November 2003

Dear Brethren and Friends

                Greeting in our Lord’s matchless name. It is hard to keep in mind that once again we reach the end of another year. In a couple of days December will be with us and with that the build up to the holiday season. Whilst Christmas is not a big thing here ye; though it is growing in popularity each year, the New Year celebrations are as big if not bigger than Christmas in the west. But before that, at the end of November we had three holidays, Bayram, the ending of Ramadan, the anniversary of the ending of the German occupation of Elbasan in 1944 (25^th), then on the 28^th and 29^th two more national holidays, Independence Day and Flag Day. One celebrates the ending of the Ottoman Occupation in 1912 and the other the defeat of the Germans in 1944.  One thing is certain; you would have to go a long way to find a country that has more holidays than Albania. And it is normal for ‘Christians’ to celebrate Muslim holidays and Muslims to celebrate ‘Christian’ holidays. Either way it means a day off and an excuse for a feast.

                November has been a good month for the church here. We have seen a steady growth in enthusiasm from most members, an increase in attendance at services and classes – more on that in a moment – and the discovery of a ‘talent’ in our brother Sokol, who preached his first Sunday sermon on the 23^rd.  He did a first class job and we will now assign him to speak on a regular basis. This means that currently there are three of us sharing the preaching rota, with possibly one or two more in the wings to come later. I am currently teaching the midweek Bible Class on the book of Revelation. Attendance at this class has grown to a good number. This is very encouraging as it is hard to get people to come out after dark here. A throw back to the days just a few years ago, when it was not safe to go out in the dark, specially for women and girls.

                During the week before the 23^rd some of the English teachers invited their students to come to Sunday School. One of the purposes of these classes was to act as a ‘feeder’ for the Sunday School. Lately, numbers attending Sunday School had been around 20. But on the 23^rd we had 56. Still not as many as the record (77), but a step in the right direction. Several of the children stayed for the worship service and a few actually came just for that. We had a total of 63 at worship that morning. It would have been higher but for our university students having to go to classes, as they had to make up for the bank holidays. Can you imagine kids in the UK and USA going to school on Saturday and Sunday to make up for days off in the week? We plan to build on the increase, though we are sure that on past experience, numbers will drop slightly at first.

                We want to encourage the children, and to do that we plan to screen films for them. We still want to have the series of Moody Institute Films, ‘Sermons From Science’ translated and the system changed from NTSC to PAL. Two have been done as a test and they work well. We have about 22 more to do at $25 each. Anyone want to sponsor a video? Also we are trying to get the Jule Millar Study series, which has been translated into Albanian and is available on filmstrip.

                Near the beginning of the month we began Beginners English class for some police officers, including the Director himself. Unfortunately, timing became a problem as the nature of their work meant that it was hard to find a time for everyone. The class was going well until it was put ‘on hold’ until a suitable time could be found. This being Albania, and anything could and often does happen, the Director was sacked suddenly. We understand that he was not even told why, but there are three stories doing the circuit at the moment. It is almost certainly politically motivated in some way. So, now we don’t know what will happen with the class.

                I took on a couple of new students during the month, and Vito, one of my older students who had not been seen for a year, returned to regular attendance at worship and asked to resume classes. I am doing a survey of the book of Acts with her. Dulcie’s class, with the first group of graduates from the English school, is going well. Some of them attended worship on the 23^rd. Also, Igli, the son of our sister Vera, has asked to be baptized, and it is planned for the 24^th December. I don’t know why the delay.  He had not spoken to his mother about it, but had talked to his father and Dulcie.

Speaking of Vera, as I write this (25^th) she is to have tests in the hospital in Tirana for possible breast cancer. As you can imagine she is very concerned, though she is putting on a very brave face. Hopefully we will have the results before sending this report out. Dulcie has been suffering from a very heavy cold and cough for over two weeks, but is now beginning to get over it. Meanwhile, I am having a few problems with rheumatism in one of my knees.  Obviously a reminder of the onward and relentless marches of time and the aging process. Our ‘Super Doc,’ Agron, has told me of a new medication that is supposed to be a great help and he is going to try and get some for me. Meanwhile, it is business as usual.

                I want to encourage you regarding the teaching of the word of God. Two of my students are Arjan the son of our landlord and his friend Meril. Arjan is the talkative half of the duo, but does ask many good questions. Usually our class starts with one of the WEI books; we usually take two lessons to do one lesson from each book. But then towards the end the discussion turns more to spiritual matters. Both young men are from Muslim backgrounds and Arjan told me he and his family kept to the Ramadan tradition. The purpose, he said, was that by fasting during the day he hoped that God would forgive his sins. This enabled me to concentrate on the contrast between Islam with its dependence on doing good things and ‘hoping’ to earning the favour of Allah and the Christian’s assurance of sins forgiven. Slowly I am seeing a distinct change in his thinking and in his questions. Please pray for these two teenagers. Arjan was one of our Beginners Class students who graduated this year.

                We visited Lleshan on two occasions during the month and the Biqaku family came to worship on one Sunday. They are doing well, and we found that the father, Hagji, is hiring himself and his horse out to plough fields for other villagers. This is bringing the family a little income, which is a real encouragement. Little Olsi continues to make progress, with a continuous improvement in his speech. In fact, we have found him to be quite a cheeky little chap. He is still reluctant to take those first steps on his own, but we are convinced that day will soon come. We also visited a family we have been involved with in another village, Shergjan. They are very keen to have an English class start there. Time and teachers problems prevent us from making a definite decision to start at this time.

                After a very wet spell, the weather has turned warm, indeed on some days it has been back to shirt-sleeve order.  This variable weather pattern will of course lead to an increase in colds and flu. Even after more than six years here we still find it strange to see butterflies in November, and flowers in full bloom in the yard.  Usually by now the mountains around Elbasan are covered with snow, but at the moment they are free of it.

                Apart from our regular support we have two specific needs for 2004. One is the funding for a gearbox for our Transporter van. This will be around $500 for a used one. And the funds to pay Darina Vorfi to work with us as secretary/translator ($150 –200 a month). With the continued fall in the exchange rate, currently 113.60 Leke to the $ , we simply do not have the funds to cover it ourselves. In the first two weeks of November the rate fell by 3 leke per dollar. This meant a drop of around $60 in our spending power in just two weeks.  Unless there is a turn around in this situation we will soon have to stop financing some of the projects that we are doing at this time.

                We do though, want to thank our supporters who have continued to support the work here in Elbasan. Without you we would not be able to do what we have been able to up until this time. Also, thank you to all those who have lifted us before the Lord in prayer.  Without prayer the work here would never succeed. We have been encouraging the brethren to become more prayer conscious recently, and there has been a marked increase in prayer among the members. This is very encouraging. Each week members chose the name of another member from a basket. During the week they pray for this brother or sister. There is much enthusiasm for this activity.

                So as we prepare for the New Year and the many new opportunities to serve our Lord, please continue to support us through your prayers and practical support Also, plan to come and work with us sometime in 2004.

                Finally, Dulcie and I wish to extend to everyone a very happy holiday period and a blessed and prosperous 2004

Your brother and sister in the service of the Lord,

Pete & Dulcie

 Late News: Just before sending this report we heard from our sister Vera that following  a long weekend of tests she has been told she ahs no cancer. There are a couple of abnormalities which will need minor surgery later, but nothing life threatening. She did not have to say anything in detail when we spoke to her on the telephone, the tone of her voice said it all. Our God really does answer the prayers of His children!  

Dear brethren and Friends,

Just short note to let you know how things have gone the past week.

It was the first week of our two week VBS programme. Monday began with around 35 children in our building. A nice handy number to try and keep quiet. Tuesday this increased to over 50. The kids were really enjoying the class and the activities they undertook. On this morning there was an element of excitement when our sister Enkelajda Bargjo came to the class. Enkelajda was making her first visit after winning the Miss Shqiperia title on the 3rd. The girls loved meeting her, specially those who are in her English classes.
 
By Friday the numbers had reached the mid eighties. Our team of helpers and teaches  did a fantastic job. Dulcie has been a marvel despite being in constant pain following her fall.
 
Also, on Friday Vito Imeri was immersed into Christ. Vito has been my student or over two years and it was a personal joy to finally help her enter the new life.
 
So a good week has ended and we enter a new one with joy in our hearts. Our VBS moves to three villages, two of which we have never been to before. We will hold classes for two days in each. One of these villages, Shirgjan, has been under 'attack' from the Jehovah's Witnesses. We are taking the fight to them by the use of printed matter. I have written one tract on their false prophet, The Watchtower Bible & Tract Society, which should be delivered to every home next week. We will also follow this up by personal contact.
 
So, keep our activities in your prayers.
 
Love in Christ
Pete & Dulcie

September 2004


Dear Brethren and Friends,

Greeting in our Lord and Saviours name.

September has been an intriguing month for us here in Elbasan. One might say it has been a bit of a paradox. As we saw our meeting facilities ‘shrink’ for financial reasons we suddenly saw our membership dramatically increase and our average attendance levels rise by almost 25%. This has led to much rejoicing here. But. it has also meant we have developed a new meaning to the expression, ‘close fellowship.’ But more detail on that later.

I want to start this report with personal news. First, Dulcie and myself would like to thank our brethren for their generosity in enabling her to buy the mobility scooter. This has enabled Dulcie to be able to get out to the shops and take the occasional trip to the river to ‘feed the ducks.’ Also, the hard bed she bought enables her to get a lot more sleep. Her condition seems to be slowly improving. She says that some of the stiffness has gone and she is finding moving a little easier. Obviously, she is still relying on painkillers, but overall there is quite a noticeable improvement. We are so thankful for all the prayers, support and encouragement that brethren have shown at this time. As things look at the moment, it is possible that Dulcie may not make it back to Elbasan as our departure date is set for the middle of May 2005 and her recovery period does not end until around March. I think a lot will depend on whether she trusts my packing skills. (I do not have a good record there). Anyone who would still like to send some financial help to Dulcie can do so through our sponsoring church, San Jose, Jacksonville, FL., or if in the UK, direct to Dulcie (See addresses at the end of this report). Also, she would love to hear from brethren as boredom is a big problem for her.

Over a 17 day period we witnessed some amazing scenes. Eight wonderful souls were added to the Lord’s church here in Elbasan. The husband, son, and daughter of our sister
VitoImeri, Salem, Klajdi and Anxhela, plus Irena Xhafarri (one of my students for over two years), also from the Sunday School work Alda Aliay, and from our village ministry in Shirgjan, two sisters Mimoza and Esilda (Ilda) Biba and Marsuela Milo, the sister of Denisa, one of hardest working youngsters in the church. We thank our wonderful God and Saviour for each of these precious souls.

The schools reopened after the long summer break which means that the English classes have also resumed. Currently we are still registering new students, but we are trying to work out teacher availability. This year, we have the addition of a new class which I am taking,  those who have finished the Beginners Course. I am taking them through the WEI English Course. In total, there are three groups with about 15 students aged from 12 – 15. After the first four lessons I can say that the classes are going well. We have been asked to begin English Classes in the village of Shtermen. Large and free accommodation is being provided and our sisters Darina Vorfi and Vera Kura will be heading up this work. It is a step back five years for us, as we used to help a group of Kosovar refugees in that village back in 1999. It’s possible some of students may be some of those we were teaching in a class we held back then.

Services and classes are doing well. Attendance at both Sunday worship and Bible Class, where we can have as many as many as 23 attend, is encouraging. Remember, that figure is around two-thirds of our regular membership.

As you know, I have always tried to give you a taste of life in Albania. Living here is often seen as a series of comical episodes strewn with head holding frustrations. I would like to tell you about my latest adventures whilst out driving. Albania has a seat-belt law for motorists. What it actually was or is, was for a long time a mystery, as few people ever seemed to wear them and even fewer knew the law. On one recent trip to Durres, I was stopped by the police. The reason, they explained, was to ask ‘Why was I wearing a seat-belt?’ I had heard of this happening to someone in the past, but had put it down to ‘urban legend.’ Then more recently, after a meal in a village motel, I was stopped again. On this occasion I had forgotten to put my seat-belt on. This time the question was, ‘Why aren’t you wearing a seat-belt? Explaining the previous incident, I asked for the law on wearing seatbelts. Here it is. I kid you not! If you are below 1.50 meters and above 1.90 meters in height, you do not need to wear one. So it seems, that the police have to take a rough guess at how tall a driver is and decide if he should be wearing one or not. Couple this with the law on pedestrian crossings, Elbasan is peppered with them, at least three at every intersection, I can get no sense from anyone. Roughly it seems that everyone, pedestrians and motorists can all use the crossings at the same time. At least, that is what happens. So you see life here on the road can be fascinating. Oh yes, I did not get a ticket, though the police officer also pointed out that I had no light on the rear number plate. Considering the number of vehicles I have come upon in the dark with no rear lights of any kind, that was a bit funny to me.

Plans are being worked on for our move back to England next year. We now consider that getting a container could be the best way and so I am looking for a company in Durres to find information about this. We have been invited by the church in Skelmersdale in the North-west of England, to relocate to work with them in their evangelistic ministry. We need to find support for this work, so we are asking brethren and churches to prayerfully consider helping us in this ministry. I will be circulating more information on this soon, but ask brethren to pray for us as we try and resolve this matter.

The story of Olsi, the little boy in the village of Lleshan, continues to encourage and excite us. Two years ago Olsi could not walk or talk and there are some who believe he may not even be alive today. But when schools returned from the summer break, Olsi was among the kids attending the Nursery class. I never realised that I could jump as high as I did when I heard this news. During September we were told about Valentina. Valentina was five weeks old and her mother had died shortly after her birth. We visited Valentina in the premature baby unit for two weeks and agreed to buy Pampers (diapers) and food. We also got her some clothing, blankets, and other things she needed. Fortunately, her family, who lives in the village of Shtermen, are good people and the various relatives will help her father Gazi care for her. She has two older sisters, Alexandra (6) and Klara (3).We are going to continue to help them with food etc. for the time being so they have one less concern to deal with. We approached a number of local business people for help and had an amazing response from every one we approached. It is because of the help we have given this family that we have the opportunity to hold classes in the village. The English lessons will lead to Bible classes also. Please keep our witness for the Lord in this situation in your prayers.

We want to thank everyone who has continued to support our work through your prayers and financial support, particularly through this difficult period.

Your fellow servants in the cause of Christ

Pete & Dulcie

Sponsoring Church:

San Jose Church of Christ
6233 San Jose Boulv.
Jacksonville, Fl. 32217-2399.


Dulcie’s British Address:
Dulcie Hodge, c/o 36 Swallowfields, Totnes, Devon, TQ9 5LB, England
Tel. ++44 1803 840572
 

Also, we are making progress with plans for the move itself. We have accepted the invitation of the church in Skelmersdale, in the North West of England, to share in the work of that church. Our biggest concern is obviously financial as we will need to try and locate some support. With a building of their own and an established eldership, this will be a completely new experience for Dulcie and myself. It will also be a challenge for us as we seek to adjust to life back in the UK. A friend of mine recently told me that it usually takes two years to do this after a long period abroad. Please pray for us as we make plans for the future.

Dulcie is continuing to make good progress. She is still suffering some
pain, but is now able to walk much further, which is encouraging her.
She is using walking sticks to help but hopes to be able to give them up
in the New Year. She plans to visit Skelmersdale as soon as she is able
in 2005 to look for a home and prepare for the arrival of our
possessions, then me.

I will be going to the UK on the 20th December for the holidays. It will also give me the opportunity to have a rest (!). I plan to visit Skelmersdale whilst there to discuss plans with them. I will return to Elbasan on January 7th .

As this will be the last report of the year, may I on behalf of Dulcie and myself thank all those who have supported us, whether financially or in prayer. Dulcie in particular has asked that I express her appreciation for the help brethren have been following her fall. Also, we both wish you all a very special Holiday season and a Happy and Prosperous New Year.

Your fellow servants in the cause of Christ

Pete & Dulcie

Sponsoring Church:

San Jose Church of Christ, 6233 San Jose Boulv.
Jacksonville, Fl. 32217-2399.

Dulcie’s British Address:

Dulcie Hodge, c/o 36 Swallowfields, Totnes, Devon, TQ9 5LB, England

Tel. ++44 1803 840572
 

February 05

Dear Brethren & Friends

Today, Wednesday, we rejoiced here in Elbasan at the new birth of Silvana Biba. 14 year old Silvana is the sister of  Mimosa and Ilda Biba, who were added to the church last year. We thank God for her decision. Please pray for the three girls who live in the village of Shirgjan, about 8 kilometers from Elbasan, yet are faithful in attendance on Sundays.

Pete

Dear Brethren & Friends

Greetings from a very wet Elbasan.

This will be the last report that I will send to the general list. This is because tomorrow, Monday, I shall be moving from the house into an apartment where there is no telephone connection. I shall continue to use my email address through an Internet Cafe, but this will restrict the number of addresses I will be able to connect to. I will though, send a general report when I finally get to the UK.

It seems very hard to be nearing the end of our time here. It has been in general a wonderful eight years, though there have been a few 'low' times, none more so than Dulcie's accident last year and her enforced stay in the UK since. I am glad to say that she is making good progress though, but I and the church have missed her here.

On the 16th we rejoiced at the immersion into Christ of Silvana Biba. Silvana is the fourteen year old sister of our 'sisters' Mimoza and Ilda who come from the village of Shirgjan. This helped to lift us as we have also had a spate of sickness in the church, some every serious. Our brother Agron, who is also a wonderful doctor, has been on chemo-therapy. Fortunately he is making good progress and the results are all positive. Our sister Vera Kura's two sons have both had spells in hospital, though fortunately as it turns out, for nothing serious. For her youngest son Armando, it has been a wonderful time as he has not had to go to school for two weeks. Armando suffers from a 'disease' I had as a teenager, 'schoolitus.' The symptoms are a very heavy headache/stomachache ache or whatever first thing in the morning. But there always seems to be a miraculous recovery about half an hour after school starts.

On a more serious note. Our sister Rezarta's husband was diagnosed with a brain tumour. He underwent a five hour operation and though early reports seem to suggest that he will be okay, we now understand that doctors are saying there is little hope and it is just a matter of time before he dies. Let us pray that they have their prognosis wrong in this.

Our leadership situation is still a bit doubtful. I seem to be failing in my attempts to educate the available men in their need to take on the leadership role. I have 'stepped back' from being seen in that role, but the men seem to be reluctant to take on any form of leadership themselves. Please pray for the church at this difficult time. There is a lot of pessimism among members as to the future. I am planning to spend much time over the next few weeks trying to 'lift' the church. To encourage them to see the benefits of my leaving and new mind helping them.

Please pray for Dulcie and myself as we make our plans for the future. It is an anxious time for us, and any change is stressful. Here we are going into a situation we have not had before and we know there will be many adjustments to make. Not least for me, adjusting to British life again. We also have the concern about support and a home to overcome.

If some of you who have been receiving o0our newsletters over the years don't hear from me for a few weeks, please know you are in our prayers.

Thank you all for your wonderful support over the years.

Love in Christ

Pete and from England, Dulcie

REPORT OF ALBANIA TRIP - Pete Hodge

History
Having spent eight years working with the church in Albania I had maintained in close contact with many of the brethren there, helping to encourage them and to raise interest in the United Kingdom in the work in Albania and primarily with the church in Elbasan.

The city of Elbasan dates back to the time of the Roman Emperor, Diocletian, when it was a fortress on the Via Egnatia, the Roman road that went from the Adriatic Sea to the East. Later, under the Byzantines it grew in stature. Its connection, as a fortress town protecting the Via, ensured its importance. In the 15th Century, under the control of the Ottomans, the castle that was the main part of the city was rebuilt and the town renamed 'Ilj,basan' meaning ''Strong Place'. For many years it was considered to be the capital of Albania, but was replaced by Tirana a couple of centuries ago. Elbasan, because of its situation on 'Corridor 8,' the main road across Albania, should grow in affluence and importance in ensuing years.

I often state that my reason for liking Elbasan so much is due to the fact that 'nothing happens fast there.' There is a pleasant casualness about life. Everywhere there are café's, where people will meet to talk, plan, make agreements and drink coffee. Or, just drink coffee. One of the problems with having a lot of friends in the city and being back after eighteen months away was that they all wanted to 'drink coffee!' For four weeks my caffeine intake probably quadrupled.

The Purpose
Early in 2006 I had decided that I would like to make a trip back to help the church and to visit some of the families we had been working with in the villages. I wrote to the church about this, and they kindly invited me to do just that. A lot of members had stopped coming since Dulcie and I left. So the original idea was to try and bring them back 'into the fold.'

It was whilst discussing my plans with the elders of the church in Skelmersdale, that they felt that perhaps I could extend the purpose of the trip to include looking into the possibility of helping these families to become self-sufficient. Those in the villages had land which they grow food on, what was really needed was a plan to help make this land more productive and provide help to improve the quality of the soil. Once I began to speak with the families and look into the possibilities with them the project began to look realistic. I also talked with World Vision International, who we had worked closely with since the Kosova war of 1999. They had a lot of experience of doing the very same things we were looking at undertaking. The first meeting I had with them would turn out to be far more useful than I had hoped.

During the time I was there, my good friend and brother in Christ, Gerry Cowan came for ten days. Gerry had made a number of visits to Elbasan over the years Dulcie and I had worked there and since, and the brethren had really taken to him as much as Gerry had to them. In the past Gerry had raised a considerable sum of money in the USA for various projects. His insight and encouragement certainly made my job considerable easier.

What follows is a report on my observations and discussions with the families. Also, some suggestions and thoughts on how we could possibly help. With the elders at Skelmersdale, we will use this information to formulate a plan of action, which we will then share with the church around the country and beyond.

The Families
Asslan and Alma Hoxha. I first met this family in 2005. We had been told of this family in the village of Sergeant, about 8 kms from Elbasan. Everyone we spoke to would add, "They are very poor" The family is; father, Asslan, mother, Alma and children, Melika (11) Julieta (9), Grisela (7), Shejua (3).

Their home is a three room brick and concrete structure, consisting of two rooms approx 3 mts sq. Another room slightly smaller, which is currently used as a store room. There are no bathroom facilities near the house, their 'toilet' being a wooden hut overhanging a bank about 1 mt high with a hole in the floor. The waste falls through the hole, down the bank. There was washing facilities except for an outside water tap. This the sole source of water for the family. (I'll explain my use of the past tense in a moment). When I made my first trip to see them, they had been without water for three days. Not an uncommon situation in the villages. Even when they do have a water supply, it is only for a couple of hours, three times a day.

They do have a good piece of land in the front of the house measuring approx 500 sq meters. They currently grow two crops on this, tobacco in the summer – this is a common crop in the area as there is a Cigarette factory in Elbasan. For this they get about £90 ($180) a year. After this crop, they grow animal feed. They have a small greenhouse in which they grow tomatoes and cucumbers. Two smaller plots of land are available, but are not used to their potential.

Whilst I was there, and thanks to the generosity of the Marion and Jackson Churches in Illinois, we were able to commission and see a well built. The total cost of the well came out at about £320 ($630). This means the family now has a supply of fresh water 24 hours a day.

There is also the need for a bathroom for some very obvious reasons. Originally the thinking was for the small store room to be used, but Asslan had the idea of turning that into a bedroom for himself and Alma and building a new bathroom. Funds are available from individual brethren in the UK to buy most of the basic bathroom fittings when they are needed. We still need some funding for other items, such as a shower and water heater. I am waiting to hear if additional funding will be needed for the building itself.

Last year Asslan bought a cow and Alma says that she gets about 7 litres of milk a day from it. With this she makes some cheese, yoghurt and butter, which she sells to her family and a few friends. There is the prospect of her being able to do more in this respect. We are looking into the possibility of building them a second, larger greenhouse. The estimated cost would be £250 ($450). Also, the purchase of some fruit trees would be useful. Oranges, plums, apples and lemons would be easily obtained for about £4 ($8)each.

This family is well on their way to being self-sufficient. I estimate that they could achieve this within two years.

The next family is the Biqaku family. I have been involved with Haxhi and Bajama and their five children for several years. They live in a small mountain village called Lleshan. It is about ten miles out of Elbasan, up a narrow road. I use the term 'road' loosely, as it is little more than a track in places. Apparently contracts have been signed for it to be upgraded, though I suspect that owing to many places where the road is falling away down the side of the mountain, a new road will have to be built. As with so many things emanating from the Government, no one is holding their breath regarding when the road will be done. Also, as there are local elections pending, rumours of spending on roads are abounding.

World Vision International (WVI) asked us to take a look at their situation and we found a family in severe difficulties, economically and health wise. We were able to help them over the years, building them a new house, helping to bring a measure of good health to the children in particular, as well as ensuring they were fed and clothed.

Being near the top of a mountain, water had always been a problem, but thanks to a new supply laid on in the area by WVI, that situation has now improved dramatically. The quality of the soil is poor, with the heavy rains constantly washing the soil away leaving some very stony ground. Also, in the past the lack of water meant the growing of plants had been a very hard task resulting in very poor harvests.

Haxhi grows corn, some wheat and in a small greenhouse he grows tomatoes and cucumbers. On my visit there this trip I was pleasantly surprised to see how things had improved. The good water supply was evident in the cleanliness of the clothing they were wearing – they did not know I was going to visit them the day I did. Also, the plant growth was the best I had ever seen. The corn was much better, as it was everywhere I went, trees and shrubs had grown considerably in the eighteen months since my last visit. Haxhi told me the greenhouse had produced a good crop this year, again, mainly because he is now able to keep the plants well watered. Also, he had managed to harvest 40 kilos of beans.

This has made a huge difference to their diet and general well being. Again, a second greenhouse (18 X 4 metres) is being considered. This would also cost about £250 ($450), though transport costs might take this slightly higher. Some extra fruit trees might be a help, though, because of the altitude they will have to look at the best types of fruit to grow. At the moment they have a large walnut tree on their grounds, plus some fig trees. Walnuts are a good selling crop in Albania, though I don't recall Haxhi selling them in the past.

Again, here is a family that with a little help could easily become self-sufficient. Though we need to recognise that they are educationally, a little behind, especially Bajama.

Whilst I was there Haxhi had an ECG and the print out caused us some concerns and we urged him to see his doctor as soon as he could. He also has some big problems with rheumatism in his back. Here was a situation where I really missed my brother in Christ and great friend, Agron Asslanaj, who died of cancer in January.

The third village family I saw was the Biba family, again in the village of Shirgjan. The family consists of parents, Niko and Flutera, with the children Mimoza (20), Ilda (18), Sylvana (16) and Klinton (11). The three girls are all members of the church. Ilda is currently living with her uncle in another village and because of some problems in the family, he is refusing to let her return home, a situation which we all agreed with. I have known this family for many years and have always considered them to be the 'better off' of all those we worked with. Sadly, whilst things were looking positive with the two other families, with the Biba family, things were every negative.

A few weeks before my visit they had sold their cow in order to pay an electricity bill, which meant they now have no milk. Niko, the father, has shown a strong reluctance for work, though to be fair, he had a serious fall 15 years ago and suffered a head injury. This is thought to be a factor in his situation. One idea we had was for him to have an MRI scan to see what brain damage there might be, if any. This would cost about £80 ($160). Our only concern is what would we do if they found there was a problem.

Mimoza has a fixation about going to university, though how she is going to do that we don't know, as the family have no income at all and are doing nothing as far as we can see to get an income. In most village families all the family get involved in the necessary work, but Mimoza and Sylvana refuse to do so. In discussions about how we could help, the only thing they wanted was a 'cow,' A greenhouse would mean work, and no one would do that.

I thought we had made a breakthrough on my last day there, when Flutera, away form the rest of the family agreed that a greenhouse would be a good idea. But I have since been informed that we are back to the 'cow.' At this stage I have difficulty in recommending helping until there is a possibility of them helping themselves. I just don't see this at the moment.

The last family I visited live in the city. The family is the Milo family. They live in an apartment block and have no land. Dad is in a small business doing car repairs and welding. They have very little income. The three child are all at school. The two eldest daughters, Denisa and Mansjela are members of the church. Denisa has ambitions of becoming a doctor and recently came top in a Biology competition organised by an Oxbridge organisation.

I suggested that maybe we could supply a sewing machine, as mum is home all day. This way she could make clothes and do repair work. Albanian's are very sociable people, so everyone knows everyone and living in a neighbourhood, she could earn some income from doing this kind of work. She was agreeable to this idea.

A sewing machine is relatively inexpensive there, a manual one costing about £40 ($80)and an electric £60 ($120). At the moment the church in Elbasan is helping with some food for them. Not on a regular basis, but as and when they can.

Apart from undertaking this work, I was involved in teaching some classes of young people English, using the World English Institute materials. I also had a couple of individual students. I made a good number of visits whilst there and on the last Sunday we had 52 at worship, which included about five who had not attended worship for some years.

Over the next few weeks the elders of the church here in Skelmersdale and myself will discuss our options regarding the direction to take with our the programme. Already I have an offer of the funding for one greenhouse, which is a good start. Once we have arrived at our decision regarding direction, we will have a better idea of the funds we need to raise.

My personal plans are to prepare a team to go to Elbasan next summer to conduct a campaign using the English lessons of WEI. This uses the Bible as the text book. The campaign will take place over a five or six week period in July and August 2007. People do not need to be trained teachers, or to be very knowledgeable in English grammar. The books effectively teach themselves. Age is also no barrier, so teens to whatever age you are welcome.

I can promise you it will be hot. But it will be fun. You will also get a sense of what is like on the mission field. If you are interested please get in touch with me on hodge.pete@Gmail.com or telephone 0717402794. This also applies to any questions you may have about the work I was involved in which is reported above.

Though I have used the personal pronoun 'I' a lot in this report. I need to point out that I was accompanied by Gerry Cowan for some of the time, Vera Kura, who works with the church as a liaison with the families and is supported from the USA and Darina Vorfi, when she was free from her teaching job, and who has been my regular translator for several years.

Being able to return to Elbasan and to these families has been a time of real blessing for me, and I want to thank the brethren in Longshoot (Wigan) Cleeveleys, Skelmersdale and Marion, Illinois, as well as a number of individuals in the UK and elsewhere who caught the vision and supported me financially and making the trip possible. Thank you my brothers and sisters. Also, I want to thank Dulcie, for 'allowing' me to go. Though she did say she 'enjoyed' not having me around to keep telling her not to do things.

Should any of you have questions about anything in this report, please get in touch with me at the email address above. A fuller illustrated report will be available soon and if anyone would like a copy please let me know.

Pete Hodge

Ladies' Day 07 in Elbasan

Having chosen the best spot available in Elbasan and one of the best in Albania, the castle of Elbasan proved to be an enjoyable place to host the day. As I mentioned in the last newsletter the topic was “Female’s Challenges.” The sister had chosen three speakers to address three specific areas of challenge. Rumira Xhaferaj of Tirana spoke on “Challenges in the World.” Ruth Byrne, missionary in Fier, spoke on “Challenges in the Family.” Ellen Walker, missionary in Tirana, closed the speeches by speaking on “Challenges in the Ministry.”

Ladies' Day Leaders

Preaching and Teaching
The ministry of the Word continues to be the most important part of our ministry in Elbasan. My sermons have focused on the discipleship. I have tried to encourage the congregation to be transformed into the image of Christ. This focus on discipleship has been a preparation for my next series of sermons on evangelism. I am working on preparing several ready to use materials for evangelism. I strongly believe in the evangelism done by members, therefore I want them to have several things handy. I have some materials that I have developed myself, and some others that I have collected through the years. One member is translating some materials, and I intend to give some more to others.

Children’s Ministry
The children’s ministry continues to be a blessing. The number continues to be steady, and more resources are becoming available to us. Several of the mothers of the kids were present at the Ladies Day. They approached Bona and expressed their appreciation about the work with the kids. Seeing some rays of light in this new information, we are looking to build bridges to reach into the families. We see light in the end of the tunnel, and we ask you to join us in prayer to get to the other side of the tunnel.

Valbona Teaching

Visit
On April 23 we were visited by two couples. Jack & Brenda Birckholtz and Steve & Deborah Stamatis came to worship with us. Jack ministers to the Oxford Hills Church of Christ, at S. Paris, Maine. He spent one month in Tirana teaching at IBIA. Jack taught Ephesians/Colossians and Old Testament Preaching. I asked Jack to share with us the Word at Elbasan. Brother Jack encouraged us not to divorce congregational worship from everyday life. Steve, who serves as the academic dean of IBIA, is searching for new students for the 2008 class. IBIA focuses on students coming from the Balkans and Eastern Europe.

We enjoy hearing about you! We look forward to hear from you!

Until then,
Kept under His wings and bathed by His love,
Bledar and Valbona Valca.

 

Dear brethren,

Greetings in our Lord's name. if thee seems to be a few more errors than usual, it is due to me using a keyboard with half the letters missing.

I am writing this at the end of the second week in Elbasan. So far my time has been marked by one major difference from the UK, the heat. Temperatures have varied between the high 30's to mid 40's every day. It is just not possible to get used to them. Indeed, nights have
usually been around the low 20's. (C). I have on occasions gone and slept on a lounger by the swimming pool.

But the heat has not stopped the work progressing. I have visited two of the village works for an initial look. These are progressing, and I will give a fuller report next time. I have also been teaching some English classes using the World English Institute materials.

Today, Sunday 29th we rejoiced at the immersion of Ortensa the fiance of our brother Dashi. It was a wonderful occasion. This weekend also saw the wedding of our sister Darina. For my two co-workers, Elisabeth Winstanley and Gerry Cowan, their first Albanian wedding came as a bit of a shock, even though I had warned them. We also rejoiced at the news of Sokol Huka's engagement on the 28th. So, it has been an interesting weekend. Please pray for those I have mentioned.

This coming week I Will be continuing with my students, gaining at least four new ones. I will also be heading back to the village of Shirgjan, and the family of Alma Hoxha. Alma has been doing a fantastic job, and is almost self-supporting now. She has though, got a little behind in watering her crops. So we are planning a day on her land helping her to catch up. Of course, in the usual run of things, we will do this on Wednesday, and on Thursday there will be rain!

Please keep us in your prayers as we labour for the Lord in all our activities.

Your brother in Christ

Pete Hodge

Notes: Post campaign

• The church decided to relocate back to their old building, which is much more suited for their future activities, being on the ground level and one large room. The first Sunday there saw 27 attend, many for the first time. It was a wonderful feeling being back where there were so many good memories. One lady, the mother of two of the churches faithful youngsters, was heard to comment after just how great the atmosphere was compared to the past.
• Monday the 20th saw Armando Kura immersed into Christ. Armando is the youngest son of Ilir and Vera Kura. (He was baptized) in the swimming pool at my home.  Armando stood by the side of the pool and from the outside I just had to push him down under the water. This means that the church has enjoyed two baptisms this summer, for which we are all rejoicing.
• This is just a taste which is to come as these brethren work at serving God as never before. Please keep the Elbasan church in your prayers.

From: Vera Kura in Elbasan

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

First we want to ask your forgiveness for not writing about our work during this period, but you know that we have moved to Elbasan and due to the lack of electricity and other things we've had problems connecting to the internet.

During June we have received a considerable amount of humanitarian aid from the organization Hope for Albania. We organized the clothes and other things and when Pete Hodge came for campaigns he helped us to distribute them in the deep mountain areas of Labinot. We were honored that the Head of township, Mr Qani Xhafa, himself helped us with a fair delivery of goods. Also in the month of June we have received funds raised by our brother, Doug Smith to help a woman named Bajame who gave birth to her seventh child. She gave birth by Cesarean Section, and after that the doctor performed a tubal ligation. I think you'll remember that this woman has limited mental capacities, and was unable to care properly for her children. With the help of God we were also able to place this child with the Sisters of Mother Teresa where we placed her last child. Also in this family with the help of the Lord we successfully finished their greenhouse project. We went several times to see to the delivery of the materials and the progress of the work, and also to talk to them about our Lord Jesus Christ.

While our brothers Gerry Cowan and Pete Hodge were here, we brought one of the daughters of this family named Enkelejda to our home. For her it was something new and different to be in town, and she was curious about everything. We kept her for a week and then we had to take her back to her house. We hope that Haxhiu and Bajame will allow her to visit again some time.

During this time we also helped the Asllani family and Alma Sula. We hope you remember that during April we helped this family build a greenhouse, and the month of June brought its first fruits. Part of the produce they sold and bought a lamb, and they are raising it to sell. Another part of the produce they used for themselves, and there rest they sold to buy other food that they need. Gerry Cowan helped us to buy a pump for them to water the greenhouse while he was here. We hope this will help them with their daily work in the greenhouse.

Last year Pete Hodge raised the funds to build this family a bathroom, but there were not enough funds to finish it. This year, Gerry raised funds to complete the bathroom and also provided for 80 meters of drainage pipe. We hope with these improvements this family will be able to support themselves.

We continue to work with them to draw them closer to God and we hope in the future to see them baptized into Christ.

During July and August we had a campaign with two teachers Pete Hodge and Elisabeth Winstanley from England. At the end of the campaign by the help of our Lord Jesus Christ, there were two new members baptized into Christ. They are Ortenca, the fiancé of our brother Dashi Gjika, and our son, Armando Kura. We rejoice that with Armando's baptism our family is united in faith in our Lord Jesus Christ!

After much discussion and prayer, in August the church decided to move from the building where we were to a bigger and more functional place for us to work and glorify God. The rent for the new place is the same as the old. The church is excited about developing some new plans for classes. One of those is a class for teenagers on Thursday and another is a children's class on Sunday mornings at 9. Our sisters Vera and Erinda will be responsible for these classes. We believe that Erinda has some good experience and enthusiasm that she brings to this class and she will be a great asset. Erinda has been Dulcie's helper during her time here.

We are all—brothers and sisters alike—trying to add our contribution to the Lord's work here in Elbasan whether in the worship or the classes. We are hoping that through the humanitarian aid that we get from several organizations in Elbasan and the new classes we will be able to draw new people to the Lord and His church.

And now dear brothers and sisters, we must share with you our troubles, though we wish it weren't necessary. As we said before, we have moved to Elbasan to be nearer the church and to be able to help with the daily work and the problems that are a part of the work of every church. Because we misunderstood some things we have gotten ourselves in a bit of a financial bind. Even at this writing we are lacking the funds for the rent on our apartment ($250). Please understand us dear brothers and sisters, we are working full-time for the church—the projects that we have been commissioned with require this—there is no possibility for an outside job. Our expenses are growing and the funds that we live on are those that come from your grace and mercy in Jesus Christ. Between the gas needed for the car to travel into the deep mountain villages and the rent, we have gotten ourselves into a really bad spot. Would you be willing and able to help with any of these problems either on a monthly basis or with a one-time gift? If you are able to help, you can contact us at this address, and we will work together to work out the details.

Thank you so much for your consideration. If you are not able at this time to help financially we would still ask you to keep us and the church in Elbasan in your continual prayers. We are confident that you will do this.

In Christ,
Ilir and Vera Kura

NEW FROM ELBASAN

Greetings in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ!

The past few months have been very blessing ones and at the same time very challenging. A lot of efforts have been shown by all of the members of our congregation and of course without leaving aside the help of our brothers from other places who have been here to help us with our work. The presence of God in our lives and hearts has been a real encouragement in the fulfilling of all the tasks that were set in the past. Despite the hot weather and all the heat that has been present during these two months we have managed to do our best and be ministers of the Gospel and our Lord.

During the month of July our brethren Greg & LaDonn Weston helped us with the work here. They shared all of their lessons and helped us with the sharing of the gospel during their stay here. As usual they were a real help and blessing to all of the members here. They did some teachings with individual students and at the same time Greg lead us in the Bible class and his wife LaDon shared her lesson with the ladies on Friday evening at the Ladies' class. She talked about one of the characters in the Bible who is Esther and she handed out some cards in which she had represented the beauty of a woman as a recipe. A beautiful woman who has kindness, love, shares and obeys and all of these lead you to honor. She also helped with the children on Sunday school. We had some very good classes with them and look forward to having them back here if it is God's will very soon. All of the members feel comfortable with them.

Ilir has been preaching also during the month of July as our brother Mondi had to go off to Italy and camp for two weeks. So he prepared two sermons for the church and they asked a lot of effort for him but were successfully covered by him. He spoke about relationships in a congregation and the purity of this relationship in this unclean world. They were really good sermons and very encouraging at the same time. This shows the commitment and the growth that Ilir is having in preaching. It is good to see that the school he is attending is being of a great help to him and it will continue to do so even in the past. This is of course thanks to the encouragement that you have given to him.

As you are already aware of, one of our future tasks was the work in Kryezjarr, one of the villages here in Elbasan. We are finally glad to say that the work has begun by doing individual work and group work. The groups are composed of different ages and Remzi, Mereme, Ilir and Vera are involved in this work. We are very happy as we have had some very good numbers and a great interest has been shown by the people there. At the same time we have closely worked with World Vision by giving us the possibility to get to know with people there better as they cover that area. We are looking on getting some material help from them with the building in order to make it easier for us to work there. World Vision has helped us with some shoes in order to deliver them to the community and we have already been part of some of the training they have organized especially for the children as we work with them during our Sunday school and the VBS during their vacations. We are looking forward to have some more material aid from them for the next months. The training was very helpful to us and Erinda, Irena and Vera attended it. It was very helpful especially for the VBS.
On the 27th up to 31st of this month we had the VBS. Vera, Mereme and Erinda worked hard to make it work out properly and it was a successful job. 35 children have been attending the VBS and they enjoyed themselves a lot. The puppets were made possible from the church of Tirana as we don't have any of ours. We prepared some sandwiches for the children when they were there. Everything was covered by the church funds.

On the 21st of July a group from Fier came around to share the Bible class with us. They came a little bit earlier as they wanted to visit one of the old bridges here in Elbasan which used to be via Egnatia once and that apostle Paul might have passed by and shared his word. The people were from the sponsoring church of Christ in Kennett, Mo to our brother Steve Byrne. Their son was present too. Spencer Furby (preacher) shared his lesson with us that time. He talked about faith. We read from the book of Hebrews.

Our brother Dashi became a father during the month of July. He was blessed with a pretty little girl. It was tough for him as he is unemployed and at the same time even his wife and the whole family have economic problems. The baby was delivered by going through an operation and they could not afford to pay for the operation. Thanks to the church of Skamersdale this operation was made possible. They were a real blessing to this new family and the new born child. They are thankful to all of the people who helped them go through this hard time.

Another generous contribution that has been given to us is that from the churches of Harrisburg and Marion, along with some personal contributions that made possible for us to have the car. This car has made our life easier and has helped us go to different places safely without being at risk anymore. You are a very precious help to us and the church here.

Due to the current economic situation in Albania we are having some problems with this fact which is affecting us a lot. The dollar's continued decline has affected the exchange rate between dollar and lek seriously. Currently it is down to 80 lek per dollar. This is roughly 20% down on the beginning of the year. Alongside this fall in our income the world increase in food prices has seen massive increases. Gas has reached 157 lek per litre, diesel even higher and also the electricity is 30% higher this year. We have had to drop our internet connection as we were not in the position to continue to afford it. The power price has also increased a lot and this is making our life very difficult as we had to cut a lot on our expenses. Ilir and I ask brethren to keep this situation in their prayers and try to do something to ease this situation.

Hoping that everything is going to go well and praying that the word of God can be spread and accepted by the whole world. Let us pray to keep up with the good work and continue to serve our Lord. May God bless you all richly.

In Him

Ilir and Vera
 

Greetings in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ,

It is our continuous prayer that this report will be of an inspiration to us all and that will guide us over the next challenging and exciting month. At the same time we hope it provides further information, which you may find helpful and encouraging to dip into or refer to during the process of our work. As we all know we are now to the point of only a month ahead to the end of this year which is packed full of activities performed by all of us and blessings from our Lord. We have tried to provide an in-depth description of each month of our work. We have come to a point of finding it overwhelming to see the work and all of the challenges met during all of this passing year. Even though there is still one more month to go to fully end this year we feel proud of our work and mission here in this part of the world. Of course all of this has happened because it has been God's plan from the very beginning. As usual following we will list all of the activities performed during the month of November.

As every other month even the month of November has been one full of activities and challenges. On the 9-th of this month we had the guest speaker from Italy our brother Pino. He was here for a week and took part in the Bible class on Tuesday and shared his lesson with us on Sunday. He spoke about the role of a member in the church and how we should consider the work and ourselves in the church and our impact in the work within the congregation. The next Sunday we had another guest speaker from America. He is our brother Virgil together with his wife Jackie. They came on Saturday and stayed over night with us. It was such a great pleasure to have them here and host them in our house. He brought his lesson based on the story of Martha and Maria. We need to choose who to be and the way to act in the church and within the congregation. As usual they were of a great encouragement to us and we had a great time together. On the 15-th we also had the leaders' meeting. Mondi, Iliri, Vera also took part in this meeting. We discussed about our responsibility as leaders to keep the 'finger on the pulse' of the church by picking up the general mood of the church and their readiness for doing things. We need to put some emphasis on the real enthusiasm and commitment in order to move on and allow people to recharge and put into work their batteries.

In addition we have continued with the work in Kryezjarr, which is going very well, and requiring some more involvement from all of us. The children's class is led by our sister Mereme, who is performing a very outstanding work, and the children are always being supportive, enthusiastic and eager to learn more and be a very active part in the classes. The number of the attendance is growing time after time. At the same time we have the ladies' class and our sister Vera is dealing with this class. The ladies are very happy and they learn a lot from this classes. They ask questions and they want to learn more and more about different subjects on the Bible.

On the other hand as we have continued up with the work with the children and the ladies we have had several requests to open up a new class especially for the youngsters. So we didn't hesitate to open this class, and didn't want to put on hold these classes and decided to work with the teens of this village. They have had some insights and ideas about the classes held there form the children and the ladies and that is why they wanted to be part of this classes themselves. We felt very proud to this success of us and above all to face some more responsibilities and challenges for us. We pray and hope to keep up the good work and be of a great help to these teenagers and make them feel part of this mission of ours. This class is held on Saturday so we are going there twice a week now and not only once a week. Let us hope to have results and get this work moving properly.

The usual classes held in Elbasan Church of Christ on regular basis are the Bible class, the Ladies' class, the Youth class on Saturday and the Worship Service on Sunday. As you are well informed our brother Steve Byrne, who has helped us during this year with the Bible class on Tuesday, is in America and at the moment our brother Mondi is leading this class. We are studying the book of Ephesians and we hope to finish it by the time our brother Steve comes back here. The classes are of a great encouragement to all of the members. The ladies as well have some very good time with each other. They alternate this class with experiences form their everyday life. The classes are led mainly by our sisters Merem, Rezarta, Vera, Valbona, Denisa, etc.

On Saturday the youth class is being of a great encouragement to all of the youngsters of the congregation. They talk about different subjects on the Bible and they share their own experiences of the everyday life and their input in the society as young Christians. Of course they are supervised by our brothers Remzi, Ilir and Mondi. They are very enthusiastic about the class and they come up with very good ideas and show a great responsibility toward the work. The worship service on Sunday is led by our brother Mondi and he is helped by our brothers Ilir, Remzi and Dashi. They alternate their work and help each other out in order to have a very warm environment in this congregation. We are very enthusiastic and very happy about the work and the input we are having from all of the members of the church.

The third week of this month we had another church meeting where we discussed about the contribution, that each one of us needs to give in the church, and serve according to the gifts that each one of us has been given by God. We need to motivate each other on this and give the members the vision of the potential outcomes. We also informed about the expenses during all of this period up to now. They had some ideas on the financial side of the church. We also discussed about other issues we have been through and various points to look at for the future. At the same time we planed some of the work for the way ahead in the next and last month of the 2008.

All of this work has required us a significant amount of time and effort. It has been very difficult for us because we have had some health problems lately. Vera has been suffering from the kidneys and Ilir has had a very high blood pressure. But despite these difficulties with the help of our brothers and sisters we overcame our health problems and managed to enable the work in the church. Please keep us in your prayers and ask God to fully restore our health and continue our work in this congregation.

We cannot close this report without thanking all of you, who have financially supported us, and all of the tremendous help given to us all. Also a special thank you to the certain contribution given to us to pay the electric bills of the latest months. You make us mobilize each other and preset our tasks for the future and look at the bright sight of the situation. Let us have new visions and come up with the best ideas we can in order to be recognized as the central part of this city and reach out to the lost.

In the end we need to put our emphasis on the core values of the church as an integral part of the Christian life. We need to be the church, which has developed a coherent and realistic plan of action and work by encouraging new initiatives and increasing the involvement of church members in the community and the congregation itself. May God bless you richly and keep us safe.

We have also attached some photos of our work in Kryezjarr.
 

Kryezjarr

In him,

Ilir and Vera
 

Greetings to all of you dear brethrens,

We wish you a very Happy New Year 2009, a year full of blessings and success for all our earthly family, full of encouragement and love shown to the world, full of hope and thankfulness and tasks to be fulfilled. Let this year be full of opportunities to save as many lost souls as possible and a year of enlightening approaches to this world.

It is high time to report all of the work performed by us during the month of December even though we have just entered the 2009. Knowing that this month usually is a very hectic one and outstanding at the same time as it is full of celebrations we have had a challenging period of time hoping to have been a real help to a lot of people. The end of 2008 marked a year full of success and a family grown stronger everyday despite all of the difficulties faced and challenges met. Though it has been a very hectic year this month has also been a decisive one.

We are happy and thrilled to report that the work in Kryezjarr is going very well. It seems it is becoming a tradition to report only good news from this village. An outstanding work is being performed here and the people are being very supportive and eager to continue and learn more and more about the good news. We are continuing with the classes for the children and the ladies. Lately, we are being helped by two wonderful ladies, Sina and Leti, who live in the village. We think that God is working with the hearts of these people. These are the things that make us go ahead and look forward to helping people and being helped by them to fulfill our preset tasks. One of these ladies, Leti, had a wedding party in her family. Her son got married and she invited us at the wedding. This was a great honor for us and it was a very interesting experience (especially to Vera) as we got to know to their customs and traditions. We enjoyed ourselves a lot and thanked the family for the invitation.

On the 5th and 6th of this month Vera and Irena took part in training program organized by World Vision with the subject of "Child Abuse". This was very helpful to them as they help with the Sunday school and take care of the children who attend these classes on regular basis. They were very enthusiastic and found this training very helpful and encouraging.

On the 15th of December we took part in the worship service in Tirana. The speaker was our brother Steve Stamatis, who also is my professor at school and at the same time the dean of the school. His lesson as usual was very encouraging and fruitful to all of the brothers and sisters at that worship service. After that we had a fellowship time with each other and with the other students of I.B.I.A. They offered us a very special meal. A week after, on the 20 th of this month, Steve and his wife Deborah were over at our place for a visit. They spent the weekend with us and we had a great time.

As usual the main activities during the week have been going on regular basis. On Tuesday we have the Bible class, on Friday the Ladies' class, on Saturday the Youth class and on Sunday the worship service. Our brother Mondi preaches on Sunday. He is also leading the Bible class during this month on Tuesdays as our brother Steve Burn has gone to USA. We are studying the book of Ephesians. The attendance has been as usual. Valbona has been helping with the Ladies' class helped by the other sisters as Mereme and Vera. Rezarta is helping with the children in the Sunday school. Together with Ilir we went to visit some of the members' families of the church like Remzi's, Mondi's, Denisa's, Darina's, Enkelejda's, Berti's. They all were happy to see us and gave us a very warm welcome. We were thrilled by their hospitality shown to us. The church has given a support to brother Berti by buying some food supplies so that he could be able to have some more things at home in order to celebrate Christmas and the New Year's Eve as everybody else. His face was filled with smile and happiness was brought into his eyes and life even for a very short period of time. Remzi, Mereme, Vera and Ilir went to Berti's house for this visit.

It is well known by the whole world now that the month of December is a very special month for the Christians as it is Christmas time and a joyful time for everybody; but unfortunately the message it really conveys is fading away with the passing of the time. To people now it is only about presents, shopping, good food, spending money more than usual or having the so called "fun". But we all know that this is the time when we can tell the world about Jesus and his mission on this earth. It is time to share the good news and make it clearer to everyone that it is not time for fun but time to struggle a lot in order to get this evil world find the right path and follow it by living a Godly life, which has been given to each human freely and abundantly. We organized with the children a party, where they all enjoyed themselves. The parents were there, too. We did the same even in Kryezjarr. The place was packed and it was really encouraging for us. There were 74 children and 60 ladies at this party. Seeing the place full of children was really gorgeous and seeing this place outnumbered made us imagine how awesome would be if in the future all of them would become Christians. This needs a lot of effort and makes it challenging to us all but nothing is impossible to God. As usual we were made possible some presents for the children from World Vision. Trainers and boots were handed over to these children and they were very happy. Our sisters Rezarta, Mereme, Erinda and Vera helped with the delivery in Elbasan and Vera, Leti and Sina in Kryezjarr. We thanked everybody, who took part and at the same time gave thanks to our Lord, as he blessed us and the children with all of these presents and the work, which resulted a very successful one.

Due to all of the preset tasks and all of the work that was presented above we think that it is time for us to think for a campaign this year. With all the work in Kryezjarr and in Elbasan we find it necessary to ask for some help from the brothers and sisters in order to cover the work and make it easier for us. It would be better if we could have some help from more experienced, hard working and encouraging brothers and sisters. This of course would be the best time to share experiences with people from different cultures and let the people here know that our family is a very big one and that we help each other wherever and whenever needed. We look forward to your answer as you consider our request.

We cannot end this report without thanking our Lord for all the blessings he has given each one of us and for our work, which is performed for his glory. We are thankful to all of the sisters and brothers, who have supported us by giving their input and their financial contribution to make possible our work. We ask you to continuingly keep us in your prayers as for economic crises we are suffering the consequences and having problems with economy. We are facing an economic drop and crisis.

On the other hand the challenging 2009 makes us set some goals for the church and the prosperity in the future. We need to keep up with the good work and never forget that everything is made possible only because it is God's will. We are going to continue with the classes and the mission in order to draw people nearer to God, share with them the good news, meet their needs every time we can, enlarge the number of the church members, showing care and love to each other, face all the possible problems that might come up humbly and with calmness. We are sure that everything can go on the right direction and stream as we collaborate with each other and keep being on the right path. Wishing a very happy 2009 and full of blessings we end this report here. May God bless you Richly and keep you safe during this month.

In Him,

Ilir&Vera

 

Greetings in the name of Jesus

We hope that everything is going well for you and your family. Thank you very much for the kind words about our report and the encouragement you pass on us everytime. We are really blessed to have brothers, who help us and encourage us all the time.

In one of our reports we have asked about the campaign plans this summer and at the same time we have asked for some help if it would be possible from brothers and sisters from abroad with our work here. We remember that last year you told us to ask for campaigners from the beginning of the year and now we are interested into having your response about this. We need to plan ahead if we are going to have a campaign here in Elbasan this year. Of course we will take care of everything here if there will be any campaign held here this summer.

We hope to have an answer as soon as possible. We will keep in touch. Take care and may God bless you all.

In Him
Ilir and Vera

March - April 09

Greetings in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ,

First of all we hope that everything has been going well and according to God’s will and plan. It is because of his plan that we are blessed to be part of this plan and of the mission on this earth unfortunately now full of filth. Nevertheless we will always be part of this plan as far as we are going to be willing to be a part of this mission.

The past two months have been effective and with the usual rhythm of work. There have also been few celebrations apart from the work performed by all of our members. February has been cold and somehow short but we have still continued with our work. On the 5-th of this month we celebrate the founding of our congregation and as usual we wish the whole congregation a long life together with our Lord Jesus Christ serving him humbly and honestly day by day to enlarge his kingdom and put a brick in the highest wall of Christianity on this world. We have had a visit from our brother in Christ Wayne Speer and his wife Brenda. They are always a real blessing to us every time they come here. This time they made possible the device used to measure the blood pressure and for the diabetes and we are thankful to them for this. We had a great time of fellowship together.

The Speers

Now we are officially within the lovely season of spring. During the month of March we even celebrated the “Summer Day” on the 14-th of this month. It has become a tradition to celebrate the coming of spring and at the same time having the special delight called “ballakume”. Instead of the very cold wind we now have a warm lovely breeze petting our faces. On the 8-th of the same month we also celebrated “Mother’s day”. We organized a party for the all the ladies of our congregation and of Kryezjarr. This was made possible from our brethrens to whom we are very thankful as always. The ladies had a great time and they are very thankful, too. On the 28-th we visited for the last time our brethrens Steve and Ruth Byrne. Unfortunately this was their last week in Albania, as you already know that they are moving back to USA for good. We thanked them for all their help and encouragement they have given and been to us all. We spend some very precious time with them and enjoyed ourselves a lot. We also wished them the best in their new mission in USA.

 Kryezjarr Ladies

The usual activities performed during these months are the Bible class on Tuesday, the worship service on Sunday and the classes in Kryezjarr. We are very happy to see and to report that our work is being fruitful in this village. The ladies and the children are always eager to learn more and more and to reflect back the things they have learned. We are stunned from the feedback we have from them time after time and especially from the children. They can be seen as the possible future Christian if it’s God’s will. The ladies also continue to show a great interest on the Christian life. They come up with very good questions and this makes it more interesting and at the same time make us work harder and harder. Our sisters Vera and Mereme have helped and still help with the children and the ladies in Kryezjarr. Our brother Mondi leads the lesson on the Bible class and shares his lessons during the worship service. As usual he does a very good job. We are studying on the book of Ephesians. He is helped from our brothers Remzi and Ilir during the worship service by leading us with the songs and the word of prayers.

Ortenca and her baby

Ilir has continued with his studies in IBIA. This is being a very good help and very important as well. The studies are very helpful to him to make potential sermons and lessons for the future. He continues to be under strict medical prescriptions. Thank God his health is better now. His visit was made possible from Steve Stamatas. Steve managed to have an appointment with the doctor at the American hospital in Tirana and he sponsored for the visit. We also thank them for supporting us and making possible the visit and all of the other brothers who made possible the medicine needed for Ilir.

Special thanks go to all of those, who have given their support so that our work can be performed continuously. We thank all of our brothers, who have offered some money to help Dashi’s family during the hard time they are going through because of the financial situation they are facing. At the same time we thank for the activity for the ladies of Kryezjarr for “Mother’s day”. On the other hand we need to make a request for prayers. Please keep us in your prayers and all of the work being done here. Don’t forget to remember in your prayers Agron’s mother as well. She isn’t feeling well at all and is suffering a lot.

We wish you all the best as we enjoy the season of spring and may God bless you and all of our family richly.

In Him
Ilir and Vera

March 2011

Greetings in the name of our Lord Jesus,

The months of January and February are always the beginnings of new challenges to face to complete our mission. We all hope and pray for a prosperous year and full of blessing. It is said that hope is the last to die and we guess at some point this is true because for us Christians hope of the eternal life is what keeps us united and makes us willing to serve our Lord. It is because of Christ that we can do all things and that everything is possible because of Him. Hope is the last to die and we are the first to raise and inherit God’s kingdom.

Despite the cold weather we have continued with our work as usual trying to serve and do our best on this earth. Every minute, every hour and every day has been dedicated to our Lord and we have done the utmost to fulfill God’s plan by sharing the good news and saving souls. We rejoice in His presence and it is because of Him that we have the opportunity to serve and be part of His family on this earth. Working for Him is not only a blessing and a life’s opportunity given to you but it is also a challenge to face. It is through the difficulties that we grow and mature in faith. We cannot just sit down and see how this filthy world gets dirtier and more evil day by day. Christianity is in a war and of course we need to bear in our minds that not every battle can be won. Our aim is to win this war and be triumphal toward evil.

Active ladies traveled to Lushnja

As usual the activities held here in Elbasan Church of Christ have been as following. The Bible class on Tuesday, the Ladies’ class on Friday, Sunday school and the worship service on Sunday. Almost all of the members of the congregation have given their input and made possible these activities. United we have been able to make things work out perfect and of course reap the results together.

Bruna & Doris in Individual WEI studies

During January and February Ilir, every Tuesday, continued with lessons on the recognition of various biblical models for resolving conflicts. There has been a useful biblical teaching and the members have shown great interest by actively participating in discussions. This class is a very encouraging and teaches us to be more prepared for our daily lives when conflicts are inevitable. Our sisters Vera and Mereme have prepared all the lessons for the Ladies’ class for the months of January and February. Their lessons have been more than helpful and the ladies have been very active. Vera, Rezarta and Bruna have given their help with the Children’s class. They are doing a good job with the kids. They are very eager to learn the passages from the Bible by heart and act out some of the stories. There is no need of persuading them as they are persuading us to give them more information and make them be as active as possible. At this point we think that what a better world would have been ours if all the people were just like the children. But of course even our Lord Jesus said: May you be as pure as these children.

The Sunday Class

The sermons are prepared by our brother Ilir. He is working real hard and he is being concise and specific about different topics. The slideshows are making the sermons easier and more interesting to everyone to understand and why not even be totally focused on the lesson by not getting bored. Remzi is helping him with the Lord’s Supper and the hymns.

Ilir is developing individual Bible lessons with some of the young people who come regularly to our activities. They are teenagers who want to know more about God. In these individual Bible classes, Ilir is encouraging young people to a full knowledge of God, and God willing they will be baptized and to participate in our sacred family. Some of the students are ready to be baptized. They come from Muslim families, but the word of God has made their hearts be open and ready to accept our Lord Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. Students called Doris Xhyra and Amarildo Gjini both are 15 years old and live in Elbasan. Ilir is being developing by Bruna Capja biblical teaching, a Christian sister who spends her time in spiritual growth through God's Word. Ilir accompanied by Vera is developing biblical teaching with Mira and Shqiponja going to their home in Kraste, on the outskirts of Elbasan.

The work in Kryezjarr is going very well and it is becoming a habit to report the good work and the full attendance of the ladies and the children in there. Hatixhe, Vera and Bruna help out and make the classes there Bruna work with the children whereas Vera and Hatixhe works with the ladies. They find the classes of a great interest and they take an active part in the discussions and the lessons shared there.

The ladies in Kryezjarr

During this period the ladies in Kryezjarr have learned about the commandments of God and have discussed about how should be their life led by Him. The kids continue to come and learn biblical lessons to know more about our Lord Jesus Christ. Bruna is doing a great job with the kids.

In Kryezjarr

During February we had in with us a honored and respected sister named Elsie Red. Elsie was a great help and an encouragement for all the community, but especially for her students that spent a wonderful period in her care. Elsie as a good sister taught her students the true love that God has for all of us. Some of the students of Elsie now come to our meetings. Elsie is a special lady and we thank God that she was with us at a time when we needed her assistance. We spent a good time together even though she only stayed for a while. I pray God to enable Elsie to be back with us next year, together we can stay until the end of the mission of our holy God.

Elsie in Kryezjarr

Elsie Reid

Our health situation has not been good. Ilir had a problem about a week with hypertension and the heart and has spent several hours in hospital here in Elbasan and Vera also has had health problems. Vera has been in the hospital of Tirana for some gynecological problems.

The economic situation in Albania is even heavier during this period. Unemployment, Increase of prices, inflation is affecting our daily life, but hope in God has grown and strengthened in our hearts so we make every attempt to stay every moment in God's mission to share the good news of salvation.

Please keep us in your prayers asking God to use us as tools every moment in this world of darkness that surrounds us.

In closing, we thank in particular all brothers and sisters in Christ who support us in God's mission here in Elbasan. Without your support it would be difficult for us to stay focused on sharing the good news among the people that surround us. God bless you.

Thanks to Church of Christ in Skelmersdale for the assistance with clothes that sent us. We decided to deliver these clothes for poor residents of the village Kryezjar, where the Church of Christ Elbasan operates by sharing God's word.

We thank all the brothers and sisters that supported us every month to help the little Antonel. His growth and life depends on that support. We want to apologize for the delay of this report but this happened due to the health problems Ilir has been having these days. We hope and wish he gets better very soon and totally recovers in order to continue with the work here. Please keep us in your prayers. At the same time we thank everybody who has helped us and been near us spiritually and financially and keeping us in their prayers.

In Him

Ilir and Vera

Church of Christ Elbasan
 

April 2011

Greetings in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ!

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, the Church of Christ Elbasan wishes you all the blessings of our Lord Jesus Christ in your life for His Glory. You are a blessing for us and an encouragement for our work here in the fields of God.

The blessings of God are present and achievable from all those who have an open heart for Him.

Let’s start this report for our work for the glory of our Lord here in Elbasan, with a good news. This month God added to our church a new member, a new sister decided with all her heart to surrender her life to Jesus Christ by accepting Him as the true God and savior. Her name is Doris Xhyra.

Doris is a young girl who has come firstly at the church for learning the English language. She has been Vera’s student for almost two years. During this time she has been devoted in her lessons. During the time that Ilir started working full time with the church of Elbasan, he asked Doris and some other youths to make individual lessons with him. Doris agreed and she and Ilir started making individual lessons together for 5 months in intensive way learning for the truth of God that is the only truth that liberates us from the bondage of Satan.

During the time that Sister Elsie Reid was here in Elbasan, Doris participated in some daily lessons with her. The lessons and presence of Elsie were an encouragement for Doris to decide to get baptize.

Doris’ family was a persecuted family at the time of the Communist regime here in Albania. They have suffered much, have been interned, some of the relatives have been murdered and some were imprisoned. The many sufferings have made this family to have an open heart for God. We are working with some members of this family and God willing they may be members of our holy family, the family of God.

God is wonderful with us. He adds to our church young members to strengthen and vitalize it, allowing us to be every day on His mission.
During the month of March, the services and the lessons have continued regularly.

The Bible lessons were held regularly with the topic of Conflict Management. The lesson’s aim was to familiarize the participants with the many fragments that Lord has given us throughout his word. The lessons have been practical and easy to understand by the participants, who have participated actively in discussions.

The youth’s class is a success for the glory of God. The number of the young people is growing and now there are 16 persons participating in that class. The biblical lessons are organized to help them in their daily situations. By looking at the darkness around us, we aimed to show them how strong the light that comes from our Lord Jesus Christ.

The ladies’ class has had a good consistency and a most pleasurable attendance by the ladies. Sister Mereme prepared a lesson for the participants about the works and the responsibilities that God has given for the women in the family. The ladies have been active in the lessons and discussions.

The children’s class is also growing. The kids come happy at the class to learn more about God. The lessons of sisters Rezarta and Bruna have added the curiosity for them to learn more at the Sunday class.

The worship has been regularly developed every first day of the week. The preaching of the Word of God has been focused in the encouragement of the brothers and sisters to face the difficulties and the struggles by relying in the truth of the Lord that never disappoints us. God is loyal, He knows our hearts. He knows our needs and sufferings while we are working for His glory. He has promised us that no temptation bigger that we can handle will fall on us. That, with the temptation, He will give us a way out of it. This promise of our Lord fills out heart with joy as Christians.

Individual Bible lessons have continued regularly and God willing, their number may increase, as some of the youth of the Youth’s class have expressed the desire to take individual Bible lessons, but at the moment they are busy with the school lessons and courses for the preparation of the final exams at the end of the school.

The biblical lessons have also continued regularly in Kryezjarr. Sisters Vera and Hatixhe have prepared together the biblical lessons for the women meeting on Sunday in Kryezjarr. They are doing a good job and the women have been active in their class. During meetings the women have brought food that they have prepared in home to eat together after the lessons.

The kids’ class in Kryezjarr is also going very well. Two of our newest sisters are working with the kids every Sunday. Their names are Bruna and Doris who are also helped by Hatixhe’s daughter Anisa. Children have learned new songs about God and lessons from the Bible. At the kids’ class is also coming Antonel, a kid whose family is in a really bad economical and socially situation.

Also during March I.B.I.A’s Dean Steve Stamatis organized a day of fasting and prayers with the students and the graduates of I.B.I.A in an environment in Mount Dajti. It was an experience that served us to better understand God’s purpose for our lives and to focus more on His wonderful plan for his churches here in Albania.

We went to Tirana on Sunday because on Monday morning we had to be in Mount Dajti. We had a good time in the evening talking together. We thank Steve and his wife Deborah for the good time that we spent together. May God bless their work for His glory!

We thank God for all you brothers and sisters that generously have supported and helped our mutual work as His tools in his field here in Elbasan. You are an encouragement for all of us to work even more to strengthen our Lord’s church.

We thank you for your prayers for our health. We really have had a more stabilized health situation during this month. God is in control of our lives and this fills us with joy and happiness.

We thank the supporters of the little Antonel for the generous help that has enabled us the meeting the needs of his and his grandmother for food.

GOD BLESS YOU ALL!

With Love in Christ
Ilir and Vera
Church Of Christ Elbasan


 

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