We had been practicing skits to do on the plazas because we noticed this is where Spain hangs out in the evenings. El Lokal gave us some portable speakers and mics so we could project our skit. We traveled like a little caravan of about 12 people to the local plaza and set up right in the middle. People started watching from the benches and some just ignored us and and engaged in their conversations. We had our translators with us and prepared a little message to explain our skit. We decided to get some attention Daniel would do some dancing to music. Some kids came and sat. We performed the skit and explained it which later we realized was a little strong for our audience comprised of age 10 and under! haha. After we started talking and hanging out some of the kids and tried to discuss Jesus as best we could with only 2 translators and broken spanish.

Camille at this point started to feel a small tug (from the Holy Spirit) to go to the corner of the plaza where she spotted some teenagers sitting around smoking (we later found out was Chocolat which is basically cheap chopped up marijuana with filler). She discussed it with Alexa and they almost didn’t go out of fear, but realized this fear is not from God. Boldness welled up and they decided to go. They took the two translators with them and walked over. Immediately, after introduction, the youth started commenting vulgarly about the two young American women. The translator who could understand it all wanted to leave, but ignorance is bliss for english speakers and the effects of the dirty spanish talk didn’t thwart Camille and Alexa. About this time, I decided to head over as well after I finished my conversation and prayer with a Russian-Spanish boy.

When I got there and they found out I was married to Camille, the jokes turned to intimate questions on marriage according to the translator. We tried to ask questions about life and engage on a deeper level, but the wall was up, although there seemed to be a bit of curiosity of why Americans were in their neighborhood plaza. Ariel, our translator was asking Camille to say something if she have anything, because he was sensing a boredom/irritation setting in.

We got everyone’s attention (about 15 teens) and Camille began to proclaim God’s goodness in her own life. About 15-20 seconds in, chaos erupted with questions and arguments against God. They boldly said, “I don’t believe in God!”. I believe these were honest heart responses of hurt people taking it out on God. Somehow this moment produced us talking in smaller groups for a short time about God. We talked about how God shows his love through healings and Alexa said something with boldness that later she said she was surprised it came out of her mouth, “God wants to heal you, is there anyone who wants prayer for healing?”

Two guys decided to try it out. One had a knee issue (I think it might have been sore from a sprain or something…hard to get details on the spot) and another had cramps in his arms. They didn’t allow us to lay hands on them (they were afraid of an exorcist-type moment from the movies they watched) so we just prayed next to them. The guy with the hurt knee started moving it and said he felt no pain. This got the other guy excited and so we prayed for him and his eyes lit up and he started almost dancing with excitement saying, “Yo tengo fe, yo tengo fe!” Translation: “I have faith, I have faith”. After this, we in our zeal asked if anyone else needed healing and a guy with bad eyes came and we prayed for him…and nothing happened..yet :). God may have wanted to do another thing as we continued to converse with them about God.

I started speaking to one of the few guys that knew some english and he let me pray for him and I felt the Lord say that he has had people telling him that he is dumb his whole life but the Lord wanted him to know that his mind was created by him and he is smart. He looked at me intensely and then said something in spanish to his friends. I could tell the Lord spoke to his heart. I think the Lord was orchestrating something special as Camille and others in our group had begun to prophecy as well. In fact, people with us how had never prophesied spoke out boldly. The local group of Spanish teens had suddenly became interested in this God that actually wants to have a relationship and bring healing to them. They were so excited to hear what God wanted to say that they were fighting to be prayed for.

About this time, a few shady characters, whom we assumed to be the drug dealers came up and Ariel and Camille boldly began to speak truth into their lives. Camille felt like one of the guys knew about God and when she inquired he said a family member has been praying for him for awhile. She offered him an invitation to officially give his life to Jesus. He said YES! We ask for any more who publicly wanted to give their lives to Jesus. Our friend that was healed really did have faith as he prayed to Jesus too.

Since this time, I met with one of the guys and shared the story of God and how he fits in and he was touched. We haven’t seen the drug dealer since, and pray that he connected with his family. We continued to go to the plaza and meet with the group, but many of them have since left the usual spot. Next time we return we will definitely be looking for this group!

The crazy thing is every plaza in Spain is filled with groups of youth like these smoking and partying waiting for someone to tell them that the things that they fill themselves with pale in comparison to the Kingdom of God.

May His Kingdom come.

(Title clarification: The official name of Spain is “The Kingdom of Spain” the different kingdom is the Kingdom of God, hope this clears up any confusion)

So many times, we discredit or pass over quickly the core things of our faith and this is included. I am a son of God. Done, nexttttt topic. This however is at the very core of our belief and unlocks our true identity. This separates all of the religions of the world with Christianity. A God that wants relationship, but relationship doesn’t do justice to what he is actually yearning for. God wants a family.

For a brief period of time in the beginning in the Garden of Eden, he had family. Adam and Eve walking with God probably eating and drinking with Him. Then came the fall to temptation which was actually a acceptance of belief that the Father couldn’t be trusted. The Enemy brought his atmosphere of fear, condemnation and rebellion and disconnected a son and daughter who as a result adopted the identity of orphans. This identity says I’m not worthy of the Love of God (shame) or I can do everything on my own and fight for all the things I get myself or I am afraid of a trusting relationship (mistrust). It is counter to the identity of son or daughter which is one of trust, love, sacrifice, generosity and peace.

The seed of the orphan spread through humanity with a patient Father trying to reconnect. He tried making new covenant after new covenant that would reestablish “his people” a.k.a his Family, his sons and daughters. This was in fact his plan of discipleship of the human race, since He is sovereign and knows the outcome at the end of the Age. Like a loving father, he knows that sometimes kids learn best the hard way. When he tried with the Isrealites after sealing the Covenant, the God of all creation came down and ate with Moses and the 70 elders (Exo 24). A few chapters later, we see the Israelites rejecting God and turning back to worshipping idols. This is our Father! He wants to eat and drink with us knowing the rejection coming. He’s a good father. It is again echo’ed in the marking of the New Convenant of Jesus (the exact representation of the Father) at the Last Supper. Again, rejection was in the very room in form of Judas, yet He makes a covenant of family knowing what is ahead of Him. God the Father is always knocking on the door of our hearts patiently saying to us, “Come Home, Sons and Daughters, Come Home”! He wants to dine with you and introduce you to the family.

When we accept the Father’s invitation into the family, we gain freedom because our identity moves from orphans and slaves to sons in the love of the Father. We trust the Father and walk in his ways and achieve freedom and peace and then we can introduce the orphans of the world to their true Father in heaven and their true identity as a son or daughter.

And this is eternal life, that they know you the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent. -John 17:3

When we accept Jesus we take on the family name and become co-heirs with Him and are seated in heavenly places. It’s the Father’s good pleasure to give us His Kingdom! Are you still feeling unworthy? I pray that the Spirit of Adoption enters you and your spirit cries out DADDY to our Father in heaven. All creation is waiting and groaning for you to be revealed as a son or daughter and live with the Father as he dwells and lives with you.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Partner with us in praying for her and her team as they travel around on their outreach!

On another note, I want to give you the best content as possible. If you could take 1 second and vote for what you like/would like most about this blog, that would be awesome. Just select 2 choices (or 1) in the sidebar and hit vote! →

My name is Larush Ramosaj. I am from a small town called Decan in Kosovo (Eastern Europe). Kosovo is my home and my country. It is the place where all my memories stem from. For two years Kosovars have enjoyed independence and freedom. For two years we have been able to say once again, that we belong to the land of our forefathers.
By Gods grace my family and I survived persecution, displacement, destitution and all the tribulations that war brings. Though I was a Muslim I survived the conflict in my right mind.
Then everything changed, I met Jesus the Son of God. He adopted me into His family and gave me new vision and purpose: to take the gospel back to my homeland, let the light that is within me draw others to the person of Jesus Christ.
There is much to do in war torn Kosovo, a nation that has seen life through a very different lens than most. My newborn nation is slowly changing and people are increasingly hopeful for a new start. Now is the time and opportunity to embrace and effect change in Kosovo!
My Next Step
America has played a huge part in our journey toward nationhood and helping us build a/our government of democracy. This relationship has created awareness and desire for English proficiency and therefore teaching English has become a much sought after skill. English is one of the quickest ways to affect the lives of those wanting to move forward.
The next step is to become TESOL certified (Teachers of English to Speakers of Other Languages) which is an international government approved accreditation in English proficiency and teaching.
I am not the answer to Kosovo’s problems – Jesus is
It is my life’s dream and vision to bring the truth of the Gospel to my Muslim countrymen. I know that I have a specific role in introducing, preaching and releasing the Gospel in Kosovo. I am ready to count the cost and live a life of single-minded obedience. I also recognize and depend upon the Body of Christ to strengthen and encourage one another. Together let us bring the life and light of Jesus to Kosovo. It has been my dream and vision for the last 5 years to see this to fruition and I have seen God’s faithfulness to me in this journey many times and have faith that he will provide and equip me for this task.
Partner with me as I partner with Jesus’ heart for Kosovo
I kindly ask that you would prayerfully consider partnering with me in prayer and finances as I journey to Washington (for the TESOL course) and ultimately Kosovo to build God’s Kingdom on earth as it is in heaven.
I have created an online PayPal account (send donations to: ramosaj25@yahoo.co.uk) where you can donate money to my journey towards taking a TESOL course. My need is $3000 minimum and is needed April 2010. If you would prefer to send a check, my mailing address is: 75-346 Hualalai Rd. F106, Kailua Kona, HI 96740. If you cannot donate, know that I am grateful for any and every prayer. Thank you for being a part of my life, may we continue to live the life of love God has called us to,

Larush Ramosaj

Next post will be my thoughts on outreach and our future as we return to South Carolina and plan for the next step.

If you like my blog, check out these guys blogs about their YWAM journey:

Johnny and Jenni – Our friends and YWAM Staffers living in Kona who are instrumental in transforming students into their true identity in Christ.
Liam and Rachel – Our neighbors in the GO center and good friends from Scotland who are going into full time missions in South Africa after their outreach there.

And while you at it you can check out some of our friends in my sidebar, many of whom are in our Community Transformations Discipleship Training School →

Many time you get some different perspectives on teachings and YWAM/missionary experiences from these other YWAM bloggers. I know I enjoy reading all of their posts!

“My name is Larush Ramosaj.
I am from a small town called Decan in Kosovo (Eastern Europe). Kosovo is a traditional Muslim country and I am from a traditional Muslim background. Since the age of 15 I had been searching for spiritual truth. Deep in my heart I longed for meaning and purpose for my life. Being from a Muslim country I was not taught, nor did my parents know the one true God.
The war started in my  homeland (1998), it was a dark and tragic time for everyone. My Family and I moved from one town to another in a perpetual effort to escape massacre. I vividly remember the feeling that something supernatural was protecting us. There must be a God out there somewhere I thought. Little did I know that His plan of redemption was already in effect for my Family.
During the Nato bombing we left Kosovo for Macedonia as refugees. When the war finally ended we returned to Kosovo where God had opened the door for missionaries and the good news into my homeland. I was unaware that my youngest sister and mother had accepted Jesus as their Lord and saviour. One evening I remember that my mother was extremely happy and talked with me about Jesus. I had never before heard my mother talking about God, it was very special to me.
However, I was still struggling with islam and striving to find truth in my traditional faith. I buried myself in the Koran and muslim books but nothing changed my life. There was still a great emptiness and void inside of me.
It was Christmas 2000 and I was walking in my home town. I remember that It was so cold and Christian missionaries were projecting a film about Jesus. I stopped to listen. Jesus said: “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” These words came alive to me. They touched my heart deeply. Something happened deep within my being!
The faithful missionaries gave me a Bible and I read it from beginning to end. Some time later my mother invited me to a service at “The Fellowship of the Lord’s People”. When I entered the Holy Spirit was palpable, I started to shake, I could feel my emptiness lifting and healing. I gave my life to Jesus that day. Our lives began to change, God was providing for all our needs—it was amazing!
In 2003, my Pastor suggested ‘the School of Christ’ a three month bible course. I was eager and enrolled as soon as it was possible. The School had an amazing impact on my life and developed essential Godly character through biblical teaching, disciplines and discipleship. This proved to be invaluable in the outworking of my faith in an oppressive Muslim environment.
Some time later, a close friend told me about YWAM Kona Hawaii. I researched the DTS schools and felt certain that God was calling me to YWAM Kona in spite of insurmountable obstacles in immigration rules and financial restraints. I felt challenged to step out in faith and trust the Lord to overcome both the Visa ‘mountain’ and the financial need.
The bureaucracy was relentless and stifling (and that was just YWAM) but I was determined to come to YWAM and fulfill His plan in my life.
I had to travel to a neighboring country (Macedonia) for my Visa interview at the American embassy. After a grueling interview and a pounding head and heart the embassy miraculously issued my Visa!
I was ecstatic in seeing the fulfulment of God’s faithfulness. It was a dream come true! God graciously and miraculously provided my air fare and later my lecture fees here in Kona. I am so excited to be here and so grateful to God for this opportunity.
I know the Lord wants for me to serve His Kingdom in my homeland through the medium of the English language.  I have been blessed with a God given talent and aptitude for the English language and I have been faithful to my gift. Kosovans have a great desire to learn the English language for economic freedom. My vision is for an ex-Muslim now Christian (me) to teach English to my native brothers and sisters while preaching, teaching and living the Good News.
I pray for the finances to complete Community Transformations DTS and further equip myself to accomplish all that God has in store for me for Kosovo.”

Larush Ramosaj has become a life long friend to me. He has an amazing heart for the Lord. He miraculously was accepted for a visa and for the funds for his lecture phase. I thought you might enjoy his story and feel led to partner with him for Kosovo. His DTS outreach will be to New York City with outreach needs at $5000.

If you feel led to partner with Larush, make checks to Larush Ramosaj and mail to:

Larush Ramosaj
University of the Nations
CT DTS 4th Quarter 2009
75-5851 Kuakini HWY #432
Kailua Kona HI 96740 USA

Thanks for reading and I hope you enjoyed his story!

Calvin and Camille

This last week we had a visit from our good friend and Youth with a Mission leader, Jeff. He just came from a whirlwind trip through Europe checking out and preparing outreach locations (check out some videos) and wanted to stop in Greenville, SC because he loved the community so much last time, he wanted to see us all again. While he was here he came with us to hang out with the homeless and spoke to us about the true meaning of church, led a night of worship, teaching, and encouragement at The Vine Community Church and spoke to Dominion Community Church congregation. We had a awesome time at all those events. I can see he has a calling to speak to churches about the true meaning of being the body of Christ and what it looks like.  Here’s just a fraction of what I learned from hanging out with him…

An Deeper Meaning of Communion

What Jesus did at the last supper was much more symbolic than I realized and much more than a tradition I do every other Sunday. If you were sitting at the table at the last supper you probably would have been really confused, because Jesus was performing a Jewish marriage proposal. In Jewish tradition, the man would pour a cup of wine for his potential bride and wait to see if she drank it. The cup was a covenant. If she drank the cup she would accept his marriage proposal.  The groom would then give gifts and before leaving announce He is going to prepare a place for his bride. The Groom would go prepare the room for his bride and before returning would have to get approval from the father that the room was ready. If he was asked when is the date of the wedding, he would have to say, “only my father knows”.

The disciples must have been thinking, “Why is Jesus wanting to marry us? and why is this important?”  Jesus’ love for the church is so strong he offers his body as a gift for his bride (the church) and seals it with his blood on the cross. He went to prepare a place for His bride and we must wait readily for our bridegroom. Communion is actually a love story and one He wants us to share with everyone.

Thanks Jeff for this lesson, I’m excited for more teachings like this soon! You Rock! We love you!

It’s been an eye-opening experience for Camille and I as we’ve met and befriended some of the homeless. During the time, I’ve had to change and re-change my views on who the homeless are. Before Summer of Love, I didn’t think too much about the homeless unless one asked me for money and I tried to ignore them as I awkwardly walked by. Once I started to meet them, I realized these are real people with real human souls just like you and I, but due to some addiction they have put themselves in this situation. Then again, some people we feed aren’t really homeless, just really poor. Some are very spirited Christians. I met more people and my definition had to expand. I discovered some are sadly stuck. It really hit me with a woman we prayed for.

She started to talk about the bruises on her hands and face. She was being beaten by her alcoholic boyfriend. She told me she prayed to Jesus every night and she’d feel better and her spirits were lifted by morning, but then it would happen again. She said she loved him. I told her to get out of there. She said she had no where to go, because she had a charge against her (probably a drug charge) so she couldn’t get into a shelter. I tried to encourage her and hugged her  and said I loved her and that Jesus did to0. I could just see the sense of despair in her eyes as she spoke. That is what it is like to be truly stuck.

Please pray for the homeless, the poor, the beaten, the sick, the alcoholics, the drug addicts—Pray for my friends.

Check out the Brown Family Ministries at www.brownfamilyministries.org

Melodie (his mom) started to give him an allowance and was teaching him about tithing. She told him to pray to Jesus to see if he felt like he should give his money to someone or something. He said he wanted to give 12 dollars to Calvin and Camille.  Unfortunately he only had $4. So he said he’d give 1 dollar. Later, Melodie reminded him of what he said about the 1 dollar. He said he’d give me his quarters (actually 32 cents) and she reminded him about the $1 he said he would give. He thought about it and said he’d give Calvin and Camille his dollar and his quarters.

I was having a meeting with a client and got a knock at the door. There Jude was with some money in his hands. He said, “This is money for your YWAM trip”. I thanked him and hugged him and he ran off.

He gave us $1.32. You rock JUDE!