Merry Christmas! Gezuar Krishtlindjen!!

  Merry Christmas to all and a Happy New Year!

Gezuar Krishtlindjen dhe Vitin e Ri te gjitheve !

This week has been a busy week preparing for Christmas. On Wednesday we went to the old home and delivered our socks, hats, and gloves. The residents were very excited to get them from us. Stefanie also played Silent Night and Angels we have heard on High on the flute as all sang. The residents said thank you to all and God bless. On a sad note we lost two residents this past week. The lady I wrote you about that was in the hospital passed away and also her roomate. We are glad that they aren't suffering anymore but we will greatly miss Nene Tana and Nene Mereme!

After our visit to the Old home we went to the children. The children were so excited to worship God today! Qamili was even raising his hands as he sung! Arian also read them the story by Max Lucado called The Crippled Lamb, about the lamb who was one of the first to welcome Jesus into the world. The children were in awe of the story and excited about the message of Christ. At the end of our lesson we were able to give the children things that we have collected. McDonough Christian Church sent socks and First Christian Charlottesville, VA sent stuffed animals for them all. We thank you for your donations for them! We also had collected used clothes and some shoes. They loved picking out things for themselves and their family. With your donations we were also able to buy the families food for Christmas. On Christmas eve they will be able to go to the local market and pick up bread, meat, cheese, fruits and vegetables for their families. We are thankful for the local market owner Lira who is able to work with us to make this happen! 

Member Spotlight: 

Marsida is one of our precious children from the kids club who is 9 years old. She is one of 4 girls in her family. Last week she asked if she could have a bible. When she was walking home she was so excited that she read the bible all the way home. This week we gave her some Christian books for children for her to study and read. We are excited about her enthusiasm for Christ! We hope that more children will follow her lead. Pray for the Holy Spirit to open her eyes to Baptism. 

Update: We have a new video showing lots of pictures and all aspects of our ministry on youtube. You can view it at:  http://youtu.be/ip0aNPNrFOk

Praises/ Prayers: 
* Pray for the residents of old home during this cold winter.
* Continue to pray for Klara as she waits for surgery. 
* We thank God for growth in the Church, four new people in the last month!
* Pray for continual spiritual growth in the church. 


We would love to hear from you! God bless!
Serving in His name, 
Arian & Stefanie Kosta
kkdurres@gmail.com
Address: L3 Rr Skenderbej AP:1043 Durres, Albania

Winter is Here!

Every Wednesday we visit an old home in Kavaje.
The residents live there because their family lives far away or that they don't have any children to take care of them. It is Albanian culture to take care of your parents so there aren't many old homes in Albania and people come from miles around to live here. In this home there are about 50 men and women. Winter is especially hard for them. They have no heat in the building or in their rooms. Today in Kavaje it is 3 Celsius (37 F).  Last Wednesday when we went one of them were in the hospital and we went to visited her. The residents wear many layers of clothes and wrap up in thick blankets but it is still very hard for their old bodies. We have found support for them for Chistmas. We will be able to buy them all thick socks and a hat for the winter. They will be very grateful for these things. Please pray for the old home and that God will give them the strength to make it through the winter. 

Thank you, Thank you, Thank you! We had a some responses from our blog last month about food for the children of Kavaje. Thank you for your help! If you would still like to donate to help feed the children and their families for Christmas please email us. God bless! 


Member Spotlight:
This week I would like to tell you about a very faithful member of the church. Her name is Shpresa which means Hope. Last year Shpresa lost her mom and was without a home. We prayed hard to help Shpresa and found her somewhere to live. Shpresa is a very active helper in the ministry. She comes to every bible study, helps with the youth, worship and even helps us in the ministry of Kavaje. Shpresa leads a bible study for Sabina and Lina. Shpresa loves being around people and talking to them about God. Shpresa is always laughing and full of joy. She is happy no matter what the circumstance. Her birthday is at the end of the month on the 30th. Shpresa is looking for what God wants her to do next. She currently is without a job. Please pray for Shpresa and some kind of income for her. 


Praises/Prayer: 
*Klara goes to the doctor on the 19th and will have surgery on January 9th. Pray that all goes well to help her. 
*Juli will be home for Christmas Dec. 22nd. He is very encouraged and having a great time at school. 
*Stefanie's mom's surgery went better than expected and she is doing great! 
*Pray for all to know the true meaning of Christmas around the world.


We would love to hear from you! God bless!
Serving in His name, 
Arian & Stefanie Kosta
kkdurres@gmail.com
Address: L3 Rr Skenderbej AP:1043 Durres, Albania