Librazhd and onto Pogradec

This is Monday morning and some of the guys tucking into breakfast. It is a case of stretch or starve but I think they all manage to eat well.



It is a time of impromptu fun, praying for the day and Matt singing worship songs to us.



Later on Monday morning we headed off, just half an hour down the road, to Librazhd, where Ilir and Donika lead the church with Ladi and Ornela. Some of you girls may remember Donika and Ornela being with us for the REAL conference. As soon as we arrived a thunderstorm broke, and it absolutely poured with rain. So we had our drinks in a cafe owned by Tani, a guy in the church who is involved in the worship. He sang to us and then Flori from Korca, who travelled with us. When the storm abated we went to the Culture Centre, pictured above, and installed our equipment. This is when we found out there was no electric power at all, and wouldn't be until 3pm. So we went and had lunch. The guys did their best late afternoon to set up as there was still no power! This was getting outside every one's comfort zone! Lee was beginning to make plans as to how we could hold the concert outside. We had given out leaflets earlier in the afternoon and young people were turning up for the concert, but still no electricity! At last at 6.45, 15 minutes before we were due to start power was restored! All the guys were now rushing around getting everything done and trying to do a sound check as youngsters poured in.



Here they are sorting things before the concert got underway at 7.30. A minor miracle! There were about 150 or more teenagers there which gave it a very different feel from the concert on the Saturday night. There was lots more noise from the crowd, but this time with a smoke machine and coloured and flashing lights! Again the whole concert was very well received.
The drama was powerful, the band was great and Lee spoke excellently. many came forward to talk with our people at the end and one guy prayed to be a follower of Jesus. There were lots of good conversations and one could tell the concert would be a talking point amongst the youth of Librazhd for quite a while. A meal afterwards and then back to Elbasan at 11pm.

This morning, Tuesday, it was time to leave Elbasan, load up the minibus and head off for Pogradec where we will hold our Youth Camp. Here we are about to set off, team, suitcases and equipment.



After 2 hours this is where we have come to! Pogradec beside Lake Ohrid. On the far side of the lake is Macedonia. The guys have unloaded all the kit, found their sleeping spaces and walked into town and had lunch. Now it is set up time, then an evening meal and pray for tomorrow. I am excited but also my heart aches as I think of 130 young people who tomorrow will begin their journeys from all over Albania and some from Macedonia and Kosova, to a Camp where God can change their life! Some will have their lives changed eternally and for others it will be another step along the path to knowing Him better.



Lots of love, Ken and Ann

So much to say

Well there is just so much to say as we have been so busy in the last 3 days. Saturday morning was sorting ourselves out and then going to the Skampa Theatre to set up at 6.30. It was full on. There are always to language considerations, transporting the equipment from the apartment to the Theatre making sure nothing was left behind, setting it all up talking through the programme, meeting Flori from Korca who also sang and so on. Elsa, a friend of ours, arranged for Lee and some of the team to be interviewed on the local Radio Station and for them to play live in the studio!. The Radio Station said they were impressed.

Doors opened before 7pm and we had an excellent concert that was very well received. Ethos played, then Flori sang 3 songs in Albanian, then Lee spoke with the drama sketch as well. The drama was very powerful and applauded by everyone! The friends I spoke with thought Matt was great in leading the songs, the sound of the band was excellent and the words of the songs very powerful.
Lee, above, earned his money as we would say, and everyone was just so pleased he was with us to do what he does so well.

Sunday morning saw us at church with Sam here on drums,

and Matt leading in worship,

This morning, Monday saw Ann, Amy and Natalie on the way to the guys apartment for breakfast having bought the bread and milk.

At 11 am we loaded all the kit into the minibus and we were off again now to Librazhd and another concert tonight.

Here are Paola, Arselda and Nerila, 3 of the girls from Librazhd who were at the Youth Camp last year who became followers of Jesus. After a thunderstorm!! we went to the Culture centre and set up the equipment but there was no electric power at all! So time for lunch.

So here are Amy, Zak and Matt at lunch. Now we are about to go and hold the concert. Please God change peoples lives! Lots of love, Ken and Ann

A wall of heat...

Well here we are all loaded up in the new minibus and ready for the off to Gatwick Airport. If it is not packed now it is too late! I almost lost count of the number of guitars we brought out here. Enough for the band plus 3 others for the church in Librazhd and one for Edi in Korca. Plus cymbals and when we arrived at the airport in Albania we added to our kit a keyboard and a mixing desk! We don't travel light. For some reason Ann and I were upgraded on the flight to Club Class. So we had the use of the Club Lounge and a wonderful meal and service on the flight. Some of you will know Ann is coeliac and for the first time she had a meal she could eat! But when we got off the plane in Tirana, we were met with a wall of heat!! I know it is coming but I still find it hard to believe it until you stand the top of the steps as you get off the plane and suddenly you are engulfed in the unrelenting heat.

It was really great to be greeted by Ilir from Librazhd who was there with Elmaz our minibus driver.



This is unloading at Gatwick.



After a 2 hour drive from Tirana to Elbasan we left the guys in their apartment and then Ann and me and the 3 girls went to a local hotel. We chose it because the bedrooms are air conditioned. Finally we got to bed at 1.30 am! Everyone must have slept okay as here are Dave, Stuart and Liam looking pretty okay this morning after breakfast..



and here are the girls Heather, Amy and Natalie



I called in on our friends Arti and Vali who insisted I had a glass of raki and a Turkish coffee, this is before breakfast! I went to meet Elsa, above, who has helped us advertise the concert we are holding tonight. She is phoning the radio station she runs a programme for and they agreed straightaway for Lee and some of the team to go and be interviewed live and to play some music. That is happening now as I write this blog.



Ann has just boiled herself an egg for breakfast with Sam..



and this is the theatre where we hold the concert tonight at 7pm. I am looking forward to an amazing time. Elbasan will have had nothing like this before, and I am thinking about all the good conversations and impact I am sure the team will have tonight and the life changing event it will be.



And here are some of the posters about the city that advertise the concert. Thank you Sarah!
Now it's lunchtime and then time to rest from the heat a bit and talk through the programme for this evening. We'll keep you posted. It is so good to be here again in Albania! All our love,
Ken and Ann

Keeping contact...

The last couple of days has seen Ann and me visiting a whole number of people. We have been back to Librazhd to a prayer meeting where we met a number of ladies who we first met a year ago. It was at that first meeting we mentioned our Youth Camp. 5 lives were changed from this church because of it they look to have double the numbers go this time. Then a meal with Donika and Valentina. Here we are with Ilir. Both of these ladies look to be at our Ladies REAL Conference in July.



Saturday was cups of lemon tea then a visit to Luan and Yola who run a general store and a cafe. This was followed by a visit to Ardit and Violca and their family that led to us staying for lunch. Here is Violca with her little boy Kristian so named as he was born on Christmas Day, with Ester.



After a brief siesta, yes people here have lunch and then a rest, we went to see Ilir and Arjana. The photo is of Arjana with her little boy Mikea (Micah). Arjana was born in a Macedonian speaking area of Albania. There everyone speaks Macedonian and no Albanian is spoken at all. The villages get financial help from Macedonia not Albania! and so Arjana has a Macedonian passport.



This morning Ken spoke at the morning meeting here in Elbasan, when we remembered Simon and Andy running their half marathons in Bracknell. The church building here is coming on a pace with the basement almost finished, and with some tiling and the toilets to finish off on the ground floor. Another 4 weeks say and they will have the beginnings of an excellent facility. It was time to say farewell to almost 50 of our friends, write this blog and then have an evening meal out with another family tonight.

Tomorrow Lee will come from Korca, where he is in Edi's church today, we have a brief lunch, say cheerio to yet another family, and then head for the airport where we fly home volcanic ash permitting.

We will miss the people we know here in Albania, seeing first hand what God has done, new friends we have made, and the warmth! See you all again soon.

Love, Ken and Ann

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.