Lee at last!

It was so good to see Lee here in Albania after the disruptions of the Icelandic volcano. Lee has primarily come out to meet up with Edi, above, and talk through the details of the Youth Camp planned for July in Pogradec. After arriving late on Tuesday night, Wednesday morning was spent looking round some of Elbasan including the church building where the band will play at the Sunday meeting when they come out. Then to the local Teatri Skampa in the centre of the city, which is shown below.



Ilir the church leader discovered he knew the Theatre Director from High School days. We looked round the theatre, checking out the lighting and sound systems. Discussions continued as to how we advertise the band playing there at the end of July as all schools here close mid June. We are really excited about the possibility of reaching out to so many young people. The theatre is situated right in the middle of the city where everyone promenades in the evenings to escape the heat of their homes in the summer.
Thursday morning saw us catch a furgon, minibus, to Librazhd a smaller town just 30 minutes away. The church here is led by Ilir and Ladi and they had suggested to Simon the previous week that we could gather young people in their town's theatre. So we went and again checked out the theatre. It may look plainer than the theatre in Elbasan but the lighting and sound systems are probably better. Again we had discussions how we would involve Albanian singers as well as our band, what drama we could do etc. There is tremendous potential here to impact hundreds of young people.


Yet another furgon ride brought us to Pogradec and meeting Edi. A quick lunch and then onto the Nehemiah Centre where we were with Simon and Andy the previous week. This time though we had a long detailed meeting with the Centre leaders covering every aspect of our camp, dates, numbers, menu, use of sports activities and so on. Then time for Ann and me to head back on a furgon to Elbasan and for Edi and Lee to travel onto Edi's city of Korca. There Lee spoke with the young people in the evening before on Saturday heading off to Ohrid in Macedonia to meet some more young people. But that is Lee's story to tell!

Let me finish with this example of Albanian hospitality. On Lee's first evening with us AFTER a meal I went into a hotel to just check on the football scores. The chefi, the boss, spotted me and straightaway he ordered us some beers and fried whitebait for us and when the whitebait had been eaten they were followed by a plateful of mussels. I am sure the beer (this included beer for Ann!!) would have kept coming if we had not gently refused it! This is typical of Albanian hospitality from people we had not met before! Lee was impressed!

Bye for now and Naten i mire! Good night!
Ken and Ann

Which door would you choose?

On Sunday Andy at one point needed the loo. He was pointed in the direction of these doors. Which door would you choose?



After leaving Artina in Korca on Saturday morning we travelled onto Pogradec to see the Nehemiah Centre where we held the Youth Camp last year and where we will be again in July. We wanted Simon and Andy to see where we go and how good the facilities are. Last year we gathered 85 youngsters and this year we would look for say 120. The Nehemiah Centre are erecting a further building so that the capacity will increase to 250. After a snack lunch in Pogradec we said our farewell to Edi and travelled by furgon back to Elbasan. On the way we saw a rare sight, an Albanian train! These are old Czech railway stock.



When we arrived in Elbasan, Simon and Andy heard the roar of the local football crowd. So of they went to see Elbasan beat their rivals 2-0. In the evening we had a wonderful meal in a Greek restaurant with Ilir and Rudina and Arjan and Blerina. Then afterwards we had ice creams. Here is Blerina and her daughter Orantia with Ann.



Sunday morning saw Simon preaching at the church in Elbasan followed by lunch with the leaders in a restaurant in a nearby village. I felt privileged to hear Simon speak to the leaders over the meal table and offer them such wise advice in such a good and easy spirit. Here are L-R Gazim, Arjan, Simon, Andy, Ilir and Ilir.



Well...which door would YOU choose? Andy chose the door on the right. WRONG! The toilet is the door on the left. The other side of the door on the right is the guard dog! Good job it wasn't a brown bear or wolf from the mountains! Then back to the home of Beni and Bartha who have looked after us so well, and for Simon and Andy to pack their bags, and begin the journey home. I believe it has been a hugely significant visit from two great guys who have been loved and appreciated where ever they have gone in Albania. And now a break for a day and then we eagerly await Lee's arrival! Lots of love, Ken and Ann

Friday, so it must be Korca...

Here we are at the furgon, minibus, station in Elbasan waiting to fill up the minibus before we set off. Simon, not one to waste a minute, is busy twittering! Korca is a 3 hour drive away travelling in the heat. I find just travelling here can be tiring. It is not a relaxing experience, but it is an opportunity to talk with people on the minibus who speak some English. Simon had a small photograph album with him of his family and church events which proved very helpful in breaking the ice. Was this Catrina's brilliant idea?



You may rememeber Artina and Edi who lead the church in Korca, here with Simon. They came to us in 2009. Arta has been invited to our Ladies REAL conference.



Korca is considered Albania's city of culture and has an area called Little Paris with cobbled streets. Enver Hoxha was educated at the Sorbonne in Paris and even in communist times he allowed French to be taught at a lycee only in Korca.



The Orthodox Cathedral is in the centre of Korca. Whilst Simon and Edi had coffee and talked we went for a wander through some of the old back streets behind the Cathedral. After this we went to the building that Edi rents for his church. The young people were preparing for a wedding on the Sunday. Preparations included dancing!



So we all had a go! I've got some video clips to up load next time! Then a meal in the evening together and back to our hotel.

Librazhd

Last Thursday saw us travel to Librazhd where we met the leaders of the church Ilir and Donika and Ladi and Ornela. We had coffee together outside in a cafe. Here is Simon with Ornela on the right and Valentina on the left, and us. Some of you will know we have an Albanian guy Besnik who comes to our church. Valentina is Besnik's fiancee. Donika, not in the photo, and Ornela and Valentina have been invited to the Ladies REAL Conference in July. Please pray they get their visas.



Here is Andy and Simon with Ladi and Ornela. As we talked Ladi suggested that our band plays in the local theatre when we come in July before we hold the Youth Camp. So we are looking into this. Lee, our Youth Pastor, will see the theatre and talk this through with Ladi.



And really I should have put this photo first. Here is Besnik with Valentina! They look a happy, lovely couple don't they? After a truly amazing meal together in the evening, when Andy and Simon ate a sheep's head!? Ilir drove us back home to Elbasan. A really wonderful and profitable evening together.

With love from Albania...

Andy about to tuck into roast lamb, chips and Greek salad with Shaban and Elvira. All very healthy!


We met some of the folks from the church in Elbasan when we arrived and had coffee together in the basement of their new church building.

It is just so good to meet old friends again. Here is Ann with Arjana and her little boy Mikah.

This is Ann and Andy having just had a simple lunch of Greek salad and chips! Weightwatchers would approve!!

Wednesday morning saw us catching the bus from Lezhe saying our farewells to Rob and Mira and heading to Tirana the capital. Here we met with Shaban and Elvira and had coffee together from the lovely cups as in the photo. We met too their son Tani who leads worship in the church and then...surprise , surprise.. it was time to eat again. This time it was mish xengji heli me patate, roast lamb on the spit with chips and salad. As honoured guests Simon and Andy were offered the sheep's head sliced in two, that had also been roasted, of course, and they helped themselves from this first! Brave men! Then too soon we had to say our farewells and catch a furgon, minibus, to Elbasan. Here we were met by Bardha, married to Beni, whose home we are staying in. Then to the church building where we meet some of their people and had coffee. We spent some time with Ilir and Rudina who lead the church then there was time enough to watch the Barcelona v Inter Milan football match! Guys here are big fans of Inter. Then today we have seem some of the sights of Elbasan including the Ethnographic Museum, and now we must move on again this time to Librazhd. We will meet Besnik who is part of our church and Ilir and Donika who were with us last November. We must fly and we send our love,

So good to be back in Albania....

Simon, Andy and Ann on arrival at Rinas airport with Rob, complete with guitars

Rob and Mira who lead the church in Lezhe

Andy outside the fish restaurant in Shengjin. Andy was quite taken with the colour scheme!

And here is Lili from Burrel, in the middle, with Ann and Mira.

And all of us including Klodhi, Lili's brother on the beach at Shengjin.

Oh! it is just so good to be back in Albania! It seems ages since Ann and I were here and indeed it is! Last July was when we were here with our Youth in Pogradec. Now we are here with Simon Benham our Senior Pastor and Andy Jackson who heads up the CAP (Christians against poverty) ministries in our church. We flew in late on Monday evening to be met by Rob who with his wife Mira lead a church in Lezhe an hours journey north of the airport. Simon and Andy booked into a local hotel and then we all ate a meal that Mira had prepared. After catching up on news and talking until late we then turned in for the night.
This morning saw us wake to bright blue sky and warmth. After breakfast and yet more talking we headed off for coffee by the river where we met up with Lili and her brother Klodhi who come from Burrel, a town in the mountains, and with Gezim, a member of Rob's church. We have invited Lili to come to the Ladies Real conference. Klodhi gets married in August to a Ewa from Belgium. Then to Shengjin, it simply means St John, which is a small port and has an excellent fish restaurant. There we tucked in to cooked fresh fish, chips and salad. Klodhi opted for the grilled eel. I tried it and it was really tasty. What all this eating is doing for Simon's Bracknell half marathon training I'm not sure! Then to meet up with Rachel a children's worker from the UK who heads up her own ministry here and then a brief stroll on the beach with the warm water of the Adriatic lapping it and the sun beating down on us! Then we dragged ourselves away to go and see Rob and Mira's church building where we prayed with them for God to fill every seat. Rob went off to take an English class and Simon and Andy strolled back to the hotel and Ann and me with Mira to their home. So chance now to top up my Albanian SIM card and write this blog. Now evening time it is still light and really warm with children playing the usual kids games in the street.
Tomorrow sees us catch a bus to Tirana to meet Shaban and Elvira who lead a church in the capital city and have lunch with them, and then on to Elbasan.
Oh well, I must finish Mira has prepared another meal for us to eat!!
Love to you all, Ken and Ann

Kalamata!

Well we may have expected a number of things when we came to Greece, but we weren't expecting snow! Here we are stopping half way from Athens on the way to to Kalamata and I think you can just see the snow on the bushes and the ground behind Ann. Mind you, we were at 2000 metres in the mountains so perhaps we shouldn't have been surprised to have snow for this part of the journey. Now by the sea in Kalamata it is much warmer, 15C right now, though still cloudy but the sun is breaking through. We are staying with a lovely couple, Paul and Kathleen, who are key people amongst a number of English speakers here.



Just to prove we are in Greece I thought you would like to see the Estiatorio or Restaurant next door in fact to the place where we have just had a wonderful truly Greek lunch. If you have ever been to Greece on holiday you will know the kind of good family cooking I mean. Beef stew with onions, fresh fish and horta (like spinach) with garlic and potato mash, and so on. Kathleen works as a schoolteacher teaching English, and Paul is a businessman. After lunch we went for a drive along the coast, all the time talking away about the people here, their spiritual life and life in Greece. Good beginnings...and we look forward to the next few days!
Lots of love,
Ken and Ann