Sofia, Bulgaria

SOME OF OUR ALBANIAN CHURCH LEADERS WITH MAGDALENA WORSHIPPING DURING ONE OF THE CONFERENCE SESSIONS
from left: Bedro - Sarande church leader; Nedo - Sarande church leader; Magdalena - missionary to Albania from Malaysia; Lindita - Erseke church leader; Mariela - Korce church leader.

TOUR OF SOFIA
Chris Dakas (our director), Matt Firman (on a short term missions trip to Albania from the US), myself along with the rest of our group from Albania (mentioned in the picture above) were able to take a day to tour together the capital city of Bulgaria, Sofia.

April 7-12, I had the privelage of driving a group of our Albanian church leaders and missionaries to Sofia Bulgaria for our denominations (Foursquare) European conference. There were 8 of us total which included 4 missionaries and 4 Albanian leaders. Unfortunately none of our male leaders were able to attend the conference because of previous committments in their churches and work. Those of us who did attend had a very encouraging and restful trip. Taking our Albanian leaders to such conferences as this is always such a valuable time as they get are encouraged by and worship together with Christians from countries in Europe. For us missionaries it is also a very valuable time as we get to worship in ENGLISH and meet with the other missionaries working throughout Europe as well as church leaders. Not only are great friendship made, but also plans and strategies for helping eachother reach Europe more effectively with the love of Jesus.

Easter Sunday

Mohamet (left) & Lefter with grandaughter Sara

Easter morning we spent with the children of the Sarande church. Each Sunday chilren's church is in the morning and the adult/youth church is in the evening. It was splendid to be with the children of the Sarande church again. Last time I visited Sarande was with a Dutch missions team last July, so spending Easter morning with the children was great. I love to watch children worship and sing.
Easter evening we had a great church service. Chris Dakas shared the message and afterwards we all had a time of fellowship. Above you can see some pictures from that time.

the night before Easter

I was blessed to spend Easter with our church in the Southern Albanian town of Sarande. Chris (our director) and I travelled down together for the weekend and shared an excellent Easter service with the people there. The evening (Saturday) before Easter Sunday all the men of the church gathered together for a time of fellowship. This was a very special meeting and for the church in Sarande, evidence of some very healthy growth. In Albania, it is quite difficult for Albanian men to express their faith. From what I have seen, Chrisitianity is often perceived by males as something for women or the weak. During this men's meeting two men from the church shared brief messages and testimonies with the other men. These two men, Mohamet and Lefter, are the husbands of two women in the church who have over the years been two of the main leaders of the church. Since Mohamet and Lefter have become Christians just recently they have been actively getting more involved in church. As we watched them both speak at this mens meeting there was something very special and encouraging to see Albanian men sharing their personal experiences with Christ with other Albanian men. We believe that Mohamet and Lefter will become strong leaders in the church and hope that one day one of them will become the head pastor of the Sarande Church.