The Lord's Love for Lushnja

MOVING FORWARD?

Did you hear that scream? It was me being pulled into the present, as I attempt create a blog and post my newsletters thereon. It has been suggested as the way to go to make it easier for people to read and to share with others. I did all of this setup once, and posted the newsletter, only to find that the format I had set up was not retained, and everything came out a complete jumble. So, with input from some great brothers and sisters, I am trying again on a different blog page.

SADNESS FOR ME
When I was working as a singles minister with churches in the Portland, OR area, Clinton Witter was one of the most consistent participants in things we were doing, though he was over eighty years old. When I made the decision to come to Albania, Clinton committed to helping financially, and has been doing so ever since. But last month, Clinton went home to be with the Lord. He had not long ago moved to Las Vegas, NV where he could be closer to his son and his family. Clinton had been a decorated soldier in WW II, his eyesight being greatly diminished as a result of his activities, and he was legally blind as a result. Though he always downplayed the heroics part, he is remembered fondly in his hometown of Gresham, OR. Clinton lived to the age of 89, and was studying spiritual subjects up until the hour of his passing. I will miss Clinton!!NATIONAL YOUTH DAY
On April 26 the church in Tirana hosted the annual youth day for churches of Christ in Albania. We were able to take an almost-full van for that activity. The brothers and sisters in Tirana did a wonderful job of planning and carrying out the activities of the day. The three young men who graduated from the Bible training school in December were asked to do the speaking, and did a great job of it. Screen-printed T-shirts were given to all in attendance with the message “O sa mir’ ne qën’ Kristian” (“Oh how great it is to be a Christian”), and the church was given a banner with the same message on it. In excess of 130 people were in attendance. On the way home I challenged our youth to wear their shirts to school the next week. They were a little uneasy about committing to do so, but on Sunday some said that they would. Now I must educate myself on how to insert pictures of the group and event into the text. (Loooong pause)

The group, the shirts, the banner

Part of the group present for the youth day

Whew, made it through that. Now we’ll have to see if it comes out right!

CHURCH LEADERS MEETING
On April 19 the church in Elbasan hosted a meeting of leaders and workers of the churches from throughout Albania. Twenty-two were present, and good fellowship was enjoyed by all. The ladies of the church provided a full Albanian meal for all present, and it was wonderful. Please pray that there can continue to be meetings of this sort, and that peace and harmony will prevail in the young church in Albania.

Church leaders and workers meeting in Elbasan

TIME TO REJOICE
Though it is an event from May, I want to include here the wonderful news about the birth into the kingdom of God of Inva Begolli. She has been studying English/Bible with me for some time now, and accepted the Lord’s gift of forgiveness as she was baptized in the Adriatic Sea on May 3. Inva is a truly wonderful young lady, with a sensitive and teachable heart. We have talked often over the past months about this decision, and those discussions and her decision now bring joy to her heart, my heart, and the heart of God.

Inva, sadly, plans to leave in August to participate in a student exchange program in the U.S., if she secures her visa at the interview next week. She is assigned a host home in Woodland, WA. I have been in touch with the church in that area, and we hope to get her firmly and quickly connected. Currently, one of our other members, Bojkena Selmanaj, is finishing her last year of high school as she resides in Edmonds, WA. As a matter of fact, four young people who have been students with us are attempting to get visas to go to the U.S. at this time. That produces mixed feelings in me. I truly want to help the Albanian people improve their lot in life, and a chance at schooling in the U.S. seems to be a positive way to do so. Too often, however, the strangeness of their new situations maks it uncomfortable or difficult for them to search out involvement with a church in their area. Please pray that I will be given wisdom as I interact with my students of the future.

Preparing for the new birth

Covered in waves of love

Enjoyable Outing

Also during the month of April I was able to serve, and be blessed in doing so. Ellen Walker, who has been working with the church in Tirana for about ten years, called and asked if it would be possible for me to do a favor for her. An American couple, who have been here to work with the church at least two times, were again in Tirana for a few weeks, and Ellen wanted to make it possible for them to see some of the ancient ruins in the south of Albania. Her request was that I take our van and accompany them on this outing. So Ellen, Mike and Diana Folkerts (from Michigan) and I made a trip to the Saranda area, spent two nights, and were able to see some of the historical buildings in that area. At Butrint (Buthrotum is the more ancient name) we were able to spend several hours looking at the remains of buildings, some of which date back to the 4th century BC. We all enjoyed ourselves, in spite of the not-so-good road conditions as we returned up the coast route. I have to admit that it is awe-inspiring for me to stand in buildings that pre-date the formation of America by four millenia. Sacrifice has its blessings, and I am privileged that I was able to experience this.

5th century AD baptistery

Ellen and Diana walking Ancient path

The Ongoing Saga Of The Sag
For those of you who have been readers of this newsletter for a period of time, you know that I have had occasion to write about the declining value of the dollar, particularly in relation to the Albanian lek. Having just spent a couple of months in the U.S. I am aware that things are tightening up there, also, especially in regard to gas prices, from my experience. The van that we have for use with the church here has a diesel engine, and diesel fuel here is less expensive than gasoline. I did not know what to expect on my return to Albania, either in regards to the value of the dollar or the cost of fuel. As of today the dollar commands only 77 leke on the dollar. Five and a half years ago it was 135 leke to the dollar. I did some mathematical calculation (not an easy undertaking for me) and have arrived at the conclusion that diesel fuel here is now costing $7.66 per gallon. OUCH!! Thanks to all of you who are helping support the work here, but you may hear more OUCHING from me in the future. God is in control, however, and will provide for the things he feels are necessary. Thank you for your willingness to be used by our Lord in this ministry.

Where Do We Go From Here?
A real problem in planting a self-sustaining ongoing church in Albania, at least in Lushnja, is the lack of good jobs that pay a living wage. I spoke this week with a lady) not yet a member of the church) whose husband has worked on the same job for twelve years. He is actually doing three different jobs on his one job, and his pay is about the equivalent of $200 per month. He works seven days per week, ten-plus hours per day. One of our men in the church has been without work for some time, and cannot find any. The question arises “How then can people give of themselves or their finances to the church?” If they have work, it keeps them from involvement with the body. If they have no work, they have no means with which to support the work of the church.

What is the solution? I do not know, and I am open to suggestion. If we do not want to provide American dollars for support for men to work with the church, then it seems that we must figure out some way to provide them with marketable job skills. With the job market so weak, it is likely that they will need to have some help in getting a business of some sort started with whatever skills they obtain. It is a dilemma, and one to which we need to give some serious thought.

Once again, I thank you for your support in all the ways you give it, the most important of which is your prayers. May God be glorified as we partner together to bring the gospel back to this land through which the apostle Paul is said to have traveled.

Lifted by, and lifting high, Jesus

Tom

Still At It

In John 5:17 Jesus said “My Father is always at his work to this very day, and I, too, am working.” That is what I want my attitude to be as I move on through life, no matter what forces may attempt to keep that from being a reality. God is always involved in our lives, often in ways we do not know, but always for our benefit. If we begin to doubt his presence, and the purpose of his activity, we lose hope. I do not always succeed in having the proper attitude regarding the situations I face in the work I am doing here in Albania, but I pray that I may never lose sight of the fact that my God is at work. He is working for me, and he is working in me. That will, in turn, give me the courage (when needed) and the motivation to go on with what he put me here to do.

Blessed Beyond Understanding
Since the day I answered God’s call for me in Albania, I have been overwhelmed with the outpouring of support that I have received financially, spiritually and emotionally. Neither I nor the ministry have ever wanted for things that were necessary to go on. In the course of my life there have been some difficult times, especially when raising my four children. Sometimes things got a tight financially and drastic adjustments had to be made. I remember one instance when I told my wife that because things were not good financially our food would have to be a little sparse. My daughter was about three at the time, and was listening to the conversation. When she heard my statement about our food having to be sparse she asked “Do I like that?” She didn’t know what “sparse” was, and wasn’t sure she liked it. It’s hard to like “sparse”, but sometimes it is necessary.

I know some of you who read this have had your own challenges with “sparseness”, and may be still facing some very difficult situations. At such times , if we lose our focus, we can despair and feel helpless and hopeless. Sadly, that is far too often an attitude possessed by Albanians, for a number of reasons. The economic situation is improving here, but it is a long way from being comparable to what is known by people in most developed countries. Such evaluations are, of course, relative and the recent tragic events in Myanmar, China and many other places in the world have enabled people even here to feel blessed. Some of you know what it is to be without work, and unable to find suitable employment. For the most part, however, citizens of my home country are blessed beyond their understanding, particularly in advantages available when compared with many of the poorer countries of the world.

I am glad to share with you that the small church here has been able recently to supply 2000 Euros to help provide medical treatment for cancer for a relative of one of our members. This money came from our contribution that has been collected over a period of time. Also we have in the past provided the equivalent of about $1000 to pay for the construction of shelves and storage space at a local school. God has blessed, and we seek to bless others.

IBIA Seminar in Lushnja
IBIA (International Bible Institute of Albania) is the satellite school of Sunset International Bible Institute. The dean of the school is Steve Stamatis. Recently he called and asked if we would be willing to provide facilities for a presenation to baptized members of the churches of Christ in the southwestern area of Albania. It was our pleasure to participate with him and the school in this event, and on May 31 he came with his wife, Deborah, and presented the seminar. Translation was handled by Altin Koçi, who was baptized here and who is a graduate of IBIA. Altin is now working for the school as a translator for the current students. Members were present from congregations in Fier, Kuçove, Magjat, Ure Vajgurore, Poliçan, Durrës and, of course, Lushnja, from which seven members were present. The thrust of the seminar was to encourage members to be in participation with God in his eternal plan to bring people into relationship with him. The church, Steve challenged us to understand, is not God’s mission. It is a means to fulfill God’s mission. The mission of God existed long before the existence of the church, and we now are blessed to be participants with God in his eternal plan. I will attach a picture from the seminar, even though the quality is not what I would like for it to be.

Steve Stamatis, translated by Altin Koçi

Power Situation
Those of you who have read the newsletters for some time have been aware of our struggle with electric power supply, or the lack thereof. We were regularly without power for eight or nine hours per day through most of 2007. I made a trip to the U.S. at the end of last year, and almost from the day I left the supply situation was reversed, and some members of the church jokingly told me I should stay in the States so they could continue to have electric power. I must confess I was a bit nervous to return, not knowing what would develop.

I am happy to report to you that we still enjoy power almost non-stop. There have been a couple of times when a defect in the system caused an outage, and some instances of power being turned off to accommodate construction crews. But most of the time we are “in the light” now. We’ll see what happens when the winter weather, or even extreme summer weather, sets in. In the meantime, I have to decide whether to get our current generator repaired (it is not working) in order to be able to sell it. It is no longer sufficient for the demand we make on it, and if we begin to have power difficulties again, we will need to purchase a different generator.

What Do I Do?
I was asked the other day what kind of work I did while in the States. When I replied that I had been in ministry most of my life I got the response that I too often received even in the States: “What did you do the other six days a week?” The person who was asking the question knows something of my schedule here, but assumed that this was an unusual situation. Theirs was probably a conclusion reached as a result of what they have experienced in observing other religious workers.

Five days a week I work with students, teaching English and Bible. During the school year my student load is normally five to seven hours per day. When summer arrives it normally is eight to nine hours per day. Some of those with whom I work now have been with me for three-plus years. Most of those in this category have also now become Christians, but want to continue to study. I am not going to deny them that, especially since by that time most of our work together is more Bible study than English study. We have never had to advertise for students since the initial group began with campaigners who were here in the summer of 2002. Word of mouth referrals keep us more than occupied with students. Alma Kajdo, one of my students who became a Christian through our studies, has been working with me on a part time basis for a year and nine months.

Of course, there are also business and legal responsibilities that fall to me, plus some occasional trips into the capital, as well as other cities, primarily for the purpose of interaction with the brothers and sisters in those places. Soooo, I do stay pretty busy, but feel blessed to be able to be here doing what I am doing: sharing Jesus with the Albanian people. Please continue to pray for what we are doing, as we pray thanking God for your interest and participation in all the ways you offer it.

Still A Dream
There has been in the past some summer Christian camp activities for the young people of Albania. This is a truly major undertaking, and one that has been greatly enjoyed and appreciated. Some time ago a group of Christians from several areas of Albania met together to discuss the possibilities of finding some land to purchase and develop as our own private camp. In the previous efforts of camping land was rented, permits were secured, equipment and supplies transported, latrines dug, etc. The major work in this regard was initiated by Virgil and Jackie Jackson, missionaries in Vlora, in southern Albania, and a good deal of it carried out by them. Because of the difficulties of travel in Albania (though getting better), it is sometimes a difficult thing for even willing workers to be able to travel to a rented space for an announced workday.

We do not at this time have any idea what it would cost to purchase and develop land for a campground that could be used year-round for the church in Albania. But this much is known: it is a project that is beyond the financial capability of the Christians of Albania. If you have insights that we could tap into, or resources for this project, we would be interested in hearing from you. Is such a camp a necessity for the existence of the church in Albania? No, it is not!! Would such a facility be a blessing and an asset for the growth of the kingdom? We believe so, and the experience that many of you have had with such a camping opportunity when you were young also would say that perhaps this is something that would be worth putting more effort and exploration into. I would love to have your feedback in this regard.

Challenging Frustration
When I left for my visit to the States in December we were averaging twenty-five to thirty in attendance when we met to worship on Sundays. Since my return the average is more likely to be around twelve to eighteen. It is worthy of note, perhaps, that we have several members who are out of the country either studying or working. Whether they end up back here in Lushnja remains to be seen, but it is my prayer that wherever they are they will bring glory to the Lord.

My philosophy of sharing Jesus is based on the instructions he gave to his disciples when he sent them out, quoted here from the ERV (Easy To Read Version): “All authority in heaven and on earth is given to me. So go and make followers of all people in the world. Baptize them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Teach them to obey everything I have told to you to do. You can be sure that I will be with you always. I will continue with you until the end of time.” (Matthew 28:19-20)

I work very hard to bring people to the point of being followers of Jesus before baptizing them. This has been my approach through most of my ministry. I would like it very much if all with whom I have studied and whom I have baptized had remained, were remaining, faithful. Such is not the case, nor was it the case in the States!! Every location has its own peculiar set of circumstances. Every person has his/her own particular responsibility to be true followers. Jesus said “teach them to obey everything I have told you to do”. Most of us have learned many things in our lives that are no longer a part of our lives, which is good in some instances and not so good in others. Jesus did not say that we were to teach, then force, people to continue in the way.

I include here a picture of our most recent worship group. I won’t give you all of their names, but know that eight of the twelve in the picture are baptized believers. Please pray that they will obey all the Lord desires of them.

Together in worship

To God Be The Glory
Thank you so much for your participation with us in this ministry, in whatever way. Whatever the specifics of what transpires here, it is our pray that the glory may be placed where it belongs, with God alone.Lifted by, and lifting high, JesusTom

The Lord's Love for Lushnja

June 2008

May 2008