Herolind (with the red shirt, sitting with his arms crossed)
at the Jesus film project during a prayer time.
When we first met Herolind it was in the clothes closet, a part of our humanitarian outreach, having clothes for families with sponsored kids to come through and take, filling up bags, shopping in a room full of shelves and clothes and boots. He would just come in and hang out and try on all the clothes. He was so funny and goofy. Even when his family wasn't there he would still come around and hang out .Even though we couldn't really speak Albanian we had fun with him and I think he even would help a little here and there. We didn't know his name or much about him at all. Well, we left Kosovo to get married and were gone for more than a year. We went back and I would see him, here or there, in town. It looked like he wasn't in school which is pretty common in Kosovo especially in the villlages during high school years.
One Saturday, I saw him walking on the street on my way to church. I asked him if he was doing anything and he said "no". So I told him to come hang out with us. He went to church that day. Later we found out that he had gotten expelled from his school for bad behavior. He was a really bad kid. He would throw rocks at the teachers, get in fights all the time and cause all kinds of problems. About that time we left again to America to have a baby, Isaac. That kept us out of Kosovo for about almost 2 years or so.
When we returned we found out that since that first Saturday that Herolind went to church he had not missed a service. He was always there. And to our horror he was a little punk. He would terrorize the guys in church, always getting in fights, just an overwhelming little dude. We had to discipline him many times, even making him leave because of his attitude and language. One Friday night when we were all together pastor Randy whispered in my ear "Hey Jeff, do you think Herolind is demon possesed.' I said "I don't know, maybe." That just shows you how bad he was. Anyway he kept coming back and we kept praying for and loving on him. His familiy lived in a village outside of town and he was kind of an outcast because of his getting kicked out of school. He had some kind of learning disability and made up for it with his fists. So he would just roam the town most of the time.
He went through a discipleship program one summer with pastor Randy where he was working on learning how to read using the Bible, memorizing verses and praying with other young guys. We started to spend a lot of time with him at Friday night get togethers and Saturday all day for church. He loved Isaac and would hold him by his arms and run him around the room kicking a soccer ball with his legs when Isaac was not a year old yet. He started to work really hard in Sunday School to learn the verses and he did it. We had little prizes for those who did and all the kids loved that. He was learning and the Lord was changing his character. He started to tell people all over town about Jesus. At first he was going to fight them when they made fun of him but then he learned what Jesus said about turning the other cheek and rejoicing when we are persecuted for His sake. So He would tell people and show them love out on the soccer field and as he roamed all over town like before but with a new purpose. He especially would ask for us to pray and he would pray himself for his family, who didn't know Jesus. He really wanted them to know Him and go to heaven like he now knew he would. It was hard for him to share because there is so much pressure in their muslim culture and he knew it would be hard for his parents to deal with and that they might be mad or forbid him to come to church.
One week we joined a campus crusade outreach bringing the Jesus film to many of the surrounding villages of Malisheve. Many of the guys and girls from our church went including Herolind. We went to his house to ask permission from his parents for him to go and his mom gave him permission. On the way back in our van he said "Jeff, stop here at the store" Reluctantly I stopped, figuring he had some deal to make, wanted to do some crazy thing or whatever. He came back to the car with 3 juice boxes and gave one to Isaac, one to Rachael and one to me. I thought he was doing something for himself but he just wanted to give to us out of love. He bought us juices and I know he had very little money. It was amazing. So They all stayed in a hotel for a week. Everyone said Herolind had a great attitude toward everyone, was friends with all the believers from all the churches involved and he showed special care to protect the girls from our church making sure guys from other churches had pure motives, haha.
He had been involved in the outreach all week going from village to village inviting people to the movie and sharing the gospel boldly. One day as his group was driving to another village they lost control of the vehicle and flipped several times. Herolind flew out the window and the truck rolled on him. He was conscious at the scene but without understanding some people put him in a truck without securing his head and neck (medical practice over there is not very good) and he went into a coma. They took him to the hospital in Prishtina the capital city where he was in a coma for three days. Right when we heard, we drove down to tell Herolinds mom and drive her to the hospital. We prayed and prayed that the Lord would heal him and raise him up. After the three days he died. Even then I prayed and fasted asking that God would raise him from the dead, knowing that he could easily do that, and what a testimony that would be to his family of Christ, I thought. But as I prayed the Lord spoke to me saying, “Jeff, I want him here and he wants to be here” then I knew that this was the way that God would receive the greatest glory even though I didn’t like it. I could see the Lord in heaven saying to Herolind “hey Herolind, they are asking for you down there, you wanna go?” and Herolind in a way all his own saying “no” clicking with his tongue and waving his finger in the air.
It was amazing knowing him for that short time. He became an example of a changed life by the power of Christ and was part of bringing the churches closer together through the whole thing and at the rare Christian memorial (in a region that is 99.99% muslim). His family suffered greatly at his loss but showed no bitterness to us. One of his older brothers started coming around church to listen now and then. I always wonder what if I hadn’t said “come hang out with us” that one Saturday. How crazy that lives are at stake everyday. This problem kid raised as a muslim in a muslim society is now sitting with Jesus at the right hand of God, worshiping Him for eternity. Something else amazing that I didn’t realize until his memorial is that his name “Herolind” means “Hero Born” and that is truly what he was.
(Herolind left to see Jesus in the summer of 2005)
Wow! Thanks for posting this. I was at the hospital when Herolind arrived in the ambulance. We had thought it was Randy that was in an accident and everyone from CC Pristina rushed over. I only heard part of Herolind's story, and am so thankful to now hear the rest. It was such a testimony to me, to see the Lord work during that time. The face of his mother in grief is still burned in my mind. I remember standing outside with his family, wanting to comfort them but feeling completely incapable. His mom had held on to hope that he would pull through. His older brother was also in an accident with the same injury, but he survived, so they believed Herolind would as well. To God be the glory as you said, for calling him home. HIS ways are perfect! Praise God that the family did not come after the church, i remember that being a huge scare for being in a Muslim country. For some reason I thought his family received Jesus at or after the memorial. I will keep them in prayer while you return, please send another update on them if anything more happens! So excited for you guys to return! Praying the Lord allows me to visit you while you're there!
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