No Vacancy

After a nearly four-month hiatus, we were happy to welcome guests to the village again!

The first were our regional directors, here for their annual spring visit.  After four consecutive visits (albeit short trips) we have been able to show them a variety of places in our area, but we still had a few spots up our sleeve to share with them.  This time we decided to take them to the national park at the Cape.  The weather could not have been more perfect and we had the park to ourselves!

A few days after the Zirkles left, we welcomed our long-time friends, the Booker family.  For months leading up to Easter, the plan was for Steve to travel solo.  Then on Wednesday before Easter (the day he was to arrive) Steve gave us a ring to see what we thought of him bringing the family too!  We were thrilled of course, and it was fun to surprise the kids at the airport with the arrival of one of their favorite Albanian-American friends..
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Easter lunch right after picking them up at the airport

They were able to join us for multiple home visits in the new village where we are working part-time.  It has been wonderful to get a better picture of the community and the children whom we serve there.

In all, we visited five homes over two days...

We were happy that while they were in Albania they were also able to make some important connections to source organic supplies for their natural soap and beauty product company... (and in the process, we have learned what an amazing natural resource God has blessed Albania with through its abundant wild herbs and flowers).  Apparently, during communism, the nation exported millions of dollars worth of essential oils to be used as carrier oils as well as perfumes/scents in lotions and soaps!  Albania has abundant supplies of lavendar, peppermint, oregano, sage, olives, grapeseed, and helichrysum, to name just a few.

The Bookers were able to bring greetings to our village church from their home church in Delavan, Illinois.  We are all encouraged to know that the Body of Christ extends around the world and it is praying for us and our neighbors!

Of course, they were able to catch up and renew connections ...

And it was so nice to know that this 'goodbye' was really a 'see you later!' because we'll see them again when we go back to America this summer!