Let's catch you up on our comings and goings

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Good grief!  It's been over a week since my last blog!  Well, I have a doctor's excuse!  I think I've had influenza, followed by a bacterial bronchitis/pneumonitis.   I finally broke down and started some antibiotics.  Today the dry cough has returned.  So, I'm hoping the cough is just the "night air," a statement that somehow doesn't sound too 21st century.  Hopefully,  after a warm shower, hot tea and a good night's sleep the cough will disappear and be only a bad memory. 

View of Berat from the castle

A magnificent castle!

The message... the Gospel

Cobbled street

Sonila, Petrit and family

Rhonda and Kathie had a wonderful time in Berat - my time there was a blur... I slept about 40 hours, waking just in time to take a van back to Tirana to again hit the sack.  Berat is a beautiful town, filled with hills and steep walks on cobblestone streets.  We did two classes there... everyone was so understanding about my blasted virus... Kathie and Rhonda were troopers, standing in for me with everyone.  As a reward, by travel partners got a VIP tour of the castle in Berat, and many of the churches were opened so they could view the icons painted by Berat's master painter - Onufri.  I'm sure you will agree the castle is beautiful.  Sonila and Petrit were such wonderful hosts!  And they live in an absolutely beautiful city.

Finished in Berat!

To work in Berat!

Sonila, Elvira, and Dori

 Tuesday, early (around 3:00 am - those of you who have taken the 4:25 flight will remember the early taxi ride),  I waved good-bye to Rhonda and Kathie, then headed back to bed for the day... I must admit that virus really took the stuffing out of me... I literally slept most of the day.  Ditto on Wednesday, but I had scheduled Dori's church in the late afternoon (4:30), expecting to feel better.  They are quite accomplished sewers, two of whom were trying to sandwich the baby quilts by the time they are needed (they are both pregnant).

Wednesday, the pastoral team was to arrive mid-afternoon, but they were delayed in San Francisco, causing a missed connection in Frankfurt.  Consequently, they arrived around midnight.  We didn't get a chance to catch up until Thursday breakfast when I learned that the third "Action Packer" had not yet arrived.  No problems, I felt sure that it would arrive before I leave.

Sue, Katie and Blair

A lazy game of cards

I headed out on Thursday morning to visit Blair, Sue and Katie (missionaries from our partner church in Kentucky) in Lushnje.  It was a wonderful time - I had a chance to people watch, and tried to figure out what characteristics make it so easy to distinguish between Europeans and Americans - posture? clothing? facial expressions?  Let me know what you think.  We had lunch... I should have taken a picture of the fish.  In Albania, when you order fish, you get the whole thing... eyes, mouth...  It was delicious, the presentation was just a little different from home.

In somewhat typical human fashion, the car driver who had committed to take me back to Tirana turned off his phone and "got lost."  Blair found me a free trip to Tirana with a tour group returning from Athens.  It was on the trip home that I finally decided that it was obvious I really wasn't getting better, and decided to start the antibiotics that Rhonda had left for me.

Although I started this Saturday evening, it is now Sunday morning, and time for church.  Guess you'll have to tune in again to hear the rest of what's happened this week... it is amazing!