A missionary in Kosovo, works as an English teacher in the city of Drenas. This region is one of the poorest in Kosovo and saw some of the first massacres in 1998 that ended in the genocide of nearly 12,000 Albanians by 1999.

Although the majority of roads, houses and public institutions have been rebuilt, most of the major factories remain closed. Little investment has been made into small businesses resulting in an unemployment rate that remains at 80%. Social assistance from the government is not enough to sustain even a small family.

Most schools in Kosovo offer an optional bread program to families who can afford it. Drenas is one of the few regions in Kosovo that does not receive this benefit.

ChildCry is partnering with parents to provide 1/2 of the funding needed for 1 piece of bread per day for 50 students. The door remains open to provide bread for all the schools in Drenas.

The ChildCry feeding program in Kosovo is perhaps one of the most simple, yet profound manifestations of Christ’s love in the body of Christ. It’s an inspiration for ordinary people like you and I, to respond to God’s voice, not in grandeur, but in simple obedience. We all have what it takes; a heart turned from stone to flesh with the compassion of Christ aching to touch lives around us.

In 1998 a New York teacher took a two week missions trip to Kosovo. Hearing first hand the stories of these people living through senseless violence and genocide, caused her to respond with resolve to love those who were in such pain and sorrow. After the missions trip was over, she decided to return for a year…then another…then another. And one by one, she cared for individuals in the community; from helping provide families with food, schooling and even shelter, to engaging in the lives of abused women and finally even taking in five young children as if they were her own. Ten years later, the children have moved on and she continues her daily response to God’s call. Here Christ’s love continues to be manifested one soul at a time.

Here are excerpts from a recent letter:

“Electricity has been minimal, so I apologize for the delay. The Lord is good as we have two new families that we are feeding. The first is a widow whose husband died of cancer in February and she has 5 children. The second family fled their home with only the clothes on their back from an abusive husband/father. They have been living in constant fear that the father will find and kill them. Along with the assistance from ChildCry with food, another organization is helping them with finances for relocation and an apartment. On a recent visit to their home, we saw that they have no stove and can only eat salami and other ready-made foods. As a result of ChildCry’s financial support, we were able to provide this family with a gas cooker and cookware. Praise God! We ask that you pray for this family and for another friend who is so very ill with leukemia. ChildCry is supporting her with milk for her baby and food to her other children.”

Matthew 18:12-14 “What do you think? If a man has a hundred sheep, and one of them goes astray, does he not leave the ninety-nine and go to the mountains to seek the one that is straying? And if he should find it, assuredly, I say to you, he rejoices more over that one sheep than over the ninety-nine that did not go astray. Even so it is not the will of your Father who is in heaven that one of these little ones should perish.”
Jacque