Kosovo - a name evocative of war and tension, not top of most people's tourist list, is a place I've wanted to visit for over two years. And when I arrived yesterday, it was not all I expected.
Reaching the border I encountered high fences, barbed wire and a plethora of KFOR and UN army vehicles and personnel. Security was tight, it seems, and I felt an air of tension at the border. It continued for several miles into the country as our bus followed behind a KFOR tank.
Pristina was different. A friend of a friend met me at the bus station and we toured around the town, as he showed me the sights and told me about life in Kosovo. There was a relaxed and "European" feel to the city, and even though I was obviously a foreigner (with my looks and backpack), it did not draw unwelcome attention.
My guide, Ilaz, is an ethnic Albanian who had fled the country during the war in 1999. He told me how when he was in Albania at this time, he heard about Jesus and started going along to a church, although he had still been a Muslim. When he returned to Prizren, his home town, he got paralyzed in the legs through standing in very cold water to help some cows; he remembered about Jesus, prayed to him, and was healed. He told me how before the war there were 5 churches in all of Kosovo, now there are dozens; one church that had 12 believers now has about 100. On Sunday, 800 Christians in Pristina will be meeting together for a joint celebration.
The hospitality of my guide and the friendliness of others I met was great. It was a little surreal travelling through the city on the way to the airport - again the ubiquitous presence of UN/KFOR/NGO vehicles, maybe 1 in 3. Once at the airport, almost all of my fellow passengers were working for some international organization.
I enjoyed the day, and as I was on the flight to London, I had my highlight. The passenger on my left hand side was a Kosovar, but who was married to an English woman and living outside London. We got into a conversation and started talking about the possibility of a personal relationship with God. He was hungry and wanted to know how it was possible, so I explained that he needed to recognise that he had turned away from God and sinned and that Jesus's death and resurrection made it possible to come to God, and that he needed to accept Jesus both as saviour and Lord. He'd reached a point in his life where he wanted to do get to know God. His simplicity of faith and open attitude is a challenge to others.
