We made our way to Kosovo, a village in the slums adjacent to Area 2, for church. I was greeted by these cuties.

Walking into the youth service, that had already started, I found myself teaching within just a few minutes of arriving.

During the main service JoAnne, Brian and Mikel all shared their testimonies. Each did a great job. Then, Pastor Willis, who was very excited we were there, took us into an extended time of worship.

The worship time itself was amazing and unique. The first song lasted probably 20 minutes with directives to stand, clap, raise hands, rotate, dance, etc. It was worship aerobics!!

The most touching moment of the day for all of us was when a 19 year old girl shared her testimony. This young lady was raised by a Muslim father and a Catholic mother. When she made her decision to follow Christ, her parents kicked her out of the house. As bad as that was, tears began to flow down her face (and ours) as she told us her mother told her she could become a prostitute to pay her way through college since they would no longer help. This young lady again began to beam as she told us how she was very clear on her commitment to follow Jesus for her whole life.

Finally we got to spend some time with the young adults with a special Q & A time. There were over 20 young people, mostly from 17 to 25 years old. They asked us about possible solutions for the different challenges they face as they struggle to live for Jesus. Crazy thing, they said “peer pressure” and “media” were their two greatest challenges. Hmmm. Sound familiar?

We wrapped up the experience, as I will on today’s blog, at at Ethiopian restaurant. It was delicious!