Feelin' the Love

To our friends (you know who you are) -- Thank you!

Weekend Recap -- Starting the Goodbyes

The other night I was on Facebook and saw an Asbury friend counting down the days of school remaining.  Turns out, moving across the Atlantic we do the same thing too.  The kids are looking forward to the end of school.  Thanks to careful planning, Abby and Anna have completed the kids' curriculum and tomorrow marks their last day.  But in the joy of 'checking off' another school year, I don't think the kids have fully grasped how different life will soon be!

Ever since we arrived in Albania as a family of four, we have really been a family of six!  For most every big event and many small ones too, we have had the blessing of Abby and Anna with us this year!  From school, to church, to holidays and weekends in the village, we have had an extra set of hands and the kids have had extra love and attention.  (Check out Abby's creative post of photos from Spirit Week last week -- hilarious!).  That will be changing soon as the girls move on to the next things in their lives.

I am immeasurably blessed by how much they have fallen in love with this country and culture.  I wasn't worried that they would be miserable here, but I don't think I could have anticipated how much they would embrace Albania, from the Turkish coffee and stone ruins, to the children in the village and bike rides in the park with their Vlashaj girlfriends.  And I don't think we'll ever host more adventurous purveyors of local cuisine!

So we have been counting down the weekends we have left with them.  Last week marked our last weekend altogether in the village.  This weekend we are leaving on a much-needed spring break.  We are closing the books, closing the kitchen, leaving the familiar behind and taking a trip as a 'thank you' to Abby and Anna.  Over Christmas we ventured north for a few days, this time we are headed south for a whole week!  We will be visiting parts of Albania that Nathan and I have never seen before, even crossing the border into the northern part of a neighboring country in hopes of finding treasures like McDonalds or IKEA!  (I'm not holding my breath!).

But back to this past weekend... Nathan had the joy of providing the message for Friday evening's church service.  We followed that with a little slideshow retrospective for Abby and Anna.  There may have been a few tears.

At youth group we said more goodbyes and shared memories. After a special time of prayer, one last group photo was in order..

The next morning was Kids' Club. Mr. Shaggy has a 6th sense when I have my camera out... and I can't resist snapping his pic.

The kids with their favorite friend in the village...

The lesson was about Elijah, so the craft on Saturday was construction paper ravens, naturally.  With googly eyes. Another photo with Abby and Anna... and some really cute ravens.

Arjan decided about a month ago that a great way to clean out some extra stuff in the store room was to give a 'prize' to the best made craft.  Below Mersin has the un-enviable position of 'judge'.

Yeah, these boys have worked their way into my heart, little stinkers.  They are usually the first folks to greet us when we arrive and always help us carry our bags in.

You know what they say about "April Showers"... for the 2nd Saturday in a row it rained and ruined our plans to go hiking and track down a few more local ruins.  Then, the rain continued throughout the afternoon and cancelled our plans for an end-of-year cookout at the Hope Center.   But wouldn't you know?  Even though the girls are leaving, God has raised a replacement to join us in our visits there!  Our friend Eda (ponytail, center), a product of the children's ministry in Vlashaj, wants to come with us!  She joined us for the first time during A&A's last visit.

So what do you do when it rains?  Play table games!  I'm always up for that -- and it's amazing the Albanian I learn in the process!  (sorry for the fuzzy camera phone pics).

Finally, we capped off the weekend celebrating our dear neighbor Vera's 59th birthday.  We took her out for bagels for breakfast (her first time ever eating a bagel, thanks to a relatively new business in Tirana) before church, then after church we ate lunch by olive trees at Era Piceri, and then enjoyed a long coffee by the lake in the park.  For someone who's been like family to us, it was a joy to celebrate her and make some special memories.  She told us having grown up in communist times, she didn't have childhood memories of celebrating her birthday quite like that.  Plus, in Albania, the tradition is, on your birthday, the birthday person picks up everyone else's tab, so the tendency is not to advertise the occasion! ;-)  It was a wonderful way to spend a beautiful spring day and the rain was kind enough to hold off until evening!

The things you notice... {Easter}

It's funny the things you notice when you leave America.

Like, did everyone always take family pictures on Easter and post them on Facebook?

Maybe they did, or maybe my noticing all the photos of kids in pretty clothes and monogrammed Easter baskets says something about my subconscious I can't put a finger on yet...

Anyway, I loved it.  Fresh, current photos of all my favorite people, smiling, happy... or at least almost everyone -- some kids just aren't into that family photo and it cracks me up.

This was our first Easter in Albania and we didn't really know what kind of traditions to start.  We knew we'd be overnighting in the village and making a hike in the morning for the Easter re-enactment that would end with a cookout in a pasture so our "Sunday best outfits" didn't seem quite right.

We had been preparing the kids for the previous ten days opening resurrection eggs each night as part of bed-time devos.  The first night Reni memorized (from the photo on the box) which objects were in each colored egg and was proud of not being surprised, which apparently more fun to him than being surprised?

Ellie has been pre-occupied with Good Friday and Easter for the past couple of years.  This year we had a lot of questions about why we call it "Good" Friday.  In the end she repeated to herself that Jesus died once and He will never have to die again.  And a new concept to her was that he didn't have to die, but he CHOSE obedience to his Father out of his great love for the Father and for us.  Ellie has such a sweet and tender heart.  What a privilege to nurture and cultivate it.

Plastic eggs, peeps, cadbury eggs, egg-dying kits, jelly beans... well, they're not here yet, much less Easter baskets, but thankfully friends and family set us up well with love from the States to carry over some of the sweetness the kids remember from past years.  It wasn't nearly the same as doing an egg hunt in Ohio or Illinois with one of the sets of grandparents, but it was something familiar.  Of course it's not what we emphasize about Easter but a little bit of fun which I think we enjoy as much as the kids!

Reni is at that stage where he thinks it's hilarious to cross his eyes...

I didn't think to get a family photo of us because, you know, we're 6-7 hours ahead of the States and all those photos hadn't yet flooded my newsfeed.  Maybe next year!

To see the more meaningful part of our Easter day, click here to read Sunday evening's post.

Ne kemi ngrënë bukë bashkë ("We have eaten bread together")

When I was little, I wasn't too keen on meeting new people.  I was pretty shy, plus, my "universe" was pretty small growing up in the country and attending school in a small town.  

I was nearly paralyzed with fear attending a friend's party where there might be guests I didn't know.  The same applied to going to summer camp or visiting a friend's church -- anywhere I might be meeting new people without the security of my parents nearby.  I don't think I necessarily came across as a timid child, but inside, I definitely preferred to stick with the folks I knew.

photo from wikipedia.org

Thankfully God helped me overcome that natural tendency to fear or dread meeting new people -- partially through maturity and partially through changing schools a five times by age fifteen and giving me several jobs that involved working with the public.  Today I really enjoy making new friends and appreciate folks from different backgrounds and cultures. 

As we make a new home in Albania -- while we are have the blessing of renewing some old friendships -- we have the responsibility to make a whole lot of new relationships too. And it's work, especially in this era of "Facebook" and social media where it's easy to control what you share about yourself as well as who we meet and interact with.  The art of hospitality is being replaced with IM-ing and texting.  Who needs to get together to catch up on life over burgers when we can text while waiting for the bus or sitting in the doctor's office?  Plus, if they come over to my house, they might see that I'm not the greatest housekeeper and, well, that's just too much work and pressure, especially in light of how spotless most Albanians keep their homes.

But to move beyond making acquaintances and making a friends involves a lot of time. Then add  language and cultural barriers and well, you get the picture.  It's a new level of work unlike any we have really undertaken before.  Nothing shows us how much work we have in front of us until we try to hold a conversation with some of our Albanian friends.  Yeah.  We're just grateful this spring that we're learning how to speak in past tense -- we haven't even gotten to the point of being able to speak in the abstract language of thoughts and ideas -- yet.

Nevertheless, the longer we are here, the deeper we are growing in our relationships as well as our language.  This past weekend we had the joy of sharing meals in two different Albanian homes.  I regret I don't have a photo of the first one, but here is photo from Saturday's supper with the K family:

Over the course of one of the meals we were told that proof of the depth of one's relationship lies in the statement "Ne kemi ngrënë bukë bashkë." Or, 'We have eaten bread together."  In other words, we have shared life together -- I have been in her home and she has been in mine.  It's a beautiful statement from a culture where food was (and in some cases, still is) scarce.  It's also a humbling reminder that no number of Facebook "likes" or text messages sent substitutes for real fellowship.

So, while a lot of our relationships here are with people who have only known us within the last seven months we have been in Albania, you might understand why a visit with someone who has known us longer  (try seven years!) is a treat!  Then add the same values, common interests and language... well, conversation can flow.

Last week we were so happy to see some of our first friends that we met in the adoption world, the Ns.  I met Diana seven years ago, early into her family's first adoption journey and shortly after we returned home with Ellie. They had reached out to us through e-mail about the prospect of adoption from Albania. On a whim I invited her and and another internet/bloggy friend to come up to Kentucky to stay with us one overnight in June.  We were hosting the houseparents (at the time) of the Bethany orphanage in Tirana and who better for my internet friends to ask about Albanian adoption than those veteran missionaries!  Somehow Diana didn't think I was crazy and apparently I appeared safe enough for her to make the 5 hour trip to Wilmore and we've been friends ever since!  Since that visit I've had the blessing of staying at her home and meeting the rest of her family!

Fast forward to last week when the Diana and her husband found themselves back in Albania to complete their second adoption from this country. While we didn't get to see the whole family, we had the pleasure of sharing a couple of suppers with Diana, Sean, and their newest daughter before they returned home to the States on Saturday! What a treat!  I know we were the 'hosts' but we were really blessed by them.

Easter Morning in the Fshati (village)

Easter morning in Vlashaj dawned overcast and remained that way most of the morning, but the rain held off!  Members from Genti's and Shpresa's church in Tirana arrived early to set up and then around 11AM, we gathered at the bottom of the hill at the entrance to the village.  We had had some resistance from a neighbor who was very opposed to the re-enactment that was going to take place, but after some patient discussion, they were able to convince him to cease stirring up the neighborhood against the morning service.

We walked up the hill and watched a re-enactment of Christ's last hours.

Pastor Genti delivered a great Easter message heard by the entire village, thanks to the sound system.

Look who's daughter jumped in to participate in the kid's performance?  She mouthed along with the songs like she knew all the words in Shqip!

So the plan was grilled hot dogs and potluck style lunch (potluck is a word we've had fun teaching our English-speaking Albanian friends).

But given the crowd and the time involved in serving everyone, as many plates were made up in advance as possible.  I have to say, I was a bit skeptical about eating an Albanian hot dog, but I have to say, it was quite yummy!  (the bread, esp, was much better than the typical buns we eat back home!)

Way to fold those napkins like a pro, Ani!

After everyone ate, we had a wonderful time of community fellowship.  We were so encouraged by the turn out (we estimate around 150) and especially the attendance of a few folks who have been on the fringe of involvement in the ministry programs.  We pray that they will feel more comfortable to join us in the future. 

One man excitedly told Nathan how happy he was to be celebrating Easter today because not only were we celebrating the village, but joining with millions of others around the globe.  (His wife comes to the center, but he does not -- yet!)

We were also blessed by the members of the Fjala e Jetes (Word of Life) church -- they presented a great program.  We know they encouraged our little band of believers from the village to get to see a bigger picture of the body of Christ.  Thank you for praying for today's events, and continue to pray that seeds of today's message -- the glorious story of Easter -- will find fertile soil in hearts. 

GEZUAR PASHKET!

The Far Side of the Sea...

I realized that I showed images of the start of the mural in Vlashaj, but never showed the finished product!

Many, many thanks for Abby and Anna's supervision of this project and leaving a little bit of themselves which will be enjoyed by numerous individuals who pass through the doors of the center.

Where can I go from your Spirit?
    Where can I flee from your presence?
8 If I go up to the heavens, you are there;
    if I make my bed in the depths, you are there.
9 If I rise on the wings of the dawn,
    if I settle on the far side of the sea,
10 even there your hand will guide me,
    your right hand will hold me fast.
11 If I say, “Surely the darkness will hide me
    and the light become night around me,”
12 even the darkness will not be dark to you;
    the night will shine like the day,
    for darkness is as light to you.

From Psalms 139

God Sets...

... the lonely in families.

Psalm 68:6

It's a verse frequently cited in adoption circles, but I've found myself applying it to our situation these past several weeks.  God has indeed blessed us with a family -- His family -- to keep us from feeling lonely in this season of life!  I know not every family new to the mission field is blessed with the company of others -- in fact, it can be quite a lonely calling.  But this spring we have been showered with guests to rejuvenate our hearts just when we needed it.  I know it's been quiet on the blog for the past several weeks.  Here are a few of the very good reasons why!

The day after the Asbury team left, my mom arrived.  Ellie especially had been yearning for the company of loved ones, and while Gigi's visit was brief, it was nevertheless timely.  Next time though we will take pushim because the busy-ness of everyday demands (school, meetings, and ministry obligations for us along with work appointments for Mom, etc.) meant that while Mom got a glimpse of our real life, our time together flew.  I think we could have been better at making special memories during the very short time she was here.  Hopefully next visit will be with both Gigi and Gjyshe together!

I can't remember if I blogged this or not but do you remember the sweet little boy from Reni's orphanage whose photo camped out in the margin of this blog for more than a year?  His new family came for him this winter/spring and we got to meet them!  They are AMAZING.  What a gift to meet them in person and briefly see JM graft into his new family.  They spent nearly their entire 6 weeks in Elbasan and so our time together was very brief, but it was a faith-builder to see God's provision through this couple for JM, just a few weeks shy of his 4th birthday.  To all of you who prayed for him to be adopted, meet his parents below!

Then, through some God-ordained meetings this winter, I became acquainted with a very kind family who lives only 45 minutes east of where I grew up in central Illinois! They had adopted their daughter from the same orphanage in Vlora as our Ellie had lived in and were returning to visit Albania for the first time in 14 years.  They were only in Albania less than five days, but we got to spend a couple of evenings together getting acquainted in person.  I know our paths will cross again - whether here in Albania or in Illnois, who knows!  I think both are possibilities!  Love, love, love our fellow Albanian/American adoptive family friends!

While Mom was in town we had supper out one night with our colleague Mandi's family.  I'm sharing this photo for all our friends who know him so they can see how the kids have grown!  The twins were born the winter of my first visit to Albania.  Now they are in university (gulp)!

I'm sharing a photo of our Albanian zysha (teacher), Anila (below).  We have been so blessed with a wonderful instructor of Shqip!  Having learned that she hadn't visited Petrela Castle before (not unusual since it's not accessible by public transportation), we promised to take her along with us the next time we had guests.  Not sure you can tell, but the kids were smitten with her, insisting that she should be their teacher too (not just mom and dad's)!.

We like to take folks to Petrela because it's 1.) close and 2.) free.  And even though I've shared pics of Petrela before, because the view is stunning and never grows old, I just had to share a snapshot below. 

The guests we were taking to Petrela were our regional directors, the Zirkles.  They arrived the day after Mom left.  This was their first visit to Albania so we had the privilege of showing off this place we now call home.  In between class and time in the village, we got to show them a few things within a limited radius of Tirana.  It was so nice for folks from our sending mission (WGM) to finally see where we are and what we do!  And I have to admit, hearing Mr. Z say that he thought Albanian was a more difficult language to speak than Japanese made me feel a bit better, too!

An unexpected community has evolved from our Albanian language class.  This isn't quite all of us, but you tend to learn a lot about each other over the course of describing yourself, what you've done, and what you will going to be doing all in a new language.  Below we are sharing a coffee before class to say goodbye to one of our classmates who will be returning to England with her husband.  We hail from Germany, Macedonia, England, Poland, India, and USA.

One family member we felt we had here before we even moved to Albania was our South African 'sister', Kerri. (She volunteered at Reni's orphanage which is where we met her in 2010). Alas God has chosen to move her on to something else for her next season of life.  While we are sad for ourselves that she will no longer be a local phone call away, we are grateful for the months we overlapped.  You might remember she was invaluable during our transition here, dropping everything to come stay with Ellie and I while Nathan and Reni remained in the States by Mom Waggoner's side during the early days of her recovery.  Kerri helped us clean and settle into our apartment, set up phones and internet, shop for household goods, and prepare the first floor apartment for Abby and Anna.  I can't imagine how long and bleak those days might have otherwise felt.  Since then, she has been instrumental in helping us further develop our relationship with Reni's 'temporary mama' at the orphanage, Dyzi.

As we get firmly entrenched in spring, we have more goodbye's on our horizon. Goodbye's seem to go hand-in-hand with our life, which makes me all the more grateful for the promise of heaven.

 ‘He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death’ or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.”  Revelation 21:4