As the landlords of a church, Flora and her husband were exposed to the gospel many times. Flora was discipled by Di, a therapist at the AGAPE Center, an occupational therapy and counseling center in Kosovo run by CAMA Services; but Flora wanted to keep her faith a secret.
Not long after Di hired Flora as a janitor at the AGAPE center, Lisa, a CAMA worker and counselor there, invited Flora to a women’s Bible study. Flora came every time, always asking for prayer.
Each week, she excitedly told everyone in the study how God was answering her prayers. “It was like she had a present and couldn’t wait to share it,” Lisa says. Once the group prayed that her family would be provided with wood. That week there was a sale that allowed them to buy five meters, just the right amount to endure the winter.
The Bible study featured orality, a Bible storytelling technique that connects with Kosovo’s oral culture. The women learned a new Bible story at every meeting and were challenged to share it with someone else. In the beginning, Flora would share the stories only with people who were at the center.
However, as she heard more about Christ’s love for her, she grew in boldness and began telling the stories to her family. Her husband and sons loved the stories and started asking questions about Christianity. Flora’s husband has since come to faith in Christ.
Around this time, Flora was promoted to caregiver for AGAPE’s day program that ministers to disabled adults. She loved orality so much that she began to incorporate it into the weekly schedule. Flora has created an atmosphere of celebration, throwing parties for every important occasion, and has instilled a love of prayer in these adults.
“There’s a heart in the middle of this community,” Lisa says. “It’s Flora’s heart beating for Jesus, and that’s what’s making it work.”