Today’s article was written by Di Ullrich, a CAMA staff member who has been serving in Kosovo for the past 25 years. In the late 1990s, the end of armed conflict in the Balkans left thousands in need as refugees returned to war-torn homes and towns. CAMA Services grew further by sending international workers to Kosovo to provide relief, encourage community development, and point people to Christ as they helped them begin rebuilding their lives.

The Aftermath of War

There are certain images and sensory experiences that get branded into our memories, especially after you arrive in a place like Kosovo that was still feeling the aftershocks of war. During the fall of 1999, my memory was branded by the scenes of long lines of trucks and people waiting to cross the border into Kosovo from Macedonia; burnt-out cars, trucks, and buses flipped on their sides, hedging in the main road that runs through Kosovo; driving five kilometers an hour to avoid all the potholes chiseled out by military tanks, rockets, and grenade fire; seeing the shock on the faces of nearly every person I encountered as they saw what had happened to their homes, families, and country after returning from the mountains and the refugee camps; and listening to businesses, homes, and cars being bombed by the hands of the mafia wanting to establish power. I’m guessing these memories will eventually fade, but one never ever will: my friend Luljeta’s face lighting up when I asked her if Jesus was her Savior.

Coming Together through a Community Center

During my second year of language study, I moved into the small town where Luljeta lived. There, I started the AGAPE center—a community center designed to develop occupational skills while also meeting local needs. Luljeta had moved right next door to the center just three months prior. Her husband had lost his job before the war and couldn’t find a new one. She was teaching on a minimal salary to help him and their two boys get by.

Luljeta started attending my English class after English became a requirement for her to keep her job. I was looking for a new handcraft coordinator for our CAMA project that helped vulnerable women in need, and I offered Luljeta the role. I could only pay her 100 euros a month, but Luljeta said that that 100 “made [her] feel like [she] was flying on air.” She eventually began helping me run a club where children got to hear stories about Jesus.

Stepping Forward in Faith

As time went by, she and I grew close. Her family watched the JESUS film with me in my apartment. We had many conversations about the Bible. One day, she came to me and said, “You would not believe who I saw outside my window last night.”

“Who?” I asked.

“It was a man with a beard wearing a white long gown. It was Jesus!” Luljeta exclaimed. “I couldn’t believe my eyes, but I know it was Him. I tried to look away three times, and each time He was still there until after the third He was gone.”

I said, “Luljeta . . . next time you see Jesus standing outside your door, you open it up and let Him in. He is knocking on that door of your heart.”

Another day, Luljeta came to tell me about a dream she had had about a dark, scary-looking house and a big, white, peaceful house. I asked if she had gone into the white house. She said, “No.” 

Not long after, a man in our English class tragically died after falling off a ladder. Luljeta came to my home, and this led to us having a conversation about life after death. As we talked, I asked Luljeta if she believed Jesus is the Son of God.

“Yes,” she replied.

“Do you believe He is God?” I asked.

“Yes!”

“Do you believe Jesus is the Savior?”

Luljeta’s face lit up as she responded, “That is what I love about Him!”

Together, we immediately prayed to confirm her faith and her commitment to walking after Him.