Bulldogs, Babies, and Buddies | January 2023

I honestly thought I had accidentally deleted a folder of photos for January from my computer.  I went to create a review of February and realized that not only had I not backed up and archived my February photos, but I hadn't performed my monthly journaling ritual for January either! After you see my post for February, perhaps you might understand why I've fallen a bit behind.

I had to begin the post with these cute photos.  I mean, I'm not the world's biggest animal lover but even I thought this oversized puppy was more than just a bit cute.  No, he is not OUR puppy, but belongs to our colleagues, the Artonis.  His name?  Lio, in honor of their nation's most famous soccer player...
He loved being literally held like a baby!  Ellie couldn't get enough!

Nathan continues to teach interactive science lessons every Tuesday at VT Albania. 

Marshmallows and spaghetti noodles provided a great lesson on the strength of different shapes.

ALPHA 

In January we launched the Alpha Course.  Below, Nathan poses with our friend Ani, and his baby boy who was making his very first visit to the Jeta Center!

VT Albania students made these craft paper snowflakes as part of our winter themed decorations.  Didn't they turn out well?

We averaged between 30 and 40 guests each week.  Behind the scenes we never stopped our kitchen work preparing and plating the meal and dessert which guests enjoyed before the video and subsequent discussion.

We hosted the teenagers in a separate class room and any other children who were brought by their parents were occupied up in our gym.  Luis and Laura continually devised creative games.  Below is their version of "The floor is lava."

Albania's National Amputee Football Team

The team hosted a retreat and weekend of extended practices this month.  We were thrilled that they came one evening to practice at Jeta!

Our colleague Tiffany purchased a treadmill for the gym thanks to one of her generous ministry partners.  We really liked one that was about 15% more than her budget, so our partners made up the difference.  This treadmill is a wonderful piece of equipment for so many reasons.  Not only is it helpful in the therapy of our VT students, but for women who like to jog, we do not have a safe place to jog in our zone (really, there's not many safe places for men either -- the roads are very dangerous). Exercise equipment has incredibly high tariffs, so this was a truly long-awaited and generous addition to the center.   

Nathan taught another lesson on acids and base...? I barely remember my high school science education... maybe I should attend his classes too!

The Hope Center

We visited the Hope Center twice this month, but I'll only share pics from the night we had a Lego competition.  Most of these kids have never played with lego before, so this simple toy entertained them for nearly two full hours and we only completed two competitions.

In one competition, each team was challenged to build the strongest bridge.  We brought along hand weights to test the strength. With each kilo added, tension grew... especially as the lego could be heard creaking and cracking under the growing strain!

In another competition, the teams had to build sticks that could reach across a rug and snag a plastic hoop.

In the final competition, the teams were judged on their "sculpting" ability.  Below is the winner of the best portrait of trainer Luis.

New Neighbor

We rejoiced when our dear friends welcomed a new generation into their family with the birth of baby Aniel.  He is the son of Ani and Kimberly.  Below, he is being introduced to my mom over Facetime,

 

Reni enjoyed a visit from his old buddy, Albi, who immigrated to Italy a few years ago.  It was need to see that he's still as sweet as ever, even if he's grown up so much!

Nathan poses in his re-organized AV room at church.  It had gotten QUITE messy over the holiday season!

Sorry I'm not in the photo below but I was rejoicing in my first proper desk in 9 years of living here! 

A furniture store was having a "going-out-of-business" sale and the desk and chair were marked down 50%.  We did some creative rearranging in our bedroom to make space for this and I use it EVERY DAY! I never thought a desk could make me so happy -- or productive!  No more working on our rock-hard couch with my feet on the coffee table!

The photo below was taken for our friends at Pack Saddle Fellowship in Texas who bought these trees (and others, not pictured).  This variety of tree is supposed to be drought resistant and repel mosquitos!

One Sunday afternoon we had an impromptu doggy date with our team pets. The enclosed basketball court is the perfect place for them to run to their hearts' content!

Thanks fo sticking in there with this seemingly random assortment of photos. Get ready for February, hopefully coming soon!

Wrapping up 2022 | December Month in Review

 

Ah December... what a full and fun month you were!  While the photo above is out of chronological order, it represents so much of this month.  Celebrations, times with friends, and having fun. 

I confess I struggle to make time for fun. I am usually so driven by tasks and productivity that I don't make room for fun, but this month I think we did better! I am learning that it's necessary to have the resilience needed to stay healthy...

_____________

The first weekend of December found us at the Christmas Bazaar for the first time since 2019! It was a great day in many respects.  Not only did the knitters have their best year of sales at this event but we had lots of wonderful help at our table including Pam, Mari Grace, Merita, and my family, of course. 

It was so good for Merita to see how customers interacted with the products so she could make more informed decisions for what she will make next year!

Thanks again to everyone who supported Handmade in Albania this year with a purchase!

We passed a few long December nights at Jeta watching World Cup matches.  The gatherings shrunk as favorite teams were eliminated, but regardless of who played, we had fun tackling a 2000 piece puzzle.

Luis and Laura gifted Reni with this Argentine jersey and he wears it ALL the time. :-)

My Swiss friend Elisabeth had planned to visit me in Albania last summer, but a family emergency meant she had to cancel her trip.  When chatting in November about a possible raincheck, she suggested meeting up in Berlin for a live Chosen event! A quick search online revealed a budget airline with direct service from Albania to Berlin and with Nathan's encouragement, plans were made!

What a fun, whirlwind weekend! As founder of the German-language fan page and member of their translation team, Elisabeth secured us tickets to the event and we were invited to a special dinner the night before with the hosts and "VIPs."

A special treat was meeting Jordan Walker Ross, who plays the disciple "Little James" and chatting with him about living life with a disability and playing a role where that difference is the focus of an episode. He was as genuine and kind as he appears online!

We were pretty busy so site-seeing was limited to this quick snap in front of the Brandenburg Gate (below)...

...and the Pergamon Museum, an incredible collection of middle-eastern archaeological treasures including (below) King Nebuchadnezzar's gate into the city of Babylon!

But back to The Chosen... Karoline (below, middle), was the architect of the special weekend and it was fascinating to learn what she does to promote the series to German speakers through translation of subtitles, dubbing scripts, books and devotionals!

Sunday afternoon, the German team hosted a live event featuring a showing of The Shepherd, followed by musical performances, testimonies, and interviews with a writer and cast-members of the show.

After the live event with actors Jordan Walker Ross and Elizabeth Tabish (Mary Magdalene).

It was incredible to hear the stories of so many individuals in this very secular culture so impacted by this television series.

Finally, enjoying some of the tasty treats at one of the city's MANY Christmas markets!

What an unforgettable weekend!  Thank you, Elisabeth, for all you did to plan this!

In mid-December we were pleased to welcome the Vinasco family to our team!  They are living in Tirana and starting language study. Danny specializes in web design and online marketing and Belen is a talented designer, artist and crafter!

One of our highlights each week is our international Bible study and dinner.

Just before Christmas we said goodbye to long-time volunteer Mari-Grace!  Her presence is greatly missed!  It's difficult to express how much encouragement and help volunteers bring!

On the longest day of the year, the amputee team was celebrated at the beginning of a match between Albania's top two-ranked pro teams. It was a stressful experience reaching the stadium in time for the recognition as the police closed down all surrounding streets just as they were within two blocks away. It was quite the story but they made it just in time!

After a VERY wet month, the rain ceased long enough to plant some of the trees purchased in November with the Schranks.

These evergreens are drought-resistent and fast-growing.  Within five years they should be tall enough to block the evening sun!

Keeping up our tradition of providing home-made Christmas cookies!

Grateful this year for a larger oven to expedite the baking process!

We were gifted a large number of lemons -- which Reni squeezed and we froze in ice cube trays.

As part of our farewell to Mari-Grace, we made a trip to the center of Tirana for Christmas street food and amusement rides while enjoying the lights.

Probably because our family doesn't usually spend money on these types of entertainment, they seemed extra fun this year.  Especially when the element of competition was added!

For your enjoyment -- an extra large display of holiday treats enjoyed in this corner of the world.  Move the decimal point two places left for an approximate cost in USD.

In the midst of all the parties (two of which aren't even making the blog!) Ellie participated in a year-end piano recital!

Having celebrated my birthday early (with the trip to Berlin), my actual birthday evening was extra memorable by making surprise visits to distribute Christmas gifts to each of the children in our kids club. I will never forget my young friend (middle, below) wiping tears of happiness of her cheeks while accepting her gift.

On Christmas Eve, our colleague Arjan brought a truck of staging equipment so we could set up a seating area in the kalceto without damaging the turf.

That evening about 100 guests honored us with their presence!

Christmas Day we were pleased to host our WGM team for brunch. We played games and exchanged gifts.  It was really special.

Later in the afternoon, our Albanian family arrived for Christmas dinner!

and games!

As per tradition, we try to take a few days away between Christmas and New Years.  We were informed of a great place for sledding and skiing in Macedonia, but this was all the snow we found!

The mild winter meant the pass over the mountain was open and we enjoyed a beautiful sunny mountain drive!

And the only snow to be found was in the shadow of the highest peaks where the sun didn't shine...

We made it home in time for great fireworks in the village... and a disheartening loss by Ohio State in the wee hours of the new year, and a chance to finally rest.

* If you are receiving this blog post by e-mail, please do not 'reply' -- this is sent by a feed service, not by the Waggoners, so we will not get your message!