January 2026 | Realizing a Dream & Soaking Wet

Who doesn't love new? The new year holiday is a welcome chance to pause and take a break from programs.  It was doubly special because after years of dreaming, we were able to receive Dad Waggoner and sister, Rebecca, for an extended visit!

We relished quiet days and nights working on puzzles, playing games, and slowing down!

Dad really loved our mandarines and reportedly ate about 5 per day!

We tried to show them some of Albania, but the weather was pretty abysmal.  The photo below says it all...

Pastor Genti, Shpresa, and Ester invited us over for coffee one evening!

One Sunday afternoon during a break in the showers we visited the center of Tirana before the Christmas village was taken down.  

When programs resumed, we brought them along to experience the aspects of our daily lives, including meeting all the people we love and serve.

...and welcomed their help with projects like putting up Christmas decorations at Jeta!

We took them up to Shkodra and visited a factory where they make beautiful Venetian masks, sold around the world.

We also visited the Museum of Site and Witness...

...where many faith leaders were interrogated and persecuted for their faith.

Dad and Rebecca participated in morning exercise time at Valued Treasures...

...and dad helped us on a project to beautify an outdoor space for guests with the help of his new friends.

Below, Rebecca assists Sabina in learning knife skills, chopping cucumbers for a salad.

The rains ultimately breached the Erzeni River and resulted in flooding nearby.

One of our Valued Treasures students lives in the green home below.

We made several trips to deliver food and blankets, then later some hay to replace what was lost in the flood.

Dad shared a greeting and blessing during a Friday evening church service.

We also took them to the mountain town of Kruja...

We enjoyed an incredible supper at the Koni's home.

Dad brought his magnet game and it was a success.

Dad and Rebecca delivered several goodies ordered from the US, including some off-brand tablets that we scored on Black Friday.  We loaded a free typing software that several students have been using to hone their keyboarding skills.  Local schools do not make technology available to students, and most homes do not have personal computers -- only smart phones, so this is a valuable skill to acquire for future employment.

With a team arriving shortly after Dad's departure, he graciously helped us put up several meals in the freezer. I would just give him things to chop and measure and away he went! 

Ellie helped too!

Rebecca had to leave early, but shortly after her departure we welcomed a colleague, Kevin, who came to observe and learn about the Valued Treasures program.  He has since begun the process of helping us seek out some grants to supplement operations and future projects.

One Sunday we went into Tirana and were blessed with beautiful weather!  Behind Ellie you can see a high-rise that features the map of Albania in relief.

We were able to celebrate Alvi's birthday!

Below, making a follow-up visit with Fati's family upon the return of the Artonis.

Before we knew it, it was time to say goodbye to Dad!

His visit was so sweet.  He was incredibly helpful, and his presence brought warmth to our home.  

I just hope that the next time he comes, it's not so cold!

Life kept moving, and our next project was to remove the protective awning on the terrace of Jeta in preparation for building the framing to hold 50 new solar panels.

On the 28th we welcomed Lydia, a doctoral student of Occupational Therapy!

While with us until April, Lydia is training the Valued Treasures to acquire employable job skills, particularly within a coffee shop environment.  A portion of her project included visiting local coffee as part of her research.

In closing, we want to say 'thank you' to everyone who has contributed to our benevolence fund to allow us to help Fati's family.  In addition to one month's supply of hay, we were also able to supply some supplements for their dairy herd.

Coming up in February:  

• a team of retired missionaries visits to pray for the ministries in our village, 
• Valued Treasures takes part in Night to Shine, 
• Nathan takes part in a conference with Luis, 
• we celebrate Valentines with a special women's craft night, 
• the gym ladies invite Cydil to an Albanian "potluck" 
• Torchbearers sends a second team to volunteer at Valued Treasures
• and substantial progress is made on the terrace project!

December 2025 | Changing up traditions

December is a hectic month, pretty much around the world, but this year felt particularly so. As such, this year I gave myself permission to deviate from my usual ways.  Don't get me wrong, I LOVE a tradition, but in order to stay sane, I had to 'let go' of some self-imposed expectations.

One tradition I couldn't let go, was a family Christmas card photo. I gave myself permission to forego finding a new, creative location and we pulled on some holiday colors and stood in front of our tree.  Check! 

We love seeing all of our expat friends at the annual Christmas Bazaar in Tirana, but it really snuck up on me this year.  My choice: scale back the volume of products we brought and focus on the best of the item.  Our sales were actually higher.

The morning after the Christmas Bazaar we loaded up the Valued Treasures and took them to Albania's version of Home Depot or Lowes.  We are quite the sight to behold, our little parade of wheelchairs and walkers and such, but I don't think anyone else has as much fun!  The excursion started with a coffee in the store's cafeteria...

To get a better picture of the experience, watch this 1-minute highlight video.

Nathan and I gave each other permission to buy our own Christmas presents.  Nathan bought himself an espresso maker that also doubles as a form of entertainment!  Though he legitimately needed to replace his moka pot after burning it during a telephone interruption.  I replaced my bedspread after one-too-many rips from Lucy's claws on our original bedspread. Don't get me started about how she likes to sleep on our bed when we are not at home...

We even made our own classroom decorations at Valued Treasures!  And yes, that's pink and purple because we are out of green and red construction paper.

The seasonally confused chocolates made a reappearance this year...

Regular programing continued as usual (kids club, above). An early Christmas gift to me:  an enormous bag of lemons from a friend's tree -- which I squeezed and used to infuse my drinking water!

I still marvel at the ability to pick fresh mandarines in our backyard.  Also, I love morning sunshine in the winter...

Part of what made Christmas feel extra this year was the responsibility for Valued Treasures' Christmas party.  Last year's (thrown by the Artonis) was incredible, so we had big shoes to fill.  But also, sourcing gifts for all the students, staff, and volunteers!

Nathan employed the Cricut and made logo t-shirts for the volunteers and personalized stockings for the students (which we stuffed with gifts).  Making personalized t-shirts might be Nathan's NEW tradition.  I love that he enjoys being creative!

The Christmas party turned out to be a lot of fun.  You can watch a short video here.  I was so thrilled Reni agreed to dress up as Santa.  It was really unexpected, though Gerti running up to sit on his lap caught Reni off guard even more!

One stressor during the Christmas party occurred when we discovered that I had ordered the catered lunch to be delivered on the day of the Planters Staff Christmas party and not the day of VT's party!  Thankfully a nearby restaurant saved the day and whipped together a bunch of pizzas and these three guys delivered them for us!

A HUGE Christmas gift to Jeta was the delivery of second-hand solar panels!  We hope that they will allow Jeta to operate without drawing any electricity from the State!  Pray that the contractor shows up SOON to build the structure.  We have been waiting for more than a month. 

The final Advent Christmas story saw Pastor Genti preaching about each of the participants at Christ's birth using the ceramic nativity set we display at the front of church.  I love how it captures the attention and imaginations of everyone who visits.

We took the Planters staff out for supper the last Friday before Christmas.  Sadly, I got very few photos!  That's probably because we were having such a good time visiting!

The weekend before Christmas found us busy in the kitchen -- both preparing for Christmas celebrations at home and in church.  Usually we make and decorate HUNDREDS of Christmas cookies for a variety of different events.  

This year, we scaled back drastically and only made simple candy canes (instead of all the other shapes) AND we did not decorate them.  Read on to see why... this saved us so much time.

Below, Nathan and Ellie roll out candy cane cookies that participants would ice at the Christmas Eve service.

Below, Anneco and I visited Dhurata and Merita for Dhurata's birthday.

Probably the BIGGEST deviation we made from tradition was to forego our regular church service for Christmas Eve.  Knowing that people learn differently, I thought a hands-on experience might help some 'hear' the Christmas story in a fresh way.

Christmas Eve morning we set up Jeta for the evening's event with three rooms of activities explaining the symbolism behind many of the elements of Christmas. 

Below, in the first room, we discussed the meaning of the Christmas tree -- it's color (evergreen for eternal life), shape (an arrow pointing to heaven), lights (Jesus came as a light to a dark world), decorations (representing the fruit eaten by Adam and Eve in the garden), and star (pointing seekers to Jesus).

Participants got to paint their own Christmas ornament and take it home, along with a word search including the concepts from the mini-lesson.

At the second station, guests decorated candy cane cookies and learned how the candy cane represented the shepherd's crook, used to guide sheep and rescue wayward lambs.  Also, that Jesus called himself the Good Shepherd, and the colors represent his purity and shed blood.  The peppermint flavor reminds us of the healing he brings, just as peppermint oil is well known for its healing properties.

In the final room, we learned about why we exchange gifts at Christmas as Shpresa explained the Christmas story.  

On the way out, each child received a Christmas box, thanks to Project Hope.

After a crazy, full night, Christmas morning was pretty low-key in our home. 

One Christmas tradition we let go of:  Mom Lois' Quiche Lorraine.

One tradition we kept:  Cinnamon Toast Crunch cereal for the kids.

Hannah, Luli, and Eda came over for lunch and games (no pics, unfortunately).  Then, later in the afternoon, the Dukas joined us for our traditional Christmas dinner and activities. Some traditions you just don't let go of...

After they left and we cleaned up, Ellie dove into her Christmas gift, a subscription to some online music courses.

I have discovered I LOVE the days between Christmas and New Years.  We used to take the time for our family vacation, but I am so glad we chose not to this year.  This may be a new tradition we adopt!

We used the time to prep and cook for Nathan's dad and sister's arrival and work at our own pace, free from interruptions.  One day we treated ourselves to lunch at Pizza Hut in the mall across Tirana.  It was heavenly to not have a schedule.

It also finally got COLD, at least for a few days.  Below, the temperature in the kitchen before we turned on the heat.

A missed connection in Chicago meant that they arrived about 16 hours later than planned, but nevertheless, just in time for the New Year's fireworks at the stroke of 12.

But first, a NYE supper of lasagna and...

Nutella Pie!  Ellie votes this is a new tradition we keep!

Happy New Year!  May your 2026 be off to a great start, with evidence of God's hand at work in your lives and situations.  What are Christmas traditions are non-negotiable for you?  Which have you decided to let go of?