Finding Life | April 2022

New colleagues, launching soccer school, dedicating/inaugurating the new center and publishing the new logo... it's appropriate all these new things transpired in a month where the earth is emerging in bright, vibrant shades of green.

Enjoy the following pictoral review of our family's activities in April

This month we hosted a volunteer with years of experience running sports programs in Asia.  He was a wealth of information and practical help!  We were so happy to have Tony here with us and hope that perhaps he will return!

I continued to help with beginner's English.  One week we played a memory game to learn new vocabulary related to all of the members of a family -- from Baby to step-father and widow!

 

We are SO happy to welcome the Acosta family to our team.  They have a ton of experience in working with children and individuals with disabilities in sports (Luis was the coach of Turkey's national blind soccer team).  We could not have asked for co-workers with a stronger skillset.  I'm brimming with anticipation for when these two finish some language study and can move out to our area and join us!  Below, we enjoyed coffee while providing a crashcourse initiation to our team and project.

Spring weather means our friends at VT are often found enjoying the terrace -- which happens to be eye-level with our dining room window!

The bird flu impacted us in Albania too -- tripling the cost of eggs!  So rather than color eggs as is our tradition, on Saturday of Easter weekend, we decorated cookies.  The kids didn't seem to mind one bit!

Even though the holiday meant a fuller schedule, we took time for an impromptu game of wiffle ball.  The Americans had fun teaching our Albanian and Argentine friends the rules of baseball...

... and how to hit a ball with a bat.  As you can see below, Reni had less patience.

On Easter Sunday we had friends join us for lunch (unfortunately, I don't have any photos of our meal time!)  We also decorated cookies altogether!

This may be our new tradition!  I love the difference of colors from Christmas...

We had a nice Easter service on Sunday.

Ellie played the piano for a change (usually, she plays the guitar)!

Ellie has had a long time dream of teaching music.  Eda was a sweetheart and asked Ellie if she would like to teach some principles of music to the young girls who meet on Monday afternoons.  Below is Ellie giving a lesson on rhythm.  The goal is for them to understand music in such a way that they can contribute in our times of worship through music in kids club or church.

The feeding program is hitting a rhythm of its own and in spite of our limited food rotation, attendance has remained quite consistent!

I was soooo excited when the day came that our lit sign was delivered and installed on the building.

The day was actually quite windy and was spitting rain.

Now, there's no question if you have found us! (Keep reading to the account of the building dedication to understand the irony of the previous sentence).

After a long winter, we have found Lucy napping in the sun in a multitude of locations...

After working with individuals with disabilities, one becomes hyper aware of matters of accessibility.  This has become even more enhanced as Luis has taught us a little bit about the needs of those with visual impairments.  Walking with him to acquire documents necessary for his residency, we came across this street crossing...Originally it was throughtfully constructed with tiles... that lead to no where...

Twice per month the kids meet up with other home-schooling families for fellowship.  One afternoon we met up at a country-side restaurant that was full of beautiful walkways like this one!

Sprig is my favorite time in Vlashaj -- we have the greenest grass and trees and bluest skies in springtime!

In April we started girls soccer school!  It's been a huge hit!

Mandi sourced these secondhand uniforms from the dutch warehouse.  It was so cute to see the girls show up for class the next week all matching...

Near the end of April we were pleased to welcome our regional director, Joy (far right).  We were so very happy when she announced that she would be bringing her former colleague, Karen, as a traveling companion.  Karen lived in Kenya for decades and all four of her children were involved in our student fellowship at Asbury during our time there in the early 2000s.

Then a few days later, we welcomed three colleagues from our agency's communications department.  They came to collect photos, video, and stories.

Before we even brought them to Vlashaj, we stopped at the castle in Preze for a coffee.

A huge bonus for having guests is the ability to have things delivered from America. We surprised Reni with this goalie shirt printed with his name on the reverse.

In anticipation of the dedication service, Luli helped me translate a video message from my mother.  Nathan then subtitled it for everyone to enjoy during the service.

Below, Eda is interviewed on camera.

Having a formal inauguration meant that so many small items don't the check list finally got finished -- like this cover over the education entrance.

In anticipation of this opening, Nathan purchased themed cookie cutters of cleat, balls, and uniforms. 

Then the Acosta family decorated them for us with food coloring markers -- didn't they do a fantastic job?  So cute!!

On the 30th of the month we held our dedication service.  I was happy to have the job of running the media in the back room.

We were so touched that so many friends came to support us with their presence.

Arjan was able to find a vendor to make us shirts with the center's logo embroidered.

Photo Credit: Caleb Hatfield

Various individuals shared words during the service.

Photo Credit: Caleb Hatfield

Pastor Genti shared a fantastic message in which he likened the building to an empty bottle.  It's not the vessel that has the value - it's what's inside the bottle that gives its value. Our prayer is that this place will be filled with people and that they will find life inside.

Photo credit: Caleb Hatfield

He then went on to say how English speakers often call our center "Jetta" with an English "j" while in Albanian it's actually pronounced "Yetta". To an Albanian listener,"Jetta" spoken by an English speaker  sounds like the Albanian word "gjeta" which means "I found."

We named the center "Jeta" in Albanian because it means "the life." But if you say "Gjeta Jeta" (together) the meaning can be quite significant!  It means. "I found the life!"

We pray that this center is a place where many will say "I found life" there!

Photo Credit: Caleb Hatfield

What a way to close out April!  We are so thankful to God for his goodness and provision and for the people below with whom we work and serve.

Photo Credit: Caleb Hatfield

March 2022: Sweet Hellos and Sad Goodbyes

I'd be dishonest to say we didn't enter March with some trepidation.  On paper, it looked to be a highway of transition that would require a lot of physical, mental, and emotional energy.

God was faithful, though, and provided through the continued support of Bonnie and Peder (seen off camera, left, in the photo below).

The after-school feeding program continued this month on Tuesday and Thursday afternoons & Saturday mornings.  It continues to serve as a great connection point with our young neighbors.  Most of them stay for "Study Hall." below.

I don't remember taking this photo, but I am amused by Lucy's begrudging compliance with Reni's antics.

We were invited to celebrate the birthday of a special friend.  They treated us to an incredibly special meal!

Week 2

Our colleague, Tiffany, took some vacation time this week, so Ellie and I checked in on her cats!  Nathan and I are allergic, so my memories of cats are all outdoors, around the barns.  I didn't remember them being so playful!

 

This week held all the usual, plus some extra time prepping the Planters apartment for a new family arriving at the end of the month.  We took off Friday morning and early and met our Afghan friends in Tirana for a picnic at the lake to celebrate their son's 4th birthday.

They brought some of their favorite food they remembered us enjoying from our visit in February.

We won't forget memories like this!

Albania released a new piece of currency.  This is worth approximately $100.  When we pay for most things in cash, bills of this denomination are really only practical for large purchases.

One Saturday afternoon we played mystery game on the streets of Tirana.  Most of the locations it sent us to were not this questionable, ha ha.  Our friends were good sports on an unusually chilly day!

Week 3

Sunday, March 13 was a special, delayed celebration of Women's Day.  Shpresa coordinated a bus for the women of our village to visit Berat, a UNESCO World Heritage site, and lunch at a restaurant. It was nice to see our neighbors enjoy an extended time of fellowship, seeing a place that was new to some of them.  And of course, I had the pleasure of serving as the photographer of the group. :-) I will spare you a lot of photos, though!

If you love stone and wood in architecture, your heart will be happy by a visit to the "old town."

The next two days we took an abbreviated spring break trip with some missionary friends down to Vlora.

We enjoyed a castle ruins entirely to ourselves and enjoyed several games of Bocce Ball, overlooking the convergence of the Adriatic and Ionian Seas.

A herd of either goats or sheep kept the pitch neatly cropped.

We enjoyed a change of scenery and the kids enjoyed having extended time with their friends.

The rest of the week included shopping for kitchen cabinetry for the new center, installing some new items on the rooftop terrace (photos later, below), and the usual weekly programs. 

Making posters for an upcoming charity soccer match to benefit VT Albania.

 

Saturday we hosted the Hope Center at Jeta instead of going to their place.  We shot targets and played games with Nerf.  It was a huge hit. 

Week 4

Sunday, March 20 we hired a bus and a large group of us from Vlashaj, including many students of VT Albania, traveled to Peze for a charity match to benefit VT Albania.  

The friends sponsoring the fundraiser also held a raffle.  Many of the attendees bought tickets for the VT students in attendance.  I ended up holding tickets for a couple of the students because they were more than they could manage! :-)

Local neighbors represented VT in a match against retired pro-futbol players!  It was a lot of fun!

On Monday, March 21 we hosted the first ever evangelical symposium in Albania on serving individuals with disabilities.  We discussed inclusion into our churches and the theology of disability in Scripture.  It was a valuable time of training and networking and we couldn't have been more thrilled to have the honor of hosting this historic occasion! Some local ministries used it as training for their staff!

A friend, Lisa, who was visiting Albania gifted us this beautiful swing for our terrace.  It is a popular photo spot, as you can see!

When your kitchen table is your office, and the village boys drop in every afternoon unannounced, sometimes you just have to get away, ha ha! (This is the "lower terrace" -- a space that was originally planned to house the mechanics of the new center. It has turned into Nathan's secret hiding spot.)

Nathan bought these games quite some time ago, but we were finally able to install them.  They provide some entertainment for guests on the roof!

On Friday night Peder delivered a message to our little church body about how to study God's word.

We discovered a mini-donut maker amongst my parents' belongings here in Albania.  We made some chocolate cake donuts and dipped them in melted Nutella (no Betty Crocker frosting in a tub here!) and sprinkles to give a young friend.

On Saturday and Sunday we attended an overnight on the beach for the Alpha Course.  The first event included ice-breaker games. 

While in line at the hotel buffet, this woman (below) bravely introduced herself to me! 

She was at the same hotel for a different conference and recognized our family from hearing about us through many mutual friends in the adoption community. She and her husband live near the Sisters of Charity orphanage in Elbasan, where Reni resided.  They have become a local resource for many families adopting children from that home!  (They were not yet married when we were in Elbasan 12 years ago).

Ellie made a new friend at the retreat who documented their time together with this beautiful sketch!

We returned home and Nathan had to take Reni's feet apart to fully clean them of all the sand he acquired from playing on the beach!  I think this may be a fore-taste of summer!

VT has accepted several new students this year!  I have the joy of taking their school photos.  I particularly loved this image.  After taking his head shots, I asked B's dad to jump in for a quick photo.  Can you not see the kindness and love jump out of this image?

I seriously don't know what we would have done this winter without the help of Bonnie and Peder.  Because of them, I felt like we were able to get our feet back under ourselves for the first time in over two years.  They jumped in and gave us a reprieve from some responsibilities, then tackled items on my 'honey-do' list that had been sitting there for eons. Theywere embraced by our community here and loved our neighbors so, so well.  They have an open door to return anytime.

Remember that reference to transition at the beginning of this post? This week was a little nuts.  I think Nathan counted five trips to the airport in five days:

On Monday we welcomed back our colleagues, the B family, from four months away.  

On Tuesday morning the Andersons departed.  

On Tuesday afternoon we welcomed Tony for one month. 

On Thursday morning we went to the airport at 4AM to hug our Afghan friends goodbye (I have photos but I look terrible -- I obviously didn't check a mirror before leaving).  I have to insert this: they finally are able to start the next season of their life in Canada, starting in Calgary, but in the moment of saying goodbye, we could only acknowledge that it still carries a lot of unknowns, and they still tremendously miss their old lives and family.  Their boys, especially, struggle with this lack of control over their world. I could only comfort my friends with the fact that Jesus himself understands.  When he was the same age as their sons, he too, had to leave the comfort of his home and move to a new country with new foods and language. I was honored that they asked me to pray for them, and I ask that you include them in your prayers too.  There are so many refugees in this world today, but how amazing that Jesus understands!

Then on Friday, we welcomed a new family, the A's!

In it all, God has been good. Just wait to see what April brings! Thanks for loving and supporting our family!