Discovering Albania

Men on a Beach near the Hotel

I have to be honest. Although I have travelled to quite a few places around the world in my life so far, Albania was just never a place I really thought about. So when I was invited to go there on a mission trip in connection with Lenny's job with Adidas--not only to serve there, but also to help spy out the land for ministry opportunities for our group for the future, I basically thought the following things, 'Albania? Where is that? They have ministry I can do there? Okay, I'll go . . .' That was about it.

So, when we arrived there for our 9 day trip, my mind was literally a blank slate. I had absolutely no idea as to what to expect . . . (pics below)

I think my first impression were the bunkers. Pictured below, they are round circular cement-like 'houses' scattered literally . . . everywhere. Apparently, the communist regime thought it a worthy endeavor to invest in building these crazy things 'in case' the war crossed their borders at some point. Well, they were never used, and so the amount of money that literally could have housed and fed every single family in the entirety of Albania as well as paving roads that desperately need to be paved, went into a lot of strange bumpy hard-to-remove things that dot the landscape. Sad. and True.

The next impression was, as I mentioned, the roads. Curvey. Mountainous. Extremely high up. Narrow. Ultra bumpy. 90% unpaved. Requiring super land-crossing vehicles just to travel them safely . . . . unbelievable. And I have travelled in Africa before . . .

Then we arrived to the Nehemia Foundation's Headquarters. This place is like a little heaven on earth. You wouldn't believe it. I didn't really. Talk about laying ones life down for our brothers and sisters. The leader of this organization, Arnold Geiger from Germany, moved with his family to Albania some 15 to 20 years ago. At that time, there was nothing. Except for, a few years later, a war that they refused to move away from. For how can you leave a place because of war when you say you are there to love and serve the people? So, after seeing people getting shot in front of them, having things exploded around them, and walking with the Albanians out of the war when it was over. . . the Geiger's gained influence and respect and a place to serve in the hearts of the Albanian people. And so they built something that I am astounded by.

Well first it's a compound made up of buildings--offices, a church, a house that serves both as a guest house as well as the Geiger's home, as well as a school they built to begin to lift the academic standards in the Albanian school system. They also have several offsite locations in other cities and rural towns. And what do they do? Well, they run a school. They have an entire program set-up to feed the poor. They have their hand in building projects throughout the country. They plant churches. They train leaders. And currently they are working on starting a university. In all of this, one of their greatest testimonies from my perspective is that they have Albanians working for them . . . Albanians who have been pulled out of poverty and trained and equipped, and yes, most of them brought to Christ, who not only have a vision to reach Albania, but an invested interest as they are serving their own people, their own nation. If you want to see an example of influencing the culture with the Gospel and the heart of Christ . . this is it.

Even huge organizations such as Adidas comprehend the incredible influence that the Nehemia Foundation has, and thus support them in several ways. Adidas, for example, has built a sport ground next to the school in the compound, and has created an annual Sports competition involving schools from around the region (most of them so poor they can't even afford soccer balls), in order to give hope and help to the people there.

That is, in fact, how we came into connection with Albania and the Nehemia Foundation. Since Lenny works for Adidas, specifically as the project manager for the their work with Nehemia, we were able to go and help serve them, not only through working with Adidas, but in whatever way we could--primarily in a ministry capacity. So what did we do? Well, a mixture of so many different things!

We found ourselves travelling several hours to remote villages to meet with school principles in order to organize the regional sports competition. We sat through a large board meeting of people who had travelled from all over the world in order to discuss where the Nehemia Foundation is and where it is going. We found ourselves standing on the Nehemia sports grounds sharing our testimonies with the kids during their gym hour. I even ended up teaching an English class where we discussed music and culture and even cowboys. We later taught two Bible studies in the school and then lead the youth group for Nehemia's church one evening where we prayed for each person afterwards. We ended up one day in a home in another mountain village built to house two homeless men, one found living in a cave, the other found curled up in a shack completely without heat. Now they have a roof over their heads, food, and care.

As for random experiences . . . pulling off the side of the road in order to buy plastic bags full of newly caught fish from the lake between Albania and Macedonia. Driving behind donkey's carrying massive loads of tree branches. Stray dogs literally everywhere . . . one even trying to 'attack' our car on the side of a mountain. A 'restaurant' filled with village men--young men who had no jobs and old who were shepherds-- with modern day rock music being played in the background and an ancient looking fireplace serving as the only source of heat, serving the same meal for breakfast, lunch, and dinner . . . pickled sour tomatoes, zaziki like sauce, calf meat, olives, bread and turkish coffee. Salep . . . a turkish cinnamon milk drink wonder. Being invited to dinner with the pastors from Switzerland and Germany for cheese Fondue. Walking on an ancient bridge on the Via Ignatia . . . A road that Paul likely travelled to Macedonia. Awesome!

I think two of the coolest experiences I had, at the end of our trip, was being asked by Arnold Geiger--a man whom I came to deeply respect-- if I would come back, and receiving a suprise farewell gift from an Albanian girl who worked as a cook in the guest house on the compound. It somehow drove home everything that had already been touching my heart for days . .. seeing not only the poverty, but also the hope. Before my trip to Albania I, well, I really didn't even know such a place existed. Now, however, it is a real entity that has impacted me. I can see it becoming a place that we take mission trips to . . giving our students the opportunity to serve and experience. And I can also recognize that it has inspired me deeply for our own ministry here in Nürnberg . . . for the possibilities that great vision can create, for all that God really can do to touch and heal a people, and for the deep influence God's people can have to touch and transform a nation when laying down one's life for the Gospel of Jesus Christ . . . truly truly good news!

I am very grateful for this opportunity we had to go to Albania! (see pics below)

Board Meeting with Foundation Nehemia Albania

Playing with School Children on the Adidas Sport Grounds

Lenny Sharing His Testimony

We Played Basketball with the Kids Afterwards
Albanian Boys Looking On

Kids Bible Hour

Lenny and I Leading the Youth Group in Worship

One of the Girl's Translating for Me as I Shared

Lenny Praying for Some of the Group Afterwards

Me Praying For Some in the Youth Group as well

Sunday Church Service--Worship

One of the Bunkers that are Scattered Throughout Albania

Downtown Pogradec (A Town)

Our Arrival Into a Rural Village Two Hours From Pogradec

Meeting with Principle of the Local School

Kids Playing In Front of their School

Me Getting to Know a Local Horse/Donkey

Albanian Scene

Walking through a Remote Mountain Village

Albanian Woman

Village Man

A Church that is Hundreds of Years Old

Lenny Standing In front of the door to the Church

Blue Sky Against Roof

Cross Built in the Mountains by the Nehemia Foundation

View To Macedonia