Catching up

A patient mule parked along the street

View to left from KidzClub

View to right from KidzClub

View across the street from KidzClub

Leaving Rome, I looked down at a patchwork of verdant farms in the countryside surrounding Fiumicino Airport.  It was a visual treat.  After about 24 hours “on the road,” it was impossible to stay awake for the rest of the 1½ hours over the Adriatic, but an awakening as we approached Tirana, I was saddened to see thick air pollution hovering over the entire landscape from the sea to Tirana… worse than I remember seeing here before.  It seems like to me that air pollution in Tirana hits a peak in the summer… but there had been recent rains and I was surprised to see the smog’s extent.  I pondered what I have been told… the most efficient way to clean the air and environment is to enable countries to prosper… when people can focus on something other than their daily survival, then they desire a cleaner environment.  It grieved me to see so much smog, a reminder of the smog in LA when I was a child.  I prayed for the Albanian economy… improved employment, a vigorous work ethic, a just and stable government.  Peace, stability and justice are all so important for economic development... should we pray these very same things for all the countries of the world, including the US?  I think I should remember to do so more often than I do.

The moment I stepped off the plane, however, I felt at home.  We off-loaded from the plane onto a small tram, were taken a short distance, off-loaded from the tram to immigration, baggage claim and customs.  Albanian people are so hospitable, helpful, and generous with visitors.  I immediately felt at home. 

It was so good to see Alban and Daniel... they were so patient to wait as I worked with customs about my luggage.  On the ride into Tirana, I reveled at familiar sites, personal landmarks (like the building with a log cabin on its roof), palm trees still holding on along the Rruga Durresit.  Once again, Skanderbeg Square is being torn up… I think this is the third time it has been undergoing an overhaul since my first trip.  Finally I arrived at the Qendra Stefan and my home for the next two weeks.  Alban and Amarildo struggled to take all my luggage to the second floor, I bid them good-bye and cleaned up, ate dinner, and fell into bed.

For the third time, I think, Skanderbeg square is being torn up.  Skanderbeg is the national hero who was the first to unite the city-states of Albania - it happened during the conquest of this area by the
Ottomans.  His statue is in the “center” of the city and is surrounded by the Opera, the Museu, and Et’ham  Bey (an historic mosque which survived Enver Hoxha).  The square started out as a traffic circle with the statue in the middle, then there was a plan to put a cistern under the square to handle flooding, this plan was modified to scrap the cistern and put a large grassy area surrounding the statue and diverting traffic around the periphery, and now it is being turned into a large pedestrian mall.  There is, however, nothing to aid the traffic which courses through the center of town at all hours and is now tied up even more!  The route around this new construction changes by the day, and sometimes by the hour.  So, we were tied up in traffic to get around Skanderbeg Square and on to Qendra Stefan. 

As usual, this trip has been so different from my previous trips.  Also as usual, many of the plans penciled in initially, have changed.  Happily, I have spent much of my time with Krystal at the KidzClub, located on a relatively major street in Babrru, a poorer village on the outskirts of Tirana.  You can see what is to the left and right in the two photos above, and the graffiti across from the front gate.  (Please forgive my inability to manipulate these photos into a more interesting montage, but I have been working for well over 2 and 1/2 hours and am ready to throw my computer out the window!  In addition, this is the second time I have written this post, the previous one is frozen.) 

Today we had a health screening - thus, the flags

While at KidzClub, we have had the opportunity to work with English Club, KidzClubs held for various neighborhoods, a health screening for local women and so on.  We’ve done crafts, supervised play, worked on sewing/quilting, enjoyed the company of good friends, and have generally been humbled by the hard work and witness of those on the mission field.

OK, it's 11 pm, and I am frustrated with this blog post.  I will try to post something tomorrow, but right now, I'm going to catch some zzzz's.  Sorry I have not been more successful with this work; perhaps it is my fried brain trying to figure out again how this works, or perhaps it is truly more difficult than it has been in the past.

So, naten e mir (good night)!!!  Mirupafshim!

Who among you knows what a Discovery Bible Study is?  It is a simple way to allow the Holy Spirit to teach not-yet-believers and young believers alike the truths of the Gospel and the truth of His word.  Missionaries that we support (like Dana Ostby, Jim Yost and others) have been using this method of transmitting Biblical truth for awhile now where they are working. 

Recall that we have worked with two wonderful women, Ida and Migena, to reach a group of widows here in Tirana.  Their church has planted a church in that area and so has "adopted" this wonderful group of ladies and also seeks to reach youth and others.  They have weekly services there along with food and clothing distribution to those in need and so on. 

First DBS - about Mary Magdalene

While working with Ida and Migena, we have discussed the spiritual maturity of those who profess to be Christ-followers among the widows.  Rarely have they had a dialogue about spiritual truths, and so the idea of a Bible study, one that would be simple, replicate-able and that would allow the opportunity to develop leaders, sounded interesting.  So, we decided to try it out!

Pray we can "open" the center!

Last Tuesday we had our first DBS!  Ida was impressed by the willingness of the ladies to actually discuss the Biblical passage that they read (John 7:53-8:11).  It was really exciting to me... they read the passage out of the Bible twice, then we tried to tell the same story in their own words, then talked about what it told us about God, about humanity and about what we should do in response.  When asked if they would like to meet again, all of them said, "Yes!"  We are meeting again next Tuesday. l Please keep us in prayer as you go about your day on Monday and Tuesday (or Sunday and Monday... due to the time difference)... we have a larger meeting on Monday and then a repeat DBS on Tuesday.

In addition, we just had news this am that the papers have come through for the KidzClub... so perhaps we will be able to have the kids together next week, too!  It is always an adventure to come to Albania... it never goes as planned!

Bekime (blessings)!

 Golly, I’ve been here a week, and haven’t published a blog post yet.  I have written and written, but am fighting with the format, photos.  So, here goes another attempt….

Waiting!

Friday, 22 April
 27 hours and I finally arrived.  I must admit that after the third security pat down, I was done.  I could no longer find anything that I had carefully packed in my carry-on luggage… what had been on the bottom was floating on the top, and what I needed during the trip was utterly buried and inaccessible.  Well, so much for air travel in the 21st century!

 Preparing for this trip has involved so many!!!  How can I thank you to all.. and that includes my patient family! All that happens here has so little to do with me and so much to do with everyone who is praying, supporting this work in so many ways… cutting, packing, lugging, creating…  THANK YOU!!

Pam, cutting squares

The largest classroom

Saturday, 23 April-Tuesday, 26 April
Well, a quick turn to pick something up on Saturday and my back was history.  Sitting in a chair?  Really painful.  Walking… well, it wasn’t as painful as a chair.  So, I spent the next 3+ days taking pain meds and staying pretty much in bed.  With stretches, exercises and walks, the symptoms have begun to retreat… by Tuesday, I got to spend some time quilting with friends!

The pizza was so big - this is Don

You may already know that Krystal is opening her KidzClub for neighborhood kids (primarily Roma/gypsy) - transforming a former ground floor apartment/coffeehouse into a cheerful group of rooms destined for classes, homework help, Bible clubs, and crafts.  There is a large kitchen with good lighting, a sewing room with tons of storage, a large and cheerful classroom, a bathroom (an improvement over the last facility) and a multipurpose room.  Approval from court was relatively expedient (a praise!), and now we are waiting for the actual papers to be stamped and signed so the club can be registered for taxes (who would ever want to hinder that process), then a get together with parents and “Shazammmm!” it’s a ClubHouse.  Please pray that all of this will be complete so that Linda may open the center on Monday with her presentations!

Sewing Room... cute tree

Until it is open for the kids, though, the center is available for other types of gatherings… like a quilting club.  Bee, our Roma (gypsy) friend absolutely loved the quilt that Krystal hung on one of the walls in the center (it is one of the ones I brought over originally), and so Krystal asked if we could do a quilt with her.  So, we put together fabric (thank you for those who have donated fabric), found a relatively easy quilt pattern, and last Tuesday we started.

Multpurpose room with Pam

First, Bee thought she could choose just one of the fabrics… they are different from what is available here.  But, she got five different coordinated fabrics...the whole packet.  We showed them the quilt top I had put together before we left (so that we can sandwich/quilt/bind while I am here), and then began to cut out the pieces that will become the design.  My experience is that most of the time, Albanian women (and perhaps men, I don’t know) will stay at an activity for about 1½ to 2 hours

Bee and me

before they feel a need to go.  Our friend was there for, I think, 4 hours interspersed with running home to take care of her son’s meal, or whatever.  Krystal tells me that they have since spent some time learning how the sewing machine works… I don’t believe that she has ever worked with a sewing machine before.

First set of blocks done!  Wahoo!

I’d like to introduce you to Pam, an absolutely wonderful person from Georgia, who has partnered with Krystal in getting the KidzClub up and going.  Pam is into COLOR - it does my heart good!  According to Krystal, Pam has helped paint the walls, camouflage the pipes, and find interesting posters and stuffed animals.  Altogether, the KidzClub is an inviting and visually stimulating environment.  Knowing Pam and Krystal, it will be utilized for many activities to reach not only the kids in their neighborhood, but also their families.  I am so excited to see how God will use this facility and these women in His story.

Well, there's the call to prayer… that means it is 4:30 am.  I’m going to try to get a little more shuteye before the day begins.

Bekime (blessings)!