Albania Mission Trip

Six members of PBPC joined three other Americans for a mission trip to Albania, under the sponsorship of Alongside Ministries International.  They may have forsaken some amenities, but they were richly rewarded by their experience.  The following pix are not a photo journal of the trip, but show just a few tantalizing impressions.

A lovely valley in southeastern Albania (looks a lot like California to me).  

It gives no hint of the brutal political repression it suffered for over 45 years.

The Alongside team was based in the town of Bilisht.  While much of this formerly Communist country is nonreligious, there is a Muslim presence there (notice the mosque in the background).  However, the Christian faith is alive and growing!

These Bilishti young people (the Alongside team's hosts) are excited about this new property they have just purchased in order to build their very own church building!

So what did the Alongside team do there?  Well, a member of PBPC had donated this electric keyboard to the Bilishti church.  Prior to this, the congregation accompanied their music in their worship service with a tambourine and a guitar.  Team member Cindy (second from right) showed the worship leaders how the new keyboard worked.  Also, they had no formal music training.  In about a half an hour, Cindy was able to show them the basics of music theory--for example, how tonic, dominant, and subdominant chords relate in all keys.  These amazingly talented picked up what Cindy showed them and were soon off and running, and experimenting on their own!

One day, the Alongside team traveled by 'fuegon' (a minibus taxi) with their Albanian hosts to Vichoçiça, a small village about 15 miles from Bilisht.  As it happened, a group of some 40 village people gathered on the steps of an old building near the village square as team member George (standing, on the right)  was invited to teach an impromptu 30 minute seminar ("Jogging through John") on the major themes of the Gospel of John in a predominantly Muslim setting.  Believers and seekers from the village spontaneously joined the teaching, and were not distracted as a few cows plus horses and donkeys loaded with farm produce wandered by.

Even though George only talked for 30 minutes, the kids got restless.   A couple of the American and Albanian team members spontaneously decided to take the kids across the street to this large play yard to do something more kid-appropriate with them.

The women attended a three-day Christian Women’s conference they attended in Ersekë, a town about two hours from Bilisht.  They participated lectures, study, craft and game time, prayer, and wonderful worship times – all in two languages!

When you butcher their language,

smiles and laughter go a long way communicating the love we share in Christ

At the end of the day,

the team gathers for dinner with their Albanian hosts

in a courtyard bedecked with grapevines.

This reflection was sent home from the 'embedded' team: 

As I am writing this on my laptop, we are traveling to Korça, the third largest city in Albania.  I am assisted by Eni Mulla and Çimi Qazoli, the former a high school student and the latter a graduate.

The PBPC missions team is serving with three other Americans through Alongside Ministries International in Bilisht, Albania between July 26 and August 7.  We work with a team of 15 Albanians.  Our day begins at 9 a.m. with devotions and praise worship.  From 10 a.m. to 12 p.m., we have seminars on the topics of evangelism, discipleship, and how to study the Bible.  From 4 to 7:30 p.m. we visit nearby villages to share the gospel and visit in homes.  Many have neither heard about Jesus nor have Bibles.

Thank you for your prayers, encouragement and support.

For more about Alongside Ministries International's work in Albania, click HERE.

Updated 12/3/2008                                              Copyright Park Blvd Presbyterian Church 2002-2008                                email office@pbpc.org

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