They Came To The Party!

You know that feeling when you send out invitations to a party and you hold your breath wondering if anyone will come? 

That's how we felt driving up to Metalle today. 

As we rounded the bend in the road, a child stuck his head out his gate, saw us, and darted across and up the slope to the old school grounds.

Nathan said he thought, "At least we'll have one child!"

Then we kept following the curve up the road. They heard our engines straining and wheels crunching the gravel and came running.

And they just kept coming.

We hurriedly unloaded and tried setting up while dozens of eyes looked on.

The parachute bag served as an effective weight on the easel.

Nathan counted 78 kids and grown-ups, no including our team.

They listened while we sang the first song and clapped politely when we finished.  The next song (If You Have Faith Like a Mustard Seed) was a little more interactive.  Kimberly grabbed a helper and the ice started to break.

Then Eda started the first lesson.  "Who Created the World?"

I was so proud of her.  And so glad I was wearing sunglasses.
To everyone who has invested in the ministry in Albania over the past two decades, we witnessed the miracle of replication.

The wind was crazy loud, but we discovered it was much quieter on the back side of the school.

The parachute was an enormous hit.  Parents even joined in!

Smiles and more smiles.

American toddlers are quite the novelty... Props to her mama, Faith, for sharing her daughter. ;-)

We were so grateful for our buddy, Luli, who joined us and gave a much needed hand!

Before we knew it, it was time to go!  They said they wanted us to come back next week!

Thank you, Lord, for going ahead of us!  He answered your prayers!

Keepin' it Together

Every night as we tuck the kids in bed Ellie announces the next number in the countdown -- the number of sleeps until the Asbury team comes.

There are a lot of reasons why the kids are extra excited about this particular set of visitors.

Reni remembers the 'guy time' he had with the group that came 2 years ago.  I've tried to prepare him for the fact that it will be a different group of people this time.  Sorry buddy, Bryce has graduated and has a job.

Our budding guitar-ist (Ellie) is looking forward to in-person guitar lessons from a real expert (Jonathan) and not just some guy on YouTube.  "He says, 'Good job!', Mom, and he can't even hear me!   Then he moves on before I'm ready!"  she says of YouTube teacher Andy.

The grown-ups know that visitors generate a buzz in the village.  Friends coming from the States will return with a new understanding of where we live and what we do.  They will have names and faces that will be familiar next time they read one of our updates.

But it's not just Asbury.  We have three college interns coming for 7 weeks just two days after the team leaves.  Then we have two families coming in early June!

How in the world am I keeping it together?  It's a lot of planning -- from schedules, to meals, to transportation and housing. (But I think a weird part of me likes the thrill of the challenge...)

I've always been a list maker.  I think the physical act of writing down all those rapid-fire thoughts racing through my brain helps me feel a greater sense of control -- I can't be surprised by something I forgot to do because the written reminder itself will be its own insurance from forgetfulness, right?

Then my tech-y husband introduced me to Google Keep last fall.  I'm in love.  It's on my phone and always open on my laptop.  Google Keep is my digital list of lists. And I have never used it more than I have in the last two months.

On Keep I can jot down titles of Albanian worship songs to look up online later.  I can keep my ever-running list of groceries or to what errands we need to run on our next trip to Tirana.

I have a running list of what we usually bring from the States so when someone asks what they can send us, I can suggest something lighter in weight than peanut butter, my default answer.

I have a list of projects for the volunteers to tackle this summer and a list of supplies we need to borrow or purchase to furnish the interns' rental house.

I can also store a photo of that random item I need to buy at the store when only a photo will adequately show the clerk what we're looking for.

But it's not just out of a weird need to be in control, I also believe (and hope) that with good planning I can enjoy myself more while our guests are here!  We can squeeze more into our time together with the right planning.  If I cook ahead, that means less time spent in food prep and clean up and more time with people.  If I have that list of what I need at the hardware store, Nathan won't have to make a special trip later because we forgot that 'one thing' the last time we were there.

(Oh yeah, I can share my lists with Nathan's phone too -- it auto syncs).

No, this is not a sponsored blog post.
But yes, now I can check off 'post to the blog' on my list of 'things to do.'

Milestones

It's been showing signs of loose-ness for several days.

On a whim, I asked Reni to stop on the steps for a quick pic with all his baby teeth still in his mouth.

He didn't want to cooperate.

But then I think he realized, I wasn't going to let him off the hook so he gave me a few quick grins, before scampering up the stairs with his after-school snack.

It must have only taken one bite because less than two minutes later he hollered, "My tooth came out!!!"

And then he tasted the blood...

And then he saw the blood.

 

And all my hopes of a smiling photo were dashed...

First baby tooth gone.

Weekend Guests

Weekend before last the Zirkles, our regional directors, came for their annual visit!  It's been a joy to grow our relationship with them and have someone from WGM whom we feel knows what we're doing.  They are a good source of accountability as well as encouragement -- and, coincidentally, their two grandchildren are the same ages as our kiddos, so they get along great with Ellie and Reni too!

We discussed so many different things in the short time they were here -- evaluating the past year, talking about upcoming changes in the mission, and fleshing out strategies for the next year.

We also paid a visit to the nearby village where we hope to start a new kids' ministry next month.

But it's not all business, though!

Sunday afternoon we took a little trip about an hour and a half south to see the city of Berat.  It's one of my favorite places in Albania, but we hadn't visited in more than 18 months as the roads were notoriously poor.  We heard though, that construction was complete, so we thought it might be a good place to show our guests and made the trip in record time!

We drove straight up to the castle town above the city proper.  To put the drive up to the castle in perspective, our vehicle registered on the dashboard that we were driving on ice -- our tires were slipping on the steep, ancient stone pavers.

My knuckles were a little white and I didn't breathe again until we heard the strain on the engine pass.  But it's definitely worth the excitement!  At the top for a whopping 100 lek (about $0.80) we walked through the entrance of the castle town and visited a place that time forgot.

This time we took a different way around and stumbled upon this beautiful home.  The owner had turned the front room into a little shop where she sat behind a sewing machine, stitching embroidery on white linen.

Across the road she had planted shade trees and assembled some picnic tables and chairs from re-claimed wood.  It was the perfect place for a little rest from the hot sun.

We bought juice and canned ice coffees.  Simple pleasures!

I photographed the house below because I loved the roof-top terrace with its grape arbor.  Come summer time, that will be a delightfully shady, wonderful place!

Tourism to Berat is not yet booming (perhaps the new road will help?) so many of the antique, Ottoman-era homes are not wearing their age well - either from vacancy or lack of funds to maintain them.

Others looked spruced up and ready for guests, but empty...

In the mean time, our kids entertained themselves admiring the bugs and butterflies.

And looking for bats in the ancient cistern that provided water for the city during sieges.

Thanks, Kevin and Becky, for the gift of your visit! Mirëardhsh! (Come again!)

Budding Musician

Last fall Ellie started asking for a guitar.  Not sure if it was a passing fancy, we gave her the choice of another bird (to replace Marie, who flew the coop) or a guitar, and she said she would rather have a bird.  But after the bird proved to be lacking in the social arena (unlike his roommate, Squanto), she started to express regret for her choice. 

Knowing she wouldn't expect it, it was fun to surprise her on Christmas morning with the gift of a guitar from Nonna and PaPa. 

To say Ellie has taken to her guitar is an understatement.  She is playing it, now nearly four months later as much as the first days she owned it.  Throughout the day (often before even eating), she sits and strums or picks, or is watching an online tutorial on how to play a new chord.

Her goal is to play well enough to accompany in church or at kids club. We couldn't be prouder and want to encourage her to continue working on a skill that she says she wants to use to bless God and others.

Special Delivery

It all started with a daily walk.  

Our neighbor and colleague, Shpresa, walks around the neighborhood for regular exercise.  On one of those walks she met a friendly young woman and her mother working in the fields.  

They came to look forward to the daily meetings, gradually moving beyond the pleasantries and sharing more about their lives, including spiritual matters. Shpresa told me about her new friends and her desire to get to know them more.  We were both encouraged by their hungry hearts.

Then Shpresa told me that the mother was diagnosed with breast cancer and had to stop working while she received treatments.  Adding to the financial stress was the fact that the farm which employed them had been unable to pay their salaries for nearly one year.

About a month ago we paid them a visit in their home in a neighboring village to deliver some food.  It quickly became evident that a few bags of food were not going to go far -- there were 27 people (three generations) living in one home!

On Monday Shpresa visited a warehouse in Tirana and was able to fill the Planters van with as much as she could take for the family.  On her way back to the village she called us up to see if we wanted to come and photograph all the goodies she was going to deliver.  Of course we said, "Yes!"

Our friend -- can you tell by her smile why we enjoy visiting her so much?

The kids were all just back from school and helped with the unloading!

This is my little buddy below.  She is studying English in school and is always eager to practice with me (very unusual for someone her age -- most kids I know are way too shy to try to engage with an English-speaking adult!).

After we finished up, we were invited inside for a cold glass of dhalle (think buttermilk).  I had to get a pic of baby Romela in her baby cradle, a special gift from her maternal grandmother in the north.

In Sickness...

This has been our life the last 2 weeks.
I have no deep thoughts or reflections yet.

Being sick stinks.  A couple of weeks ago I got hit with a virus.  I was in bed for a solid 2 days, and the third day I didn't move much.  All I wanted to do was sleep.  And cough.

Then the joint pain hit. I have a new appreciation for my friends who suffer from chronic pain.

There was/is no place in our home with ergonomically correct furniture.  To my Albanian friends -- I'm sorry, this is not a criticism of you or your beautiful country, but you do not have very comfortable furniture (or at least not 15 years ago when this apartment was furnished).  Everything is angular and firm. What we would give for a recliner! The only place I could be without tears or moans was to lie flat in bed.

Then Ellie got it.  She had a fever for four days.  Our usually energetic, sparkly girl sat or laid around with a dull expression on her face.  You parents know how it makes you feel to see your kids unwell.  Even though she didn't complain, it didn't take an expert to look at her and know she wasn't feeling good, so we kept things quiet and waited for the virus to pass.  We basically didn't leave the house for about a week and a half.

48 hours after her fever passed we busted out and went to Tirana.  We felt like we had been set free into a world where spring had arrived.  It was glorious.

Then it hit me, again.  I shouldn't have been surprised. I really didn't think I had been pushing myself too hard, but I had heard from others who had been afflicted that this could happen (and recur for up to another week or two).  I napped more than four hours yesterday and still managed to sleep all night too.

Now today I feel better (the joint pain lingers, but is getting manageable with Aleve or ibuprofin).

A few months ago when Reni was sick with something he had picked up at Kopesht he asked, "Why did you bring us to this place to get all these weird sicknesses?"

Oh sweet boy.  Yes, we have contracted things here we never expected like scabies, worms, and scarlet fever... but we can get sick in America too.

We are grateful that Reni and Nathan seem to have been spared this time.  Nathan has been a saint in all of this and carried more than his fair share of the workload.

To those of you who pray for our family -- thank you for lifting us up in sickness and in health. We are thankful for your partnership knowing we are not alone, even when we are too sick to share our needs.

P.S.  We will probably never know what exactly we were struck with since we didn't consult a doctor nor have bloodwork done, but we do know that there was a confirmed outbreak of parvo in Tirana and our symptoms matched everything we read from the CDC. Yes, people (not just dogs) can apparently get this disease.  Add it to the list, Reni... :-)

10 years...

As this one lies in bed for the 2nd day with a fever and sneezes, I can't help but wonder where the last 10 years have gone...  10 years ago this month we submitted our first adoption dossier to Albania.  We had no idea the brown-eyed beauty that was waiting for us in Vlora.  So glad God entrusted her to us...