Back in Peje

It is great to be back in Peje, a place that has been so significant to our family for the last several years. I arrived late today (May 21st) and will be here through the 25th. The 1st portion of my time today was spent in Prishtina (Kosova's Capital City). I lead the devotions for BZMF, a micro finance firm I am on the board of. It went well, even though I nearly missed it as my alarm didn't go off and I was pretty tired and doped up on sinus meds. Following the devotion, the Director and I had some time before he had to run off to an other meeting. We met up again later for lunch and then went to see one of our loan clients. It was good to be back in it again and meeting with the people we are working to help. Then I was graciously driven to Peje (1.5 hrs) by a staff member of BZMF. He is a new believer and we had a very encouraging conversation about his faith, questions he is still trying to figure out and how his life has been TOTALLY transformed by the Lord. What a blessing that was here. I had better sign off now as I am still a bit jet lagged and the power could go off at any moment. More from Peje later...

Musings....

As I sit in a faux Viennese cafe decorated as if Schubert or Stauss could be at the next table (in the airport) with a mix of other travelers from around the world I am amazed at and reminded of the diversity the Lord has created in the creatures. All of us who He has made in his own image. There are the Business Men on the way to meet a client putting the finishing touches on their presentation; there are the International Aid Workers some returning from a time of R&R, others on their way for the first time to the hard places they work, a part of the world that has been just been destroyed by a natural disaster or where war and abuse continues to rage; there are the Holiday Makers and the Biker Guy with a Mohawk; there is a family of immigrants fleeing the poverty of their land looking for a better life in a new place full of shiny things and a strange language; and there is me. We are all the same and all very different. We are the same in our sin, in our need for a saviour. Prov. 21:2 says, that every way of a man is right in his own eyes. The author of that verse is not saying every way is correct but that each man thinks he is correct. It is the one who weighs the heart who can say what is truly right and that is the Lord. This cafe is filled with people thinking they are doing right, and many of them probably are, but its the ultimate right that God cares about, not what we think is right in our own, finite little minds. It is the right of Him who established the measure of rightness that He cares about. Am I doing that right thing? Is my life exemplefying His righteousness? I pray it is and I pray for those that sit here with me that they will come to know that truth as well. Well my flight has finally been called, I am off to one of those war torn places, thankfully now at peace, but far from being a land filled with the eternal peace. Perhaps one day...

Brad's Travel Diary

Travel Diary:
May 19th: Depart the house 7am for a 9:30am flight out of Springfield, IL for Frankfurt via Chicago
May 20th: Depart Frankfurt 8am for flight to Prishtina, Kosova, via Vienna, Austria with a 9 hour layover in Vienna.
May 21st: 9am Present devotions for BZMF, a micro enterprise company I am the board of. Pray for this time as the staff is a mix of followers of Jesus and followers of Allah(Muslims).
10am Meet with Director of BZMF regarding last week’s board meeting I was unable to attend
11am Head for Peje (1.5 hour drive west of Kosova’s capital Prishtina)
1pm Lunch with my staff of Krijesa e Re, the real estate company we started while in Kosova
2-3 staff meetings and generally catching up
May 22-25: Following up with friends, disciples and church leaders from our time in Kosova
May 26th: Fly to England for Radstock meetings to discuss how to develop a stronger financial support for us and others in the networks
May 27-30: Fly to France on personal business (we have a piece of real estate we are trying to sell)
May 31-June 2: Meetings with friends and supporters from our church in the UK, ChristChurch Harpenden.
June 2: Board a flight back to the US with the hope of seeing my family’s smiling faces as I return home

Check out our Blog for other periodic updates from my time in Kosova and the UK. For those of you in Europe I am looking forward to seeing you, for those of you in the US, I’ll be home in 2 weeks,
Brad

Maisy joins the flock!!

As if life wasn't busy enough we decided to take the plunge and give in to the cries of our children and we have now added a beagle puppy to our midst. Her name is Maisy. She is a great addition if you can get past the wet puddles on the floor and the even less savory presents she has been leaving. Apparently some dogs can be house broken in a few days but our Maisy doesn't seem to be catching on too quickly in that department. 3 weeks in and we still have puddles and worse!!!

Brad leaves for the Balkans and the UK tomorrow for 2 weeks so Abi is praying she catches on in the next 24 hours!!

The children adore her and she has a total Byrd personality - she cries so much when she is upset she makes herself throw up!! She is off the charts extrovert and wants to be with people all the time. She thrives on hustle and bustle in the house and the yard. Her favorite relaxation is to curl up with one of the children and go to sleep!!

We will post more photos soon!!

What are we up to?

As you have probably gathered - we are here (Abi and the kids) and Brad isn't!! He has been gone now for a few weeks in the UK and the Balkans. We have 10 more days and then he will be back. He has basically been travelling for most of February. 19 sleeps is a long time but it has gone so much better than anticipated - not that the usual sickness, teething etc haven't plagued us, but we have been armed to survive the storm!!

Brad is now officially the US Director of Radstock Ministries so he will be travelling around churches in the Radstock Network in the US helping them think through their missions strategies and helping them to connect and partner with other churches in the Radstock Network across the world. He will also be promoting the whole aspect of Business as Mission which he has such a heart for. He has an office at our church which is wonderful and very close to our house. Abi likens our small town to a cross between Wisteria Lane and Stepford!!! It is very small and you know people wherever you go. There is a certain familiarity about that which is nice and a certain spooky feeling which is slightly unnerving!!

The children have all settled in to life here extremely well and are enjoying the new experiences. We have learnt lots in the last few months and had many hilarious cultural experiences!!! Here are a few which we have enjoyed:
The Yellow School bus - picks up and drops off the children pretty much from our house twice a day. (Abi thinks this is absolutely amazing as she can still be in her pyjamas when it is time for Quin to go to school!!)

Pre-school - You don't have to exit your vehicle in order to drop your children off. The teacher comes to the car and removes Tate and puts him back in when pre-school is over (Again, Abi thinks this is fantastic as she isn't having to put Jems in and out of the pushchair/stroller numerous times in a morning.)

Pokemon cards - key to survival in any Second Grade boys life

Nintendo DS - cost a Kindergarten girl all her money but is totally worth it in every way, especially as it comes in pink!!

Valentines parties - survival of the fittest on every level - the amount of candy that comes home in backpacks is astounding!! Every child gives a Valentine to each class member, usually with a piece of candy taped to it. An amazing haul all around, the Byrd children can hardly believe their luck!! (Does this really happen every year???? - Abi is appauled as the writing of the Valentines is a particularly painful process, as is the potential sickness that comes at the end of the day when the parties are all finished!!)

Friends for playdates who speak the same language and live closer than 2 1/2 hours away!! What a novelty. Tyler and Ryan Mac are Quin's good friends and live walking distance from our house. Hayley and Grace are Ezzie's friends - she loved having a sleep over at Hayley's. Jackson is Tate's absolutely best friend in all the world. (Thankfully they will still be in the same pre-school class next year.) He also announced to Abi when talking about another little girl he knew "Mummy, I can't help myself, I just have to kiss her!!!!" This doesn't bode well for the future!!Jems hasn't really developed too many close friends yet although she endears herself to all in the Nursery at church.

Trampolining, gymnastics classes, baseball, swim lessons - all to be had for the taking if wanted. Again, we can't believe our luck.

All in all the transition has been much easier than we anticipated and we are thankful every day that we have power and are not chopping wood to keep us warm!! (Although apparently we have had more power outtages - 2 since we arrived - than they have had in years here!! - We have brought a little Balkan love with us evidently!!)

We miss Kosova and our friends there and we are keen to return as a family next Summer. For now, we will remain here in Central Illinois and Brad will travel where he needs to go.