November Rewind | Cell Phone Dump

It's no secret -- November was full.  I won't say it was a blur, because I distinctly remember all that we did.  And maybe life is a blur when we get in routine and the days seem to repeat themselves, but November was certainly not that way for us this year!

Picking up on where my last 'November Rewind' post ended, we actually checked the McGrady's in at the Austrian Air counter and met the Andersons at arrivals.  The two couples exchanged greetings and hugs (Bonnie and the McGradys met in Kenya a few years ago), then it was time to wave goodbye to the McGradys as they went through security.

In spite of a long journey and the stress of no luggage, the Andersons sure look chipper here for their obligatory 'welcome to Albania' photograph!

Who can forget the election of 2016?  It seems we are STILL talking about it.  On the way to church in Tirana the Sunday morning before the election we caught sight of this taxi cab who made his preferences known! (I was told his was known as the Kim Kard@shian cab prior to this).

The first full week we had with the Andersons the weather was abysmal.  I do not exaggerate.  It rained.  And it rained.  And it rained some more. We had flash flooding and the damage in places was significant, as we discovered more than a week later when we wanted to go hiking.

All that cold, damp weather, it shouldn't have been a surprise that Ellie got an ear infection.  How nice to have a nurse practitioner in the house who kept an eye on it!  It cleared up on its own, yay!

No real story for this photo.  I just thought Reni looked good. :-)  (Actually, we were visiting a project in another village and the kids got squirrely, so I took them out).

The night Ellie borrowed Ambra's hat and looked like a hipster.  So proud of her playing in church!

 One sunny, Sunday afternoon we ended up in Durres and the kids were begging to ride the bumper cars and jump on the trampoline on the Volga (b.  We settled on this suspiciously bright pink cotton candy.  Apparently it gives you a sugar high before you even eat it!

Later that night we drove up to King Zog's old palace for a view of the sunset.

Thanksgiving Day we were down to our last guest, Joy, and she was totally gracious and allowed us to cop out on a special Thanksgiving day dinner at the Stephen Center.  

Yeah, we had a lot of leftovers to take home.

And because life was so busy to squeeze it in earlier, but it was just a regular day in Tirana, we used the holiday time to get Ellie's hair cut.  The bob cut makes her look so grown up!

Finally, the bonus to November rains in the plains is snow in the mountains.  It's ten times as amazing to gaze upon in person...

Christmas Traditions | The Hope Center

Living far from home, we find comfort and a sense of stability in maintaining traditions -- perhaps even more consistently than we did before we moved to Albania.  One of those traditions at this time of year is our annual Christmas photos and cooking decorating at the Hope Center.

Reni teaches the teens Go Fish!

This year there are seven new youth so cooking decorating was brand new for them!  We made the cookies and icing up ahead of time and brought them along with sprinkles and piping bags for an evening of fun.

It's amazing the things we take for granted -- like baking in the family kitchen.

This isn't the same thing, but doing it together in community, adds to the joy.  Next year we need to remember to have a decorating contest.  I think we're all so into the fun of decorating, that we forget to delay the gratification and eat our treats as soon as they are finished!

The photo below melts my heart.  Reni gets so much love every where we go, it takes him a while to warm up to folks, but he's got a buddy in Mr. K.

And the game they are playing?  It's a timed game that might just give a slight electrical shock if you're the last one to punch in when the light changes color (or if you squeeze too early)!

The game below (Bounce Off) is pretty simple but they really enjoyed it!

Our Christmas Gift from God

Any guesses on the age of that olive tree?

It was just a year ago we visited our neighbors in the village of Met@alle to deliver Christmas shoeboxes to the kopesht (kindergarten) there.

We had no idea that one year later it would be a highlight of our schedule to visit there each week!

In May -- with the help of a visiting team from Asbury University, and a few weeks later, three summer interns working together first with Eda (a product of the children's work in Vlashaj) and later our church youth -- we would launch a kids club that would meet on the grounds of the abandoned grade school.  The Lord was gracious and for six months we would never have to cancel a meeting due to inclement weather.

Then one Saturday in mid November we had torrential rains. I had no expectation that any children would show, yet Nathan felt obligated to drive over in case anyone showed up.  There were nine shivering kids waiting in the shelter of the old school. 

photo credit Bonnie Anderson, November 12, 2016

photo credit Bonnie Anderson, November 12, 2016

We cranked up our prayers for a place to meet.  A few leads on local properties evaporated after individuals learned the purpose of our interest.

Then the first Saturday of December we learned we had a meeting.  We stepped out during recreation time to meet with a former resident of the village.  A member of our church knew he had an old home in the village that he wasn't using.  She hounded him to consider our request to rent it.  We later learned his hesitation was rooted in concern that we would want him to spend money on repairs and upgrades to the premises.  He finally acquiesced and so we followed him down a quiet road along a ridgeline, stopping at a string of vacant village homes belonging to he and his brothers.  If you have ever been to Albania, if you have seen one, you have seen them all.  As Luli said shortly thereafter, "I think in Albania (under communism) we had only one architect."

Our needs were minimal.  Basically a shelter from the rain.  In spite of our inability to tour much of the house -- it was crammed full of old furniture -- we pretty much agreed on the spot!

The following Saturday we showed up three hours early to clean and prep the space.  The kids saw the familiar van come into town and followed us to our 'new' house.

Above, Luli removes the horseshoe, a common talisman installed to protect the premises from the Evil Eye.

Everyone pitched in to pick up trash and sticks in the yard.

Len pointed out the house already looks like it boasts a cross on top. :-)

In spite of loitering for nearly three hours, we still had nearly 30 kids squeeze into the corridor of the house when it came time to start the program.  We think in future weeks we might put the youngest of the kids in a different room for portions of the program, which would give us more space.

Nathan was able to livestream the first 20 minutes of the program on Facebook!  It was neat to be able to share that with friends miles and time zones away so they could experience a virtual 'visit'.

Though the back yard has a significant slope, we are blessed with ample space for games.

If you are one of the few folks who have been to Met@lle, you can see the school grounds over Kimberly's head (if that helps you with orientation).

It was a special treat for our friends, Len and Lynne, to take part in this first meeting.  Lynne treated everyone to Twizzlers on their way out. :-)

Who knew that delivering Christmas shoeboxes would lead to this?  That our eyes would be opened to a community right on our doorstep?  That an opportunity for ministry would give our youth a chance to practice their spiritual gifts? That the faith of our young church would grow as we would pray for months for God's provision of a place to meet?

Praise God for all of the ways in which He works!   Praise Him that from here we can share the true story of Christmas, not just once a year, but all year round!

November Re-Wind | A Visit from the McGradys

When I think back on November 2016, our visit from the McGradys will kick off my list of memories!  Though they were only here for a few short days (the 1st through the 4th), it was still a meaningful time!

Ned and Marlene head up WGM's member health department which has more responsibilities than I can list! In spite of all the people they are in charge of,caring for, you would never know it spending time with them.  They are so gifted at loving people well.  Their stop in Albania was their first to Albania and their first on a multi-field pass through this region of the world to check in on how we are all doing.

I think it has only been in the last 15-20 years that the Church has come to understand the toll cross-cultural life and ministry takes on missionaries and their families.  We appreciate that WGM (our sending agency) understands this and gives us the tools to not only survive, but thrive in our calling.  This comes through training, debriefing, coaching, and supporting missionaries, and not just during and for times of crises.

Sadly, I only have a handful of photos from their time with us.  Including a poorly focused phone pic of Marlene playing Go Fish with the kids.  She brought this card game over as a gift for the kids and they loved it and played it several times since.

Ned and Marlene, thanks for everything, including putting up with a particularly chilly visit and poor electricity!  You were troopers!  You're welcome back any time! :-)