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!