Kosovo is an amazing place. There are so many things to say about Kosovo. It is a very young nation. On 17 February 2008, the Kosovo Assembly declared Kosovo as an independent country. Since then, over eighty countries have recognized Kosovo as a nation but Serbia still claims the territory as its own. The average age in Kosovo is around 24 years old. This video shows Kosovo's desire to start new and be part of what's going on in Europe.
There is a population in Kosovo of about 2 million people. Officially Kosovo is considered to be more than 90% Muslim, about 5% Roman Catholic and the rest Orthodox Christian. But to give a clearer view, the Orthodox Christian faith is actually Serbian Orthodox and held only by the small Serbian minority which lives very separate from the Albanian population. The Catholic communities are small and not very active. In the Malishevë region, where our church is, there are about 75,000 people living in around 60 villages. Among those are about 120 Christians total. That is 0.1% of the population. The numbers are staggering. Kosovo is still an unreached people group. Overall they are very moderate Muslims, all of them know that 500 years ago they were converted to Islam with the sword of the Ottoman empire. Their heroes are Skanderbeg, an Albanian Catholic who fought against the Ottomans in the early 1400's, and Mother Teresa, an ethnic Albania Catholic, whom you all know. Kosovo is a Muslim country that loves America, which is very rare. Their love comes from America's involvement in the war in 1999, saving them at their most desperate time. This has become an open door for the gospel.
Much is at stake in Kosovo. Since the war in '99, the message of Christ has come through loving people and humanitarian aid organizations, but before that there were very few Christians at all in Kosovo. Most of the Christians you will meet there have been saved within the last ten years. Also, after the war, Muslim missionaries from Saudi Arabia and the middle east have poured time and money into Kosovo as well, building mosques and promoting extreme Islam. The western world and it's secular enticements are all over the place - in media and the internet there and that is where many of the these young Europeans are drawn. Pray for Kosovars to drink of the water that Christ gives and never thirst again. We encourage you to do your own research and watch for Kosovo in the news. It is a controversial place and as we know there is a spiritual battle going on over the souls living there. The prayers of the saints are critical in bringing these people to life.