soon, very soon!

we are in Lithuania (Vita's homeland) counting down the days until baby #2 is born.  within the next week or two, we should be welcoming our newest son or daughter to our side of the world!  we will keep you posted...

November 2011 Newsletter

(click on each of the page images for a readable size)

The Concept of Queuing

It’s been three years since I, Vita, moved to Albania, and still every time before making a trip to the post office or to pay bills I must make a resolution not to educate people on waiting in queue. As I am often taking Eva with me, being with a huge stroller I stand at a respective (in the eyes of a north-European) distance. More often than not people think that I am just lingering there for the fun of it…

Recently, as I’ve complained to a lady about jumping the line in front of me, she apologized explaining, “I thought men were waiting on the right, and the women on the left.” (Whereas I was lost somewhere in between.) How strange, thought I, and quickly started recollecting my recent queuing experiences. To my surprise, in most cases I could picture men crowding on one side, and women – on the other. Could it be yet another sign of Muslim-rooted gender separation? I inquired a friend of this phenomenon. And yes indeed, she confirmed that during the communist times women and men would form two separate queues. And at that time there was a lot of waiting in lines.

Now who would have thought that there is some logic in the absence of a queue (despite the wide-spread queue jumping)!

May Newsletter 2011

please click on each page to view them in a readable size!

January 2011 Newsletter

(click on each newsletter page to view a larger readable version)

would you like to support the translation and printing of a Bible in the Albanian language?

My wife and I have a dream: to see the "Jesus Storybook Bible" translated and published in the Albanian language.

This Bible for children is unlike any other Bible we have seen. From the amazing illustrations/pictures to the wording, it is simply brilliant. Beyond those, it is not simply telling Bible stories but each and every story, both from the Old and New Testaments, points to the main story of the Bible...our Savior and Lord Jesus!

Since I was introduced to this Bible a couple years ago, I have said it is my favorite Bible! We read this to our six-month old daughter and believe it would be an amazing resource for Albania.

Here is a description and a link to the website:

The Moonbeam Award Gold Medal Winner in the religion category, The Jesus Storybook Bible tells the Story beneath all the stories in the Bible. At the center of the Story is a baby, the child upon whom everything will depend. Every story whispers his name. From Noah to Moses to the great King David---every story points to him. He is like the missing piece in a puzzle---the piece that makes all the other pieces fit together. From the Old Testament through the New Testament, as the Story unfolds, children will pick up the clues and piece together the puzzle. A Bible like no other, The Jesus Storybook Bible invites children to join in the greatest of all adventures, to discover for themselves that Jesus is at the center of God's great story of salvation---and at the center of their Story too.

http://www.jesusstorybookbible.com/

Here is a link to what some think about this Bible: http://thegospelcoalition.org/blogs/tgc/2009/12/28/what-the-bible-is-not/

I have been in contact with the author as well with the owner of the international copyrights who is based in the UK. If anyone is interested I would love to discuss how we could partner to get this published in the Albanian language.

We have no experience of translating or publishing a book and our interest is not about anything other than getting this out as a resource for Albania. We strongly believe this is the BEST Bible for children we have ever seen...in all aspects.

Please take a look at the websites above and see for yourself how great this Bible is! Send us an email if you would be interested in partnering with us to get this published in the Albanian language!

Prayerfully hoping to see this published in Albanian,

Sean & Vita Mason

Mission Emanuel Church-Korce

a belated Merry CHRISTmas & Happy New Year!

We hope you are all doing well and recovering from all the end of the year festivities! More so we hope that Christmas brought you deeper meaning in life through a greater understanding and awareness of Jesus who came to earth for us all. We hope too that through Him you have found greater hope for this new year!

We spent the 4 Sundays of December celebrating Advent with our church. Each Sunday we celebrate a unique theme to Christ's coming to earth. On December 24th, as a church we were blessed with the opportunity to celebrate Christmas with the residents at the local home for the mentally and physically disabled. Our church although though we have very little income was able to gift to the center a brand new clothes dryer. Although the center is run by the Albanian government, it receives only a small portion of all the support they need. We as a church have been learning to give generously as Christ gave so generously to us. We are learning to give even when we have little. We are learning to recognize the needs around us and give to those. We as a church do not want to exist for ourselves but to bless others and make a difference in the city of Korce. Finally, on December 26th we had our final Advent/Christmas service where the youth of the church lead us in Christmas songs and shared with us a drama they had prepared. After service we celebrated Christ's birth together by eating "petulla", a typical Albanian deep-fried desert, sort of donut like, served to friends and family at the birth of a newborn.

The New Year quickly approached and in Albania it is always the larger of festivals of the year. Of course it is a great time with family and friends and worth celebrating, but we always try to make our greatest celebration Christ's birth, whom without we would have no new year.

We wish you a happy new year and that more than ever before you would experience Jesus, the one who came to be God with us.

Much love and thanks to you for your prayers and generous support!

Sean, Vita & Eva Grace

A Place of Worship

The Orthodox like building churches. Big and small alike. The newest one in our city is a Church of St Panteleimon (Kisha Shen Pandelimoni). I was curious, who this saint was, and found out he was a Christian physician of IVth century, martyred for healing the sick by calling on the name of Jesus Christ. Great, I thought.

And then I kept on reading the recounts of his death: "Pantaleon's flesh was first burned with torches, whereupon Christ appreared to all in the form of Hermolaus (another saint) to strengthen and heal Pantaleon... Then a bath of molten lead was prepared; when the apparition of Christ stepped into the cauldron with him, the fire went out and the lead became cold... He was thrown to wild beasts, but these fawned upon him and could not be forced away until he had blessed them... An attempt was made to behead him, but the sword turned into wax and melted, and the executioners were converted to Christianity... It was not until he himself desired it that it was possible to behead him, upon which there issued forth blood and white liquid like milk."

In case you were interested, his head is located on the island of Andros, Greece, at the Panachrantos monastery, and, on occassions, is taken to other monasteries for veneration.

If you are looking for his icon to kiss, kiss one of "a beardless young man with a full head of curly hair."

Eva is almost 4 months old now. She is a bundle of smiles and laughter. Already, she has become quite the international traveller, well in this part of the world it is not that difficult. She loves "talking" with people and being outside. (This pic is taken in Meteora, Greece. My parents and one of my sisters came for their first visit to Albania, so during the end of their trip we took a short tour through Northern Greece.)

A Story of a Woman

We all love hearing big success stories; water turning into wine, dead being resurrected, mountains moving... The big stories of the little people are brushed off. I’d like to share with you a vivid illustration of Albanian Gypsy culture, and an impressive example of courage and faith.

A lady, who I’ll call Ada, is in her early thirties, like we, but her life has been very unlike ours. An older sister to two brothers was born and grew up in Korça. The smart girl truly enjoyed going to school, but when she reached 15, the parents decided to marry her off to a man almost twice her age. As it is common here, Ada moved in with her new husband and in-laws. Way too early she learnt the joys and hardships of the adult life. Barely 16, she gave birth to a baby-girl. Almost ten years later she had a son. A typical life of a poor Albanian Gypsy woman: marry early, raise kids and toil at home for the rest of your life. If you’re lucky, the in-laws treat you decently. But Ada wasn’t lucky. For an unassuming outsider, her husband creates an appearance of a quiet and nice person, yet his addiction to alcohol marred the life of the woman and her children. When he gets drunk, he turns violent.

Ada has been quietly suffering for years, as everybody in her family and neighbourhood would bluntly echo that we all must carry our own burdens. Years went by, Ada found Christ and peace in her heart, yet the abuse both towards her and the children only increased. As soon as Sean heard of her situation, he started encouraging the lady to find a place of her own, and promised the church’s support. It took over a year to work up the courage. She wasn’t wary of any revenge from her ex-husband. She had to fight a bigger monster called Culture. “What will people say?” too often towers above the wellbeing of your own children. In the people’s eyes, a woman leaving her husband commits a bigger crime than a husband, who instead of providing and caring for the family, wastes all the money on alcohol and constantly beats his wife and children.

First Ada moved in with her parents. They let her stay, but didn’t let her forget the shame she had brought on the family. Later, Ada’s brother with his family also moved into the two-room flat, and the living space became tight. Albanians don’t typically care about private space much, but the reproaches never really ended. “You just have to suffer,” they would tell her. “Everybody gets their share of suffering in life, and you must endure yours.” Even though both Ada’s in-laws passed away in the last year or so, and she had divorced her husband even longer ago, the culture wouldn’t let her get loose from the past.

Finally, Ada took her two children and moved out to a small two-room flat, leaving her parents and brother’s family more room, and getting more peace of mind. Working six days a week as a cleaner Ada makes a mere $120 a month. When I tried to convince her she should cook some meat for her anaemic daughter, I received a blunt reply, “Who can afford meat?”.

Ada’s determination is impressive. She has to fight the silent fight not only with the culture monster, but even with her own family in order to… protect her children from the abuse and provide them a safe and stable home! It’s difficult to be a single mother anywhere in the world, let alone in such a male dominant culture as Albania. Even more than Ada’s strong will I admire her trust in God – when she is stressed, tired, worried, when things seem hopeless, she chooses to rely on God and throw all her burdens on Him. She has some relatives in Greece and would love to emigrate. And I cannot blame her. Who wouldn’t want to escape the clutches of poverty and sometimes merciless culture? And unfortunately, her story is not really unique.

Eva Grace - born June 30th

From the birth of Eva

From the birth of Eva

From the birth of Eva

From the birth of Eva

We are so happy to introduce to you our first child, Eva Grace. She was born on June 30th here in Lithuania. Vita and Eva are doing fine, just adjusting to a new way of living together!

For all of you who like statistics:

weight: 3.676 kg

length: 53 cm

date of birth: June 30, 2010

time of birth: 2:35 am

waiting...

We are in Lithuania, which means we are on the brink of holding our little gift in our arms! We are waiting axiously, although the baby seems to be quite comfortable and content to stay in there. Just a couple more weeks to go...

Vita and the baby have been doing fine. Thankfully, both have been very healthy throughout the entire pregnancy. We will let you know when he/she is here!

Much love and thanks for your prayers and support!

a boy or a girl?

All around the world, people have multiple ways of determining whether a woman is expecting a boy or a girl. Of all the versions I heard so far, my favourite one is this: "If you are expecting a boy, you become more beautiful during pregnancy, if you are expecting a girl - well, that makes you more ugly." It makes me wonder whether this superstition is related to the preference given to boys in Albania.

December Newsletter

click on the images to view the newsletter in a readable size:

a special "newsletter" (a must read!)

Greetings!

Although you will be soon receiving a "normal" newsletter from us, we wanted to ask you to take a moment and read the attached newsletter and consider it prayerfully. One of the greatest things that Vita and I try to do here is champion the local Albanians we work with. Zhani & Vasilika are two of those Albanians!

Thanks for taking a moment to read and respond!

Much love,

Sean & Vita Mason

(click on the image below for a more readable version)

A Small Venture

The sun finally showed up after a week of constant drizzling, and the blue skies were more than inviting. “Here’s a day to be spent outside”, decided I and undertook a task I had long been thinking about – cleaning a little square in front of our house. (Notably, there is a container to be found at the corner, yet the rubbish has a unique tendency to bypass it.)

With a bucket in hand and selfless thoughts of preserving our beautiful Earth, I commenced scanning the little grassy area to and fro. With the bucket No. 10 I stopped counting. The funds were not spectacular. And my dog kept on finding delicacies of bony substance even after the mission was over.

Some neighbourhood kids were hanging around. I shyly lifted my head to greet them and carried on my humble venture. As it is proper for a solitary hero, I didn’t request help. Yet out of the blue comes one teenager, takes his jacket off and eagerly starts piling all the trimmed grape vines. Later, his friend shows up and adds to the company. The professor living across the street (the only person I had earlier observed cleaning somebody else’s mess) joins the crowd as well. Now we attract not just the looks, but even the comments of the passer-by’s. Eventually even a local “bad boy,” who doesn’t do much throughout the day except for lingering and the selected corners of our block, grabs the shovel and gets to work.

I left smiling. Looking from our window, the square doesn’t seem any cleaner, yet unsolicited help made my day. I should venture out more often.

August Newsletter

Sorry it took us so long to post this online!

A Tree or Not a Tree?

They go by mules (enjoy the thistles, buddy!)

The mules go by packs

The stronger ones carry the logs

And no tree can resist a chainsaw

But can a sign "Holy Forest" do the trick? (As it did for this oak grove.)

Welcome to Mashkullore

Mashkullore in Albanian - masculine

The town on the road to a UNESCO heritage city of Gjirokaster tells more about the Albanian culture than you can imagine! Literary descriptions aside, let me share a few observations. Some weeks ago, passing by a posh new outdoors cafe in down-town Korce, I counted the customers. Roughly 50. Not a single woman. Not an uncommon view. (Korca has only one waitress.)

Woman at home, man at a club. A friend talks about the flat that her son (4 years old) is to inherit. Her 14 year old daughter didn't make it to the list of the heirs. 

Since the toddler years, the girls are being taught to serve; the boys are being taught to be served. 

A pregnant unmarried girl risks to be kicked out of the house and never accepted into the family again. Who would think there was also an impregnator involved? 

Never in my entire life had I seen such crowds of guys going for walks down the boulevard! They certainly outnumber the girls. 

Teenage girls don't go for an ice-cream without their parents' permission. Teenage boys are safe to wander out and about as they please. 

Abused wives are not welcomed to return to their parent's homes - divorce is a shame and the wife is always the guilty one.

Welcome to Mashkullore!

(I am not a feminist. And certainly there are many exceptions! But if you try to tell me my observations are untrue, you'll risk to achieve the opposite effect.)

In & Out

The other day, coming back from a day trip to Greece, we gave a ride to an Albanian policeman working at the border. During Enver Hoxha's (the communist dictator's) times he was a bee-keeper. Re-education followed the advance of democracy. From his lips we found out some interesting facts about immigration. Every time we go to Greece, we see big blue buses rushing towards the border, where they are being emptied. Apparently, illegal immigrants are kept in jail in Greece only until a bus fills up. And back in Albania, one is being brought to court only after three deportations. (The prisons would be overflowing, smirked the policeman.) So if you are to cross the border at night over the mountains, you should only worry about the possible bad mood of the Greek police - in case you do get caught, that is.

Visits & Visitors

The spring winds brought busyness to the Mason family. The busyness called “people”. Those were interesting, merry, enriching and simply good times.

First, four men from Romania came our way. Sean’s college friend Chad, who’s been a missionary to Romania for 6 years, brought along his pastor and two other church leaders – to fulfil his old promise to visit Sean and to build some bridges between the two churches. Here in Korçe, they visited an asylum, donated some clothes to an orphanage, replaced me at the English class, at the Bible study taught us to serve God with what He’s given us, stayed at our house and phoned their wives day and night.

Soon afterwards we welcomed another five visitors – this time a team of youth leaders from Lithuania. Together with the church teenagers they showed a drama at the Easter service, hung out with the youth indoors and outdoors, cleaned an old lady’s house and helped yet another family with supplies to rebuild their burnt down bathroom, and encouraged our church members sharing their testimonies.

Last but not least, Sean and I decided to pay a return visit to the Romanians. Thus we packed our bags and flew over to spend a few days in Târgovişte (where Vlad the Impaler, the prototype of Drakula, had his stronghold). We shared at the Sunday morning and night church services, visited our friends and found some time to relax as well.

What fun, joy and privilege it is to share our faith with believers from other countries! It was a timely reminder that we are not alone in our fight for the Kingdom. We were refreshed by the visit of the serving Lithuanians and inspired by the dedicated Romanians. I believe the teams didn’t leave Albania empty-handed either. Everybody has gained something, everybody has grown a bit.

Let's Celebrate the Life and Hope We Have in Jesus

April Newsletter

click the images below to see the full version of the newsletter or to download:

The Road Less Travelled

Albania is so beautiful, so breathtakingly beautiful, yet so hard to travel in! At least in our Subaru Outback… A month or so ago instead of the usual “highway” (it takes just under 4 hrs to cover 180 km) we took another road to Tirana – via Gramsh and Elbasan. Approximately the same 180 km took 6 hrs. Did we know that a road, marked as a major one on the map, isn’t paved? No! We gave a ride to a local town elder (he was on his one and a half hour long walk to the meeting) and found out that majority of the people from that area had moved to the bigger cities. Pretty likely this major road will remain unpaved.

As we drove, I kept on wondering whether the river down in the canyon is suitable for rafting, even if you’re super experienced. And whether we should have ridden our mountain bikes instead. Wait, we don’t have any mountain bikes! So I guess we won’t take that road again anytime soon. Shame, it was so gorgeous! (Did I mention the rocks falling down on the road?)

Come explore the untouched beauty of the land of eagles!

Where Did The Trees Go?

I am not any sort of an environmentalist, but I love the nature. I try not to trash it, but I don’t plant any trees. Nevertheless, the thought has crossed my mind numerous times since I moved to Albania. Coming from a very green country of Lithuania (they taught us at school, that the forests comprise 30%), I take greenery for granted. Thus my eye searches for it even in the rocky terrain of Albania.

Leaving the climatic and geological considerations aside (I cannot boast much knowledge here anyways), it is obvious that some of the tall greenery is gone. But where and how? So far, I could pinpoint two reasons. One is of human origin, the other one is of worm origin.

First, people mercilessly hack trees for firewood. Most households, us included, use firewood for heating. I don’t think it’s much fun to spend a whole day deep in the mountains for a mule-load of firewood. But what can one do? Unemployment is soaring, and winters are cold. So here I started thinking of some sort of reforestation programme.

Second, people have cut a lot of trees during the Communist times to expand their fields. Agriculture in Albania can be tricky – 70% of the country is rugged mountains. But the communists had their own ways, and all over Albania you will see terraced mountain slopes (now I wonder, did Enver Hoxha learn from Mao experts or vice versa?). Fair enough. One needs to grow his own food when the country is surrounded by an iron wall of ideology.

I cannot be angry with the people, as I consider these two reasons economical. But I can surely be angry with the second destroyer of the trees - the Thaumetopoea pityocampa parasites (or pine processionary caterpillars; some knowledgeable people have written about pretty stunning behaviour of this pest) that build silvery nests in the few remaining pine trees, happily feed on them and finally destroy them. After a little bit of research I found out, that various species of insects can destroy the pest. Or the trees can be sprayed. But I have also read that the governments in the Mediterranean region have spent millions on fighting these bugs and the results have not been as satisfactory as expected. So here I started thinking of some sort of “good insect” raising and releasing programme.

While I keep on thinking, the forests in Albania keep on shrinking.

Life Just Around the Corner

In the very south of Albania, on the coast of the azure Ionian Sea, stretches the beautiful town of Sarande. During summertime, the city bursts with tourists. Yet few venture beyond the tall newly built hotels and alluring beaches. However, the begging children on the streets remain a palpable reminder of another, perhaps less decorated and sparkly reality that exists just next door.

The road through the Cuka village is dirty and bumpy. An abandoned bus marks the end of the suburb. Unsurprisingly it serves as a playground for a bunch of Gypsy kids. As the car of church aid workers pulls up, they come out running and shouting, smiles adorning their precious little faces.

An extended family of forty or so Gypsies lives in the village. As the little ones grow up, life doesn’t seem to bring many changes. At first sight, the community seems to be entrapped by the merciless laws of poverty and ostracization. Sadly, Albanian society commonly nourishes racist beliefs. The Caucasian majority more often than not considers itself of “more noble blood” (echoing notions that less than a century ago brought much misery to the whole Europe) and unscrupulously looks down on the darker skinned Gypsies. Unfortunately, segregation starts from an early age; children are ridiculed in the public schools, thus the parents often pull them out and entrust them to “street school.” Unable to receive education, later on in life they struggle to find a vocation in a country where jobs are not readily available. Without a job and with a family to feed, alternative sources of income are being sought, such as sending children to beg on the streets. And more children are being born into the cycle of destitution. One can only wonder – is there a way to break the clutches of poverty?

There are a handful of faithful Albanians and expatriates who have been faithfully visiting Cuka and implementing educational and aid programmes. It would be easy to get frustrated when an irresponsible father sells a donated stove for booze; it would be natural to get disappointed when the people request prescription after prescription to be filled in order to get unneeded medications; it would be natural to quit when today appears to be exactly like yesterday, yet they persevere.

Saranda is in no way unique – most cities in the world have poor neighbourhoods. The question is whether we dare to look at what’s just around the corner.

A 1000 or A 100?

When I first came to Albania, I was warned not to be deceived when shopping at the market - they might tell you a kilo of grapes costs 1000 lek, but actually it is only 100 lek. The Albanians still talk the "old lek", I was told. Naturally it takes time to get used to the new kind of money after revaluation of a currency and crossing off of a zero at the end, I thought. The same happened in Lithuania at the dawn of independence in the 90s. Just one minor detail: the lek was revalued in 1965. Surprisingly, even those born after the 60's also talk about the prices using old lek. They truly uniquely stick to their old ways! Sounds confusing to a foreign ear? I heard a story of an Albanian lady, who mistakenly thought the coffee at a nice resort restaurant was ten times more expensive and therefore was warding off the potential customers! Yet the explanation "new or old lek" is most often omitted. Why bother?

Seasons Greetings With A Snowy View From Our Balcony

Ancient Wisdom

A few weeks ago, on our way back from the mountains we passed a man carrying a hedgehog over his shoulder. And we learnt that a cooked hedgehog's meat helps heal the rheumatism. Invaluable.

Happy Independence Day(s), Albania!

As it happens with many small countries, Albania has several days to commemorate the end of an oppressive regime. However, due to historical disputes, only one day of due celebration might remain.

Albania had been occupied and plundered by neighbours from near and far throughout most of its history; the occupation of then Illyrian lands by the Roman Empire was followed by the invasions of barbarians and Slavs, and a half millennium of Ottoman rule. But for a brief period in 1400s, the Albanians did not enjoy freedom until 1912, when on November 28th they declared independence from the Ottoman Empire.

Many nations came and went during the soon to come World War I and later in the century during the World War II. Finally, in 1944, the Albanian partisans liberated the country from the nazis. (It is noteworthy that Albania was the only Eastern European country to drive out the nazis without Russia's help.) Once again, the freedom was gained on November 28th. Or was it November 29th?

For years, November 28th was celebrated as the Day of Independence and November 29th - as the Day of Liberation. However, a few years ago some started doubting the historic correctness of November 29th. Yet who could now tell with certainty when exactly the last German soldier crossed the border?

Leaving the disagreements and arguments aside, a unique conglomerate - November 28-29 - is being celebrated in a proper manner; flags with the two-headed eagle are flown, fireworks fired, and a well deserved holiday enjoyed. I say, the more days to celebrate, the better. Despite the many centuries of oppression, the Albanians preserved their unique language and culture, and that alone is worth good two days of festivities.

So Happy Independence Day(s), Albania! And may the liberty be enjoyed for many more years to come!

October 2008 Newsletter

married and finally back in Albania!

Hi Everyone!

Sorry it's been so long since my last post. Over the past 6+ months I have been away from Albania (the longest I have ever been away). But, as most of you know, there was a very good reason for my absence- I got married! The wedding was on June 28th, which happened to be the hottest day Oregon had seen in years. We prayed that it would not rain but never thought we would need to pray about the heat! I guess know we know to be more specific! Anyway, after a great wedding we had a wonderful honeymoon in Alaska. The tropical beaches of the Caribbean are nice and all, but we much more prefer the mountains and wilderness. After the honeymoon, we departed for Vita's homeland (Lithuania). There we had a small wedding party with her family and friends, changed her surname, got all her documents in order, purchased a vehicle and packed her belongings. Thankfully since she has been living on the mission field in recent years she doesn't own very much! We hit the road for Albania and after 3 days of driving, arrived here in Tirane late Sunday evening.

Tomorrow we will make the journey to our final destination in Korce. There we will begin the search for a home of our own (or apartment), and then begin to furnish it. As of now we have nothing but 2 sleeping bags and backpacking mattresses, so we figure they will get some use until we can find a bed. Oh, we even have a tent and a backpacking stove and pot.....so why do we need to look for a house?

We are both excited and happy to finally be here. We look forward to resume pastoring the church in Korce and working with our friends and "family" there to serve and love Southeastern Albania.


Thank you for your continued prayers and support!


Muchlove,

Sean & Vita


p.s. We hope to have a more official newsletter out soon!