Led Beside Still Waters

[editor's note:  this was started Sunday, but finished several days later...]

Happy Sabbath day!  What a gift!

We all need rest, though I'm the first to admit I struggle to take breaks.  So much of my identity is wrapped up in my 'performance.'  (This blog is probably a prime example).  I want to make sure the work is being done and I can't really relax if I know there is work yet to do.

That's why it was good that this past week was a sort of 'forced' sabbath for our family.  On Tuesday we drove 90 minutes past the northern Albanian border at Muriqan to attend the AEP conference outside of Budva, Montenegro.

AEP is an alliance of evangelical organizations working in the country of Albania.  As the only missionaries for Planters Seed Foundation and WGM in this country, we have found membership in AEP to be a huge blessing and benefit -- not to mention safeguard -- to our ministry.  They have helped us with our residency visas, collected our mail, shared timely announcements about legal matters, made us aware of various resources and conferences available to us or the people of our village church, and provided valuable networking opportunities with other individuals and groups throughout the country.

To maintain our membership we are required to attend their annual conference at least once every two years.  But if I am honest, I admit that at times I wasn't so sure I wanted to go this year -- the idea of rising early to get us all out the door and to breakfast before morning sessions, then staying up late for evening sessions that didn't start until 8PM sounded more tiring than refreshing.

But as is usually the case, my expectations were misplaced.

Before we even left, the kids started counting down the days until we were to leave.  The night before we left, Reni trudged into our room with not one, but THREE, backpacks that he had 'packed' for the trip. :-)

That was just the start.  The kids started praying about making new friends at the conference (they had their closest English-speaking friends in Tirana all move back to the States over the summer) and talking about fun at the hotel pool.  Suffice it to say, just seeing how excited the kids were showed me how much our family needed a change of scenery and a time with others like us.

Reni set up his own personal bed side "mini bar" with snacks we brought from home.

After we arrived Ellie asked why the floor at the hotel was so soft.

"That's something called carpeting, Ellie,"  her dad said.

Reni didn't comment on the carpet but couldn't stop running up and down the halls.  Normally I'm annoyed by kids running up and down hotel hallways, but I couldn't bring myself to stop him.  It obviously felt better for him running on carpet than ceramic tile and he seemed to relish running at top speed!

It wasn't long before the kids were pointing out their friends during meals at the cafeteria and asking about when we'd get to see them again after the conference concluded.

Playing video games together in the "Kid Room".  

Ellie was in heaven watching an impromptu jam session between some of the youth.  Then she proceeded to ask me why she wasn't 'allowed' to bring her guitar, ha ha. (It honestly hadn't crossed my mind that other kids might bring instruments!)

But that's just Ellie and Reni... Nathan and I reveled in special worship times surrounded by brothers and sisters from around the world, including many Albanian believers.  Someone later pointed out the uniqueness of the group -- individuals from around the world with little in common 'except' for a mutual love for Jesus and a passion to make him known in Albania.  That was treat enough in itself!

It was a treat to reconnect with Fiona after meeting her once before during our adoption of Reni.  We had never been able to connect before!

Furthermore we made some divine connections that will be so helpful as we move forward in implementing strategies.  These just scratch the surface of opportunities we learned about:

• We met the missionary who brought CHE (Community Health Evangelism) to Albania 16 years ago in the city of Korca and she is going to share all of the materials they have translated into Shqip for us to use as we move forward in implementing this strategy in the village work!  
• We met another missionary who has made a website of FREE Sunday School lessons from Genesis to Revelation, all in Albanian, with links to corresponding songs and crafts for each story! (Before she even sat down I was sending the link to Eda for possible use in Metalle!). 
• I met an organization that publishes Sunday school curriculum in Shqip that I want to check out and possibly purchase for children's church.  I hope to visit their office when we go to Tirana on Thursday.
• We met Albanians who run Christian summer camps for children with special needs.
• We learned about the status of foster care in Albania and the possible expansion next year (through our former adoption agency, Bethany Christian Services) to include Durres county, where we live.  We got materials to share with a few Christian families whom we know and want to encourage to participate in this pilot program.
• We have been assigned to participate in the Albanian Prayer Network that assigns each church in Albania to fast and pray for the nation on a specific day each month. 

The theme of the conference was "Past, Present, Future" -- celebrating twenty-five years of the AEP and freedom of worship in Albania.  One of the speakers included a founding member of AEP who shared stories of the first days of renewed missionary efforts in this country.  It was a bit like sitting at a family reunion, hearing names and stories I've heard from my parents and other friends who worked here in the early 1990s.

(since there are so many Reni photos in this post) The last afternoon of the conference they scheduled an excursion to a nearby town, getting us out of the hotel for the first time since we arrived.  We had coffee and juice at a little cafe in an old town square.  We felt very "European". :-)

Suffice it to say, we thank God for such a refreshing and encouraging five days away.  I want to close by sharing a song that we learned during the times of corporate worship.  It's based on Psalm 23, entitled "Shepherd of My Soul."  This week felt like a time of spent in 'green pastures' and being lead by quiet waters, of restoring our souls.  May you see the Good Shepherd in your life today as well!

(If you cannot see the embedded video below, click here.)