New Year new perspective!

Don’t use foul or abusive language. Let everything you say be good and helpful, so that your words will be an encouragement to those who hear them. Ephesians 4:29

Momma always said, "If you can't say something nice, don't say anything at all!" Good advise momma! This year I have decided not to make a resolution (because who ever keeps them anyway?). I don't want to make a drastic change in my life, I just want to get better. I want to be a better Christian, mom, wife, missionary, and friend. I have been challenged to think of something and focus on it this year. This year my focus will be on encouragement and being patient and loving with people who aren't lovely at times. This includes everyone from my children who are crying and throwing a fit, to the lady that cuts in front of me at the grocery store, to the rude comments I see on social media. I pray that God will help me in the new focus and renewed perspective in 2017! 

We are praying that 2017 will be a better year because 2016 was rather challenging!  We are still keeping a very close eye on Arian's parents. Arian's dad fell down again and is having a problem keeping his blood pressure regulated. Arian's mom is doing much better but she is afraid to leave the house. We also have been without water. Here in Albania you get water for an hour a day and you pump it into a reservoir on the roof. Durres usually doesn't get colder than about 30 degrees. Well this week we have had snow twice and freezing temperatures as low as 18 degrees! So our reservoir on the roof along with all the pipes froze. But Praise the Lord it is warmer today and we got water! You really take for granted simple things like water!! 

We had a great New Year's eve this year! New Years is like the American Thanksgiving plus lots of fireworks shot from building to building. It is an amazing and a little scary at the same time! Arian's parents were here to celebrate with us. Arian's dad insisted that it would be best for Abby to lick the turkey leg. I'm not sure that was the best idea but I guess it didn't kill her. Living fairly near to Arian's parents is great. I just wish that my parents lived nearer and could celebrate with us as well!


Christmas was a very busy time. With having two churches there is a lot of planning to be done. We received Christmas boxes (like samaritan's purse) for the children and boxes of food for each family donated by Mission without borders. We also bought warm thick socks for the 50 residents of the old home. We had a staff Christmas party at our house where we played the White Elephant game, ate a huge meal, and played dominoes (while Dr. Nikolla took a nap). It was a blessed time together as a staff! We celebrated Christmas in Kavaje on Saturday (Christmas eve) and in Durres on Sunday (Christmas Day). The youth group of Kavaje had prepared a skit and a couple of dances for both churches. Also in Durres the men's Bible study group prepared a great skit about getting caught in sin. Definitely a busy time but a blessed time as well as we celebrated or Lord's birth!

Things have been going great with women's Bible study as well. One day we had 10 ladies in attendance. They are faithful in coming and growing in the Lord. We are very happy about this! 

In September we decided to put David in preschool. He is loving it and having a great time. He was busy learning songs and even had a little part that he spoke himself. He got very nervous and one of his friends helped him. David often speaks about loving Jesus and wanting to be in heaven with Jesus. We pray that he will remain faithful in his love for the Lord! He is also a very good big brother and wanting to smother Abby with kisses all the time! 

Thank you for all your prayers and support! We appreciate you and thank God for you all! 

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
 

  

 

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  

Our help comes from the Lord!

 I lift up my eyes to the mountains—
    where does my help come from? My help comes from the Lord,    the Maker of heaven and earth.

Psalms 121:1-2

We have been very busy the past couple of weeks but we also took some time to have some fun. The men from both of our churches gathered together to play some soccer (futbol). It was a match of Durres vs. Kavaje. They had a great time of fun and fellowship! We are glad that God protected them and kept them from getting hurt as they played like they were teenagers!

 

We were very happy to baptize a new believer into Christ! Our new sister Gloria accepted Christ into her heart and was baptized on Sunday. Gloria has been such a servant in the church. We had a great time of fellowship time at the beach with the church of Kavaje. Gloria who is 15 will be going to Elbsan to high school in September. May she continue to grow in the Lord. I love the picture of Gloria's baptism because you can't see Gloria very well but you see the bright shining of the sun. Like God is shining on Gloria now!

We have some family matters that we would like to discuss with you so you can be in prayer. Last week on Wednesday Arian's mom, Liri, fell and broke her left hip. She is in the hospital and was supposed to have surgery today but she has an infection in her hand where the nurse didn't change her IV port and she is running a fever. Before they could do her operation we also had to get people to donate blood to the blood bank so Liri could take some if she needed it for surgery. We are so grateful that Juli came with Arian to donate blood. We are hoping that Liri will be able to have the surgery on Thursday. Even though we are dealing with things with Liri we also have issues in our house. We have been sick with a stomach virus. After 5 days of David being sick, we had to take him to the hospital to get fluids. He was very brave! We are grateful that Arian's sister Linda has been here staying with Liri 24/7. We are also grateful that the stomach virus has not affected Abby. We are grateful that people have helped us in paying for Liri's surgery, all the support, encouragement, and visits. Please pray for Liri to have her operation and heal quickly. Please pray for Arian as he continues to do ministry and family while he is sick. 

Praise: Our sweet Abby is growing quickly and healthy!

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

Follow us on Facebook: Kisha Kristiane Albania

Pray for one another

Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective. James 5:16

 

There is something special about prayer. That time with God speaking to Him about your needs and the needs of others makes a very big impact on your life. When your prayers are getting answered it brings the biggest joy! We are seeing answered prayers. While we were in America, the ministry in Albania was struggling. There were three deaths while we were away and people in Albania were very discouraged. The whole time we were praying about what God was doing through all of this. Thank you so much for praying too! Now we are seeing prayers being answered and God's hand at work in a powerful way! 

 

We are so blessed by all the churches that we visited while we were in the States. One church, Hickory Valley Christian Church in Chattanooga, Tennessee chose us to be their mission spotlight for the VBS week. The children collected new tennis shoes for the children and raised money to have them shipped. They collected over 180 pairs of shoes and $700 for shipping! Go God! What a blessing these shoes will be for the kids in Kavaje and Durres! Stefanie was very happy to help with the VBS and teach the kids "Who is the king of the Jungle" in Albanian. It was a great week! God is good ALL the TIME! 

 

Another blessing has been the church in Kavaje. We have been praying about growth because attendance was very down while we were in the States. We are very near to the old home that we work with and we have been praying for them to come as well. Last Sunday we had 36 in attendance and 6 of them were from the old home! We also have some new families coming. This is exciting to see the Lord working in the church of Kavaje. We are seeing lots of answered prayers. Continue to pray for the church and Arian as he preaches to teach them the basics because most of them are unchurched. Shpresa and Gloria are also working on teaching the small children in the church during the sermon. 

 

Most of you might know or have heard of the people on our staff. I would like you to take time to know them and pray for them as well. In the picture from Left to Right: Arian, Shpresa, Romi, Dr. Nikolla(towards the back), Vito, and Juli. A praise for Arian, his parents are coming faithfully to the church in Durres! Shpresa and Romi are married and have been now for two years they are trying to have a baby. Please pray that they will be able to have a baby soon. Dr. Nikolla is our medical doctor for the clinic in Durres he is a ripe young 78 years old. He has been having back trouble for a couple of months now. Please pray for the healing of his back. Vito is the cleaner and all around helper for the church in Durres. She is a widow and is rasing two daughters (Ina and Evi) and a son (Kladi). Vito's daughters are currently in college and one is in Belgium and one in Romania. Kladi is in highschool. Vito fell and broke her foot this week. Pray for her family and healing of her foot. Juli lives in Kavaje and helps us out a lot in Kavaje. Juli is having some struggles with his family. Pray that they will come to know our Lord and Savior. Please help us in praying for our staff and to become more unified as we work together to bring people to know Christ in Albania. 

 

Praise: Stefanie made it back with the children safely with the help of her friend Julie. Abby is growing quickly 2 1/2 months now. And David is three! David loves being a big brother and helping out with Abby. 

 
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

Follow us on Facebook: Kisha Kristiane Albania

 

Happy Easter

I always wondered why the Friday before Easter is called "Good Friday".  Seems to me that the crucifixion of our Lord and the punishment that he bore for our sins is a horrible sacrifice that He did not deserve. Why would we call it "Good"? I would rather think about Easter and how he miraculously raised from the dead and now is in heaven sitting at the right hand of God. 

This is our first Easter in America since Arian and I got married. I am very excited about sharing all the Easter excitement with David. Even though we will participate in the church Easter Egg hunt and get dressed up on Sunday, we will also stress the importance of the day with David. 

We hope that you all have a blessed Easter! He is Risen! 

Busy Busy! 
Things have been busy both in the States and back home in Albania. Here are some of the highlights from the past two months. 

The church in Durres decided to take a field trip to Kosovo mainly to celebrate Women's Day but the whole church was invited to participate in the event.
The church has not done an excursion like this in a long time. They had a great day but were very tired when they got back. They had a great time of fellowship. We are also blessed that God told Mac and Diane to go to Albania to encourage the churches for a month in our absence. Another praise is that since we have been in the States Arian's parents have continued to be a part of the church and have been in attendance every Sunday. 

We have been busy as well! Other than attending Doctor's appointments twice a week, we have been able to visit several churches. We have been blessed by Crosspoint Christian Church, McDonough Christian Church, Bridge Christian Church, First Christian Church in Dalton, Ga, as well as Hickory Valley Christian Church. It has been a blessing to be with you all! One of the greatest blessings is that I (Stefanie) was able to share and give a devotion to the ladies of Hickory Valley Church. Thank you for allowing me to share my heart for the ministry of Albania. Arian has also been volunteering. He has served at the local soup kitchen Greater Works here in Dalton and helped some men of Hickory Valley Christian Church build a ramp for a handicapped woman. 



In November, I shared with you about a new blessing to our church. Meri gave birth to twins. We have very sad news to announce that in February her husband Tani 46, died of heart failure. This was a sudden shock to the family and church and we are very saddened by this event. Please pray for Meri as she has these young twins to raise without a father. A praise is that their daughter Sabina who is 18 is working and helping her mom. 

Praises and Prayer Requests:
*Continued prayer for Spiritual and Physical growth of the church in Durres and Kavaje. 
*Pray for Mac and Diane and their service while in Albania. They will return April 4th.  
*Pray for families who are dealing with out a father and husband because of death.   *Stefanie is in her 37th week of pregnancy. Other than dealing with gestational diabetes and normal pregnancy stuff all is going well. This week the baby was already 7lb 4oz. Three more weeks to go! If baby Abby waits to come they will deliver by c-section on April 12th.
*Pray for strength and unity in our staff and growth of the Kingdom of God in Albania. 


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

Follow us on Facebook: Kisha Kristiane Albania

Donation address (tax deductable):  
 *****Please put ALBANIA in the Memo line on the check*******

Make check to McDonough Christian Church

McDonough Christian Church,
Attn: Lisa Thomas-Albania 
2000 Jonesboro Rd.
McDonough, Ga 30253