Gezuar Vitin e Ri 2014 from Albania!

About to crash in bed, but for all our friends on the other side of the Atlantic -- Happy New Year!  It's 2014 here!  You have to check out the video below to see how Albanians usher in the new year.  The video doesn't do it justice.  The crescendo really picks up around 16 seconds in... While all this was going on, Ellie and Reni were indoors, jumping on a trampoline with their ears covered!  Our thanks to the Hosaflooks for hosting us tonight and letting us view the fireworks safely from their 3rd floor balcony!  Hopefully we'll all be able to settle down and get to sleep -- the kids had no trouble staying up and the fireworks are still going 90 minutes later (though thankfully not at this intensity)!



Here's another video, slightly longer.

Merry Christmas | Video Edition

First, from the chin choir... (click to watch video)

The stockings have been opened and soon we'll get to eat a special cinnamon roll prepared by Abby... then we'll head to Vlashaj for their Christmas drama!  Back home again we'll eat our Christmas dinner, deliver Christmas cookies to our neighbors, and finally dig into the gifts that have preoccupied the children's thoughts for the past several weeks.

Our Christmas will be quite different from years' past, but the good news of Jesus' birth doesn't change. 

“Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. 11 Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord. 12 This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.”

Luke 2

It's Beginning to Feel Like Christmas

Friday afternoon wasn't a typical Friday in Vlashaj.  Christmas music blared from the front yard of the ministry center and a steady stream of women and children filtered into the yard, eager to grab an available stool before they all filled up.

Shpresa welcomed the crowd and Genti shared the meaning of Christmas.

Today everyone had come for a couple of bags of free groceries, but we wanted them to leave with more than just some food to feed their families for a few days.  We wanted them to know of the Bread of Life from who could fill them to never hunger again.

The crowd was attentive.

Finally, it was time to distribute the gifts. Shpresa explained the process.

In spite of how the crowd may appear around the door below, the mood was light and folks were patient.  Friends chatted and admired babies and grandbabies.

With the help of our sister Mira, the village nurse, each family had a number on a list to ensure that everyone was included, no family could send more than one representative, and resources didn't run out.

It was a joy to see many familiar faces that we don't always get to see during our weekend visits.

This man below brought his own wheels!

For those too old or weak to pick up their allotment, deliveries were made by car and by foot.

In this special community small enough to know most everyone, we are grateful to serve these folks. 

 Pray for the Planters team on Wednesday, Christmas Day, when the youth will put on a program for the community! 

Special thanks go to Genti and Shpresa for securing the grant to pay for the food bags provided this day.

Where Has December Gone?

I know we're not alone in the hustle and bustle of December. We're waking a little earlier, carefully planning each day's 'to do' list in order to get everything done so that it gets done.  On time.

I even had to schedule "blog" lest I fail to journal what this month has looked like for us!  Here's a quick recap of this month so far:

On the 1st, we had a cozy apartment full of company for dessert after church.  It was a treat to host  our friends, Kerri and Julie, as well as the Shackleford family and Rose.  We were introduced to the Shacklefords through mutual friends in the States.  They arrived in Albania just a few weeks before us and now live in Elbasan where they have a thriving ministry through education.  Their youngest daughter is Ellie's age and the two of them really hit it off.  Like really hit it off. It's a shame they can't see each other more often.

In preparation for the bazaars, our language lessons with Vera concentrated on memorizing scripts for potential interactions with customers.  Hence, we set up a mock booth and tried to anticipate just about any question we might be asked...

On a couple of different afternoons we did our modeling shoots to spotlight the various handmade scarves.  Here's a "behind-the-scenes" pic.  No, it's not warm enough for shorts, but this afternoon's session was rather impromptu and Abby was a great sport to shoot before we lost any more daylight!  The days are SO short this month, getting dark by about 4:30.

Last week we had our homeschool co-op Christmas party.  I thought you might enjoy seeing Ellie and Reni and the kiddos they have gotten to know this fall.  And yes, Reni is wearing antlers.

Here's me below with some of the mothers... what an unexpected blessing this fall to make new friends in the English-speaking community!  They have been a great resource and encouragement to us!

Saturday night we made Christmas cookies and set up a photo booth at the H*pe Center.  Here's a bunch of the youth with their missionary dorm "mom", Pam (from Georgia), one of their teachers, and Ellie...

 I think I mentioned that we will have the blessing of delivering food bags to our friends in Darshen on Christmas Eve.  This was made possible through the generosity of some folks in Rutland, Vermont.  For about $20 per household, we were able to purchase: 2 bottles of cooking oil, 2 bags of sugar, 2 bags of rice, 1 bag of corn starch, 2 bags of salt, 2 bags of rigatoni, 2 bags of spaghetti, a bottle of shampoo, 6 bars of soap, a bag of plain cookies, and a jar of chocolate cream (think 'Nutella').  Families with children will also receive an Albanian copy of the Jesus Storybook Bible; Every Story Whispers his Name.

Last night Nathan and I assembled 28 of the 30 bags (we were shorted a couple of items so we need to run out and purchase a bit more to finish off the last two bags).  Here's the bulk of them lining the downstairs hallway until we can deliver them on Tuesday.

We continue to make weekend trips to Vlashaj!  This Friday afternoon we will be part of a Christmas event at the ministry center where we will be distributing boxes of food to about 100 families in the community. Through connections in the Christian community in Tirana, our colleagues Genti and Shpresa secured the funds to purchase the contents for the village.  It will be a 'coming out' event of sorts for Nathan and I as our first formal introduction as the new face of Planters to the greater village community.  

Our Bible Study with the youth continues to progress.  This week we had to introduce the cell phone basket, if that tells you anything (wink!).  I don't think it was any coincidence that discussion improved considerably.  :-)

Ellie and Reni continue to grow and flourish in their learning.  They love reading, writing, drawing, and showing off their new-found history knowledge. e.g. Last week Ellie put on a fuzzy scarf and proudly announced, "I look like a ruffed grouse!"Abby had to clarify for us that a ruffed grouse is the state bird of Pennsylvania, ha ha.

Thanks for checking in!

Holiday Bazaar

Sunday found us at the Sheraton Hotel for the annual holiday bazaar.  The vendors were selling everything from handcrafted furniture to paintings to baked goods to jewelry and traditional ethnic attire.

Our table was a little off the beaten path, but we generated some traffic during the peak hours.

By far, the scarves were the most popular item!

I wish I could have taken more photos to give you a better idea of the atmosphere.  

When Nathan arrived with the kids, Reni burst out with, "I saw the REAL Santa, Mom!"

The expat community was well represented (many of which had connections to the various craftsmen or charities sponsoring tables).  It was fun to see some of our classmates from Albanian class and meet their families!

We have another bazaar on Thursday, this time at the embassy.

We are grateful for any opportunity to sell some of the products made by these special ladies!

Thank you, everyone, for your outpouring of care and concern for Mom Waggoner, as well as for us.  It's hard, not being able to jump in a car and drive over to support Dad and be with Mom.  Ellie prayed the other night, "Thank you, God, for getting Nonna out of the hospital!  And don't let her have surgery again!"  Faith.

But God...

On Saturday, December 7th, 2013 my (Nathan's) grandmother, Dorothy Champion, went to be with Jesus! She joined her husband of 72 years who made it to heaven slightly ahead of her.

We called her 'Grams' and she and 'Pop Pop' are part of the reason our family is serving as missionaries in Albania today.

Grams loved Jesus more than anything else, and she modeled service to others. Called to start a Christian school in southern New Jersey, She and Pop Pop left a comfortable life and job to pursue a life of living by faith, first at Mount Carmel High School in Kentucky and then as teachers and later a principal of Bethel Christian school in Port Republic, NJ.

There are many things I will remember Grams for. My ending the last sentence with a preposition would have frustrated her. She was a great teacher and knew how to manage a classroom. Even at family reunions, we would all snap to if Grams requested. The night we first brought Ellie home from Albania, our extended Champion family was celebrating Christmas in Wilmore. When we brought Ellie in to meet the family everyone quietly stood in a circle and greeted Ellie individually as we went around the room. We later learned that Grams had correctly realized that Ellie would have been overwhelmed any other way and had orchestrated the greeting.

There were two words that Grams used often and always with a knowing smile,

"But God..."

Whenever Grams would hear of the 'impossible' she would utter those words...But God!

There are no excuses when those words are added. I'm too young, too old, too poor, too uneducated, too tired, too weak...But God!

If you asked for her story, those words would emerge...But God.

When she heard of two orphans from Albania, she said...But God as she welcomed them into the family.

Grams suffered with Alzheimer's in her later years, and my children will mainly remember her through pictures and my stories, But God gave Ellie and Reni the heritage of Grams and Pop Pop Champion!

In the chaos of the days surrounding my mom's stroke, Grams' words once again proved true!  When you have But God... You have enough!

Meeting Ellie, December 2006

Meeting Reni -- August, 2011


As we post this, it appears that my mom is having a setback in her recovery from her stroke.  Understandably she is grieving the loss of her mother.  This morning she exhibited signs of a possible second stroke, and though tests to this point have been negatives, the symptoms remain so she is being held overnight for observation.  It's difficult to be this far from family during times like this, But God!

Fashion Show!

The village ladies dropped off their creations this morning and we had SO much fun going through the bags and bags of goodies.  I wanted to photograph the collection for a variety of reasons (mainly because we are concerned about display space at the craft shows, but also because I wanted a reference to show them which patterns we think will be worth repeating in the future...).  

Pray that we can sell these goodies at the shows on Sunday and Thursday.  I've been told that 'handmade' products don't have much perceived value here.  The economic climate in the village seems to have grown more desperate, so we want good sales to help these women and their families.  I've already had inquiries about shipping these abroad.  While I'm grateful for the interest, we don't know how feasible that will be in the immediate future (but check back with me after Christmas).

Here are a few of my favorites.  Aren't Anna and Abby fabulous models?
Click on the link at the bottom to see the whole shabang on Pinterest.

http://www.pinterest.com/cydil/knitted-scarves-village-ladies-creations/

Not Your Typical Friday Night

We had to buy more coffee mugs last week!  That's a good problem!

It's Friday.  That means lots of hot chocolate and hot tea, but more importantly, discipleship time for us in Vlash after church.  Would you pray for us?  Would you pray for the students who attend? 

We praise God for the opportunity to cultivate the soil of tender hearts.

We praise God for students who attend (including a couple of girls who recently moved into the community and for whom the Message is brand new).

We pray for the eyes of their hearts to be opened by the power of the Holy Spirit.

We pray for lives to be transformed and spiritual growth to occur.

Ladies Night

I'm playing 'catch up' on the blog here!  A little over a week ago I lost the use of my laptop.  I think it was going on six years old, which in laptop years is probably 85.  Some of the keys were sticking and the monitor had a funny hitch in it, depending on the tilt (it would freeze and turn green), but it still worked for my purposes.  Until it took a nose dive off the coffee table onto the floor.  Yep, brought it all the way here and used it for not even three months...

Fortunately it was Thanksgiving week and Nathan found a good deal online that my parents will bring me when they come over in February.  In the mean time, Nathan and I will share the other laptop.  Sharing didn't seem too inconvenient at the time we opted not to purchase a replacement here in Albania (minimum 20% more than we would pay in the States), but apparently I didn't realize how often we are usually on the computer at the same time!

Right now I have use for a few minutes so here are some photos from last week in Vlash...

Our colleague Shpresa invited women from her church in Tirana to join the women of Vlashaj for an evening of testimonies and eating.

Yes -- the power went out briefly at the beginning and out came the cell phones!

Shpresa welcomes everyone

One of the village ladies brought this cake which translated reads, "God bless you"

Refreshments included muffins, an egg byrek and a tomato and onion byrek along with apples and oranges.

The Day After Thanksgiving...

Ever since 2006, the day after Thanksgiving has been significant for us.  It's the day we met and held Ellie for the first time.  Friday morning in sharing with her about this special little 'anniversary' Nathan held Ellie in an impromptu re-enactment after breakfast.  "Hold me longer, Daddy," she said.  We'll hold you forever, Els.

Given that Friday was also a holiday in Albania (Liberation Day), we arranged with the help of our friend Kerri to meet up in Elbasan with Reni's Dyzi. We are indebted to Dyzi for her love of our Reni boy until we could get there to hold him ourselves.  We hope we can maintain a relationship with her as Reni grows.  

We met up at a little shopping mall (new since our stay in 2010) with a play place and let the kids play.  I know the photo below isn't tack sharp (between the low light, motion, and shooting through mesh... yeah, excuses) -- I just love the look of joy on Dyzi's face.

I don't know that my children have ever gotten to play in a real ball pit before!  They loved it -- and I love it that Dyzi jumped in with them!

We were pleased to bring our dear friend, Vera, with us to Elbasan for the day.  Kerri is center and Julie is on the right.  Thank you, friends, for translating for us!  Hopefully we won't need your translation assistance forever!

For those of you who have adopted, I'm sure you can understand how much it means to know that your child had someone to show them love and to love in return before you.  I know it was terribly hard for both Reni and Dyzi when he came into our family, but he is an emotionally healthier individual because of Dyzi's love!

Here's to more visits to Elbasan.  It's nice having family in Albania.

(don't Nathan and I look like giants?)