HAPPY 1ST BIRTHDAY TO GB KOSOVA…!

Two weeks ago, Girls’ Brigade in Kosova celebrated its first birthday! And what a year it has been. The company attracts a large number of girls each week who come to hear more about God. Captain Emily Morina tells us more about the girls who attend GB Kosova and how they coped with a power cut on their first night…

We decided to start our GB in January 2009 in one of the meeting rooms at the church. The first meeting we had went really well and we had eight girls all keen and eager to see what was going on. We had a very unique first night as the power went out, still quite common here, so we held the second half of the meeting by candlelight! Each week after that the number of girls rose, until we settled at 10 to 15 girls most weeks. For a long time I was apprehensive at the thought of parents coming to the church to complain or take their girls away, but as yet we have no such problem. We are really thankful to God for this as we see how much the girls value this special time just for them.

Some of the members of GB Kosova

We had our first summer holiday club for a week in July last year and we were joined by the GB FIZZ team from the UK. This was a great week and all the girls really enjoyed the activities prepared by the team and the chance to do many different things with them. We had such a blessed time and we are so thankful to the FIZZ team for giving up part of their summer holiday to help us. After the summer for some weeks we were reaching 35 girls at GB which was quite a tight squeeze for us all to fit in the room, but great to see so many new faces.

Emily and some of the uniform that was donated by companies in GB Europe.

We have been very blessed as companies in the UK have donated uniform to our company here and that has been a real encouragement to me and the girls. They love feeling part of the group and as they don’t wear uniform in the schools here, it is something very special for them. We have also received many different items for craft work which has been a great help as there isn’t a lot here.

 As I am still learning the language, it is necessary for us to work with translators when we meet and the girls who were able to help us at the beginning of the year are now heavily involved in their final year studies. So our biggest need at the moment, and what we are praying for, is a female translator. We are using some of the girls who have learnt a little English at school but we really need someone more fluent and with a heart for the girls. We would appreciate your prayers.

 We can’t believe we have celebrated our first year anniversary already and there’s no better way to celebrate than by starting another GB in a village nearby. We are praying for this and are eagerly waiting to start! It’s been a fantastic year and the girls and I have really enjoyed all the elements of Girls’ Brigade. It has been a real blessing for our church here too, to see more girls coming and learning about the Lord. Praise God!

Please remember us and keep praying for us too! 

 Blessings, Emily x

 Do you fancy meeting the girls in GB Kosova?

YES? The FIZZ team dates for 2010 have now been released! If you would like to get your hands on an application form and more information:

• POST a comment on this blog;
• DOWNLOAD the applications from the GB Europe website – www.gbeurope.org
• TEXT GB’s contact helpline – 07797 800575. Text FIZZ and your contact details so we can get back to you;
• CONTACT your national offices – England and Wales (www.girlsb.org), Ireland (www.girlsbrigadeirl.ie), Northern Ireland (www.gbni.co.uk) and Scotland (www.girls-brigade-scotland.org.uk)

Want to get a taster of SMILE International’s work in Kosova? Check out this video – www.youtube.com/watch?v=aQCzNYIaciI

Want to see what accommodation at the SMILE centre is like? Check out this video – www.youtube.com/watch?v=e0GXrAp9gzU&feature=related

Please leave your birthday wishes for Emily and the GB girls by posting a comment to this blog.

2 Comments

Comments RSS TrackBack Identifier URI