The journey to actually living in Kosova started for us in what seemed a relatively simple way. Lorraine had grown tired with her career and needed a change. she moved to Kent and worked for Smile International organising their aid, this included several visits to kosova, part of the former Yugoslavia which had been ravaged by the war during the late 1990s. When marriage plans took over she left Kent and Smile behind and moved briefly back home to Reading and finally Christchurch to settle into married life with Chris. The move enabled Chris to complete his time at Moorlands Bible College as a college based rather than placement based student. Things were moving into place. This enabled Chris to have a period of five week block placement and the offhand comment was made about Kosova which Lorraine thought was a great idea - Chris was not so sure! As the time grew closer Lorraine was not so sure either! Five weeks in Kosova was a great test of our marriage - still less than a year old. We both Struggled - Chris was homesick and Lorraine found the flat large and lonely. Chris returned home with a great sense of relief and never expected to return. However it seemed that God had other plans for us concerning the country and in June of 2008 we returned as a couple this time able to share experiences.

On our last day with our bags all packed we visited Krushe, a place Chris had visited on his own and which had made quite an impact on him. While there we found out about a vacancy for a couple as volunteer managers. Chris had been searching all over for employment and no doors had opened so we persued this new opportunity very gingerly - rejecting at first owing to the lack of money involved! Eventually however we could reject it no longer so we started the application process. The constraints of email made this process a little uncertain at times but finally on the 10th of August we received an email to say we had been accepted! A mixture of elation and panic followed! The next three months became a blur but a great testimony to the goodness of God and of His hand being upon our journey to Kosova all along! We rented the flat almost straight away and moved in with various people in the Bournemouth area, sorting bank accounts, setting up giving accounts, set up newsletters, continuing or finishing and starting new jobs as roles switched around but thankfully we both ended up with full time employment, and waiting on God as we watched Him moving people to give - and give they did! We needed to have three months behind us in the bank and the rest of the year pledged before we could start life in Kosova. We set a target of being in Kosova before the end of November - which seemed very soon for our managers - ultimately we knew there was a vacancy and wanted to fill it asap. We looked at booking the flight and settled for 10th November - though we did not realise at the time precisely three months to the day after we had been accepted!! We can only but give the credit to our amazing God! Though we might have lacked the faith at first and have planned other ways if there was a shortfall - we need not have worried. To date (25/10/08) we have more than covered our first three months and are well over halfway towards the remainder with other gifts still promised! We move forward in our journey to Kosova in the grace and strength of our awesome God!!