My trip to Gjakove in Kosova for 5 days in December was once again challenging, humbling and joyful. On this trip we had the joy of giving out Christmas Shoeboxes (Operation Christmas Child) and were able to distribute these in 3 kindergartens, a centre for disabled children and also a centre for the blind, deaf & dumb.
The work rate of the church we link up with is amazing and the amount of things to do was in itself very challenging, but on this my fourth visit I thought it unlikely that I would see poverty worse than I had seen before, but sadly I did. Whilst parts of the area are now developing, there is still no work for 60% of the men and the conditions of many of the homes is still desperate. I have seen families living in one room and the rain (of which there was plenty) coming in through the roof. Families of 10 children aged 1 – 14years in one room where the heating is a tray of burning coals. Homes where the only available water is coming in through the ceiling next to the electric.
And yet I have also seen joy that I rarely see in England, I am not talking about laughter or happiness but real JOY, coming from deep within them. I think that may come from the ability of the people to share what little they have and the way they live in community together. Either way I find it humbling.
I hope to visit again next summer and maybe find some folks to fix a few roofs.
David Cunliffe
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