Going into my last two months in Albania, I had specific jobs to fulfill apart from the Waggoner's usual weekly ministries. Two of the bigger jobs were teaching English at the Valdeta Trust (a center helping Albanians with disabilities) and Coaching God's Way (an attempt to teach Christian principles through sports). Teaching gave me an opportunity to spend time with the students at the Valdete Trust and get to know them personally. The students live with disabilities in a country that is relatively unfriendly to people with disabilities both in its culture and infrastructure. With the education they are now receiving, they will be able to apply for and get jobs. Through Coaching God's Way, I gained deeper relationships with some of the guys in our village who had not yet interacted with me. The hard part of Coaching God's Way is that I, as the coach, had to really practice the principles I was teaching the kids. Principles like patience, work-ethic, and respectfulness become real to kids when they see them in action while playing sports. 

Students (and staff) at the Valdeta Trust

A proud moment of teaching shooting fundamentals

One of the unexpected joys of my last two months in Albania was the attendance of previously uninvolved young adults in a weekly bible-study. It was amazing to see them whole-heartedly engage and seek truth in the Bible for the first time. 

Christmas season ministries began with a program, Handmade In Albania (click to visit the site), run by the Waggoners that provides a market for women in our village to sell their knitted goods. The women learn business skills and receive %100 of the profit. Please visit the website if you would like to buy any of their products! 

Organizating and cataloging the Knits!

The week of Christmas our church participated in Christmas Shoebox distribution, handed out Christmas cookies (hundreds), and caroled with the kids in our village. On my last Friday, we held a Christmas service, and the congregation gave me their blessing as I prepared to return home.

Reni helping make Christmas cookies!

We had fun decorating the cookies with our bible study group.

Cydil and our caroling crew. (We split up into two groups)

Serving a Mid-Term Service (the fancy term) with World Gospel Mission in Albania taught me a lot. I pray that more than anything I worked for God. I know that God is working there and that I was blessed to help. The Church in Albania is growing and christians are sharing the good news.

1 Kings 9:3

"The Lord said to him: "I have heard the prayer and plea you have made before me; I have consecrated this temple, which you have built, by putting my Name there forever. My eyes and my heart will always be there."" 

This passage is God's word to Solomon when Solomon dedicated the temple he built for God. It sticks with me as a reminder that God is still building his temple in Albania, and that God's eyes and heart will always be there.

My sendoff with the Waggoners at the airport.

Ever since my Dad and Mom began planning to visit me in Albania, I have eagerly anticipated their visit. In total, I enjoyed two weeks with them. The first, they spent a week in the village with me where I live and work. Living in the village entrenches you quickly in the lives of the people living there. During the first week Mom and Dad had the opportunity to: join kids clubs in the village where I live as well as in a more remote village; go to the first Christian funeral in our village for Cydil's father David Waggoner; and visit the home of two families in the village I live in.

In front of Skanderbeg's Statue. 

During the second week Mom and I traveled to the Valbona where we hiked the ancient pass between Valbona and Thethi.

Mom and I at the pinnacle of the pass from Valbonë to Theth.

Ministry programs started back in early September, and I have two new things in my schedule. First, once a week I teach basketball through Coaching God's Way. Sports is an important part of the kids lives, so we are Coaching God's Way to teach how sports can glorify God. To make it more exciting and beneficial, we painted our rec. center's basketball court!

Preparing to paint the basketball court

Painted!

Second, I am teaching beginners and advanced English class at a center providing services to people with disabilities, called the Valdeta Trust. In Albania, people living with disabilities have little to no access to necessary services such as a basic education, physical therapy, and transportation.

A picture at Valdeta Trust from earlier this year.

The summer is upon our village in Albania, now, and all of the teams and Volunteers in Action who came this summer helped tremendously. Each group had their "specialty" and gave myself and the Waggoners, the Waggoners' children, and the Village tremendous encouragement and new resources.

Summer brings grapes!

The final team to come this summer, left this last week after helping run a Vacation Bible School in the nearby rural village we go to every Saturday. There had been opposition to us coming, which seemed to come out of the blue two weeks prior to the team coming. But the Waggoners have been faithfully serving the kids in that village for several years, and I think the kids have come to recognize the love and truth in the Gospel message. There were two weeks where the kids were obviously not sure if they could come, but eventually, although just a few at first, kids started coming back. The VBS went off without a hitch (except for some failed, over-zealous snack ideas), and all the kids had a great time. Their attitudes were transformed to joy by the final day, when they were able to join the kids from our village for a final day extravaganza including hotdogs. The team helping us run it did a very good job, and meeting and getting to know them was encouraging.

One of our not-failed snacks, campfire cupcakes, for when
Jesus had breakfast on the beach after his resurrection.

One of the team members showed the boys how to make "survival bracelets." 

August is the heat of summer in Albania. It's very hot, although not terribly humid, but as a result most families take a break from work. We too, are taking a break from normal activities, and we will be hosting a World Gospel Mission regional retreat the week after this. I'm thankful for some down-time to think, and I will be preparing worship for the retreat. After August, I will be entertaining some very special guests (which I'm sure I will post about after they visit), and in early September the Waggoners are celebrating the life of Cydil's father, David Waggoner, who recently passed away. He planted the seeds for the church here in the village, and many, many people in this village are thankful for his perseverance and the hope he brought them in Jesus Christ. The celebration will be a memorial service. Albanian funerals are very long, extended over forty days, and full of intense grieving. The Waggoners hope that by celebrating the life of David, they can express to those who knew and loved him the hope the gospel gives in life after death.

In May, the great influx of Summer visitors began, and I have been able to meet new people and travel more than all the previous months. It has been nice, but I do miss the weekly schedule I had formed. My language course is finished, and I can speak to people now! But I'm sure I sound funny, and I can only use very simple sentences. Although my schedule is changing, I know that the previous months were to learn, and now, I feel an urge to start implementing projects. 

The last two weeks of May, a team came from America and we went to Sarandë. A pastor, a public-speaker, and a Fellowship of Christian Athletes coach instructed our church on disciple making and doing sports God's way. It was very good instruction. I especially appreciated the F.C.A. coach's instruction, because I have been trying to figure out the best way to incorporate gospel teaching into our recreation program. I will be implementing a small change (adding soccer drills) very soon.

Here is Cole, the F.C.A. coach in Kruja.
He reminded me how beneficial Sports can be to motivate, have fun, and enjoy competition. 

One of the nice things about groups coming is I get to travel with them all over Albania! Albania is a very small country, only 178 miles from north to south. Along the way, the scenery is AMAZING. Here are some of the things I saw:

Butrintit: The ancient ruins of a city built around 8th century BC by the Illyrians. It became a Roman province in 228 BC, was subsequently occupied by Venetians, and also used by the Ottomans. I can say it was the most amazing archeological site I have ever seen. This photo is of a temple to the Roman god of healing, and is the entrance to a Roman theater. The Romans attempted to execute a Christian in this theater, but when they released the hungry lions the lions would not eat him. Since the lions wouldn't, they killed him with swords.  

The Blue Eye: a natural spring that springs an entire river. The spring is strong enough that you can throw a stone into the spring, and it will not sink. 

Sarandë: This photo overlooks the city of Sarandë, a beach town in south Albania.

I am very excited about the coming months. Please pray that I wait for God's direction while also implementing things I am preparing for recreation. The aproaching summer will be a time for  reflection. I hope it gets me ready for the projects this fall!

Genesis 9:16 (NIV) "Whenever the rainbow appears in the clouds, I will see it and remember the everlasting covenant between God and all living creatures of every kind on the earth."

I am in a schedule now of helping the Waggoners with their ministry, traveling to Tirana for Albanian language course, and teaching guitar on Wednesdays.

The parts of the Waggoners ministry I help with include recreation: soccer, basketball, and other games, for three days a week as well as kids bible clubs on Wednesday and Saturday. Recreation is usually a blast of kids running and kicking balls, and playing their favorite games of soccer or basketball. My job is simply to play, but keep a watchful eye out for any bad disruptions like fighting or someone getting hurt. 

One of the boys climbing the tree outside of the recreation area.

Some of the kids with their freshly picked flowers at the recreation area. 

When I am home at the Hope Center, I get the privilege of hanging out and helping supervise the kids who live there. This has become one of my favorite things about my time here thus far.

Some of the boys from the Hope Center at our weekly movie night.
They apparently had a tiring day.

One of the perks of volunteering with the Waggoners is that every now and then we go on an adventure! This was the first time I left the village or Tirana, and we traveled to the Cape of Rodan, quite a hike to a castle on the Adriatic coast. It is the Castle which the Albanian National hero Skanderbeg fled from, to Italy. After being entreated by the Pope to return to Albania and fight the Ottoman Army, he did so, and successfully stopped the Ottoman Empire from taking Albania in its pursuit to Rome.

Reni looking off the cliffs.

Looking back along the hike to the Cape of Rodon.
 You can see former bunkers from Communism built into the mountainside on the left. 

Reni eagerly showed the way.

Looking back from the Cape.

Easter was one of the most joyful congregational experiences I've had. There were about a hundred people in all. Kid's from a more rural village than the Waggoners were transported by bus to the service so they could be a part of it as well, and their faces were ecstatic. I was happiness on happiness, and the kids and adults showed it afterwards with dancing and hangin out.

On the left is pastor Genti. "Gëzuar Pashkët" means "Happy Easter."

Endri modeling the barbeque set, while getting ready for Easter lunch. 

I wish the actual video worked, but this is after the service while we ate together.
Much dancing ensued :)

Dear Friends and Family,

I’ve now been in Albania for a month. I wanted to give an update that goes through the different things I have done or am now apart of.

I now play the cajon for church service, which is pretty much just a simple drum. You’ve probably seen them in church, especially with Millennials. It helps a lot, though, with worship, because although someone already plays guitar the drums keep everyone in time. You cannot imagine how much the kids love hitting it. There is now a class on how to play it, as well as the guitar.

I teach guitar classes on Wednesdays at the Village Center in Vlashaj. (Vlashaj is the village where the Waggoner’s live and run their village center, church, and soon to be soccer field.) I started out teaching one class on Wednesday at 3:30, but so many kids want to learn that there is a class on Monday, three on Wednesday, not to mention the times I find out someone is coming “sot” (which means today) at a time I hadn’t planned. It is great, though, because there is much enthusiasm in the kids and they learn very, very fast. I also teach one teenager at the Hope Center Orphanage, where I also live.

Apart from the guitar and cajon lessons which started with my coming, I am helping with parts of the Waggoner’s already existing ministry. They do much more than I could fully take part in, but I help run the recreation times at their village center on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays. The recreation times give the younger kids a chance to come play sports like basketball and soccer, and some of the older kids join in every now and then, too. It also keeps them around for things like bible club and church that often follow it.

Some of of the “crew” at the village center in Vlashaj.

On Saturday morning I go with the Waggoner’s to help with their “Kid’s Club” in the more remote village of Metallë. Kids walk a long way to come, and they are excited to hear the bible story of the week, get candy, play some games, and do an activity.

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The view from kid’s club in Metallë.

Eda Teaching a bible story in Metallë.

One of the unexpected joys I have been able to take part in is living at the Hope for the World: Albania, which is an orphanage for teenagers who have aged out of the normal orphan system. I help supervise the guys, but that turns more into playing sports, games, and bible study.

Two of the kids, who made me a sign for my coming.
 (The younger in the photo is Reni, Nathan and Cydil Waggoner's son.)

I go back and forth between the Hope Center and the Waggoner's house on a mostly daily basis. Most days I go to help with something at the Village Center, but some days I get to go early and play video games with Reni, or play guitar with Ellie. (Reni and Ellie are the Waggoner's children.) 

I am between the villages of Marikaj (where I live) and Vlashaj (where the Village Center is) every day except Tuesday and Thursday, when I travel to Tirana to learn the Albanian language. I take the bus there and I've gotten to know a few people along the way. It's amazing how many people have bought me coffee or gone out of their way to help me find something. The class is at 6:30 PM, so I get to walk around the city during the day. On a recent trip I visited "Bunk-art" which is an underground bunker-turned museum. Albania has a recent and turbulent political history. It was ruled by one of the most ruthless, craziest dictators of recent history for decades under communism. The Dictator, Enver Hoxha, ordered 750,000 concrete bunkers to be built across the country. That's one for every four people. This museum is dedicated "In Memory of the Communist Terror's Victims," and is built into the bunker for government officials underneath the capital city, Tirana. Under Enver Hoxha the government spied-on, tortured, jailed, and executed thousands of innocent citizens and foreigners. Communism fell in the 1990's, and I have the unique chance to meet people and live in a country that is building back from it.

The Entrance to Bunk-art.

This is a general overview of what I am doing so far and what my schedule is like. I hope to start posting regularly, so that I can share actively what is happening.

Please pray that God gives me a sense of what he wants me doing here. Although I did not plan it, it's obvious that God is using music, already. My mind always tends to look forward, but it may be that God is creating all the plans under my feet!

John