Leo, Our Partner in Kosova

 

God has used Leonora in many ways to bring restoration to his world, and he continues to do so as she works full time for Kosova Protestant Evangelical Church in Pristina, the city where she was born. Leonora works with many families displaced by the war and her own experiences of becoming a refugee and fleeing to Macedonia when her family’s house was destroyed help her reach out to them. 

 

After the war she was offered many highly paid jobs but sensed that God wanted her to commit herself to work in his church, which is no easy task in a 97% Muslim country. Many of her friends and family questioned her decision, but Leonora said, ‘The riches of the world cannot compare with blessings from God’. 

 

Over the years Leonora has also pioneered the development of three youth centres to serve the community by teaching young people English, German and Computer skills and she also runs a children’s club on Saturdays where over 100 3-12 year olds learn Christian songs and hear bible stories each week. 

 

Organising the shoe boxes is a big logistical challenge for Leonora and her church, but she says it is worthwhile in order to be a blessing to their community and build relationships with families, and what an expert she is at this! 

 

The shoe boxes enable her church to reach out beyond the children they already know through their successful ministry, to those neglected by society. Leonora distributed shoe boxes to children in hospital, families of refugees living in shipping containers, to children in an orphanage and on a Roma camp. 

 

As these gracious gifts are given by Christians like Leonora and her many volunteers, God’s unconditional love is shared with Roma people, Albanians, refugees and Serbs alike, affirming the diversity of Kosova’s people and promoting unity in this war torn nation.