Kosova connections

Stacey Cripps, Captain of 5th Bradford GB Company, was one participant in the GB Europe Summer Mission. She shares some experiences from her time in Kosova this summer:

My team’s missionary work consisted of helping to run the kids clubs in the villages of Rugovë, Brekoς and Krusha Mardha. It was so much fun - we played games, sang songs (pictured below), told Bible stories and did craft work based on the stories.

Language was a barrier, they speak a version of Albanian, but we had two brilliant translators who worked with us for the week.

The Girls’ Brigade company met on Wednesday evening so we led some activities there. It was so nice to see the girls so excited and wearing uniforms like we have at home. It was fantastic to listen to them talking about GB.

We visited the war graves in Gjakovë and we spent time visiting some of the families and widows from the war - 10,000 Kosovans were killed in the conflict in 1999 and over 1,900 bodies are still unaccounted for. Kosova is a beautiful country and, apart from the graveyards and the military presence, there’s little visual evidence of the atrocities that happened.

It’s only when you talk to people that you realise the extent of the suffering. The trip was humbling and made us all realise how much we have and take for granted. It also brought to our eyes how much still needs to be done for the people there.

Going to Kosova was a fantastic experience and I made some lifelong friends. I know this will be the same for the previous teams and I assume that, like me, their lives have been changed forever. I know one girl went out in October to do a gap year and, next year, I hope to go back for longer to continue helping, spreading God’s word and promoting GB even further.

Why not find out how you could go on a mission trip to Kosova in 2010?