Ladies UNIKE Conference in Albania Day 2

The ladies were there in number again on Saturday, including some who could not be there on Friday. In the centre of this photo is Anila, an Albanian young woman who lives and works in London and who came to REAL at Kerith last year and so wanted to be part of the UNIKE conference in Albania. Either side of her are 3 sisters, Ema, Suzana and one whose name I have forgotten! Sorry!

Below is Jorida from Tirana who would like to come to Kerith Academy in September.

These girls from Bethel Church, Tirana were the singers at the conference, Edi, Mirjana and Jorida.

This is Megi, with Ann, also from Bethel Church who wants to come to our Academy too.

Another couple of young ladies who also go to Bethel Church.

Four girls from Victory Church,Tirana,the church led by Tomor and Miranda Ajeti.

Three of the girls we know well from Elbasan, Jeta, Sara and Xhersi, pronounced Jersey.

Time to start and they were all soon worshipping God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

After Catrina's 3rd session and also hearing from Sarah Farley, it was time for lunch. On return from lunch all the women were served hot or cold drinks and fruit tartlets.

Here is Esther with 2 ladies...I can see Sarah Farley and Ann in the background...

and Esther again with L to R, Lesley, Iris and Glynne. These 4 ladies from Kerith were part of the team of 9 that flew out from the UK.

Miranda, on the right, who had the vision and passion to make this ladies conference happen.

A really good group of ladies from a church in Lushnje, a town south of Tirana. Annie, in the red jacket translated for Catrina.

Ema on the right with 3 girls from Kruje.

Time then for the last opportunity to worship God together...

 

Catrina speaking and being translated by Annie.

The time together ended with many of our girls telling briefly of how God had worked in their own life in various situations. Catriona Mitchell asked people to respond to God's love for them and led them in a prayer of repentance and asking Jesus into their life.

Penny Lander wondered if some ladies present, had for whatever reason become lukewarm in their faith or distant from God and wished return to God again. Many responded to that.

Time to say thank you from us as a team to Miranda and her many helpers and then say our farewells.

Here are Sue from Bedford who spends time with her husband Ron in Elbasan, Sarah, Rudina from Elbasan and Lisa.

And finally, Catrina and Ann with girls from Librazhd. They are Nerila, Paola, Arselda, all who became Christians at our youth camp, and Erlisa.

I am so conscious that I can only take photos of people. I cannot capture with my iPad the work that God has done these past 2 days in the ladies hearts. That some have made a commitment that will change their eternal destiny I have no doubt, and many others will go on in their walk with God with renewed vigour. All have been graciously challenged, and our ladies have given a wonderful example of working and relating together and telling how God has been at work in their lives.

UNIKE has been absolutely brilliant, because we have a brilliant and wonderful God. Thank you for your prayers,and we look forward to hearing of the impact these 2 days have had.

With much love and a grateful heart,

Ken and Ann

 

 

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Ladies UNIKE Conference in Albania Day 1

After all our planning, thoughts, prayers and discussions, the first day of the conference had arrived. How would the registration work and the serving of teas and coffees and so on? Would all those who had booked come? We need not have feared. It wasn't long before the courtyard area was full of ladies arriving. Registration is so much easier, when with the help of good warm weather, it can all be done outside! All the ladies you see in the photos are part of the largest Christian womens conference anyone has seen in Albania.

All of our girls helped in the registration or giving out of gift bags including Iris, below, with one of the Albanian ladies.

Pretty quickly the meeting room began to fill...

Women from churches Ann and I have no connection with came to hear Catrina.

And others we know well such as these ladies from Elbasan below,

and these young ladies from Librazhd,who have been to our youth camp several times, together with Megi, front left, from Tirana.

The conference began with worship and then a session from Catrina before lunch. Lunch was a leisurley affair giving people time to find the fast food places and cafes that suited them. On return coffe, tea and cold drinks were served with a chocolate eclair.

Then worship, a dance, Catrina speaking again and then the day concluded with prayer for one another.

I could have taken literally dozens of photos of delighted,very happy women who had thoroughly enjoyed the day being in God's presence, hearing Catrina, meeting old friends and making new, being challenged and encouraged and being part of something very special.

For our team of girls, they wanted to take a leisurely stroll back to the hotel, but making sure that we passed an ice cream place on the way. Even better, we came to a patisserie that served not only ice cream but a wonderful selection of mouth watering, deliciously tempting, cakes and chocolates! We just had to go in!

A rest and shower, and evening meal in an Italian restaurant and a very good day had ended.

 

 

 

 

 

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Ladies UNIKE Conference in Albania part 3

Thursday saw us all aboard a minibus bound for Elbasan. This is Albania's 3rd largest city of 125-150,00 people and the city where Ann and I spend most of our time when in this country. It was an opportunity to get out of the capital city, see some countryside and meet Ilir and Rudina Koci who lead the church in Elbasan that we are most closely connected to.

No sooner had we arrived than it was time for coffee or cold drinks in the sunshine.

Ilir and Rudina joined us so we then made our way to their church building.

Ilir and Rudina showed the girls round the premises including the kitchen and basement that we as a church have helped kit out. Here are Penny, Catrina and Ann in the main meeting hall. It makes me think of some of our people who have been here over the years...Lydia Harris-Lane and Catherine Felgate for childrens work, Colin Boyle for worship, Liam Parker and Lee Layton-Matthews for youth work, Ida Sinakoli an Albanian young lady in our church, and Simon Benham and Andy Jackson. And now nine of our ladies who have come to be involved in a Ladies Confernce!

We saw too the rooms they would like to finish off so that they can be used for childrens work. Here are Lesley, Esther, Iris and Catrina outside the building.

No visit is complete for most women without a look inside someone's home and so Rudina invited us to their apartment. On arrival this was part of the spread we were met with.

Hospitality is a given here and not be lavish in offering food and drink would bring great shame to them.

Here are Lisa, Sarah and Lesley feeling at home...

and Glynne, Iris and Penny.

After our drinks and nibbles,it was time to slow walk through the city centre and take in the wedding dress shops and other sights along the way.

Lunch was in the grounds of a former Turkish barracks, Real Skampis. This has been the setting of many a meal with the youth team that come out in the summer. Many of them, and others too, will recognise the gardens which form an attractive backdrop to this photo of Ann and Rudina.

We all sat round a long table and enjoyed the freshly cooked food.

Ilir and Rudina, below, who lead the church, are a delight to know and great to work with.

We felt as though we could have sat and talked for ages, but we needed to return to Tirana, city of 800,000, before the rush hour traffic really snarled the road, and so we made our way back to our hotel.

After a break it was time to do some work. The girls had all played different parts in ordering, collecting and buying several items to bring out to Albania and then make up small bags that would be given out as gifts to the ladies attending the confernce. The bags contained a necklace, handcream and a scripture.

Showered and changed, an evening meal together and our day was done. The first big day of the conference, the day we had all been looking forward to, planning for, praying for and dreaming of for months now lay just one nights rest away!

What had God got in store for tomorrow!

 

 

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Ladies UNIKE Conference in Albania part 2

Well the girls arrived last night in Tirana and were through immigration and collected their luggage in record time. Then by minibus to our hotel and were checked in very efficiently. They all felt like something to eat but too much and after their travelling didn't want to walk too far so we ate our evening meal in the hotel.

I think most slept like logs. They ought to. One can have a choice of pillow here. Spelt pillow, pure new wool pillow, horsehair pillow, neck supporting pillow, thoracic support pillow or a body pillow as well as normal ones. Breakfast was an easy affair this morning, and then time for a stroll round the centre of Tirana. We saw the Presidential Palace, then went to an Orthodox Cathedral before coming to the National Historical Museum with its huge mosaic mural above the entrance. It depicts victorious Albanians from different parts of their past and is an example of triumphalist art of 1981.

Then we walked to the Opera House,where Tomor and Miranda hold their church meetings, saw the main 18th century mosque in Tirana across the road, that is noted for its colourful external decoration. It was kept as a cultural monument during the atheism campaign of the 1960's.

The mosque of Et'hem Bey with Skanderbeg Square in the background.

12 noon, and it was time to have coffee with Mira, Ida's sister and George her fiance. Here is Penny chatting with Mira who gets married a week on Saturday.

Like many a bride to be, Mira is excited, busy and tired all at the same time. She is working this week but has holiday next week leading up to her wedding. After walking a while in the increasing warmth it was most enjoyable as Esther discovered, to sit in a comfy chair and have a drink.

She was not alone. We all needed a break. Here are Sarah, Lesley and Catriona...

and Iris

Time to wander back to the hotel for lunch. A set menu of the day. Cabbage salad with orange or pumpkin soup, then pork fillet with ratatouille and finishing with a small fresh fruit plate or cake, bottled water included all for £4 each.

Just to show that I am here with my wife, here is Ann with Penny, Catriona and Esther.

Should you think it is all relaxing, as I write this Catrina and Sarah are finalising the programme with Miranda in the hotel lobby and then the girls are preparing gift bags for the 400 women coming to the conference before we eat yet again this evening!

I think they all like Albania!

Ken

 

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Ladies UNIKE Conference in Albania 1,2 Maj

At last years Ladies REAL Conference in the Kerith centre, Miranda Ajeti, below, knew straightaway in her heart that she wanted a Ladies Conference in Albania. This put together with Catrina Benham's desire to speak overseas, and the Ladies UNIKE Conference in Tirana, Albania was born.

Just over 350 Albanian ladies are booked into the Conference that will be held in the Qender e Khristare, Tirana. (Christain Centre). Miranda lives with her phone glued to her ear tallking to church leaders, women who want to come but not yet booked in, people who will provide the drinks and seemingly countless others.

For Ann and me it has been a day to check out the Centre and the seating, (comfortable red chairs like the Kerith) where registration will take place, how drinks will be provided, how the building will be cleaned during the day, who will be there to operate the sound system as well as choosing the pastries that will be eaten during the breaks!

We are all delighted not only at the numbers of ladies coming, but also the number of churches represented. As is usual most are coming through personal contact with churches from Korca, Librazhd, Elbasan, Kajan, Fier, Gjirokastra, Vlora, Kruja, Lac and many from Tirana.

So we are almost there! Tomorrow, things begin in earnest as Catrina and 8 of our ladies from Kerith will arrive at the Mother Teresa airport, Tirana. From there they go straight to their hotel as they get their first glimpse of Albania. We have built in time for them to adjust by looking round the centre of Tirana and then the following day taking a trip to Elbasan. This will give them chance to see the countryside, taste the food, and the yummy Italian ice cream, visit one or two people houses, go to a pazaar,(market) and see some shops. We will go to an Orthodox Cathedral and a mosque (xhami) and have lunch in the remains of a Turkish fort, a reminder of the Ottoman Empire that ruled here for 400 years.

The Bible says that we make our plans but God directs our steps. We have made our plans, but we so want God to do what only He can do,and that is to move in peoples hearts. Please pray for this to happen and we look forward to what God will do.

Ken and Ann

 

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Conference in Macedonia

My last blog just a couple of months ago, was when Simon, the leader of our Kerith Church, and I were here in Macedonia. The flag in the photo is the Macedonian flag. The colours representing Macedonia have always been red and yellow, and it was adopted as their flag on 5th October 1995.

This time Ann and I are here for a Newfrontiers Conference in Skopje. Every couple of years the churches in the Balkans affiliated to Newfrontiers and the guys from the UK who support them get together. So a group photo of us all looks like this.

Here are church leaders from Croatia, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Serbia, Macedonia, Bulgaria, Greece and Albania with folks from the UK. As is true for many conferences, the key times often are not the spoken sessions, (though they were good) but the coffee breaks, meal times and free times when friendships are renewed and new friendships made. Key too are the times when we pray for each other and the nations they represent. We also catch up with people from the UK who we only meet in the Balkans!

We hear how hard it is for many of them in their home setting. Often the towns and cities where they live are very strongly Roman Catholic or Orthodox or Muslim. And therein lies one of the causes for the terrible history in this part of the world.

One couple Ann and I met are Tony and Geri from Blagoevgrad, Bulgaria. We got on well, and are looking at inviting Geri to our Ladies Conference REAL, in June. Blagoevgrad is a university city about the size of Bracknell.

We took the time of course, to catch up with Sasha and Marija, who lead a church in Skopje, and to have fish and chips again. Remember the photos from the last blog? Well here is Marija and Ann de-boning her fish.

And not only are the fish and chips wonderful, the salads in Macedonia are the best I have anywhere. Already the lettuce,cucumbers and tomatoes are fresh from the local fields, grown under plastic.

 

Soon it was time to say our farewells to Vlada and Ivan from Serbia who we met with Simon 2 months ago, and Sasha and Marija, and all the others, (Farewells in this part of the world take a long time) and head back to Albania with Ilir and Rudina Koci who lead a church in Elbasan where we are now.

Journeys in this part of the world are not always easy. We took a taxi to the bus station in Skopje, then a 3 hour bus ride to Struga in the south of Macedonia, another taxi ride to the border with Albania, walk across the border to be met by a friend of Ilir's who brought us to Elbasan. And we only needed 3 currencies to do this journey, Macedonian Dinars, Euros and Albanian Leke...oh and British Pounds in the first place to convert. Six hours all told which was pretty good going!

Now we are in Elbasan at a gathering, yesterday evening and today Saturday, of the Newfrontiers leaders from Albania. I spoke on OT Theology last night and will speak at the church here on Sunday morning. But already I have been speaking to Miranda Ajeti in Tirana who has been organizing the Ladies Conference UNIKE that Catrina Benham and some of our ladies come to next week. Miranda phoned "We already have 360 ladies booked in and still some more want to come. Is that okay?" "Yes of course it is as long as we space to take them," was my reply. Wow! I can see that next week is going to very exciting!!

Please pray for Catrina and Sarah Farley who will speak at UNIKE and for the other girls who are coming with them, Lesley, Lisa, Esther, Penny, Catriona, Iris and Glynne and for all the last minute things to get sorted, such as "How are we going to serve coffee to everyone?"

Love to you all from Ann and Ken

 

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