We will now interrupt this blog site with a brief intermission. On the 29th of January, Lord willing, we'll llift off from Tirana's international airport. Our round trip ticket schedules a February 12 return to Albania.
A two week respite will pass quickly. We do hope to soak up much love via the grandchildren as well as the possibility of squeezing in brief visits with nearby family and friends.
When we arrive back here in Gorre we will continue with our local routine and also plan for a transition of mission service which we'll tell you about later.
Til then, may God richly bless your lives. He is the source of all blessings and the One who provides amazing grace. May you choose to enter His gates with thanksgiving and approach His court with praise.
Life goes on in the village of Gorre. Thinking that we were back into our "normal" routine after the holiday season, we were surprised one evening with a gentle knock on our door. Our good friend Ermal, whom you've met before, stood at our entrance with another young man whom we did not recognize.
Ermal introduced the young man as David Graeser, currently from Istanbul, Turkey. "Could you put David up for the night? He is here for a visit and needs a bed and a meal or two." Yes, we scrambled to get one of the icy cold rooms set up with linens, copious blankets and one of our small electric heaters.
We soon learned that David had previously visited Gorre (about 3 years ago) while on a short term mission trip. He managed to befriend Ermal as well as other local villagers at that time. Now, he was back in the area to visit those previous acquaintances.
It happens that David is a very gifted young man. Along with several other members of his group, he uses his musical talents, dancing abilities and other drama related skills to communicate the Gospel among the Turkish populace. An Atlanta, Georgia native, David has committed two years, at least, with the Operation Mobilization mission.
How exciting to witness a young man devote his life in this way to serve the Lord. We enjoyed our visit with David. After a hot shower, a warm meal, a good night's rest and breakfast, David left our village to make other visits in Albania. We trust that he is now back in Istanbul preparing for his group's next performance for Jesus.
PS: An up-date on the revenge killing of Pastor Dritan that we reported on earlier in the fall: Praise the Lord that Dritan's family has decided not to continue the feud...what a courageous, yet humble stand, for a Christian family to take. Prayer is still necessary for the 1500 men we have been told live in hiding because of similar threats on their lives.
Since our arrival here in rural Albania, we have been intrigued by a common and pervasive scene: turkey shepherds watching their flocks by day and ostensibly penning them up by night. While spending a few of the holidays and nights in Tirana, we witnessed the climax of the turkey drama. Shackled together or hobbled in some similar fashion, huge numbers of turkeys brought the streets and sidewalks of the big city alive with feathered islands and their shepherds now turned merchants (a scene repeated in most settlements throughout the country). Having cared for their feathered friends for several months now, just days prior to the new year, the local merchants spend the hours from early sun-up to after sunset hawking (no pun here) their big birds. Life is now short for thousands of innocent turkeys as they are soon to have their heads severed so the lady of the house can prepare the year's most highly celebrated meal.
Fortunately for us, Pastor Landi and Juli invited us to their home, where we shared the much anticipated Albanian New Year's feast. What a delectable experience for us, as we were treated to beautiful side dishes in addition to hormone-free turkey meat. Our pictures show the effort and beauty of the festive meal, but only our taste buds and stretched stomachs can attest to the delightful experience.
Sadly, however, while the locals spend weeks, even months, preparing the the New Year's bash, the blessings of Christmas barely get noticed. The festivities, including turkey feasts, flashing lights, fireworks and even some decorated evergreen trees, all culminate in the celebration of the new year, to the exclusion of Jesus' birth. Pray with us that this trend will be reversed as more and more people accept the reality of the Christ Child.
May God richly bless you with His love in this new year!
