July 2026 | Time with Teams and Teens!

 Week 1

This is literally the first pic of the month for July.  It's a photo Nathan sent me when he got trapped in the elevator one evening.  He didn't panic but did mention it got quite warm!  We have had quite a few episodes of fuses tripping since we built the coffee shop.  Nathan requested numerous times that they tie the new espresso machine onto a different circuit.  After making a trip to Jeta after 9PM and rescuing Nathan, the electrician got the message.  It hasn't happened since! 

The coffee shop is Nathan's new office during off-hours.  Above, he's cutting letters with the Cricut for our Camp/VBS set.

World Cup matches continued into July, with some matches more popular than others.

America's 250th fell on a Saturday.  We decided to host a bit of a party with our village-based colleagues, which felt a little overwhelming at first, given that it was less than 48-hours before the start of camp and we did not feel ready yet!  Nevertheless, it was a fun time!

It was so much fun to share a brief overview of the beginning of the USA with our interntaional friends, as well as some of our modern traditions.  They surprised us with this amazing birthday cake! <3

Week 2

Sunday was a busy day!  We had to decorate Jeta for camp, starting the next day, before welcoming the Royal Servants mid-afternoon!  Our camp's theme was "Wise Choices" based on verses from the book of Proverbs and four Bible stories highlighting the blessings and consequences of individuals' choices (Aachan, King David, Jonah, and the Good Samaritan).

Opening and closing sessions of camp each day featured a game show pitting the teams against each other in various challenges of choice and chance. Each day the stakes and types of choices varied, to mirror the types of choices each Biblical character faced. For example, to help or hurt the competition (like David when he could have taken King Saul's life but chose not to), to help a competing team at a cost (with a delayed, unknown reward, if any -- like the Good Samaritan) and so on. 

The compilation video contains four, 1-minute highlight videos of each day... Ellie played live game show music which really topped it all off, but sadly didn't make the highlight video!

Before VBS even started, Nathan and I were taking Reni to the airport for his first solo flight!  He was going to attend a special camp for third-culture kids like himself in Croatia.

Because they do not offer daily direct flights to Zagreb from Albania, he had to connect through Vienna.  I wasn't concerned about Reni flying alone until Nathan reminded him (who had not slept all night, ahem, late packer) not to fall asleep during his layover and miss his connection!

The coffee shop was a HUGE blessing the week we hosted the Royal Servants.  It gave them a place to hang out with the older kids (who were too old to attend VBS) as well as other members of the community, many of whom came to watch the world cup!  It was BUZZING!

Ellie was in HEAVEN making new friends with the team.  She learned that a handful had also done the Torchbearers program at other sites around the world!

While some were playing table games, Ellie enjoyed making music on the patio!

She also enjoyed being prayed over by the remarkable co-leaders of the team.

Before we knew it, camp was over!  Nathan took this photo and posted it in our team chat with the question, "Tell me camp is over without saying, 'camp is over.'"!

As a token of our thanks, we hosted a little culture night for the team with two sampler plates of Albanian treats, accompanied by a brief history lesson.

We served them two types of byrek, corn bread and kos, llokume (aka Turkish Delight), a piece of goat cheese on toast with fig jam, a communist-era soft drink called Aranxhata, and thane juice (cornel berry).  They dubbed it Albanian charcuterie, and I think we will repeat it!

They were leaving before 6AM the next morning, so it was hard to wrap up the evening knowing it was goodbye.

We had to get to the airport at 11PM to pick up Reni.  He was starving so we picked up a quick bite to eat at KFC.  Below, he shows off his sunburned arms.  He said he "fell asleep" on a raft on the river. 

A few weeks after camp, we received a handful of pics with proof that he actually attended and didn't party down the Dalmatian Coast, ha ha.

Week 3

The grandfather of some of our older village kids passed away.  This always means a funeral trip for Nathan followed by a condolence home visit for us both a few days later...

Immediately following camp, Luis and Shpresa took the older kids to Alpha Camp on the other side of Tirana.  For most of them, it was their first time spending the night apart from their families.  We were so grateful their parents permitted them to attend!  The first day or so took some getting used to for most of them, but by the end of camp they were all having a really good time!  They even re-enacted one of the evangelism musical dramas they had seen performed by the Royal Servants the week before!

On Tuesday we picked up Luli and Hannah from the airport and promptly brought them upstairs to see Kafe Sera for shaken iced lattes to stay awake!

They brought amazing goodies from our friend, Claudia.  By the way, if you want to know a way to bless us, any Kool-Aid packet can be made into a slushy and the village kids love them!  It's the most cost-effective way we know... The kids also love choosing the flavor of the day from all the many great choices!

Claudia monogramed us these beautiful aprons and towels!  Aren't they so official and amazing??

Hannah gets a lesson on using the espresso machine!

One evening all the ladies on our team decided to go out for what I guess might be the equivalent of American Happy Hour but at a local restaurant.  It was a really sweet time of fellowship as women and I also enjoyed trying various breads, cheeses and sliced meats. 

Weeks 4 and 5

A highlight of my month (which had many lovely moments) was finally meeting Leila and her husband, Doug of Massachusettes.  Leila earned PTO from her employer and decided to use the time to go back to her home country of Albania.  Unaware of possible local partners for ministry service, a Google search led her to me! She was a remarkable woman and I can't wait until she returns!  As only God can connect people, we have a very special mutual friend.

We continue to furnish the coffee shop.  Below, a painting created by Cydil's mom.  We got it framed and hung over the ice cream freezer!

Reni and I for my traditional "last day as an X-year old" pic :-)

Birthday cake breakfast and gifts! Maybe his last birthday in Albania (at least for a while, gulp!)

His request had been for months to see the new Spider Man movie.  We were happy to be joined by the Mustafajs, Artonis (not pictured) and Dukas!

We went out to a special supper afterward.  They served us complimentary ice cream!

Modeling his gift, the kit of the local Vora team, personalized just for him!

Ellie created a home made birthday card for Reni using AI to put him on a futbol playing card.

Reni's gift from Luli and Hannah included this super-spicy tortilla chip.  It was flavored with dust from the Carolina Reaper pepper and Dominican (?) ghost peppers.  It even came with a latex glove with which to handle it.  We thought the claims were a bit of an exaggeration.

Nevertheless, Reni decided to split the single chip with Luli.  In closing, enjoy this video of their reactions to this eating challenge...

I could have left the video rolling as the side effects of the peppers lingered for many minutes after.  After running out of milk, the guys resorted to hunks of ice!

June 2026 | Transitions to Summer

June!  The start of summer! Right out of the gate we were pleased to host Alban and friends from Colorado Springs.  Their church exists to serve families in "the Springs" with disabilities.  Alban, originally from Albania, has a burden to share this vision of inclusiveness and intentionality with the church of Albania. They helped facilitate a camp for individuals with disabilities and before leaving, came one morning to our village to meet our friends at Valued Treasures and enjoy a coffee in the cafe`.  We connected with Alban and his wife, Tammy, last summer during our visit to Colorado.

They made a great connection with Ellie and were so sweet to pray with her before they left.  What special people!

It's always a special privilege to host long-time ministry partners who choose to come and see where the projects for which they have prayed and supported.  On June 3 we welcomed Alan and Jennifer from Kentucky!

They only came for an overnight, but next time we hope it will be longer! From the airport, we enjoyed lunch in the ancient fortress at Preza with beautiful views of the valley below Kruja on one side and views of the Adriatic (and our village!) on the other.

The following morning, their son Wes and his fiancee, Vera,` joined us for coffee and lunch before they continued on their journey south to see more of Albania and later visit Vera's family.

On June 4, we welcomed the Ards from Nebraska!  We have known Heidi from her college days at Asbury.  It was a joy to meet her husband and son (since we have yet to make it to Nebraska on our travels in the USA).

Their flight arrived quite late, but they were troopers after enduring a long layover in Germany.

Little Caleb had been looking forward to serving at Kafe Sera, so Nathan took him through Lydia's training manual created for the Valued Treasures on four different jobs in the cafe`.  By the time he left, he mastered making capuccinos on the automated machine!  It was incredible and he had a way of cajoling folks to upsize their orders! :-)

Ellie had a special connection with Caleb.  Who doesn't love it when someone thinks you're absolutely hilarious?  Below, we took a Saturday evening to go to the beach.  I think it had been two years since I had been!  For folks from the heart of the USA, we thought a beach experience would be a special treat and more enjoyable for a four-year-old than an historical site!  I snapped the photo below when I glanced up and saw that Reni had stashed his legs safely out of the sand under the umbrella. It amused me!

What a fun surprise to run into our friend, Fazan, celebrating his anniversary with his wife.  Fazan is an artizan of silver filigree that sells jewelry in Kruja and represents the craft at various Albanian artisanal expos throughout Europe.  I love it that we have developed friendships over the years with folks all over Albania.  Fazan is the same age as Nathan and I and our two oldest children are the same ages, as well!  Fazan and his wife also care for his brother who is blind and autistic.

Sunday we took the Ards to Tirana.  Caleb takes a photo of his plate of fried donut holes from the Sky Tower where one can get a great perspective of the capital city!

While Heidi and Brian helped at Valued Treasures throughout the week (cooking in the kitchen, facilitating a craft, leading gym class, and more), Caleb joined football school for the week and made some new friends his age!

Heidi brought some special chocolate embellishments to add to brownies (Andes Mints and Reeses Cups) to sell at the coffee shop.  She then did a cost analysis for us to determine the best price at which to sell them!  It was a great relief to learn we could sell them at a reasonable price and still make a profit.

Her idea inspired a couple of teens to embark on their own enterprise -- making and selling cookies!

One morning Nathan had babysitting duty while Brian and Heidi were engaged in other activities.  He said the mopping kept Caleb occupied about 40 seconds, ha ha.  

On June 11, Valued Treasures celebrated the end of another academic year and promotion.  

Watch the video below to see the recognitions given and celebration afterward.  I was so glad that Brian and Heidi got to experience Albanian dancing!

Since we are only about 20 minutes from the city of Durres, we often take guests for a late lunch and afternoon tour.  Of course, our kids have been MANY times, but now Ellie has decided she would love to share some of her knowledge and practice her skills as a tour guide. Below, Ellie shares a passage we read from Hebrews 11 from the lion's den in the amphitheater, a tradition started by my parents with visitors decades ago!

Celebrations are really one of the most incredible ways to experience Albanian culture and we were honored to be  invited to the 10th birthday dinner for our friend, Roel

Sunday morning we took the Ards to the airport, then celebrated Ellie's 21st birthday! 

Below is a video of Ellie's 21st year in review!

The following day, our friend Jessica from Toccoa arrived for five weeks in the village with her youngest son, Eamonn.  She rents a house in Vlashaj and usually comes 2-3 times per year.  It was fun to show her the coffee shop!  If you follow Kafe` Sera on Instagram, her son Eamonn makes a lot of appearances!  

While futbol school continued, our brownies sold out each week.

After our guests left, we turned our attention to trying new recipes at Kafe` Sera.  I found a recipe for strawberry latte.  Nathan wasn't a fan, but I thought it was refreshing!  Another great iced-coffee combination:  coconut and chocolate!

But nothing beats Nathan's straight iced coffee (with one Sweet & Low, from America).

Summer schedule for Valued Treasures brings excursions and theme days.  One day, they visited Aqua Park, accompanied by Nathan and Ellie.

Nathan was asked to present a seminar for our colleagues in uses of AI in our work and ministry...

I got a lot of great ideas, but I'm still writing these posts myself. :-)

Our friend Jessica brought the ring Reni won in his fantasy football league earlier this year.  Reni likes his accessories, but this is next level :-)

Nathan made some vinyl stickers for the sidewalk to direct guests to the entrance for the coffee shop.  Thanks again, Claudia, for the gift of the Cricut machine!  We use it ALL the time!

Reni got a new passport!  This is his look for the next 10 years! 

Nathan applies signage with the cafe` logo on the door and in the elevator.

As June came to an end, we held ceremonies to mark the end of the spring futbol school season.

After Jordan left and Reni's school concluded, Reni volunteered as an assistant for futbol school.  If you look carefully you can see him in the back row of the group photos!  Also, that great KF Jeta (Football Club Life) banner was another product made by Nathan with the Cricut machine!  He also applied the names of each student to the back of their jerseys.

In the midst of constructing the coffee shop, folks repeatedly asked what kind of product we would carry.  To be honest, it was more than I could really think about in the midst of thinking about the placements of electrical outlets and tile patterns.  In my mind, I could not think beyond coffee!  After opening we sort of waited to see what folks asked for.  Someone told us, "I can make coffee at my home but I can't make ice cream!"  So we got ice cream, ha ha.  It has proven to be a big hit!!

Another excursion we took with the Valued Treasures was a trip to a modest shopping mall.  While that may seem rather mundane to some, for us, we can make it a lot of fun!  Check out this highlight video I made:

Another day, Laura planned an incredible "underwater" theme day.  We heard the story of Jonah, sang songs about God's creation, played fish-themed games, made a whale craft planned by Jessica, and enjoyed special snacks of Goldfish crackers and Swedish fish brought by our friends from the USA!  And I had the pleasure of documenting it all. 

See all the fun in this highlights video below:

Thanks for taking the time to view these hightlights from June! As always, it doesn't include everything -- like watching many World Cup matches in the coffee shop, or planning for VBS.  But you get the idea.

May the changing season bring its share of different activities, times of fellowship with friends and family, and opportunities to enjoy God's world in ways you can only enjoy in the summer!