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! 

Sweet Moments in February 2022

 February was a bit of a crazy month, especially for Nathan!

The month started with a bang that involved a day trip for him to Thessaloniki, Greece on February 1, to purchase lockers for the Life Center locker rooms.  Yes -- you read that correctly. They drove down and back in one day!  The staff guys made it a men's trip and left at 4AM to shop at IKEA, take a quick walk around the old town, and returned around midnight!  Thess is about a 7-hour drive from where we live, so you don't ever hear of anyone around here doing the trip in one day.  Add an unexpected snowstorm which resulted in the Greek police temporarily closing the roads and a nervous customs agent who questioned their purchases at the border and wanted to keep them overnight, and it was a day full of adventure!

Acts 17:6b "“These men who have turned the world upside down have come here also,"
(of Paul and Silas)

After getting home, we had lots of helping hands to assemble the lockers!

They fit like a glove in the space -- in both the men's and women's changing rooms!  They are rated for 10 years outdoors, so they should last for a long, long time to come!

Reni got braces!
Below, "before."

This is as close as I was permitted.

After!

After many months of good intentions, we finally got Lucy spayed.  All I can say is, major relief that this is done! While she is well cared for in our home, the girl seems to think a better world exists beyond our gate.  One time after an escape while we were trying to go out, we thought we were going to have to leave her and resume our search after our appointment. Thankfully, a friend found her shortly thereafter and returned her to our yard but it was a scare!

Lucy in the midst of her recovery

On Friday during our staff meeting, Bonnie and Peder gifted the staff with solar-powered camping lights.  Appropriately, the power went out in the middle of Bonnie's presentation so I had to snap a photo!

Saturday afternoon we had a Bingo party at the Hope Center. 


 Peder made his yummy stove-top popcorn!

Week 2

A new church means we get the joy of creating seasonal decorations for the space.  Bonnie graciously helped materialize my Pinterest inspiration!  She made these vertical heart garlands for the glass panels along the side of the sanctuary and the back doors.  

We also made gift bags to give for our guests at our two Valentine's events!

We meet twice weekly for study hall.  I love seeing students around the table and the adults that help them with their studies!  Ellie and Reni join too, usually with a book to read.

We got a power washer and Nathan worked one afternoon to brighten up our front walkway that had gotten grimy from fallen grapes, leaves, a digging pup... again, another long-standing project on my list checked off!

Friday evening we helped document Night To Shine at the "Drive-through" event in Tirana!

My job was to snap the portraits through the car windows.  Nathan held my off-camera flash :-)
The participant below is a friend you may recognize.

Saturday evening we attended a meeting about the Alpha program, a course about Christianity that would be launching in later weeks at a coffee shop in Tirana.  We chose to participate this spring and Nathan has been attending with some friends while I provide childcare. It's been a meaningful time for us to talk through core aspects of our faith while also getting to spend time with people we love.

Week 3

Valentine's Day means an opportunity to show love and remind friends of the GREATEST LOVE ever shown.  Nathan's brownies are a village favorite and appropriate for a holiday long-associated with chocolate, so he made several pans fro scratch to share at our couples event.

Monday morning (2/14) we set up a photo booth for the students at VT Albania.  

There were so many good ones, but I'll restrict myself to sharing just one here.  M is so photogenic!

We got double-duty out of the photo booth and used it at our couple's dinner later that evening.

We served dinner and then had an evening of games.  Their favorite (not shown) was a quiz game of the flags of Europe!   I had no idea there were so many countries in Europe!!

Laughter is the best gift for the work involved in planning and executing the event. :-)

When you can't find what you need, you make it yourself!

Arjan welded and painted some metal to create a rack for holding the hand weights in the gym.

The floor is much tidier now!

Wednesday evenings the young women in the village meet at the center for games.  This week in honor of Valentine's we made it more special by providing a waffle bar, making a photo frame craft, and taking photos. Below, Tiffany shares a message while the girls craft.

While he was in university, Nathan worked summers on a traveling team of guys that installed networks in retail stores.  All of that wiring experience has come in handy over the years, including the recent installation of the sound system in the church.  The acoustics are not the greatest in the room but we knew the right system would greatly compensate.  Thanks to Arjan's connections in the AV world here, we were able to get the consultation of an expert who advised on the most appropriate kinds of speakers and placement within the room.  It's already made a big difference!

Week 4

On Sunday, Nathan and I took a day away to drive down to the coastal city of Vlora.  Vlore is where Ellie lived at the time of her adoption.  We visited a monastery from the 1300s located on a small island just north of the city.  Then we drove into town and met our friend Laura in person.  She reached out to me through the internet prior to moving to Albania to play professional basketball here.  It was so sweet to actually meet after exchanging messages.  I was glad to play a small part in connecting her with some YWAM missionaries in her city whereby she was able to connect to a local church.

At the end of the afternoon we enjoyed an incredible sunset from the castle ruins (dated back to 300 BC) that overlooked the city and where the Adriatic meets the Ionian Sea.  It was a restful few hours in the midst of a hectic month!

On Tuesday, Nathan, Tiffany and Arjan flew to Dortmund, Germany to purchase a handicap accessible van for VT Albania.  Searches across Albania and into Kosovo yielded no viable options.  On the internet, however, Tiffany identified a handful of dealerships in Dortmund (a city with budget flights to/from Albania) that each had multiple vans within budget.  

While I didn't go, I know it was an exhausting trip that provided little-to-no sleep most nights while they drove the new van back across numerous borders to get back to Albania.

Nathan, trying to catch a few winks sleeping on top of some boxes in the back of the "new" van.

Meanwhile, I'm back in Albania and so grateful for Bonnie and Peder's presence while Nathan was away.  Remember those IKEA purchases? They yielded a lot of cardboard -- perfect for nerf war shields...

While the boys played, Peder sanded and varnished the bleachers!!

Wednesday evening, while Nathan was just leaving Germany, we attended one of Laura's games!  Her team was in Tirana.

It was so fun to watch her play!  She scored over 30 points!

Nathan returned just before church on Friday evening, quite exhausted.
(below) Saturday we sponsored a Lego "derby" at the Hope Center.

SUNDAY --
Below, Reni looks out over the courtyard of the resort where thousands of Afghan refugees have been living temporarily on the west coast of Albania.

On the last Sunday of February we made the hour-long drive up to the seaside town where our Afghan friends are residing.  They had been talking for months about cooking traditional Afghan food for us.  A move to a new hotel room with a small kitchenette made it possible for them to fulfill this wish.

We arrived to a table with roasted sunflower seeds, elephant ears, and a special sweet that tasted like white-chocolate fudge, seasoned with pistaccios and cardamom.

All of the food was delicious, but my favorite was Kabuli (yes, named after the city).  It's rice with bits of beef, carrots and raisins.  It was delicious!

It was an incredible privilege to be served so generously. 

My plate of food... It was all so good!

Some of us ate on the floor.  Our hosts showed us how to eat with our fingers.  All in all, it was a very special experience and it meant so much that it was important to them to share it with us.

Nathan enjoys a hot glass of saffron tea

What a perfect way to end a month in which many of us think about love!

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