Drought? Our problem is snow

In England we might be worried about the lack of rain and a drought this year with a hosepipe ban already in operation in parts of the country.

But in Kosovo the opposite is the problem. When we returned from South Africa we received a prayer letter from Gani and Adile Smolica, pictured below, whose story is told in God’s Secret Listener.

The couple left their Prishtina home in 1993 and played an important part in helping Berti Dosti and the young Albanian church.

Seven years later in June 2000 they returned to Kosovo to work for the European Christian Mission in Peja.

They wrote recently: “We have never seen more snow in our lifetime. It has been falling and falling for more than 10 days, and the snow layer has reached more than two metres.

“People have been coming to the meetings on foot cutting the thick snow with their bodies.

“Two Sundays ago we expected about 15 people to come to the service, but the most devoted ones came and we had about 30.

“Last Sunday, because the snow was deeper, only 20 came. During our service we heard the church roof cracking and squeaking, so we just prayed for about 15 minutes and went out to clear the roof of snow. 

“The roof is damaged and, as soon as the snow melts, we will assess the damage and decide what to do.

“We will most probably have to build a new roof. We’ll need a lot of prayer and finances for this project. But, God will provide for it.

“Praise the Lord that the church activities have gone well so far, despite severe weather and heavy snow.

“We thank the Lord for commitment of church members and their help to run the meetings.

“Very soon the snow will start to melt and there are great risks of floods. Pray for God’s protection and for His hand upon all of us.

“Pray for the people we have spoken to recently about God, as they had different questions in this bad weather.

“Pray for us as family. We have been quite low in financial support and have tried to cut many things that we usually do.

“Please keep praying for us and remembering us and our ministry for Him.

“This year marks ten years since we moved to the premises we are using now, and in September we are planning to have a modest ceremony to thank the Lord for His faithfulness to us. Pray for the organisation of that event.”

To read more of Gani and Adile's story in God's  Secret Listener, published by Lion Hudson Monarch in Oxford, email John@jbutterworth.plus.com for a signed copy for £6 including postage within the UK or £7 anywhere in the world.