So, exactly WHY Albania?

So, exactly WHY Albania?

As you may know, GBC has been sending teams to Albania for about a decade.  How did we get involved?  Well, our church was looking for opportunities for short-term missions in 2002 and was directed to a project called the Albanian Evangelical Rural Outreach (AERO) by the long-time GBD missionaries, the Samlands (now living in Hungary), who were planning to participate.  This was an ambitious project initiated by a coalition of evangelicals in Albania to reach every village in their country with the Jesus film within a period of ten years.  While the project lasted 11 years, their goal was accomplished and people who remember that film are still coming to know the Lord.  This could not have been accomplished without support teams from across Europe, Asia, and North and South America.

So, why Albania?  After all, there are lots of countries with myriads of needs and opportunities for ministry.  True... and every person and every church body is called to a different ministry.  For some reason, the introduction to Albania provided by AERO has resulted in a persistent and undeniable tug for many in our church to return to and minister in Albania.  So far, our pastoral staff has faithfully helped to lead a pastoral conference each year (currently twice yearly) designed primarily to mentor and disciple the young pastors and leaders of the fledgling evangelical churches.  This effort has been instrumental in the formation of a national foundation of evangelical churches, and the opportunity to serve in other ways.  For the first time, this year we were invited to serve at a women's conference offered to the women of this entire foundation of churches... truly, a national women's retreat!

OK, so what is so unique about Albania?  Did you know that Albania was once known as Illyricum?  Is that region familiar to you?  It was familiar to Paul as he found his way there in the first century... see Romans 15:19.  In fact, how often was Paul in that environs - the modern country of Macedonia is to the east of Albania and Greece is to the south.  Remember, though, that current political boundaries in Eastern Europe were drawn by the British after World War I, and so Biblical references are most likely not synonymous.  Even so, check out a map and look at the relationship of current-day Albania to Asia Minor and Greece, and imagine where Paul might have visited.