Chris writes - well we have lived to fight another day! It has been a long and tiring week but we have survived it. Last night our power (and sanity) was restored! All week there have been rumours and speculation - finally it happened! We saw the workmen at the sub-station in the village as we were leaving a family we were visiting and asked them - to our delight they said "Po" (Yes)! They left the village and nothing happened. Then about an hour or so later we heard some shouts from over the road - somebody had flicked the switch at the power station and the village was 'on' again! It is so good to be able to put things in the fridge again and not in the cool box or the bucket of cold water. We have got used to the odd hour or two...or even five hours on a bad day...but a whole week.....!! You suddenly realise just what you take for granted when you don't have it...we just have so much to be thankful for! Today we saw workmen measuring up our road with a view to laying down tarmac - wow this is just too much!! Thanks for reading and Zoti Bekoft x

Chris writes - we all have our crosses to bear as they say! At the moment much of Kosova is without electricity as the power company Kek hold us all to ransom. This is a crazy and difficult situation and our own village has been told we must pay 6000 euros before our power is reinstated. Our power was cut on Wednesday lunchtime - today is Sunday! Having to start the generator every twelve hours to run the freezers is proving expensive - and tiring. As i write the sound of generators running fills the air. Sadly we have now got to the point of having to throw food away as there is not enough power to keep everything frozen. This has really limited us and even communication outside the country -it feels like we have gone back in time - but as they say here 'what to do'. The Bible i think is the better saying however as we read the other day - 'Consider it pure Joy' !! Thanks for reading and praying with us - Zoti Bekoft!!

Chris writes: The busy busy fortnight has come to an end and with some sadness took our Doctor and new friend to the airport this morning and put him on the first flight out. Has been a challenging but interesting fortnight and now is the time to reflect. we saw over 450 patients during the period - people who would otherwise have had great difficulty or never actually made a trip to the doctor. Many of the problems are common, many where pretty mundane but all of them important to the individual. The two weeks has stretched us as a couple and there are some lessons we can learn. But through it all relationships are so important to the Kosovar people and it has been a priveldge to get to know and build friendships with them.
We have almost made our plans for our trip to the UK in the summer and hope to be able to see and share more with as many of you as possible - please contact us if you have not been in touch recently so we can arrange this. Thanks for your prayers and for sharing our adventure with us - Zoti Bekoft!

Lorraine writes- Have you every seen or heard about an old TV show called 'The GoodLife'?? it stared Richard Briers and Felicity Kendal. This couple left the employment rat race and became self sufficient; growing their own food, making their own clothes, things they needed; trading homegrown goods for milk and other things they couldn't make. Well its safe to say that I feel a little like our life has become like that!!! The art of cooking was not my strong point, but I have learnt so much since I've been here. We have now even turned our hand to growing. We have planted lettuces, peppers, strawberries, melons and tomatoes. Trying to make my own rather than buying food has become the favoured choice. I have been fortunate too, to be have been given a sewing machine with the intention of making items we need like clothes or things for the house. Having bought some lovely fabric, I have successfully made 5 cushion covers!! may be simple and not much to shout about, but for someone who has never sewn before a good start!! Many things in our life have changed; somethings have taken a while to adjust to, somethings we embraced straight away and some things are ongoing challenges. Its such great character building thought; my beautiful Mum (who sadly is no longer with us) always said how important it was to allow God to change and mould us; to see every challenge as an opportunity to grow. I know I want to better myself; to learn new skills, and being in Kosova is definiatly helping with that!! We really value our family and friends; messages sent from individuals are a real blessing; and we especially value prayers!! Newsletter due to be sent out soon!! Keep reading :-) x

Chris writes: just a few days into the busy fortnight! When we were back in UK we never would have realised just how busy these times get! Going reasonably well with a few slip-ups - well at least the vehicle is legal now! Great building the relationships with people in the villages and hope to be able to build on these in the future. Still struggling with some of the same problems and some new ones mainly generated by our busyness would appreciate prayers for improved communications! Thanks for reading and be blessed x