September is a lovely month in Albania... the pervasive heat relents, the crush of summer visitors tapers off, and life resumes a routine. The best part is that these transitions are more gradual than a flip of a calendar page.
We started the month off with dinner at a Chinese restaurant in Tirana to see Reni's paternal grandmother! It had been about three years since we had seen her!
We started the month off with dinner at a Chinese restaurant in Tirana to see Reni's paternal grandmother! It had been about three years since we had seen her!
Exercise classes resumed and I'm trying to get back into shape after a spring of sporadic attendance on my part. Most evenings I was cooking for guests which meant I missed classes! We also took a hiatus in July and August because of the heat and wow -- I have a lot of catching up to do!
It was so kind of them to come and spend ten days with us.
They also serve as pack mules, delivering our Amazon orders and bringing other special treats! Below, Ellie received her first electric guitar, purchased with her own money. She has already created some beautiful tunes, including using it to write and record the theme song for the Royal Servants podcast! Fast forward to the closing credits to hear our favorite part of the song...
Enjoyed special treats like going out for coffee...
Play table games...
Dinner at our friends' home, the Konis'...
Mom brought over iron-on transfers for the Crikut machine. Nathan had too much fun.
Part of the reason for the timing of Mom and Hannah's visit was to stay with the kids while Nathan and I took a trip for our 25th wedding anniversary. I don't know that we would have planned anything so special except she had given us some funds last Christmas for this purpose. It was a very special treat and we enjoyed seeing a new-to-us place, taking lots of photos, and learning new things! It will remain a life-long memory! We will spare you the highlights of our cameral roll and share this one image from which maybe you can guess where we went... (hint: we didn't leave the continent).
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| The wonders of camera AI that (mostly) removed all of the tourists behind us, ha ha. |
And now, BACK TO THE REAL WORLD...
Speaking of unexpected gifts, a previous guest left funds for us to purchase a new blue-tooth speaker to replace our other much-used portable speaker that only works when you slap with just the right force in a certain place on the right side... We identified a unit and then when we got around to deciding we should buy it, it went on sale! We use a speaker for so many events from kids club to gym class. Thank you, D, for this gift!!
Speaking of unexpected gifts, a previous guest left funds for us to purchase a new blue-tooth speaker to replace our other much-used portable speaker that only works when you slap with just the right force in a certain place on the right side... We identified a unit and then when we got around to deciding we should buy it, it went on sale! We use a speaker for so many events from kids club to gym class. Thank you, D, for this gift!!
"Study Hall" hours resumed on Tuesdays and Thursdays with school. Below, Ellie helps quiz Sela on her English homework.
How special to see Luli deliver the message at church one Friday evening!
It was also sweet to see my friend Arjana, who moved to Italy last year to pursue cancer treatment, come back to the village for a brief visit.
We said 'goodbye' to our friend "S" (16) who has been a regular fixture at Jeta. This country is hemorrhaging teens and young adults like him who seek employment opportunities outside of the country. On top of a declining birthrate it's situations like this that lend credence to predictions that Albania will boast the oldest country in the world by 2050.
On September 18 we welcomed the Handwork family back to Vlashaj for a month. Our backyard neighbor, L, was thrilled for his best friend to return!
Ellie has resumed teaching music at VT Albania every Wednesday! Below she is featured with the boys in Group 1.
I follow her music classes with teaching a mix of English and Bible. We are working through a different day of creation each week! I don't have a photo of myself teaching so I will substitute it with an image of VT's lunch one day...
Near the end of September, we celebrated our dear friend Shpresa's birthday with a yummy cake at Bible study! We so appreciate Shpresa's sweet spirit and faithful service to the Word and helping us understand and apply it to our lives!
As area team leader for the Balkan region of WGM-Europe, Nathan meets with each of our teammates on a monthly basis. Below, we had coffee with the Artonis at a new dessert house which opened about 10 minutes up the highway from our village! If you visit us, we will take you there!
International grocery store chains are shifting to more and more English wording on their products (when we moved here, I calculated that most items we bought were potentially in one of about half a dozen different languages, depending on the country of origin). Below, the translation of these cups of ramen amused me. But no judgment -- I'm sure my Albanian language skills are also the source of amusement to some!
One morning at Kids Club, Jaz found this little buddy had made his way into the kalceto!
Our big project for the month of September consisted of chasing down documents and crafting text for a grant proposal. Below, Nathan and Mandi pose in front of the municipality offices while they wait for a signature.
We have little experience in this arena but we believe that like most things, practice makes perfect. We did not seek out this grant but embarked on this process as co-applicants with another like-minded ministry. They have been great mentors to us in the process. We are trusting God with the outcome, but if we win, it could help us further develop the practical training we offer through VT Albania to individuals with disabilities.
If you have ever visited the village of Metalle with us, you will know it's not far, but the road conditions substantially lengthen travel time. Imagine our surprise to drive up one Saturday morning for kids club to discover this!
It meant that Nathan had to park the van and the team had to walk the remaining distance, but a small price to pay for the convenience of making future trips on asphalt and less wear on our vehicles!
Finally, the last pic of the month: Ellie gets a much-needed hair trim. We hope to capture her senior photos soon and this was a necessary first step.
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