David and Abby loved every minute of it! Sharing the love of God with them on a daily basis was an excellent witnessing tool to them. Arian asked his mom on the last day about Jesus and she said Jesus loves me and I love Him. This brought so much joy to us! We are still praying for their salvation. They are ready to come back to church when they have the strength to come. I was also glad that this time also broke any "American" stereotypes that they might have had for me. Throughout the whole time God gave us strength, humbleness, and the ability to be patient. Please pray for them as they continue getting better and that they would confess God as their Lord and savior. 

So this is what men's Bible Study looks like. Men sitting around and drinking coffee together! A couple of weeks ago Arian took several men to Tirana (Albania's capital city) to meet with Ismail who is a member of the church in Durres. He is living in Tirana now to get treatment. He is a very bad diabetic and they had to remove two of his toes. He is doing better now. It was nice to have a time of fellowship with him and his wife. (Top picture). Usually the men meet together for an hour on Fridays at the church then go drink a coffee together afterwards. Drinking a coffee out with the men is the most popular thing to do here in Albania. Coffee shops are full of people drinking coffee. We thank God for the blessing of the men's Bible Study in Durres! 

We were very blessed in October to have baby dedication.  We dedicated Abby to the Lord in front of our church in Durres. Dr. Nikolla preached about raising children in the Lord and wrote a sweet poem for Abby. Abby slept through much of it. We are very happy that the church can join us in teaching the word of God to our children. We are a blessed family! Please pray for both David and Abby to one day accept the Lord. We have had a change in weather and both of them are now sick with colds. Please pray for them to heal quickly from this.

We are so blessed by our building in Kavaje. Now during the rainy cold season the kids can be inside. The kids club in Kavaje is going well. The kids that come to the kids club are gypsi or roma and are looked down upon in the society in Albania. We are grateful that we can fellowship, teach, and share the love of Christ with them. This week Juli is going to start a youth group with the older kids that attend the kids club. Please pray for this new service starting on Saturday. 

Thank you SO much for all your prayers and support for us! We appreciate all the messages we received from all of you! God bless! 

Serving in His name,
Arian & Stefanie Kosta
Stateside address: 148 Wolfe St. 

Cohutta, Ga 30710
Albanian Address: L3 Rr Egnatia AP:1043 

Durres, Albania
email:kkdurres@gmail.com