Berti's church reaches out to villagers

It was good to hear yesterday from Berti Dosti about how the Way of Peace Church is helping the villagers of Bitaj, a place that was mentioned in God’s Secret Listener.

The Way of Peace Church is aiming to plant a new church among the 80 families there and is setting up projects for all ages.

Church members and teams from Holland performed Christian dramas to youngsters in the very modern school.

More than 50 women also gathered in two of the classrooms. The first group was taught to use a sewing machine while the second group went to a beauty salon.

Church leaders were touched by the words of 55-year-old Bajame, who said: “I have never had the chance to feel beautiful since I was born. Working in a field every day just for a little food, I had forgotten to look at myself in a mirror. I had forgotten that I am a woman.”

At first some of the women were shy and afraid of the others’ opinions, said Berti, who works for the European Christian Mission. But by the end they understood that God can change them both from the inside and the outside.

A poor family, pictured below, was overjoyed to be given a cow, a gift from the New Day Impact Foundation in Holland.

The father and the youngest son of the family had been ill for a long time, spending many months in hospital which had hit the family hard financially.

They welcomed the cow like a new bride, clapping and hugging each other. Now they will not only have milk, cheese, butter and yogurt, but also a better standing in the community.

The Way of Peace Church, which also runs the Victory School in Lushnje, was also able to help another family whose home had been destroyed by a landslide.

One of the daughters listened to the Waves of Gospel programme on the radio and joined the church.

Being aware of their difficult life, the church helped them to start a mini business, a small grocery store in their garden. It is a very small shop, but they now have a means of providing for themselves.

As Elona, a young woman in Bitaj, said: “Since God has entered in our village, we are feeling better. We are living our lives in a new hope now. We could never believe that God loves us so much, but He is good.”

There's more about what The Way of Peace Church is doing in the villages in God's Secret Listener, published by Lion Hudson. To buy a signed copy email John@jbutterworth.plus.com