A Night to SHINE!

The longer we live in Albania, the more entwined our family becomes in the special needs community.  It's nothing we sought out, but as with most things in life, one thing led to another...  

Additionally, living life with a child who, until recently was largely immobile outside of our home without the aid of a stroller/wheelchair, opened our eyes to the plight of others even worse off than he.  

Encountering buildings with flights of stairs to the entrance, no elevators, or an impossibly steep, tile ramp are just some of the barriers that isolate people.  Not to mention few handicap parking spaces (which are regularly used by able bodied people), handicap accessible bathrooms doubling as janitor's closets (because 'they don't really need all that space), crumbling sidewalks, high curbs, and lack of access to public transportation. Then there's the social ostracism, the lack of awareness and fear... It lights a fire in us to be a voice, to validate worth, to support where we can work for this population that often goes unnoticed. 

The past couple of years I have been honored to serve as a photographer for Night to Shine Albania, a special needs prom that was started by the Tim Tebow Foundation and is locally sponsored in Albania by ICF-Tirana, a church in the heart of the capital of Albania.  We have known the pastor of this church since he was a teenager!  Their church lines up the venue, finds the flowers, DJ, and trains the whole host of volunteers it takes to provide the event.

The message at the prom is this:  every person was created in the image of God.  Every person matters to God.  Every person is inestimably loved and valued by God such that he gave His very best, His Son, for EVERY person.  "Even" those with special needs.  Every attendee is showered with love, attention, and honor and has a wonderful time just being celebrated.

Understandably each year the number of participants grows, some of them traveling great distances from the furthest corners of the country for this incredibly unique event.

It's so humbling to receive the thanks of the parents as I capture photos throughout the evening, from the arrival of their children on the red carpet to dancing and the crowning of the queens and kings.  It doesn't feel right to accept such effusive thanks when all I did was show up with a piece of equipment, but I see their hearts and try to suppress tears and tell them they have a beautiful daughter or a special son.

This past year, due to a scheduling conflict with one of our village programs, rather than cancel the program so we could attend NTS, I had the idea to bring some of young adults to volunteer at this year's NTS.  They were incredibly enthusiastic to help, even arranging time off of work early on two different occasions to attend training.

Imagine our surprise when we arrived at the venue a few hours early for set up and instructions when we were followed into the lobby by an entourage from the Tim Tebow Foundation, including the new Mr. and Mrs. Tim Tebow themselves, straight from their honeymoon!!!

Of course, our local friends didn't know who they were, aside from having seen Tim in a video at the training the week prior.  They were more impressed that his wife was a former Miss Universe! :-)

As you can imagine, the presence of the VIPs really ratcheted up the excitement!  I can't say I've rubbed shoulders with many celebrities in my lifetime, unless meeting an astronaut and riding an elevator one time in 1997 with Sonny Bono counts.

I was preparing to photograph Luli with his buddy on the red carpet when the Tebows arrived, changed into their fancy attire.  Luli promptly stuck out his hand and welcomed them to Albania.  This was the photo I captured.  It ended up on Fox News' website.

The Tebows spent the first forty-five minutes helping the special guests spiff up with make up and shoe shines.

Ada, the organizer, smartly encouraged some of her friends to attend in national costume.  This isn't unusual for weddings or other special events.  Additionally, most of the music played were favorite Albanian pop tunes or folks songs.  Our American guests got a great taste of Albanian culture throughout the evening!

I may have sort of used my position as photographer to snap photos of our local friends with the celebrities, when it wasn't inconvenient. Eda is below, left.

I LEGITIMATELY had equipment malfunctions which required Nathan to make an emergency trip to the event to bring my back up equipment.  I may have told him to bring the kids too and dress them up.  I was so glad they were able to come and share in the event!

Before the photo above, Tim asked Reni a number of things about himself and his interests.  Then about half an hour later we were gathering on the red carpet for the formal arrivals and Mrs. Tebow saw Reni.  As she walked over to introduce herself Tim called to her, "That's my friend, Reni!" 

(Yeah, it's the little things like that which impressed us.)

Below, Reni is obviously uncomfortable with the attention of a lovely woman.

Someday he will be able to tell his friends he met Miss Universe... and danced with her!

After this photo he promptly started playing hide-and-seek with the Tebows' videographer who was unsuccessfully trying to capture video of Reni for the event's social media.

The red carpet arrival is so much fun.  Each guest is cheered for as they disembark from the limo and walk into the ballroom.

The Tebows were there from the first to the very last guest (which they personally escorted into the dance!)

Ellie had initially resisted attending the event, but as you can see, once she was there, she fully enjoyed herself and we barely saw her!

Our colleague, Tiffany, walking in on the red carpet with her buddy for the night.

After Pastor Kita gave a message in Albanian to everyone who had attended, the Tebows greeted everyone and kicked off the dancing.

This photo of Ellie made the Tim Tebow Foundation's instagram and facebook pages.  She told me she was thinking as she threw it up in the air, "Tiny Trash!" in a high-pitched alien voice she imagines is spoken by characters in her favorite comic strip, Strange Planet.

 And then we danced.  And danced.  And had so. much. fun.

Below, Whitney (in blue) dances with Kimberly (in red).  Whitney is a long-time friend from Wilmore who is doing an internship for occupational therapy in Kosovo.  She came down to visit us for the weekend and we talked her into extending her visit so she could attend NTS.  I think she had fun. :-)

And then Reni finally decided to relax, and let loose, and show his skills.  

He was doing the splits. then started walking on his hands.  

Nathan said he heard a rhythmic clapping and turned around to see a group gathered in a circle.... around Reni!  

I was watching it all unfold and couldn't figure out whether to find Nathan, enjoy the moment and not miss a thing, or take pictures and try to capture something to remember it by.  This was my favorite photo of the night, even though you can't see Reni's face.  

It was actually quite dark in the moment (the flash was quite powerful at lighting up the scene for 1/125th of a second) so I can't believe I framed the shot so well because while I was focusing on Reni.  It's really the expressions of those watching that I love so much.  

After seeing the photo Reni quipped, "I wonder how many peoples' cell phones I'm on?"  Followed by. "Why didn't I tuck in my shirt?"

My next favorite image(s) were these below.  The second photos is probably the most viewed photograph I have ever taken in my life.  According to Instagram, it was 'liked' more than 70,000 times and republished on a number of international news sites.  What they don't know is the story behind the photo.

The young woman below is our friend, Lisjana.  She is a student at the Valdete Trust where Nathan serves as a board member.  The school is in the nearby village of Gerdec and serves students between Durres and Tirana who have been unable to attend traditional school because of mobility challenges. Over the years we've gotten acquainted with the students and have been utterly charmed by their sweet spirits.  Whenever we have summer interns, we regularly require them to visit the Trust and provide activities for the students after they have finished their classes.

Lisjana was born with CP which has affected her ability to walk and speak clearly (neighborhood children said she talked 'like an old woman').  She desperately wanted to attend NTS this year but her family didn't have the means to bring her and the Valdete Trust lacked the funds to drive the handicap accessible van.  Tiffany, who volunteers as an English teacher at the school, shared Lisjana's desire with me.  I suggested that Tiffany find out the cost for the diesel and driver's time and share the need with her support team in the States.  Of course, Tiffany could have probably covered the cost from her account, but sharing the need would allow someone else the blessing of helping Lisjana experience this special event.  Little did we know what the night would hold for Lisjana!

Fast forward a week to NTS 2020.  The evening was winding down, but as I made my way around the dance floor, I looked up to see Tim dancing with someone.  But not just anyone, our Lisjana!

Tim's staff was documenting the moment on video and I told them, "She speaks English!"  They nodded their heads and we all heard Lisjana say to Tim, "I love you!"

He looked up at his assistant and videographer and said, "Does it get any better than this?"

I promptly ran all over trying to find Tiffany.  Breathless, I tried to explain what just happened.  She had missed the moment in aiding her buddy, but thankfully I had these images.  We were all weeping.  A short while ago, few people knew of these sweet young lady who had captured our hearts with her sweet spirit and spunky grin.  Now her image has been seen around the world and she felt her value and beauty by someone who reminded her that she is lovely and special and worthy!

Finally, I want to close with a note of thanks and pride for this group below (missing Luli).  These folks  are my neighbors in Vlashaj.  They were amazing from the beginning of the night to the end.  You would never know by looking at their beautiful clothing, hair and make up that two of them are sleeping in trailers because their homes have been condemned by the earthquake.

They took off of work early to attend training AND the event itself on two different days.  They never left the sides of their buddies.  They got them food. They accompanied them on the dance floor. They helped their family members feel comfortable.  And they went home tired, late at night, with sore feet.  I was so proud to see the empathy and kindness they expressed and so happy to see them experience the joy of giving to others.  Let's do it again next year!

A New Decade Begins...

One of my favorite podcasts has featured interviews highlighting changes different people have experienced over the last decade of their lives.  It got me to thinking about my own circumstantial changes these past ten years and personal growth.

I noted that in the past decade I become the mother of a second child, changed careers and moved our family across the ocean!  I also lost two grandparents and a father.  

Those are some pretty significant changes in ten years but I wonder how much more I might note if I really gave it some thought...?

I then realized if I wanted to remember this next decade, I'd need to get back to blogging more faithfully.  Without further ado, here's my January 2020 in Review...

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After a quiet new years even on the farm with Mom and Hannah, we took a day trip up to the western suburbs of Chicago to see my cousin Dallas, his wife Amanda, and their four children.  The busy-ness of life has meant that most of our visits have been limited to larger family gatherings.  You can imagine how special it felt to have lunch and a lovely afternoon together at their home in the midst of an exceptionally busy season in their lives!

I've shared on Facebook, but perhaps not on here directly, about a project called The Chosen that Dallas has been deeply involved with as writer, director, and executive producer for the past couple of years.  You can watch some great interviews of Dallas on You Tube about the journey that led to the project's creation, as well as many behind-the-scenes stories of the filming and cast interviews, too.

But if you want to watch the show itself, it's incredibly simple and free.  Just download The Chosen app wherever you get your apps, then you can cast it to your television via Firestick, Roku or apple TV.

The Chosen is the first-ever multi-season series based on the true stories of the gospels of Jesus Christ.  Our family has been profoundly touched by the depictions of events surrounding some of our favorite people in the Bible and the beautiful way in which these stories have been put on film.  It has been released internationally and downloaded in nearly 200 different countries.  We are hoping to see it translated soon into Albanian!  Amanda has written a 40-Day devotional book with before-and-after stories and lessons from the lives of people touched first-hand by Jesus. Our family reads from it several nights a week before bed!

The next day we flew down to Texas for a quick weekend visit with dear friends.  Our first stop was in Kingsland where we worshiped at Pack Saddle Fellowship.  Nathan was privileged to bring the morning message at both services.

Afterwards we enjoyed lunch with our friends who came and served with us last June in Vlashaj.  It was a real treat to see them all again!

Our fabulous hosts were the Schranks.  This was our second visit to their home and it felt like it hadn't been any time at all!

Monday we drove down to San Antonio and saw our friends, the Callaways.  Below, Reni enjoyed the warm weather to play outside sans coats and see what he could do with his new legs!

We met their pastor and his family over a fantastic special supper.  Sadly, I did not get a photo!

We had about 10 days after our Texas trip to start packing up and saying goodbyes before returning to Albania.  It was so nice to be able to stay at our family farm house and have a place to host guests for lunch or supper, like our friend, Diana, below.

Reni with his cousin, Elisha.  I think Elisha spent 3 nights at our house our last week in America! :-)

The Olsens came down for a visit one Sunday from Chicago!

Our last big project to 'check off' the list was to empty our storage container on the farm.  It had been invaded by mice and over the past year started to leak water.  Reni 'supervised.' :-)

We were so thankful for the help of our friend Jim and my mom.  About half of the furniture had to be pitched.

Perks of living deep into the country:  burning those items too big to haul away.

Nathan also helped Mom with some projects around the house like setting up a security system and installing some electrical outlets!  He's a really handy guy to have around! :-)

I found this treasure of a photo:  my grandparents in front of the farmhouse ... about 70 years ago!

Reni's favorite place to shop is Bass Pro shop...

Our last Sunday we worshiped at Crosswalk.  We love our church family there!  There's rather a lot of us Waggoners there, especially when we are in town. :-)

We had lunch at Purdue's in Tremont... can't beat half price pizza with all these mouths to feed.

My last goodbye was the toughest... saying goodbye to my Grandpa Van.  He had a really tough fall with health issues.  By the time we returned to Albania he was in process to move to a new assisted living facility in Manito and by all accounts, he seems to be much happier there!  We are so glad!

Airport drop off is a bit of a logistical feat with all of our luggage.  We brought 7 checked pieces, an athletic wheel chair, a stroller, 4 rolling carry-ons, and four back packs.  We had a great send-off crew and enjoyed a traditional brunch at Denny's on our way to the airport!

Ellie and I are great travel buddies!  It's such a relief once we are seated and the stressful part of checking in and navigating security is behind us!

One last glimpse of Central Illinois!

We were terrible sleepers on the last leg of our flight.  Thank goodness for these padded benches at the airport in Vienna.  This airport is starting to feel quite familiar!!

This sweet sign greeted us when we walked in the door of home!

Reni had insisted on buying these slippers last fall while traveling.  I insisted he would never wear them.  He had to prove me wrong. :-)

So good to be back! First Bible study in the village was by candle light...

It was immediately evident that Reni's new legs were going to radically change his ability to interact with neighbor friends!  He loved his new found independence and we rejoiced that he can do more things typical of his age, like playing outside with friends, further away than just our courtyard.

When we returned, the soup kitchen was wrapping up service to the village.  It was so gratifying to see these ladies from our village church volunteer in this way.  I know it sounds hard to believe, but most accused them of helping for money (we didn't pay them at all) or questioned their motives.  Volunteerism is gaining traction in the cities, but out here in the village, it's not understood.  I saw it as evidence of heart change that comes from knowing Jesus and loving one's neighbor!

We were also blessed by the soup kitchen as the first few days back we really struggled to get our clocks regulated, our suitcases unpacked, and adjust to living once again in a cold house.  It was nice to have a hot lunch and fresh food instead of ripping open a packet of soup mix and adding water (it took us a few days to get out to the grocery store)!

Here (below) the kids 'helped' Miss Pam set up their home school classroom.  The theme of this year's school is Exploring Customs and Cultures -- an international geography study that our kids are naturally primed for, given the fact they have their feet in at least two cultures most of the time and they love to travel!

Cold days with blackouts are great for reading juvenile mysteries!  Thanks, Uncle Seth, for this Christmas gift!  It's been chock full of great new vocabulary and intrigue!

For those of you curious about earthquake recovery, things have somewhat come to a standstill.  The government has assessed all of the affected areas and made a list of condemned homes.  They have told homeowners they jeopardize receiving any form of rebuilding assistance if they begin work without permission.  In the mean time, Albania awaits word from the EU, which is meeting next week to determine how much money they can give Albania for the purposes of rebuilding.

Meanwhile, one of our neighbors found a creative means of creating shelter for he and his wife, in order to move out of their relatives' home and enjoy some personal space.  They renovated the outdoor kitchen on the grounds of an uninhabited family-owned house.

With some plaster, two by fours, wiring and metal sheeting, they have created a cozy, temporary place to live!