This year my birthday was spent traveling back from Italy to Kosovo.  Thankfully this year we flew, in the past we drove to the Austria conference and spent a few days in Italy.  The drive would normally be about 15 or so hours.  It had always been too expensive for our family of three to fly.  This year we found a budget airline which made it affordable to fly.  Actually it was cheaper to fly this year then drive!

Our flight left Treviso, Italy at 9:30 and we landed in Skopje Macedonia a little after 11:00.  Once we got through passport control and collect our suitcase (yes, suitcase being that it was a budget airline they did charge for checked baggage therefore we only had one suitcase and Isabella's carry on).  We headed out to my favorite restaurant in the old part of Skopje for a special birthday lunch that serves pork ribs (something we cannot get in Kosovo).   After lunch we walked down to the center of town for a special dessert, baklava and a cappuccino. Mark and Isabella had ice cream.   We enjoyed it at one of our other favorite places in town.  This is a picture of Isabella and I  being goofy and loving on one  another as we were enjoying our dessert.

 

After lunch it was time to head out to Prishtina, finally.  As many of you know our summer was spent in the US on furlough.  It was a wonderful time, however we did a lot of traveling.  Once we  arrived back to Kosovo at the beginning of August we were only home for a week before we headed out again to Austria.  It was finally nice to be coming home and staying for awhile! 

Isabella and her friends opening up the last night of the conference in worship.  It was special, actually it brought tears to my eyes

Pastor Brian Brodersen sharing God's word with us. 

Greetings in Christ to you all from CC Prishtina. We have finally hit the ground running after our 3 month furlough in the US and attending the Calvary Chapel missions conference in Millstatt, Austria. The conference in Austria was a a tremendous blessing and perfect way to transition back into life and ministry in Kosova after our furlough. Before we went to the conference we had already been in Prishtina for a week and were able to accomplish a lot including teaching two Bible Studies; one at church and one at Camp Bondsteel for US soldiers. We also attended an American Family (AM-FAM) meeting at NATO HQ (which meets once a month) and were able to minister to the soldiers and meet the new Chief of Staff; Gen. Steven Duff who just started his one year service in Kosova. Pray that God's hand would be upon Gen. Duff as he provides leadership for our troops. And so beginning next Saturday I will be spending several hours each week at the NSE to provide pastoral care for the soldiers. And we will also be starting up the weekly Bible studies on Tuesday evenings as well. At the beginning of September we have a new rotation of US soldiers arriving in Kosovo from South Carolina. So please pray for strength, guidance and wisdom from the Holy Spirit as we reach out and serve our troops deployed here in Kosova. Pray also that the transition for the incoming and outgoing rotations will go smoothly. 

 At CC Prishtina, the church and our ministry team managed well while we were gone. Lirak who did most of the teaching continued to teach through the Gospel of John while Josef looked after the practical needs of the church. We were blessed also to have a hand full of visitors come minister from the Word including Pastor Jeff Harry from Malishev. 

Niti, our worship leader, and his wife Lule will be in the US for a while at this time. Their baby; Alba has a minor birth defect that will need to be surgically corrected when she turns one. Please pray that God's hand would be upon Niti, Lule, and Alba and bring them through this season in their lives. Since Niti has been gone we have had a young lady named Jehona step in to do worship for some of our meetings. 

 

We will be continuing our study through 1st Timothy on Sunday's and through Esther on Thursdays. Pray that God will bless our worship services and anoint his Word that it would bring about transformation in peoples lives. Josef just left to go to his home in Norway for a couple months. Pray that God will bless Josef and his time with his family. Celeste will continue her MOPS meeting on Weds and the English classes at the widows center on Fridays. Please pray for open doors to share the gospel with the widows and that God will bring about spiritual breakthroughs in their lives. 

Prayer Requests

 

God gives the members of CC Prishtina Strength and courage.

Besi who recently returned to the fellowship, he left two years ago.

For open doors to share the gospel at the widow’s center

Niti, Lula and the health of there baby.

Josef and the time with his family in Norway.

Strength guidance and wisdom from the Holy Spirit as we reach out and serve our troops

Contact Us and Support:

mark@calvaryprishtina.com

celesteyocom@gmail.com

To make a tax-deductible contributuon to the Yocoms’ ministry in Kosovo, mail a check to:

Global Adventures - Yocoms • 4001 Osuna Rd. NE • Albuquerque, NM 87109

Hello Everyone,

Greetings to you all. As we celebrate the Independence of America and the freedom we enjoy in this country we also can be reminded that dependence is a good thing too!! If we are depending on the right things that is!! And the right things to put our dependence on are the promises of God's word, and Christ himself who is out life and salvation. So may we declare dependence upon him and experience true freedom!! If the Son makes you free, you shall be free indeed!! John 8:36

We are now presently more than half way through our visit to the US and very quickly we will be returning to Europe. Our time here has been wonderful and well spent. We have been greatly blessed and encouraged by our visits with friends and family and supporting churches here in the US. Thank you all for your kindness and hospitality. We certainly sense an under girding support for the work of Calvary Chapel Prishtina. We are so gratefuller for our faithful supporters. We are privileged to have you as partners with us in the work God is doing in Kosova.

Lirak and Josef have been sending me periodic reports from CC Prishtina... And things are alive and well in the fellowship. Lirak is doing a great job standing in the gap and providing for the spiritual needs of the fellowship while Josef is helping with the administrative needs. I am real blessed by their solid and faithful commitment. While Niti has been here in the US as well, a young lady named Jehona has been helping Lirak with both worship and translating. We are also blessed to have Nick Sands with Surge International helping Lirak and Josef. Nick has been teaching some English lessons and is doing some soccer activities with kids in the community. Unfortunately our brother Kevin Fitzgerald and his family are not able to make it to Prishtina to minister to the fellowship do to some health issues that have arisen.

So again please keep us and CC Prishtina in your prayers:
Pray that our time here in the US will be fruitful and rejuvenating.
Pray that God will have his hand upon Lirak, Joseph, Niti, and Jehona. Pray for Niti's wife Lule who is due to give birth anytime now.
Pray for God's leading as far as their plans to return to Kosova is concerned. Pray that God will bless and use Nick as he served at CC Prishtina.
Pray for Pastor Kevin's health that God would extend his healing touch and grace to him.
Pray that God will bless and strengthen all the members of CC Prishtina.
Pray that God will have his hand upon the US troops serving in Kosova.
Pray that God will pour his Spirit out upon the land.

Blessings in Christ,
Mark, Celeste, and Isabella

Financial support can be donated online at this link: https://www.easytithe.com/f/?k=6SSHN0DEHB4KG6DH

Or a check can be made payable to Calvary Chapel Costa Mesa with a note attached indicating; "Missionary Account : Mark & Celeste Yocom".
Then it may be sent to the following address:

Calvary Chapel Costa Mesa
Attn: Accounting.
3800 S. Fairview Rd.
Santa Ana , CA 92704

Hello Everyone,

Greetings to you all. As we celebrate the Independence of America and the freedom we enjoy in this country we also can be reminded that dependence is a good thing too!! If we are depending on the right things that is!! And the right things to put our dependence on are the promises of God's word, and Christ himself who is out life and salvation. So may we declare dependence upon him and experience true freedom!! If the Son makes you free, you shall be free indeed!! John 8:36

We are now presently more than half way through our visit to the US and very quickly we will be returning to Europe. Our time here has been wonderful and well spent. We have been greatly blessed and encouraged by our visits with friends and family and supporting churches here in the US. Thank you all for your kindness and hospitality. We certainly sense an under girding support for the work of Calvary Chapel Prishtina. We are so gratefuller for our faithful supporters. We are privileged to have you as partners with us in the work God is doing in Kosova.

Lirak and Josef have been sending me periodic reports from CC Prishtina... And things are alive and well in the fellowship. Lirak is doing a great job standing in the gap and providing for the spiritual needs of the fellowship while Josef is helping with the administrative needs. I am real blessed by their solid and faithful commitment. While Niti has been here in the US as well, a young lady named Jehona has been helping Lirak with both worship and translating. We are also blessed to have Nick Sands with Surge International helping Lirak and Josef. Nick has been teaching some English lessons and is doing some soccer activities with kids in the community. Unfortunately our brother Kevin Fitzgerald and his family are not able to make it to Prishtina to minister to the fellowship do to some health issues that have arisen.

So again please keep us and CC Prishtina in your prayers:
Pray that our time here in the US will be fruitful and rejuvenating.
Pray that God will have his hand upon Lirak, Joseph, Niti, and Jehona. Pray for Niti's wife Lule who is due to give birth anytime now.
Pray for God's leading as far as their plans to return to Kosova is concerned. Pray that God will bless and use Nick as he served at CC Prishtina.
Pray for Pastor Kevin's health that God would extend his healing touch and grace to him.
Pray that God will bless and strengthen all the members of CC Prishtina.
Pray that God will have his hand upon the US troops serving in Kosova.
Pray that God will pour his Spirit out upon the land.

Blessings in Christ,
Mark, Celeste, and Isabella

Financial support can be donated online at this link: https://www.easytithe.com/f/?k=6SSHN0DEHB4KG6DH

Or a check can be made payable to Calvary Chapel Costa Mesa with a note attached indicating; "Missionary Account : Mark & Celeste Yocom".
Then it may be sent to the following address:

Calvary Chapel Costa Mesa
Attn: Accounting.
3800 S. Fairview Rd.
Santa Ana , CA 92704