Ah December... what a full and fun month you were! While the photo above is out of chronological order, it represents so much of this month. Celebrations, times with friends, and having fun.
I confess I struggle to make time for fun. I am usually so driven by tasks and productivity that I don't make room for fun, but this month I think we did better! I am learning that it's necessary to have the resilience needed to stay healthy...
_____________
The first weekend of December found us at the Christmas Bazaar for the first time since 2019! It was a great day in many respects. Not only did the knitters have their best year of sales at this event but we had lots of wonderful help at our table including Pam, Mari Grace, Merita, and my family, of course.
It was so good for Merita to see how customers interacted with the products so she could make more informed decisions for what she will make next year!
Thanks again to everyone who supported Handmade in Albania this year with a purchase!
We passed a few long December nights at Jeta watching World Cup matches. The gatherings shrunk as favorite teams were eliminated, but regardless of who played, we had fun tackling a 2000 piece puzzle.
 |
| Luis and Laura gifted Reni with this Argentine jersey and he wears it ALL the time. :-) |
My Swiss friend Elisabeth had planned to visit me in Albania last summer, but a family emergency meant she had to cancel her trip. When chatting in November about a possible raincheck, she suggested meeting up in Berlin for a live Chosen event! A quick search online revealed a budget airline with direct service from Albania to Berlin and with Nathan's encouragement, plans were made!
What a fun, whirlwind weekend! As founder of the German-language fan page and member of their translation team, Elisabeth secured us tickets to the event and we were invited to a special dinner the night before with the hosts and "VIPs."
A special treat was meeting Jordan Walker Ross, who plays the disciple "Little James" and chatting with him about living life with a disability and playing a role where that difference is the focus of an episode. He was as genuine and kind as he appears online!
We were pretty busy so site-seeing was limited to this quick snap in front of the Brandenburg Gate (below)...
...and the Pergamon Museum, an incredible collection of middle-eastern archaeological treasures including (below) King Nebuchadnezzar's gate into the city of Babylon!
But back to The Chosen... Karoline (below, middle), was the architect of the special weekend and it was fascinating to learn what she does to promote the series to German speakers through translation of subtitles, dubbing scripts, books and devotionals!
Sunday afternoon, the German team hosted a live event featuring a showing of The Shepherd, followed by musical performances, testimonies, and interviews with a writer and cast-members of the show.
After the live event with actors Jordan Walker Ross and Elizabeth Tabish (Mary Magdalene).
It was incredible to hear the stories of so many individuals in this very secular culture so impacted by this television series.
Finally, enjoying some of the tasty treats at one of the city's MANY Christmas markets!
What an unforgettable weekend! Thank you, Elisabeth, for all you did to plan this!
In mid-December we were pleased to welcome the Vinasco family to our team! They are living in Tirana and starting language study. Danny specializes in web design and online marketing and Belen is a talented designer, artist and crafter!
One of our highlights each week is our international Bible study and dinner.
Just before Christmas we said goodbye to long-time volunteer Mari-Grace! Her presence is greatly missed! It's difficult to express how much encouragement and help volunteers bring!
On the longest day of the year, the amputee team was celebrated at the beginning of a match between Albania's top two-ranked pro teams. It was a stressful experience reaching the stadium in time for the recognition as the police closed down all surrounding streets just as they were within two blocks away. It was quite the story but they made it just in time!
After a VERY wet month, the rain ceased long enough to plant some of the trees purchased in November with the Schranks.
These evergreens are drought-resistent and fast-growing. Within five years they should be tall enough to block the evening sun!
Keeping up our tradition of providing home-made Christmas cookies!
Grateful this year for a larger oven to expedite the baking process!
We were gifted a large number of lemons -- which Reni squeezed and we froze in ice cube trays.
As part of our farewell to Mari-Grace, we made a trip to the center of Tirana for Christmas street food and amusement rides while enjoying the lights.
Probably because our family doesn't usually spend money on these types of entertainment, they seemed extra fun this year. Especially when the element of competition was added!
For your enjoyment -- an extra large display of holiday treats enjoyed in this corner of the world. Move the decimal point two places left for an approximate cost in USD.
In the midst of all the parties (two of which aren't even making the blog!) Ellie participated in a year-end piano recital!
Having celebrated my birthday early (with the trip to Berlin), my actual birthday evening was extra memorable by making surprise visits to distribute Christmas gifts to each of the children in our kids club. I will never forget my young friend (middle, below) wiping tears of happiness of her cheeks while accepting her gift.
On Christmas Eve, our colleague Arjan brought a truck of staging equipment so we could set up a seating area in the kalceto without damaging the turf.
That evening about 100 guests honored us with their presence!
Christmas Day we were pleased to host our WGM team for brunch. We played games and exchanged gifts. It was really special.
Later in the afternoon, our Albanian family arrived for Christmas dinner!
and games!
As per tradition, we try to take a few days away between Christmas and New Years. We were informed of a great place for sledding and skiing in Macedonia, but this was all the snow we found!
The mild winter meant the pass over the mountain was open and we enjoyed a beautiful sunny mountain drive!
We made it home in time for great fireworks in the village... and a disheartening loss by Ohio State in the wee hours of the new year, and a chance to finally rest.
* If you are receiving this blog post by e-mail, please do not 'reply' -- this is sent by a feed service, not by the Waggoners, so we will not get your message!
