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.