 |
Fall 2002 -- Weeks 1 & 2
|
 |
November 13
Cornerstone
|
It was cold and wet in the village Tuesday.
The wind through thin trees blew dust and bits around us. We had come to Vlashaj
to visit the renovation work site and to hopefully see progress.
The ministry center was a veritable
strainer held together by the northeast wind. Doors
and windows, floors and fixtures, were gone.
I told Sarah that even the old memories from the hallways were missing.
It looked like the outline of an old friend.
In short order, though, images were
running in the shadows bringing the imprint of wet cement to the corridors.
Lumber, much less available and much more expensive drew the very purpose
and dimension of the center to its highest order.
In this very moment of exhibition, Sarah and I were able to observe with
relief the next step.
The workers knowing that the sunset
was persuading them to hurry, drew the marker string tight apply the mortar mix
and laid the cornerstone for the renovation project in Vlashaj.
“See, I lay a stone in Zion, a tested stone, a
precious cornerstone for a sure foundation:
the one who trust will never be dismayed.”
Isaiah 28:16
 |
November 12
Neighbor
|
Relationships with the neighbors are of
great importance to a ministry in the village. Bukeria
is no exception. We have known her
for 3 years and have found out that we have some things in common: we are the same age and we have 3 daughters
each!
It was at her home that we were able to have the first children’s
meetings before we purchased the property next door for Planters in Vlashaj.
Thanks to your gracious
contributions, we brought this yarn to Bukeria. She
told me on Tuesday that she was knitting a sweater for her youngest daughter,
Anaklada. It has taken her 2 days
to knit this piece so far. I don’t
suppose that it would have much significance to tell her the yarn came from Wal
Mart, the most popular shopping place in the States.
Bukeria will be
our neighbor when we stay in Vlashaj. We’re
looking forward to many more coffees together and times of sharing the Gospel
with her.
 |
November 11
Love Lost and Found
|
With
numbers of loves lost and numbers of loves found, over a lifetime we store up
trophy memories of people, times, places and things that are very fond to us!
I
love electricity. Unfortunately, I
have grown accustomed to its convenience and the simple luxuries it brings. When any power plant is ready to extol kilowatts by the
bushel, I’m only too happy to gather them up by the basketful; in Albania even
more so!
This
fall my second homeland again has periods of no electricity (a love
lost). Ill-timed and unpredictable, Sarah and I are reduced to the basic
lighting of candles and oil lamps. We
do this because we A) want to see and B) have scented candles.
The
Socialists in power are creative thinkers. This
fall’s power interruptions are blamed on too much flooding.
In a country of hydroelectric dams, one should be jumping for joy in this
weather, but the elite have convinced the sheep that floods don’t contain
water, just a lot of rain.
Matt. 13:22
“And the one on whom seed was sown among the thorns, this is the man who
hears the word, and the worry of the world, and the deceitfulness of riches
choke the word and it becomes unfruitful.”
Wrestle a bear, have the respect of a lion, be a deep sea fish
-- that's a lot of options for a seven year old. In a flash Gini
had made her choice. She volunteered to be Arian's
first face painting of the season. With a few strokes of the brush, her
little round village face was transformed into the playful cat you see in the picture.
The pure novelty of having your face painted in remote Albania made the line
grow long as Arian went from painting fins to furs to feathers. The
village children loved the diversion. And afterwards it was rewarding to
see them walking home with genuine smiles under various shades of animals. Even
if the circus had come to town there wouldn't have been this many animals on
display.
 |
November 8
Village visit to Kasalle
|
The village visit was very good today. Suela
wrote a puppet show on the lost sheep and the kids loved it. There were
about 130 children there and it is too much with the conditions to do much more.
We need some guidance from on high as what to do. Marinela
has started working with the older ones (ten in the group today) with a Bible
Study booklet that starts with the general themes of the Bible and they went
over Creation today and what is your "spirit." The kids had
great interaction and they take the books home and do assignments in them.
The format is very good and appears to have great appeal for that age
group. There will be more to come regarding this project.
I need to make a cake since it was Eldina's
birthday yesterday. We will eat it tomorrow before leaving for Vlashaj.
-- Sarah
 |
November 7
Constellation of Hearts
|
Three men loitered outside the new shop.
One teetered on an old cheap folding chair, a theater throw away, the
other two were hunched over dirty tiles and a Turkish radio, listening to the
news. In rhythm, all eyes focused on our approach and leveling their gaze
they followed every step we
took! Intruders, they thought, in the roaring engines of their
minds, and definitely foreigners! In the smallness of that moment,
we knew we had returned to Albania.
There is no God, was the
revelation of their government who declared and pursued the surrender of a
nation's will. Exhausted and despaired generations extinguished that will
at the dictator's door and replaced it with the pacifier of numbness. Of
all the constellations of hearts from that long climate of repression, one
stands out. For in all of the hostaged hearts, God has steered in my neighbor
the hope of God's word. On the empty terrain of one wall of that new shop
reads a painted and framed sign:
"Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened and I will give you
rest." Matt. 11:28. |
