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Matt 28:18-20

18 Then Jesus came to them and said, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age."
NIV

John 20:10-16

10 Then the disciples went back to their homes, 11 but Mary stood outside the tomb crying. As she wept, she bent over to look into the tomb 12 and saw two angels in white, seated where Jesus' body had been, one at the head and the other at the foot.

13 They asked her, "Woman, why are you crying?"

"They have taken my Lord away," she said, "and I don't know where they have put him." 14 At this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing there, but she did not realize that it was Jesus.

15 "Woman," he said, "why are you crying? Who is it you are looking for?"

Thinking he was the gardener, she said, "Sir, if you have carried him away, tell me where you have put him, and I will get him."

16 Jesus said to her, "Mary."

She turned toward him and cried out in Aramaic, "Rabboni!" (which means Teacher).
NIV

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April 04

March 06

Greetings from Pogradec in the name of our Lord and Savior Jesus! As I write this the WEI center here in Pogradec has been open for one week, and already we have 19 students registered for courses.  Please pray for this work!  Pray that we will have students who are eager to learn not just about English but also about God.

This is truly a plea for your prayers and your involvement.  We will be conducting our first summer campaign starting in June.  I am sure that God will provide the students, I also know that He will provide teachers for those students.  I hope that you will consider being one of those
teachers.

I know that this is a rather long document, but I have attempted to answer any question that I have had as a campaigner working with other missionaries.  The high points are in bold.  Hopefully this will help you to scan through and find the information you need.  If I missed something or you want a more detailed answer to a specific question please write and let me know.  I hope you find the following information useful as you plan your summer.

Your Servant in Christ,
Kevin Morrill

General Information
Pogradec ( pronounced Po-gra-dets) is located on Lake Ohrid, a large fresh water lake that forms part of the border between Macedonia and Albania. The city sits at the foot of a small mountain range and enjoys relatively mild summer weather. Campaigners should bring light clothing for daytime activities. This should include sunglasses, hats, and loose fitting clothing; you may also want to include a light jacket or sweater, as the evenings can be cool. A US Passport will be required to enter Albania.

Airline Accommodations
You are responsible for your own travel accommodations to and from Albania. We ask that you inform us once you have confirmed your itinerary so that we can share that with other campaigners. Many times others will try to coordinate their schedule so that they do not have to travel alone.

It is recommended that you work with your travel agent and try to arrange a straight through flight for both coming to Albania and returning to the USA. However, many times this just is not possible and you will be required to layover on your return flight. Keep in mind that a layover will cost you about $150 USD for lodging and meals.

Personal Safety
Please refer the US’s State Department web page concerning their current travel advisory concerning Albania. It can be found @ www.state.gov. Once you have read their notices, we’ll give you our thoughts. We have found Albania to be a relatively safe environment in which to live and work. Since our arrival, we have not encountered any serious problems that would deter us from asking our own families to visit the country; in fact, Kevin’s parents are planning a trip here early this summer. While we recognize that the government is not the most stable, we do not believe that our general personal safety is being jeopardized. We do suggest that those visiting should use the same precautions that they would follow in any unfamiliar city. This includes using frequently used travel paths, staying in groups of two or more, and not displaying large sums of cash ($100 USD).

Cash/Currency
The Albanian currency is called Lek. The summer exchange rate normally favors the US dollar (USD). Thus, $100 USD can be exchanged for about 10500 Lek. A coke will cost about 100 Lek and a pizza about 500 Lek. Upon your arrival, you will be provided with an opportunity to exchange $100 USD with one of the missionaries to ensure that you have local currency for your first few days. Money orders and traveler checks are of no value in Albania, just cash. It is not recommended that campaigners use moneychangers on the streets. If you need to change money please contact one of the missionaries.

It is recommended that you bring the new “big head” currency from the US, especially $100’s.

Arrival Details and Entry Visa
Upon landing at the airport you will deplane and be shuffled onto a bus for a quick drive to the terminal. Once inside the building, work your way over to the line on the far left. Once you clear passport control, you will be directed to the payment station for your Visa (have $14.00 ready). Short term Visas are valid for thirty days. This is not the time to ask for change from a $100.00; they may not have it. After paying you can pick up your luggage (just in front of you) and proceed into the next room to have it X-rayed. You may be requested to open your luggage by an inspector. After the X-ray machine, you are free to leave the building to your right. Look straight ahead across the street and you should see a member of the Pogradec mission team. If no one is across the street, it means that the police are holding everyone back up the road. If this is the case, once you exit the building, turn right and head toward the crowd of people that you will see up the road. Do not allow anyone to carry your bags for you. If there is a problem or you cannot carry your own bags, wave and we will get to you.

Transportation
Airport – The Missionaries in Pogradec will arrange for your round-trip transportation to and from Rinas Airport. Costs associated with round-trip transportation are as follows:

200 USD total by taxi
80 USD total taxi to Durres or Tirana then by public bus to Pogradec.

At your request we will rent a private taxi, but as you can see this is a much more expensive option. If you want to use a private taxi please inform us of this when you confirm your dates of arrival and departure; otherwise, we will try to use public transportation whenever possible to lessen costs. An American will meet you at the airport. Generally you will not see a familiar face until you leave the terminal building. We typically will be standing out by the street with a sign with your name on it. We are not allowed to enter the building.

Around Albania – Transportation around Albania is at its very best confusing and slow. If you would like to visit another area, we will assist you as best as we can.

Around Pogradec – Getting around in Pogradec is very easy … just walk. It is small enough that all areas can be visited with a little effort. The walking will make comfortable shoes very important. It should be noted that the workers do not have access to private vehicles.

Housing Accommodations
The missionaries will arrange housing accommodations. Cost per campaigner will average $125 USD per week. Housing will include access to a refrigerator, a clothes washer, cooking stove, and limited cooking and eating utensils.

Housing for couples can be arranged, although costs will vary based on length of stay and willingness to share the facilities with other couples/singles. Please contact us so that arrangements can be made. If you require special considerations regarding access, stair restrictions, and/or have other special needs, please let us know.

Eating Arrangements
A wide variety of food can be found in Pogradec and the surrounding area. Local establishments serve meat, trout, and pasta dishes. American style sandwiches are not generally available, but can be easily made. The spices used in Albania are typically considered to be bland when compared to American dishes and the use of meat is significantly less. Common foods that can be found include: sliced sandwich meats, whole chickens, pork chops, fresh vegetables, fresh bread, mayonnaise, mustard, ketchup, white cheese, cereal, milk, soft drinks, potato chips, rice and pasta.

Teaching Information
Campaigners are to use the World English Institute (WEI) English Course for teaching activities. The material has been found to be effective in Durrës and allows easy follow-up with students. This is due to the fact that the team is able to teach and discuss previously covered topics with confidence that the material is familiar to the students. While some students may want to cover side topics such as Judaism or a specific book in the Bible, such discussions are encouraged to take place outside of regular scheduled class times. Any student that does not finish the course of study during the regularly scheduled campaign will have to be added to the existing workload of the Pogradec team members and very likely a lengthy waiting list. For more information concerning the WEI material, please visit their website @ www.weiady.org.
Teachers are expected to maintain student records and notes on attendance with the provided sheets in the “teachers manual.” This information is vital for those students that will have several teachers over the course of the summer. Adequate information should be maintained to assist in the “turnover” of the student.

The typical Monday - Friday teaching schedule is as follows:
9:00am Teaching Period
10:00am Teaching Period
11:00am Teaching Period
12:00pm Lunch Break
2:00pm Teaching Period
3:00pm Teaching Period
4:00pm Teaching Period
5:00pm Teaching Period
Teachers are encouraged to develop individual friendships with their students.
Each teacher will be assigned a teaching station. Teaches are asked not to “loiter” in the main room of the school. This is very distracting for those trying to teach. Pass your free time outside.

WEI Information
Generator/Alternate Power Supply. The generator will be operated by Dashi, our landlord.

Access to the WEI Building. The school building will be open from 8:30 am – 6:15pm Monday  – Friday. Should it be necessary to gain access at other times, please notify the missionaries.

Computer Access. The WEI maintains one computer for official school related activities. Because of this, we ask that it be used only for official school business.

Telephone Access. The WEI maintains one phone line that is to be used for official school business during work hours. Feel free to have family members call the number after 6:00pm (Albania time). Only local calls are to be made on the phone. The international number that is used to contact the school phone is: 355.832.3895

Weekend Activities
Several weekend activities will be planned throughout the summer. If you are particularly interested in visiting a specific place, Macedonia for example, please let us know. Spending a Saturday at the beach under an umbrella can be very relaxing if that is something you like to do!

Important Things to Bring
Clothing – modest and cool clothing is recommended. You will find the dress to be causal. Blue jeans and “Dockers” are considered the norm for men. During the months of July and August, modest shorts are considered to be acceptable. Women’s dress varies according to age. Mature women’s dress typically includes jumpers and skirts, while the younger women do wear shorts. We ask that each campaigner dress appropriately to assist in maintaining a professional teaching environment. It is very important to have comfortable shoes.
 
Personal Hygiene Items – deodorant and female hygiene supplies.
 
Medicine – Bring those items that you may need as medicine supplies are limited. We recommend the following: Dramamine (if you experience motion sickness), Imodium / Pepto-Bismol type meds, headache meds, cold/decongestant meds, sore throat lozenges, insect repellant, and bug-bite remedies.

Bedding/Toiletries – This includes a towel, washcloth, soap, shampoo, and vision/contact supplies.

 Other Items – small flashlight, watch, battery or wind-up alarm clock. Please remember that Albania’s electrical system is based on 220 voltage/50hertz. American appliances will not work. If you have special electrical needs please let us know in advance.
ü Resident Missionary Supplies – If you find that you have a little extra room, let us know. We are generally in need (or want) of something from the States!
 
 School Supplies -- We may request that you bring some materials such as Easy to Read Bibles and teaching supplies. We will provide you with detailed lists of what we need and how to acquire the items well in advance of your departure date. We will also provide reimbursement for any materials that we request.

Good things to Know:
Orientation - The day of or the day after your arrival in Pogradec you will be given a brief walking tour of the city, receive instruction on WEI procedures, learn a little Albanian culture and language, and have a short time to ask questions.

Telephone Information. At best, it can be very frustrating to make and receive telephone calls into Albania. It is recommended that arrangement be made for your family to call after school hours at the WEI phone. The school phone number in Pogradec is 355-832-3895. It is not uncommon for a caller from the States not to make a connection for an hour or more. They will need to continue trying.

Internet Access. Email has proven to be the most effective method of correspondence from Albania. Pogradec has at least one internet cafe. Usage rates average around $1.50/hour. Service is semi-reliable.

Power. Electrical power in Albania is less than reliable. This problem will not be fixed within the next five years. As a result, you should carry a small flashlight with you in the evening. The building rented by the Pogradec team does have a generator; which will provide electricity for the lights, small electrical appliances, and the computer. Please remember that its capacity is limited, and that it is intended mainly for the comfort of our landlord’s family.

Shopping. You will be responsible for all of your shopping needs (we will help you when necessary). A map of the main part of Pogradec will be provided to you. The map highlights key stores and restaurants frequented by the Pogradec team. Pogradec is small so there will be no problem getting around on foot.

Summary of Expected Costs - These are all estimated costs! It is our hope that they are all estimated high rather than low.
 Roundtrip Airfare $1200.00
 Travel to/from Rinas Airport $200.00
 Entry Visa/Departure Tax $28.00
 Housing per week $125.00
 Meals/Food per week $100.00
 Weekend Travel/Activity per week $30.00
 Layover for Connecting Flight per night $150.00

Cost Examples:
Item: Two Weeks: Three Weeks: Four Weeks:
Airfare $1200 $1200 $1200
Visa/Tax $28 $28 $28
Airport Travel $200 $200 $200
Housing $250 $375 $500
Meals $200 $300 $400
Weekend Activity $60 $90 $120
$1,938 $2,193 $2,448

Again the costs listed above are estimates. Housing is one area that can be eliminated completely if you are able to stay with Allison, Xhumert and I. We have room for three campaigners in our apartment.

Another item that is estimated high is the weekend activity. There is plenty to do that is inexpensive, but we are still uncertain about the cost of transportation to and from Macedonia. For this reason we have estimated the cost at $30. If you don’t want to make a trip to Macedonia these costs will be lower.

SOUNDS WONDERFUL WHEN DO I COME???
The following table is an outline of our projected summer campaign. I will send updates on the scheduled campaigners as we receive more information. As you look at the table keep in mind that the three campaigner positions are to save you money. Allison, Xhumert and I can house three campaigners at a time, and if you stay with us there will be no housing cost. Other housing arrangements can be made, but that will increase your overall cost.
 

This table shows suggested times for campaign. Three-week periods seem to work well for the transition of students from teacher to teacher.

Thank you!
I would like to express our thanks for your interest in the Lord’s work here in Pogradec. Xhumert, Allison and I look forward to working with you here in Albania. If you have any questions or comments about this summer’s campaign please contact us at morrills_in_durres@yahoo.com

May the Lord bless your plans, and may your plans be those of the Lord.

In Christian Love,
Xhumert, Kevin and Allison
 

• Airport – The DMT will arrange for your transportation to and from Rinas Airport.  Cost associated with the transportation is roughly 60 USD total for Durres.  An American will meet you at the airport.  Generally you will not see a familiar face until you leave the terminal building.  We typically will be standing out by the street with a sign with your name on it.  We are not allowed to enter the building.
• Around Albania – Transportation around Albania is at its very best confusing and slow.  If you would like to visit another area, we will assist you as best as we can.  Travel between Durrës and Tirana is reliable.
• Around Durrës – Getting around in Durrës is very easy … just walk.  It is small enough that all areas can be visited with a little effort.  Taxicabs are available if desired.  It should be noted that the DMT does not have access to private vehicles.

Eating Arrangements
A wide variety of food can be found in Durrës and the surrounding area.  Local establishments serve meat and pasta dishes.  American style sandwiches are not generally available, but can be easily made.  The spices used in Albania are typically considered to be bland when compared to American dishes and the use of meat is significantly less.  Common foods that can be found include: sliced sandwich meats, whole chickens, pork chops, fresh vegetables, fresh bread, mayonnaise, mustard, ketchup, white cheese, cereal, milk, soft drinks, potato chips, and pasta.
 
Housing Accommodations
Housing accommodations will be arranged by the DMT.  Cost per campaigner will average $125 USD per week.  Housing will include access to a refrigerator, clothes washer, cooking stove, limited cooking and eating utensils, and American style bathroom facilities. 
 
Housing for couples can be arranged, although costs will vary based on length of stay and willingness to share the facilities with other couples/singles.  Please contact the DMT so that arrangements can be made. If you require special considerations regarding access, stair restrictions, and/or have other special needs, please let us know.
 
Important Things to Bring

• Clothing – modest and cool clothing is recommended.  You will find the dress to be causal.  Blue jeans and “Dockers” are considered the norm for men.  During the months of July and August, modest shorts are considered to be acceptable due to the extreme heat.  Women’s dress varies according to age.  Mature women’s dress typically includes jumpers and skirts, while the younger women do wear shorts.  We ask that each campaigner dress appropriately to assist in maintaining a professional teaching environment.
•  Personal Hygiene Items – deodorant and female hygiene supplies.
•  Medicine – Bring those items that you may need as medicine supplies are limited.  We recommend the following: Imodium/Pepto-Bismol type meds, headache meds, cold/decongestant meds, sore throat lozenges, insect repellant, and bug-bite remedies.
• Bedding/Toiletries – This includes a towel, washcloth, soap, shampoo, and vision/contact supplies.
• Other Items– small flashlight, watch, battery or wind-up alarm clock. Please remember that Albania’s electrical system is based on 220 voltage/50hertz.  American appliances will not work. If you have special electrical needs please let us know in advance.
• Resident Missionary Supplies – If you find that you have a little extra room, let us know.  We are generally in need (or want) of something from the States!

Summary of Expected Costs

• Roundtrip Airfare                      $1200.00
• Travel to/from Rinas Airport     $60.00
• Entry Visa/Departure Tax         $28.00
• Housing per week                     $125.00
• Meals/Food per week               $100.00
• Weekend Travel/Activity per week     $15.00
• Layover for Connecting Flight per night    $150.00

Cost Examples:

WEI Information
Administrative Assistant.  The DMT maintains an Administrative Assistant on staff to manage school business.  It is important that distractions and noise in the entry area be maintained as low as possible.  Feel free to ask any questions that you may have, but we ask that general discussions be conducted outside.

Generator/Alternate Power Supply.  Because the city power supply is unreliable, the DMT maintains a diesel-powered generator on the premises.  Due to the potential to damage to the equipment by the incorrect positioning of the power transfer switches; operation of the breakers is only to be performed by the DMT unless expressed permission is given.

Access to the WEI Building.  The school building will be open from 8:30 am – 5:30pm Monday –Friday.  Should it be necessary to gain access at other times, please notify the DMT.  The building will also be open on Sunday Mornings for Assembly at 9:00am.

Computer Access.  The WEI maintains one computer for official school related activities.  As it is located on the Administrative Assistants desk and its use by others prohibits WEI activities and causes general disruptions.  Because of this, we ask that it be used only for official school business.
 
Telephone Access.  The WEI maintains one phone line that is to be used for official school business during work hours.  Feel free to have family members call the number after 6:00pm (Albania time).  Only local calls are to be made on the phone. The international number that is used to contact the school phone is: Durres: 355.204.58
 
Teaching Information
Campaigners are to use the World English Institute (WEI) English Course for teaching activities.  The material has been found to be effective in Durrës and allows easy follow-up with students.  This is due to the fact that the DMT is able to teach and discuss previously covered topics with confidence that the material is familiar to the students.  While some students may want to cover side topics such as Judaism or a specific book in the Bible, such discussions are encouraged to take place outside of regular scheduled class times.  Any student that does not finish the course of study during the regularly scheduled campaign will have to be added to the existing DMT workload and very likely a lengthy waiting list.  For more information concerning the WEI material, please visit their website @ www.weiady.org
 
Teachers are expected to maintain the student record notes and attendance on the provided sheets within your “teachers manual.”  This information is vital for those students that will have several teachers over the course of the summer.  Adequate information should be maintained to assist in the “turnover” of the student.

The typical Monday - Friday teaching schedule is as follows:

Each teacher will have classes with the same six students every day, five days a week.  Students that miss more than three classes are typically removed from the course, although individual teacher discretion is allowed.  Teachers are encouraged to develop individual friendships with their students.  
 
Each teacher will be assigned a teaching station.  In the event that another location is desired or you need a change of scenery, there are several places that you can conduct classes.  These include the back courtyard, roof area, and front courtyard.  Be advised that each comes with its own positive and negative attributes!
 
Teaches are asked not to “loiter” in the main room of the school.  This is very distracting for those trying to teach in that area and to the Administrative Assistant.  Pass your free time outside.

Good things to Know
·         Telephone Information.  At best, it can be very frustrating to make and receive telephone calls into Albania.  It is recommended that arrangement be made for your family to call after school hours at the WEI phone.  The school phone number in Durres is 355.52.20458.  It is not uncommon for a caller from the States not to make connection for up to an hour or more.  They will need to continue trying.
·         Internet Access.  Email has proven to be the most effective method of correspondence from Albania.  Several Internet Cafes are located near the school.  Usage rates average around $1.50/hour.  While service is semi-reliable, there have been times when it has been down for three continuous days.
·         Power.  Electrical power in Albania is less than reliable.  This problem will not be fixed within the next five years.  As a result, you should carry a small flashlight with you in the evening.  The WEI Durres does have a generator and will it will be used as necessary.  While it does provide electricity of the school lights and computer, its capacity is limited.  Currently it only supplies the first floor of the building. 
·         Water Supply.  The water supply to the city of Durrës is limited in the summer months and water is only supplied to the facility every other day.  The building has been provided with several large holding tanks.  Regardless, water conservation techniques need to be practiced. 
You will be responsible for all of you shopping needs.  A map of the main part of Durrës will be provided to you.  The map highlights key stores and restaurants frequented by the DMT. 
 

Prayers: Thank you for continuing to pray for this work. Although there are challenges, as with any new work, it is a true blessing to be working for the Lord in Pogradec.

In Christian Love,
Xhumert, Kevin, and Allison
      

Greetings from Pogradec. We want to express our gratitude to all of you
for your quick response to our request for flutes. As of today we know of
at least two flutes that are on their way to Oklahoma. They will be
brought to Albania by campaigners later this summer. We are grateful for
your warm and loving response to this request.

It is our prayer that this kindness may open the hearts of Magda and
Bukuroshe. Please continue to pray for our students and for the people of
Pogradec as we try to show them the love of Jesus.

In Christian Love,
Xhumert, Kevin and Allison

July was a month filled with visits. Whether it was students traveling to visit family (missing class), students’ families traveling to see them (missing class), students traveling to the beach (definitely missing class), or friends coming to visit us, we have experienced a large amount of traveling and visiting in one way or another. In truth, July has been a busy month filled with work and relaxation both. We thank you for your support, and we hope that you enjoy reading about our month.

CAMPAIGN: Marilyn and Sarah were a great help and encouragement to us. Most of our students are women and girls, so having two women working with us was wonderful. Parents are protective of their girls, and a female presence at the school is very important. They made an impact on our students in the short time they were here. Many of our students still ask about them even after they have gone home.

TRAVEL: We (Kevin and Allison) were able to visit with Christians in Durrës and former students when we took Marilyn and Sarah to the airport earlier this month. Albania has one international airport, which is located in its capital, Tirana. Traveling from Pogradec to Tirana by bus, train or van takes from four to seven hours depending on the mode of transportation. This also requires an overnight in the city before heading home, because the transportation usually leaves in the morning or midday. We stayed with Ray and Shelley Wheeler on this trip
to Durrës. This made getting to the airport easier, and it also gave us the opportunity to visit with some of our former students. We (Kevin, Allison, and Marilyn) even visited the home of Ledisa Çota. Ledisa was a student of both Marilyn and Allison.

On the way home from Durrës we (Allison and Kevin) took the train. This was our first time to ride a train in Albania. The train, which was similar to most trains we have traveled on in Eastern Europe, was separated into compartments with a common hall. Each compartment had a door, window, and two benches facing each other. There was enough room for six adults, three on each bench. We took the train on a Saturday, during beach season, so the train was packed. We shared our compartment with two mothers, each accompanied by two children, and another older Albanian woman. It was cozy, but a lot of fun. We were able to communicate some in Albanian, and the children were entertaining. The women were very courteous even offering us some of their lunch. We saw a part of Albania that you do not see from the highway, farmers harvesting hay, and a husband and wife with sticks herding turkeys. The six hours seemed to fly by.

TRANSLATION: Xhumert has been busy translating this month. We are studying John with the teen class and our group is diverse. About half of the discussion is in Albanian. There was a need for Bible study materials that were bilingual or one hundred percent Albanian. Xhumert has translated some of the John materials into Albanian to make them accessible to everyone.

VISITORS: We have had many visitors here in Pogradec this month. Eric Weinbarger and Eriola Bozo visited for five days. They were a great help, doing clerical work and odd jobs around the school, and cooking for us. Eric, now a student at Harding University, lived in Durrës
for two years before moving back to the United States in the fall of 2003. Eriola studies at the University of Tirana and has been involved in the activities of the Durrës church for the past few years.

At the end of the month we had a group of five visit. Included in that group were Diana Qerimi, Jonida Kushi, Ajald Çelmeta, and Dan and Ben Asperheim. Diana, Jonida and Ajald are all members of the church in Durrës. Jonida is a college student in Milan, Italy and is home on summer break. They are all good friends and their visit was a wonderful encouragement. Dan and Ben are brothers who attend York College; they are working with the Master’s Apprentice Program (MAP), a missions program at York. Dan and Ben taught in Durrës for two months and will be returning home in early August. It was fun for us to meet and talk with Dan and Ben as we know many of the same people, because we (Kevin and Allison) attended York College and participated in MAP.

NEW LOCATION: We found a new apartment, and we plan to finalize the contract in August while the owner is in Pogradec on vacation. It is a two-story house with a kitchen-living room area and bathroom on the first floor and three available bedrooms on the second floor. This
will be the school as well as our (Kevin and Allison’s) home. It is less spacious than our current apartment and school, but it is much closer to the center of the city and our students.

THANK YOU: We wanted to thank all of those that have encouraged us this month through prayers, e-mails and visits.

In His Service,
Xhumert, Kevin and Allison

Team Email: weipogradec@fastmail.fm
Xhumert Nuro: xhumert@yahoo.com
Kevin and Allison Morrill: morrills_in_durres@yahoo.com

Sponsor Pogradec Mission Team:

Idaho Falls Church of Christ
2650 Plommon St.
Idaho Falls, ID 83402
 

Greetings from Pogradec!

This newsletter is a little later than we would have hoped. The past few weeks have been filled with activity and frustrations. Our computer was experiencing problems, which we fixed. Unfortunately, in the course of fixing the problems, our internet connection was lost. We have also experienced complications with our move; these are detailed later in the letter.

The end of July and beginning of September brought new students though our doors. Word is continuing to spread about the course as students begin and complete the course. Most of our students are related in some way. Please pray that we will be effective teachers as we share the Good News with our students.

We had a wonderful visit with a group from Durrës this month: Ray and Shelley Wheeler, Laureta Nasufi and her sister Rudina, and Elvin Xhimitiku. We had the pleasure of sharing in the joy of Laureta’s baptism. She was baptized in Tushemisht, a village close to Pogradec. Laureta had been attending worship in Durrës and has studied with both Lynn Hunt and Shelley Wheeler.

On August 28th the church in Durrës hosted a Bible Bowl based on the Gospel of John. Some of our students prepared for the competition, and we were able to bring Landro Terolli and Nertila Mitka. The church in Pogradec took a special collection for the trip and was able to defray all of the cost of traveling. We believe that it is important for these young people to meet Christians from other cities. Landro and Nertila had a wonderful time; they were able to fellowship with the Christians from Durrës, Tirana, and Lushnja.

The body of believers in Pogradec is comprised of about eight people (including us), but we usually have more on Sundays than this number because some of the Christians also bring family members. Only one of this group was baptized recently, Kandita, while rest of the group was immersed for the remission of their sins by others prior to our arrival. Landro, a seventeen-year-old boy, is one of this group. He loves to study the Bible.

In mid-August we signed our rent contract for the new building and began telling our students about the move. Many of them are very happy because the new building is closer to their homes. This new building is across from the city’s main park, which is near the lake. The residents of Pogradec have a tradition of walking in the morning and evening. The main path for the evening walk runs directly in front of our new apartment, which makes the location recognizable and in the middle of the action. We think that this will be a benefit in both the summer and winter months.

Please pray for a smooth transition from one apartment to another. We also ask that you pray for our relationship with our former landlord. This month he has expressed his displeasure with our plans to move. In July, we sat and talked with our landlord about his request to increase
our rent by 300 dollars. We left the meeting with the understanding that we were free to pursue other living arrangements since we were not in agreement with his request. He feels that we should have given him a written notice of our leaving three months in advance. Our understanding was that by requesting the increase in our rent, placing a specific date that it would become effective (in writing), and telling us he had no other options for us he voided our original contract and by giving notice orally in the meeting we fulfilled our obligations. In short, he feels that we should pay another three months rent. We have spoken to a lawyer, a notary, and several other people. They all agree that we are within the law and that our landlord dissolved the contract in writing when he requested to increase our rent. The situation is a little complicated, and we pray that it will be solved as soon as possible. We want to present a humble, Christian attitude about the situation, and at the same time to be wise and discerning.

Since Xhumert has been living in the same apartment as the Morrills, he will also be moving to a new apartment at the end of September. He will have additional expenses including electricity and heating. He will be able to defray these expenses with his current support, but was wondering if you would prayerfully consider helping him with the cost of his rent. Xhumert expects the cost of his rent to be approximately $100 dollars each month. Thank you for your consideration. If you are interested please e-mail us for more details.

His Servants,
Xhumert, Kevin and Allison

Sponsor Pogradec Mission Team:


Idaho Falls Church of Christ
2650 Plommon St.
Idaho Falls, ID 83402
 

This has been an exciting month with a new location, new students, and a new school year. We were happy and relieved to move from our first location. We settled in and had our first students Friday, September 17. It took a little time to orient our students to the new location and phone number (our former landlord had disconnected our phone line one week before we moved), but after about a week we were totally settled and our students knew where to go. When all was said and done, Dashi's family still wanted to still have a relationship with us, and his wife Dalfina has given Allison an open invitation to meet and have coffee.

We are blessed to have new students walk in the door. Many of them are relatives and friends of our current students. As we learned from working in Durrës, word of mouth is the best form of publicity. Our signs and new location have also brought inquiries.

The summer ended and a new school year began. This means that we had to reorganize our schedules. All three of us are now very busy in the afternoon. We were still able to keep some of our students in the morning who were elementary school teachers because many of the elementary schools begin in the afternoon and finish in the evening. We also teach some stay-at-home mothers and unemployed women, all of which will continue to come in the morning.

Shortly after moving into our new apartment we began our preparation for winter. Like most of the homes in Pogradec we have a small wood-burning stove. The wood for the stove was delivered to the sidewalk outside the school then cut and piled. This process took an entire morning. Pogradec is very cold in the winter, so the stove and wood should prove to be invaluable. So far the weather has been very mild, but if this winter anything like last year, we will appreciate the warmth.

Our address and phone number has changed. If you would like to contact us, please use the following information.

New telephone number is: 355-83-246-26

New Address: World English Institute
Lagja Nr.1, Rruga & #8220;Deshmorët e Pojskës & #8221; Nr. 8
Pogradec, Albania, Europe

Thank you for your thoughts and prayers this month. This was a month of new beginnings. It has been an exciting and somewhat stressful month. God has taken good care of us. Please pray for the growth of the church in Pogradec, both in number and in faith.


His Servants,
Xhumert, Kevin and Allison

Team Email: weipogradec@fastmail.fm
Xhumert Nuro: xhumert@yahoo.com
Kevin and Allison Morrill: morrills_in_durres@yahoo.com

Sponsor Pogradec Mission Team:

Idaho Falls Church of Christ
2650 Plommon St.
Idaho Falls, ID 83402
 

Happy Thanksgiving Day! May His Love, Grace and Peace be yours abundantly!

Dear brethren,

We send our love to you all who love and serve the Lord our Savior, hoping you are well. We, too, are well and doing well. Here are some of the events we had in September and October ’04.

September 1st, we went on a two-week vacation with our kids. We traveled toward south to the city of Saranda where Alfred had lived with his parents back to 70’s. The area around Saranda city is a very pretty one. We were amazed of the wonderful views of the sunrises and sunsets on the seashore.

We had a very nice weather and a quite place to rest. Diana and kids swam and had sunbaths while Alfred enjoyed and relaxed fishing with spear gun taking care of our lunch. He likes that very much. We were blessed with a very good time with one another and we enjoyed it very much.

We came back to Durres full of energy for new efforts in fishing men for Christ. In a few days as we came back our kids, Aldi and Yvonne, started the new school year. We found everyone well in Durres. Lynn Hunt just had finished his visit to Durres. Many of the brethren were making the last arrangements for the new school year. Some went through competitions to go to University while others through many tests and exams.

Diana keeps teaching the children class on Sunday mornings. Its attendance had dropt recently and we have talked about that with the other teachers and the church as well. We are convinced that teaching Bible to the children is what the church should do more than teaching English.

Diana is also studying Bible on Wednesday mornings with other adult ladies, like Arta, Fatime, Diana, Sofia and Suela. We saw a need in ministering these ladies, who are members of the church, most of them, and do not speak English well. They were not attending the Bible class on Wednesday evenings with the church and some even the worship services on Sunday mornings for several reasons. Diana is studying with them the book of Ruth as they meet on their homes by rotation. They do enjoy the studying and the fellowship time they share with one another. Diana asks your prayer for the children class and for these ladies as well. Thanks.

Together with Chimi, Wheelers, Ty, and Eric, we planned the church’s educational program for October ‘04 – September ’05. In the new program, we planned many teachings through Bible classes, Seminars, and Gospel Meetings as well. All the focus of the program is in educating the membership and in reaching the lost. The church had a very good experience on that last year. May the Lord keep blessing all our efforts in teaching of His word.

In October, we had several exciting events. Thus in October 27th – 31st, Durres church hosted a Seminar and the Men’s Day

We invited John Massie, a brother in Christ, as guest speaker for both events. He is one of Alfred’s former instructors in Athens International Bible Institute, Greece and at present he ministers at Alamo City Church of Christ in San Antonio, TX. John was accompanied in his mission trip to Albania by his lovely wife, Earlene.

Seminar’s theme was “The Distinctive Nature of the Church of Christ”. The subjects that John taught for four days were:

· The Distinctive Pattern of the New Testament Christianity
· The Difference between Old and New God’s Covenant
· The Identity of New Testament church
· The Pattern of New Testament Baptism and Worship

The theme of Men’s Day on October 30th was “God’s given Role and Authority to Men”. John spoke that day about:

· “The Leadership Pattern of the New Testament Church”

This day has become a traditional meeting each year among churches. We invited male membership of all the churches of Christ in Albania and many from Tirana church, Elbasan church, Vlora church, Oricum church, Pogradec church and Durres church as well attended the meeting.

We all had a very good time together as we listened to God’s Word and shared the positive experiences among congregations. We also had good time of fellowship. Durres church worked hard to make Albanian hospitality a reality. Many ladies from Durres church worked hard to prepare the lunch we shared with the guests.

We do thank God for both events which brought glory to Him and helped His church to grow toward maturity. John is a very powerful speaker of God's word. We admire his boldness in preaching of His Word and His Truth. His lessons were very well received and appreciated from Durres church and other churches in Albania as well. Many have expressed that to us. They all send "Hello" and say "Thank You" to John and Earlene Massie. Thank you, beloved friends. May the Lord bless your ministry and family

October 24th, we had a new soul added to the church. Eriola, a young girl, confessed her faith and was baptized for remission of her sins. We all sing praises to God who blesses the work of His church here in Durres.

October 31st, Durres church said “Good Bye” to Enkeleida Doci, one of its faithful members. The next day Enkeleida left Albania to join her fiancé, Lynn Hunt, in Idaho Falls, U.S. Many tears and many hugs, all because of the wonderful friendship we all have in Christ. Praise Him!


Dear brethren,

We love you with the love of the Lord and we hope you would be excited and encouraged to keep supporting the work in Durres as you read and learn what our Lord is doing through our co-work. May the Lord bless the efforts of our partnership for His Glory.


As a Remembrance, here are some prayer requests:
1. Durres church and its growth.
2. Eriola, the new soul added to the church by Lord.
3. Children Bible class and Adult Ladies Bible class
4. Enkeleida Doci and Lynn Hunt
5. Our work and family


Brotherly in Christ, Sponsored by:
Alfred and Diana Zike Adams Blvd. Church of Christ
Alfred Zike Bartlesville, OK
November 13, 2004
 

Xhumert and Irena

Baptism: November 28th we welcomed a new brother Idajet (ee-dye-et) into
our family. Idajet has been attending worship consistently and his wife
Lumturi, a baptized believer, is one of Kevin’s students. On Sunday the 21st  Idajet expressed an interest in being baptized and called it a gift from God. We were all very excited. Idajet works as a security guard and his wife is a teacher. They have a son and a daughter. Their son, Denis, is another one Kevin’s students. Just before Idajet was baptized, we sang the song Create in Me a Clean Heart O God in Albanian. Lumturi looked over at her husband and said, in Albanian, that is what you are going to do. She had a big smile on her face. Please pray for Idajet as he begins his walk with Christ.

Idajet

Idajet and Lumturi

New Baptistery:  Idajet was baptized in the building that we have worship and classes. We praise God that everything went was smoothly as it did, because the baptistery was only completed the day before. Xhumert and Kevin went looking for a place that was appropriate for a baptism. They visited many hotels and a couple of private homes but to no avail. In the summer baptisms are very easy because we are a stones throw from a very large lake, but now it is below freezing outside. The other problem was space. There was no place inside to build a baptistery and water supplies are very limited. Water is available three times a day downstairs. The solution was to make a portable baptistery by cutting the top off of a metal water tank. Xhumert knew a man who could do the job. So the work lasted most of the day on Saturday the 27th, and a piece was cut out of metal to attach a hose to our bathroom sink.

Xhumert & Kevin's Baptistery
 

Morrill’s Vacation: At the beginning of the month the Kevin and Allison met Allison’s mother and sister in Italy and had a vacation there. For Kevin and Allison this meant a two-hour flight, but Allison’s mother and sister flew from the United States. It was wonderful to see them because it had been about a year since Allison and Kevin had seen them last.

Workers: We are beginning to think about the summer campaign. We have heard from a few people already who have interest in working here this summer. If you would like to help with this important short-term work
please contact us. 

Prayer Requests: Please keep Xhumert and Irena in your prayers as they begin their new life together. Irena is not yet a Christian, but when asked what she does in her free time, she said she reads her Bible. She has a wonderful heart. Also pray for Idajet as he begins his walk with Christ. Finally, pray that God bless this work as He provides the workers and support it needs to continue. May God bless you richly this month.


His Servants,
Xhumert, Kevin and Allison

Team Email:  weipogradec@fastmail.fm
Xhumert and Irena Nuro: xhumert@yahoo.com
Kevin and Allison Morrill: morrills_in_durres@yahoo.com

Sponsor Pogradec Mission Team:

     Idaho Falls Church of Christ
     2650 Plommon St.
     Idaho Falls, ID  83402
 

We hope that you have had a great Christmas, and we wish you a wonderful new year. God has been working in Pogradec this year. For our last newsletter of the year we wanted to do a recap of the events of the past year. Before we recap the events of 2004, we want to give you some information about some changes that will be happening in Pogradec during 2005.

We (Kevin and Allison) are planning to move back to the United States in June of 2005. We would like to find a couple, or a couple of people to continue our teaching of WEI bible courses, but if this is not possible, we are confident that the church will continue to grow with God’s blessing and Xhumert’s continued efforts. Xhumert Nuro (the Albanian man who works with us) does not have any plans to leave. He has bought an apartment and plans to live here with his wife, Irena, indefinitely. We ask that you prayerfully consider taking this leap of faith and working with the church here. It has been an enormous blessing and a true faith building experience. We also ask you to continue supporting the work through prayers and financial help. If you would like more information about the work please e-mail us with your questions.

JANUARY: Farewells and New Beginnings.
On January 17th we were part of a group that helped Xhumert move into the apartment in Pogradec.

Morrills: We had worked in Durres for a year and a half before we moved to Pogradec, so for us, January was a time of packing, organizing supplies for the new school, and saying goodbye to the church in Durres. It was a comfort to know that we were only a few hours away.

We decided that it is better for Xhumert to spend his days in the community rather solely teaching with WEI materials. The idea behind this is that a native speaker is more effective
working among the people. He has been able to establish many friendships with members of the community.

When we (the Morrills) moved here it was quite a change from Durres. Things that were taken for granted, like stores with aisles, are hard to find here. So our Albanian began to improve. We also made new friends, learned the names of the shopkeepers and people who we saw regularly, and generally tried to be seen in the community and be a part of this community. It was difficult because of the language barrier, but that too was lessening by this time.

MARCH: New Students and Biblical Conversations
March came in like a lion; in the first two days we conducted ten interviews (nine of them on March 1st). Most of our students were coming in through word of mouth. By the end of the month our schedules were completely full and the waiting list was growing.

This was a month for conversations. As with anything new, the people of Pogradec wanted to know who we were, so we had many visitors. Some people asked us if we are Baptist, Pentecostal, Evangelical, or just Protestant. We said, “we are just Christians, who read and believe in the Bible.” Many “missionaries” have worked in Pogradec since Albania became a democracy. They have taught a variety of ideas; some of them close to the Bible and others far from it. Through conversations we began to better understand what some of the groups believe. We are still learning.

APRIL: Building Relationships
We continued to teach and forge relationships in the community. Xhumert took on more WEI students. One of our biggest obstacles of the month was the amount of Bible “teachers” in the
community who were not teaching God’s Word truthfully.

MAY: Preparations for the summer and Xhumert’s Health
Xhumert was sick from a good part of May. Through many prayers he was able to recover and received a clean bill of health from a doctor in Tirana. We also prepared for the summer; getting students lined up for our summer schedules.

JUNE: New Sister and Visitors
On June 20th 2004, Kandita Hasa, who was Muslim by name only, decided to follow Christ. Kandita had studied with Allison for five months before making her decision. She also studied with Xhumert in Albanian when she showed an interest in baptism. Kandita worked as a music teacher in a village nearby and is the mother of a six-year-old boy, Juli (you-lee). Kandita’s faith and her warm smile have been a great blessing. We ask that you pray for Kandita; she has a great heart, but because she is the only Christian in her family, she finds it difficult to attend worship.

Marilyn Fisher and Sarah Everett arrived in Pogradec on June 26th and worked with us until July 7th. This was Marilyn’s third time in Albania and Sarah’s first. Marilyn is a retired schoolteacher and Sarah was to begin her senior year of high school the following fall. Both women taught WEI lessons in Pogradec. It was a blessing to have Marilyn and Sarah visit; many of our students still talk about them.

JULY: Teaching and Visits
Teaching proceeded as normal.

We said goodbye to Sarah and Marilyn.

We had two visits from Christians in Durres. On one visit Ben and Dan Asperheim, students from York College who were working for the summer in Durres, were able to come for a few days.

We looked for and found a different location for the school because our landlord wanted to raise our rent.

AUGUST: Visitor Baptized, Growing Body and New Building Found
Laureta Nasufi, from Durres, was baptized in Tushemisht, a village close to Pogradec during a visit here. Laureta had been attending worship in Durres and had studied with both Lynn Hunt and Shelley Wheeler.

The body of believers in Pogradec was comprised of about eight people (including us), but we usually have more on Sundays than this number because some of the Christians also bring family members. Only one of this group was baptized recently, Kandita, while rest of the group was immersed for the remission of their sins by others prior to our arrival. Landro, a seventeen-year-old boy, is one of this group. He loves to study the Bible and participated in a Bible Bowl in Durres during this month.
 
In mid-August we signed our rent contract for the new building and began telling our students about the move. Many of them are very happy because the new building is closer to their homes.

SEPTEMBER: New Location
We had a harder move than any of us could have expected, but through many prayers we shook the dust off our feet and began at our new location. We were happy and relieved to move from our first location. We settled in and had our first students Friday, September 17.

OCTOBER: Movie Days
We invited our students to our home and watched the Gospel of John. One of Allison’s students said that it helped her remember the stories of the bible as she studied them in her WEI course.

NOVEMBER: Xhumert’s Marriage, New Brother, and Baptistery Built
On November 3rd 2004 Xhumert was married to Irena Gegprifti. Irena is from Potgozhan, a village about one hour and a half from Pogradec. Irena has an uncle in Pogradec and various
other relatives close by. · November 28th we welcomed a new brother Idajet (ee-dye-t)into
our family. Idajet has been attending worship consistently, and his wife Lumturi, a baptized believer, is one of Kevin’s students. On Sunday the 21st Idajet had expressed an interest
in being baptized and called it a “gift from God.”

We created a baptistery for Idajet’s baptism using a water storage tank.

DECEMBER: Friendships
· We saw the love of the Albanian people as we shared gifts and holiday wishes. Allison invited some of her students over to make Christmas cookies. Irena (Xhumert’s wife) taught Allison how to make Baklava, a traditional Christmas/New Year dessert, in Albania. Members of the church took a walk by the lake on Christmas Day.

Thank you again for the blessing that you have been to us as we work for the Lord in Albania.

In Him,
Xhumert, Kevin and Allison

Team Email: weipogradec@fastmail.fm
Xhumert Nuro: xhumert@yahoo.com
Kevin and Allison Morrill: morrills_in_durres@yahoo.com

Sponsor Pogradec Mission Team:

Idaho Falls Church of Christ
2650 Plommon St.
Idaho Falls, ID 83402

January 2005

On the first at midnight the citizens of Pogradec with rockets, mortars, roman candles, sparklers and ground flowers put on a spectacular fire works show. Nothing was organized; people bought their own fireworks and set them off from apartments, homes, or city streets. We went to the city square and were literally surrounded by fireworks and sounds. It was an exciting night and a must-see! However, on January 30, 2005 something more spectacular occurred. Xhumert had the privilege of baptizing his wife, Irena, into Christ, definitely more spectacular.

Irena, who grew up Orthodox, expressed that the Bible and faith were more important than traditions and superstitions, which are a major part of the Orthodox faith. She made the decision to be baptized, and invited her relatives to witness the event. Two of Irena’s sisters traveled from their village for the baptism. She also had two relatives come from Tushemisht, a village nearby. We were happy that some of her family could attend worship and see a baptism modeled after the biblical example. We hope that this planted some seeds.

Winter truly began in Pogradec this month. For a city that is know for snow and winter weather, Pogradec had not been living up to the stories. Though we had experienced cold weather (below freezing over night and in the low 40’s during the day) the last week of the month brought our first snowstorm. The city was not accessible from the western parts of Albania without zinxhirë për gomat e makinës (tire chains). Pogradec was by no means hardest hit by the snow, and we still had access to trade routes with Macedonia and Greece, and did not have the food shortages experienced in the north of the country which was totally isolated for several days. We had fewer students this month because of the winter weather, but many of our students are very hearty and took the weather in stride.

In mid-January Allison visited Bukurosha and Magda. Burkurosha is not working right now because it is too cold to be outside selling bananas, but Magda is teaching five days per week. On the weekends she teaches piano, and she teaches music to Rom (gypsy) children at a school near her home. The ladies seem to be doing well and Magda hopes that she will be able to branch out into flute lessons soon.

At the end of the January the Nuros and Morrills went to visit Landro’s family for his 18th Birthday. This was by no means the first time that either couple had visited this family, but for some reason it was a little different. Landro’s father, who is a professed Muslim, decided to accompany his son to worship the following Sunday. We hope that this can become a habit.

The following is a letter about summer campaign and long-term work from the church in Pogradec. We encourage you to read this letter and consider coming here. This is an amazing place, and it will be an experience you will never forget.

The website was updated this month to include pictures from both Idajet’s and Irena’s baptisms. There is also a new picture page called fellowship.

(See Idajet's pics on this page -  click on "Idajet" here.) bp
 

Xhumert and Irena Nuro

Prayer Requests:

• Irena Nuro as she begins her walk with Christ
• The church in Pogradec that it will grow and mature in faith and knowledge of the Bible.
• Kandita Hasa that she will continue her walk with Christ and make worship a habit. (She did come to worship once this month, but she still has a long way to go.)
   

His Servants,
Xhumert, Kevin and Allison

Sponsor Pogradec Mission Team:
Idaho Falls Church of Christ
2650 Plommon St.
Idaho Falls, ID 83402
 

This work will be even more important if there are no long-term workers from the United States. It will be very difficult for Xhumert (the Albanian missionary who lives and works in Pogradec) to teach all of the students that begin with the summer campaign. This short-term work can last from two weeks to two months (Again we encourage campaigners to stay for at least three weeks of teaching).

If you are interested in joining us in any part of this work (physically
or financially), or just want to know more about the work here please contact Kevin Morrill. Kevin has been living and working in Albania for about two and a half years. He and his wife, Allison, worked with the church in Durres, Albania for a year and a half before moving to Pogradec last January. He will help you in planning your stay in Albania and help you to find needed information.

We thank you for considering this work and we ask you to pray for our small group of Christians as we try to spread the Gospel to the city of Pogradec.

In Christian Love,

Xhumert Nuro (Albanian missionary), Idajet and Lumturi Guri, Mimoza
Kumbulla, Verxhil Mikta, Landro Terrolli, Kandita Hasa, and Kevin and
Allison Morrill (US missionaries)

Kevin Morrill

May 2005

Greetings in the Lord! We want to thank you for your continued prayers and support for the work in Pogradec; we also want you to know that we will begin using our new mailing lists next month.

May was a very busy month for all of us, but it was also very exciting. Every weekend was filled with fellowship and visits both in other people’s homes and our home as well. It was nice to spend so much time with the members of the church and our students. It was also nice to meet members of their families.

May 6th we welcomed a new sister into the body. Elona Sulollari, a WEI student, decided that she wanted her sins to be forgiven in baptism. She has been a student of Allison’s for about eight months. Please pray for Elona because she is also involved in a Pentecostal body, Nehemiah, and worships there often. She enjoys worshipping at Nehemiah church because many of her friends attend that congregation. Please pray that she will hold to the truth in God’s word and not to be swept away in the lies they are teaching. Please pray also that the Christians here form a good strong relationship with her. She will begin to study the book of John because she has finished both WEI courses. It is our hope that she will become more grounded in the word of God.

On May 31 Van and Jean Tate arrived in Albania. The Tates will be helping with the teaching of new students and will be continuing the teaching of our (Kevin and Allison’s) students as we prepare to return to the US. The Tates will be in Albania for the next month.

With the summer almost here and school about to finish, we created an advertisement for the local television station. It began during the last week of the month and will run six to ten times a day for a month. We wanted to attract some new students for the summer because
many of our students are finishing the courses. Word of mouth was our best tool in the past to attract students, but after asking our current students and members of the church, we found that the advertisement was the best option right now.

This has been a busy month of visits for us. Because it was our last full month in Albania many of the church members invited us (Kevin and Allison) over to their homes for a visits. We had the opportunity to visit the homes of Xhumert and Irena, Lumturi and Idajet, Verxhil and his wife, and Adelina and her husband. These were good opportunities to talk the families of our church members.

On May 7th Kevin and Allison visited the village of Geshtenjes (which means chestnut). They had been invited by two of Allison’s students, Monika and Alma. Monika has been studying with Allison since September and Alma for about a month. We (Kevin and Allison) had the opportunity to meet both Alma’s and Monika’s families (they are relatives, because the ladies’ mothers were sisters and fathers are brothers). The women had planned a picnic for all of us, but it rained in the morning, and we had to eat inside. The rain subsided and we hiked up a hill where we could see Pogradec and the Lake Ohrid.

The village has a large Muslim population, but does not have a mosque. In the winter, during the month of Ramadan, Alma’s family had opened their home for worship and prayers. Monika is becoming more open to the Bible and has studied through both WEI courses and the book of John with Allison. Alma is a more committed Muslim, but she is willing to read the Bible. Please pray for these women as they continue to search for the truth.

On Saturday May 28 the church invited Allison and Kevin to Tushemisht, a village nearby, to eat lunch. It was so nice to have the body together. There were about twelve of us our group, which as composed of both church members and their spouses. The entire church could not attend, but a good number of them did. The church wanted to have a meal to say goodbye and have fellowship before Allison and Kevin move back to the US in June. After the meal, about half of us went to visit the home of Irena’s grandmother and Lumteri’s sister.

Magda and Bukurosha moved to Tirana at the end of this month. Bukurosha was able to find work as a caretaker for an older woman and some small children. Madga is currently looking for work, and has interviews coming up with two private schools. She hopes teach music at one of the schools. In Pogradec both women were getting depressed at the lack of full time work; bananas increased in price this year, so Bukurosha did not sell them this year. Please pray that this move and “change of scenery” brings these women closer to the Lord.

Your Servants in Christ,
Xhumert, Kevin and Allison
 

Dear brothers and sisters.

Greetings from the church here in Pogradec. We pray that God will bless you abundantly as you do your best to serve Him.

First of all, sorry for my delayed report for this month. I had to go to Tirana to visit my father who has been diagnosed with lung cancer. His health is deteriorating rapidly and probably there are only a few months left for him to live. This was probably my last time to see him alive. Please pray for him and also for my brother and sister who are looking after him during this difficult time for all us. My father does not fear death, but the saddest thing is that he is passing away without knowing God. I am sorry to start this newsletter by giving you this sad news, instead of starting with the report about our work for the Lord here.

We are continuing our work for the Lord in this part of His world and this month was a busy one for us. Our summer campaign started right at the beginning of the month with the arrival of our brother and sister Van & Jean Tate. They arrived on May 31st and within a day or two, after some rest, they started to teach students with WEI materials. They have been teaching seven students each every day and they did a wonderful job. We had many visitors this month from across the pond (US) and from Albania. On the 7th of June Les and Theresa Pope from Idaho Falls Church of Christ and their son Ty visited us and spent almost three days here. It was nice to meet and talk to them, especially with Ty's parents (from Durres) who were for the first time in Pogradec. We appreciate very much the encouragement they gave us to continue with our work for the lord here in Pogradec. That same day Steve Stamatis and two Albanian brothers, Alfred Zike and Alfred Dimce payed a short visit on their way to Korca a city about 30 miles south of Pogradec. Four days later six brothers from the church in Durres came to stay with us for a night and worshiped with us on Sunday morning. They left to Durres on Sunday the 12th at noon time and Morrills went with them. It was their last Sunday with us, after they had spent almost one year and a half working for the Lord here in Pogradec. They did a great job and everybody here is going to miss them. They built good relationships not only with the church members, but also with the members of the community at large. They became part of the Albanian culture by learning Albanian language and our customs. Their Albanian improved steadily and within a year and a half they were able to speak and understand well enough without the need of a translator, and that was very impressive to anyone who noticed that. Morrills are a very good example for all of those within the churches of Christ who are considering missionary work abroad. We hope and pray that God will bring them back to continue the good work they started.

Every Sunday morning, as always, we gather together to worship our God and to encourage each other in our Christian walk. I lead the Bible class each Sunday and right now we are studying the gospel of Matthew.

Dear brothers and sisters. The Lord's church here in Pogradec is still small and the challenges ahead are still great, but we are not discouraged. We will do all we can in our part and we are pretty confident that with God's help and His guidance, His church will grow. We believe that there is a plentiful harvest here, but the workers are few. There is a great need for workers here in Pogradec to further God's Kingdom and we hope and pray that God will send workers into His harvest field.

We thank you very much for your support and your prayers and we send our love along with every wonderful blessing from our Heavenly Father.

Yours in Christ
Xhumert & Irena Nuro

Dear brothers and sisters.

We greet you in the precious name of our Lord Jesus Christ from Pogradec and wish wholeheartedly God's blessings upon each one of you. Your love for the Lord is great, and you have demonstrated it by supporting His work all over Albania. May God bless you richly with every material and spiritual blessing in Christ and give you joy in your hearts.

Right at the beginning of this month, and exactly on July the 2nd, we said goodbye to Van and Jean Tate. They worked with us for a month. We shared some great moments together and we appreciate their help, encouragement, and their lovely personalities. We will keep in touch with each other and we wish all the best to them.

Summer is a busy season here in Pogradec. A lot of holidaymakers from across the border and especially from Albania come here to spend some special moments by lake Ohrid and the weather this month has been great.

We also have been very busy with the summer campaign. We are continuing to teach students with WEI materials five days per week from Monday right to the Friday. To help us with this work on July the 4-th two sisters from America arrived here in Pogradec. They are Phyllis Carter and Elsie Reid from Portland in Oregon. They will stay here for six weeks. It is really nice to have them here and we will do everything in our part to make sure that they feel at home. They had some rest only on the day of their arrival and the next day they started to teach the students. They have been teaching eight students each every day and
they are doing a wonderful job.

We did have visitors this month too. On Friday, July the 15-th,our sister Vera Kura from the church in Elbasan came to spend the weekend with Elsie and Phyllis. She was invited by Elsie and they went to Korca for a short visit on Saturday. On that same day our brother Shkelqim (Cimi) who works for the church in Durres and his fiancée Anila came to Pogradec and spent that night at our apartment. We enjoyed very much each others company and shared some precious moments together. Cimi and I have known each other since 1992 when we met in the army. Later, we studied in the British Bible School in England and shared many good memories together. That was a special time also because my wife Irena and Cimi's fiancée Anila got to know each other.

Sunday the 17-th was a day to remember for the church here in Pogradec. The place of worship was so full and for a moment we thought there would be no seats for everyone to be accommodated. There were twenty believers all who had come as a family to give praise to God and to be encouraged by one another, and that was wonderful. The worship was great, thoughtful and very encouraging. Our brother Landro, who is only 18 years old led us to the Lord's Supper and he did a great job. His thoughts and prayers about this special occasion were simple but right to the point and they came deep from within his heart. He is a young man who loves God and does his best to serve Him. Our brother Cimi gave a very thoughtful and encouraging message that Sunday. After the worship we spent a few nice moments together. Those who hadn't met before had a chance to talk and to know each other. We thank God for giving us moments like this.

Our sister Phyllis went to Tirana on Wednesday the 27-th to see a doctor. She was complaining from back pain. According to the doctor, there was nothing wrong with her spine. An infection on the skin was causing her back pain. She had a lump on her back and that was causing the problem. After some days treatment with strong antibiotics she is
back to Pogradec feeling much better and very relieved. Praise the Lord for that.

MOVING INTO A NEW LOCATION

On the middle of August the school is moving into a new location. The current building is very big for our needs and quite expensive to rent. It served before as a living place for Morrills as well as a meeting place for the congregation on Sunday. The place is close to the current one and it is in a good location. It is smaller and much less expensive to rent. It will serve us as a school to teach students and as a meeting place for the congregation only temporarily. We plan to meet as a body on Sunday at our apartment, but that will not happen until we move to the new one, which is still under construction. Our new apartment will have more space and an elevator. It will be easier for our brother Virxhil to get there. Virxhil has difficulty going up the stairs. He suffered from Polio when he was a child and that left him with mobility problems.

FUTURE PLANS

I will continue to teach students with WEI materials, but at the same time I plan to spend more time in the community and also visiting and encouraging the members of the body in their homes more often. I am trying to encourage the brothers in the church (Xhili, Idajet and Landro) to be involved in the worship service by taking responsibilities to teach, preach, lead us in the Lord's Supper, and to pray. They have done a very good job so far. Please pray for them as they are trying their best to serve God.

Dear brothers and sisters. I am very tired and desperately need some rest. Moreover my health has not been very good. I need to see a doctor to make sure that nothing serious is going on with me. Please pray for the Lord's church here in Pogradec. Please pray for
us too, that God will give us strength to go on with His work here. We thank you for your support. Praise be to God who has given you such great hearts. We send you our love and pray to God that He will richly bless your lives with every wonderful blessing from above.

Yours in Christ
Xhumert & Irena Nuro

Dear brothers and sisters in the Lord.

Greetings from the Lord's church here in Pogradec, Albania. It has been since the end of July that we have not sent you a report about God's work here. We used to do that every month, but this time, it has taken a little longer to write to you, and that's why we would like to start without any further delay. We want to inform you not only about our work, but at the same time, we want to tell you something more about our personal life, our personal struggles and challenges.

On Friday the 12-th of August we hosted an open house in our apartment. For one reason or another not everybody attended the event. We spent a couple of hours together and enjoyed the fellowship.

On Saturday the 13-th and on Sunday the 14-th we said goodbye to our sisters Elsie Reid and Phyllis Carter. They spent six weeks working with us. They, both, did a great job teaching students with the WEI materials and were a great blessing to us. Their lovely personalities helped them to build very good relationships with students. We miss them very much and hope to see them again.

On Tuesday the 16-th of August we moved into the new premises. It took us several hours to arrange everything in order to make the move possible. Our brother Landro and his sibling Leksi came to help us. I needed two more days to put everything in place to make it really a nice environment for teaching and worshiping together on Sunday. It does look as a real school with the twelve Biblical maps hung on the walls, maps that I brought from England. For the present, we do not have a phone line, but we hope that we shall have one installed in the future. Our new address is:

World English Institute
Rr."Teatri i Kukullave", P.154,
Pogradec, Albania,
Europe

My apologies for not writing to you before about our new address.

I already have told you in one of my previous reports that my father was diagnosed with lung cancer. He passed away about two months and a half after his initial diagnosis, exactly on the 29-th of August. He lived with my younger brother in Tirana and I had to go and visit him often when he was still alive. He wanted to see me around before he was about to die. I could not stay longer than two nights at times. I had to come back to Pogradec to continue with the work here and to look after my wife. She was eight months pregnant at that time and needed help and care.

After my father's death, I stayed seven days in Tirana to complete the mourning period according to our tradition. Then, exactly, two weeks after my father's death, my aunt passed away. That was my father's sister. I could not attend her funeral. I saw her shortly, days before she was about to die.

But, our Lord is a great God. He is the God of all comfort, who comforts us in times of sorrow and brings us joy into our hearts. Rejoice with us dear brothers. God has brought joy in our life. He has blessed us ( Irena & I ) with a wonderful baby girl. She was born on the 26-th of September in a maternity unit in Tirana. We named her Debora, after the two Deborah's in the Bible (one-Rebekah's nurse ( Ge.35:8 ) and the other Deborah the judge (Jdg.4:4 ). Both, the mother and the baby are doing well.

The doctors had to perform a cesarean section to make possible the birth of our little daughter. We wanted a natural birth for our daughter, but the doctors strongly recommended us that a cesarean was necessary to do that. On 2001 Irena had undergone an operation to fix two discs on her spine, and because of that it was not possible for her to give birth naturally. That would have been too risky for her future health.

We went to Tirana not because we wanted, but because we had no other option. The doctors in Pogradec were delaying the birth deliberately, because they thought that we would not pay them for the operation. Taking money from the doctors to patients it's a common feature in our national health system, even though that is not private. If you
don't give money, you would not be taken care of properly. However, we paid the doctors in Tirana anyway.

I stayed in Tirana two weeks after my wife and daughter were discharged from the maternity ward. I wanted to be beside them just in case of any possible complication.

Our daughter, Debora has brought great joy in our home. Praise be to God for this wonderful gift He has given to us. I can recall a moment when Irena was still in hospital and I went to see her. Our little baby was crying and Irena was not able to get up because of
her operation. I picked up the baby and changed her diaper. It was my first experience and I was happy to do that for my daughter.

Three days before leaving Tirana and going back to Pogradec, exactly on the 9-th of October, the church in Tirana organized a baby shower for our daughter. A dozen of sisters from Tirana's congregation came together at this event and showered our daughter with many gifts. I was a little embarrassed being the only male present. I felt relieved when Ray and Cimi from Durres made their appearance there. We enjoyed very much the occasion and thank God for the wonderful sisters in Tirana.

Despite of all my problems, I met regularly with the church in Pogradec on Sunday. I did not meet with them only on three occasions ( the 4-th of September, 2-nd and 9-th of October ). On my absence, Virxhil, our brother, led the church. He is capable of doing that and he always does a good job. Right now he is teaching a series of lessons on proverbs. He is to be commended for the good work he is doing for the Lord's church here in Pogradec.

I have to inform you dear brothers that the attendance on Sunday has dropped. Idajet and Lumturi, a Christian couple who attended regularly, have not come to worship with the body since the end of August. When Irena and I went to visit them at their home, we saw disappointment in their faces. They live in an area where the neighbors are doing a lot of construction work by extending their houses, and because of that their house is trapped between this ongoing work. They have lost a lot of light coming from the window into one of their rooms. They were disappointed because they felt they were let down by God. Since then, I have met them several times trying to encourage them to come and meet with the church. They have said that they would come, but have not done it yet. Virxhil and Landro have met them separately and were told the same thing. We pray and hope that they will come back again. We ask you, dear brothers, to pray for them too.

Mimoza and Adelina, two of our married sisters, come to church on and off. Our church is small, like a family, and you can notice it when somebody is missing, and that makes everybody sad.

But we are not discouraged. We are determined to continue serving God and do all the best for his kingdom. We believe that with His guidance and our hard work we will be blessed and grow not only in number, but in maturity as well.

I am continuing teaching students with WEI materials. I have ten students and I am teaching them from Monday through to Friday. I teach them in the afternoon because most of them are students and are busy with the school in the morning.  Pirro is one of my students. He is 28 years old. He studied with Van and later with Elsie and now we are studying together the 3-rd advanced book-"The Church".  Pirro is a hard working man. He worked in Greece for five years and has come back home. He knows that he needs to be baptized, but he is not ready yet to commit himself to Christ. I think that one day he will do that. I t is only a matter of time. Please pray for him and for Marinela, a 16 years old girl, who is an excellent student and a very nice young lady, and pray for all my students that they will come to know Christ and follow Him in words and deeds. Pray for us too.

Being free in the morning gives me opportunity to go out and reach people in the community. I will start doing that very soon.

Finally, dear brothers, we send our brotherly love in Christ Jesus. We pray that He will bless you richly in order that you might be a blessing to all of us who are striving to serve our Lord and our God. To Him be the glory for ever and ever, Amen!

With the love Of Christ
Xhumert & Irena Nuro

Dear brethren.

Greetings in Christ's holy name, our Lord and Saviour. The church here in Pogradec greets you all. We remember you always giving thanks to God for your great love and concern for His people and His work here in Pogradec. We are happy to share with you the news about His work for January & February 2006.

After a short break, I was back at work on the 5-th of January. Most of my WEI students go to school and they had a short break from the school too. I have twelve students teaching them from Monday to Friday. The WEI materials are good and very helpful. They are well arranged and put in order to show exactly how God worked in history to save humanity from sin. Despite of the method's quality and my great efforts to persuade them about God's truth found in the Bible and about their sinfulness, their response has been very slow or non existent. Even when they are persuaded, they are very slow to act accordingly. I am frustrated, but not hopeless. I know that God has His own time in dealing with people. I have to be patient, knowing that God loves each one of them. What I am trying to do is building relationships with them. That helps to know them better, not simply as students, but as individuals. Building good relationships based on mutual trust takes time, but it is worth trying.

Evangelizing the people here is not an easy task. That is not an excuse. It is a fact. (I am not suggesting that it was ever easy). The people of Pogradec are in dire need to be saved. I would like to appeal to the brethren among our fellowship, to everyone who has a sense of emergency and love for the lost to consider this challenge.

In one of my previous newsletters, I told you about Pirro, a former student who is 28 years old. He has finished studying the advanced course since the end of November, nevertheless we meet often. One day, he honestly confessed that at one point in time, while we were studying the Bible together, he was about to surrender his life to Christ in faith. He has not done it yet, but he is thinking about it. Probably, like Paul, he is counting the cost. I try to encourage him every time we meet together and I pray that he will make the right decision. I would like to ask you to pray for him as he is considering to take that great step.

I have a very good news to share with you. Our brother Landro has joined the group of five Albanian students to study the Bible at IBIA (International Bible Institute of Albania) for two years. He was eagerly waiting to join the IBIA and was very happy when he was
admitted there. The studies commenced on January 23,so we traveled to Tirana on Friday the 20-th of January. Landro is a fine young man who loves the Lord and has a great zeal to serve Him. He travels every Saturday to Pogradec to join the church on Sunday for worship and loves serving the Lord in whatever capacity. It is obvious to everybody in the church that he has changed. God is working on him to make him a better servant like He is working on us.  We are happy for Landro and praise the Lord our God for the enduring love He has for His children.

In my previous newsletter I informed you about our sister Mimoza.  She is still looking after her paralyzed father and because of that she has not come to meet with the church.  A couple of weeks ago I met her and she confirmed that she will be back in a few weeks, after her father completes the physiotherapy session and that is good news.

INVITATION
The church here in Pogradec is still young and needs to be tended and nurtured constantly with love.  I am doing all I can on my part and I am encouraging other men in the church to take responsibilities, but we still lack experience.  Any brother among our fellowship who is
experienced in the ministry of the Lord and is considering mission work and can be committed for a long time is encouraged to come and contribute in God's work here.  You can contact me on this e-mail address: xhumert@yahoo.com.

Dear brethren:

The church of God in Pogradec sends her greetings to all of you.  We do remember you constantly in our thoughts and most importantly in our prayers.  We sincerely and whole-heartedly thank you for your support. You are giving graciously and unselfishly to God's work and that is pleasing to Him.  May God be praised in all you do for Him and may His love that surpasses all understanding brings joy and peace in your hearts.

Not too much has happened since I last wrote to you. Gaining souls for Christ seems to be very difficult in this part of the world and this is not only my own ascertainment.  On the month of April I met Philip Dindinger an American missionary who has been working in the ministry for thirteen long years in this area.  I have known him since almost a year and a half when Kevin & Allison were still here. He and his family lives in Prrenjas the nearest town just north of Pogradec.  I was invited to be part of an afternoon Bible study in a village not far from Pogradec.  The Bible study took place in a village home. 

There were only four souls who had committed their lives to Christ in that village and both Philip and another young Christian man had to travel once a week to meet and study the Bible with them.  It was very good experience and I felt like home.  We talked with one another like we had known each other since a long time ago.  I certainly got the time to talk to Philip in order to learn more about his own experience in the ministry and to get some practical advice which would help me in my own ministry.  We talked in Albanian.  It was easy to do that because his Albanian was very good.  After I told him about the problems and the challenges we are facing the only piece of advice I got from him was to pray a lot and to fast.  After all that is biblical.  Probably we do not pray and fast as much as we should.

I took his advice at heart and I have started to pray more often than I used to. I have not fasted so far, but I will do it at the right time. In all his talk about his working experience the only phrase most often mentioned by Philip in Albanian was: "Eshte shume eveshtire", which means:" It is very difficult".

In my previous newsletter I made an appeal to any of the brothers among our own fellowship who are experienced in the ministry to come and help in God's work here in Pogradec and thanks to the Lord I got a response and that was a very good news indeed.  The response came from Kevin and Allison Morrill, a Christian couple who worked in the minisrty in Albania for almost three years.  First they worked in Durres and then in Pogadec. They spent the second half of their three years period working here in Pogradec. I am glad and thank God for their decision to come back and work together. They have been a great example to the church and to the community at large. They plan to be back on the summer next year, that is 2007. We sincerely pray that their plans will be in accordance with God's will. We ask you, dear brethren, to pray for them too.

One of my priorities in teaching bible with the WEI materials is building good relationships with the students I am currently teaching and keeping touch with those who have finished the course. As a matter of fact, among those who have finished the course, there were very very few who showed real interest in the Word of God. The vast majority of them showed no interest at all. They came only for English and they left as they came.  Pirro, a former student of mine, was the one who was really interested in the Word of God. I meet him very often, even more often than I used to. We spend time together and I am trying to persuade him to take the big step of faith and to commit his life to Christ. Persuading someone to make such an important decision is biblical and has nothing to do with pressurizing someone to do the same thing.  Pirro is a mature man and knows quite well about the matter. I am encouraging him to make the decision with clarity of mind, calmness of emotion and sharpness of thought and above all with a lot of prayer. Prayer is very important and efficient when done in faith. I am praying for Pirro and I encourage you to do the same.

Monika, one of my current students who is 29-yrs. old, reads the Bible regularly and asks a lot of questions when she comes for the course.  Even though we use WEI materials for the course our discussion takes place in Albanian, because she prefers it that way. She knows English well, but she is more interested in the Bible. She is unemployed and takes time to read the Bible in Albanian at home. Sometimes our discussions are lengthy, especially about certain issues in which she is not convinced. Thanks God so far I have been able to give her convincing answers about those issues using arguments from the Scriptures which are the only divine authority to be followed and obeyed. I do not know what is going on in her mind. She probably is searching to find the truth. I pray that God will open her heart and help in her quest for the truth.

Our brother Landro withdrew from the studies at International Bible Institute of Albania (IBIA).  The teaching standards at IBIA are at a high level and Landro's previous lack of schooling made it impossible for him to continue with the studies. He was very enthusiastic when he first started, but as the lessons got harder you could see the strain in his face. He was really disappointed, but I encouraged him to see ahead in the future and to continue to meet with the church.

Dear brethren, please continue to pray for us. We send our love to you in the name of Jesus, our Lord and Saviour.


With the love of Christ
Xhumert & Irena Nuro
 

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