May 2009

A Period Of Change

At the beginning of April Steve and Ruth Byrne, who have been working with the church in Fier for almost three years, left Albania. Steve was offered, and accepted, an invitation to work with the Pearl Harbor church of Christ in Honolulu. Their departure was unexpected, and their absence will surely be felt, especially by the church in Fier. We wish them the best of everything, and the blessings of God, in their new work.

The working of God is seen in the transition for the church in Fier, indeed, for all of Albania. For about 3 1/2 years Steve and Deborah Stamatis have been working with the satellite school of Sunset International Bible Institute here in Albania, known in its short form as IBIA. The long-term impact of this endeavor will be known only in eternity, but positive things are definitely happening. Two young men who are graduates of that school, Altin Koçi and Eduart Hoxha, were asked by the elders of the Slicer Street church of Christ of Kennett, MO (the sponsoring church for the work in Fier) to jointly assume the duties of full-time workers with the church in Fier. This is especially gratifying to me, since Altin was one of our early converts here in Lushnja. I will be, at the request of the Slicer Street elders, serving as a resource person for both the church and the young men. In that role I will have the privilege of meeting at least once a month with the Fier church, as well as an additional monthly meeting with Altin and Edi.

Eduart Hoxha and Altin Koçi

Prior to coming to Albania the Byrnes had secured funding through a Christian foundation to purchase a vehicle for their use here. They were able to buy a new 2006 Toyota RAV4, which the Slicer Street elders have graciously made available to me for my travels about the country. What a blessing! I felt blessed to have been able to purchase about 5 1/2 years ago, with the help of some of you, a 1996 8-passenger van. I will retain, and use, both vehicles. The van is needed when we go anywhere as a group. I will make either vehicle available to churches and individuals to use in activities relating to the work of the kingdom, provided I can be assured the driving skills are adequate and the proposed drivers have licenses, neither criterion being a given here in Albania.

God Is Blessing

Often in our Christian lives we are faced with frustration. That is because the Prince of Darkness works very hard at what he does. One of the most effective tools Satan uses is to blind our eyes to the positives of God's presence, thus causing us to wrongfully believe that God is absent, or uncaring. In reality, however, if we daily look for the many ways in which we are loved and lifted by His presence, we will find little reason for despair. Paul's recounting of the events of his life, negative and disastrous though they may have been, (2 Cor. 1:8ff, NIV) led him back to the conclusion that "this happened that we might not rely on ourselves, but on God, who raises the dead." (v. 9).

In this time of worldwide crisis, it is my prayer that I, that we all, keep our eyes on the Lord of life and not on the lord of this world, Satan. There is, to be sure, plenty about which to be concerned (see verse 8 in the scripture above), things that can even bring us to the point of despair. But for the Christian there is a great deal to be learned about God and about ourselves through these experiences, namely that we do not rely on ourselves, but on God. We are being blessed here in Lushnja with an attendance averaging close to 30 each week. At almost every gathering there are more non-members than members. That can be frustrating, if we do not realize that it is a sign that many are willing, perhaps even anxious, to hear the saving message of the cross.

Transitions
That is what our lives consist of - transitions. From one place to another, from one age to another, from one stage to another. The most important transition, however, is that of which Paul wrote in 2 Corinthians 3:18. The word Paul used was "transform" (at least in my English translation) which is indeed a transition. His words were: "And we, who with unveiled faces all reflect the Lord's glory, are being transformed into his likeness with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the spirit."

The question for us is always going to be, "How is your transformation going?" I am thrilled to see the transformation in so many of those who knew nothing of Christianity just a short time ago, here in Albania. I am, in contrast, troubled by the lack of transformation in others, who just don't seem to "get it". I try very hard to see things in the perspective of how frustrated our God surely has been with me, from time to time, through my 50+ years of walking with Him. That moderates my frustration with others, but it doesn't eliminate it altogether.

A case in point is the recent concern one of our members had over having their name and photo posted on the internet, through this newsletter. There is no threat of life for being a Christian here, such as in some other countries, just an "identity transition". As I considered this perplexing situation I was forced to reexamine how often I had similar concerns in my early walk with the Lord, in a much less challenging environment. I was brought to realize, once again, the need for great patience, but not concession.

The God Of Our Needs
I have never been involved with planting a church in a foreign land prior to coming to Albania. One of the greatest challenges I face is in trying to keep the focus off American sufficiency, and directed instead toward God sufficiency. In the eyes of most Albanians (there are some exceptions) America is a great country for many reasons, not the least of which is its prosperity. Because America has been blessed materially, and here we are trying to share the blessings, it is difficult not to create an atmosphere in which people are drawn to the church for that reason rather than because of God's great love.

As I stated before, we have been averaging close to 30 in attendance each Lord's Day. Because there are more people there is need for more activities and offerings. Space in which to provide fellowship and teaching activities beyond what are now taking place is a pressing need. Once again, we do not want to create dependency, but feel the need to address the space issue. Across the street from us is a new shop which is available for about $160 per month. Its proximity to our present facilities would make it a wonderful adjunct, usable in many ways. Pray that we will make the right decision, one that will promote the gospel and fellowship, while not creating an aura of dependency. UPDATE: We have agreed with the owners on renting the shop, and we will begin using it the first of June.

Current facilities, taken from in front of additional facility

Open door is additional facility, taken from current location

Another Birth
We have another "church baby". We shared with you about six months ago regarding the birth of Amelja, the daughter of Alma Kajdo, who works part-time with me. Now Amelja has a cousin, as our sister in Christ, Silvana Eksarko, gave birth last week to a little girl, who has been named Ajla (pronounced "eye-la"). Silvana is the sister-in-law of Alma, and a faithful sister in the Lord. Please pray for Silvana, as she faces a difficult time raising her daughter. Her husband lives and works in Greece, and she seldom sees him.

Silvana Eksarko with her newborn daughter, Ajla

Christian Camp

We have shared with you in previous newsletters about the plans and efforts to rekindle the Christian camping program here in Albania. Your generous hearts have responded with several thousand dollars to be used in the project. As of this writing our project will still be "in process" for another year. There are many obstacles to overcome, not the least of which is having someone who can devote a considerable amount of time to the effort.

In lieu of the desired results, negotiations are underway regarding utilizing existing facilities controlled by other organizations. This plan would give us an opportunity for younger children at a place near the Adriatic Sea, south of Durrës. The other possibility is a camp for older youth at a camp near the city of Korça, in the southeast part of the country.

We have not given up the dream, and will use all funds received for making a Christian camping experience available to the youth of our churches, and others, throughout Albania. The need for outside funding will, at least for the foreseeable future, continue to exist. Please keep this in your prayers, and if possible in your plans for how to utilize your "expendable income". You have blessed us here in so many ways, and I pray God's blessings on you.


Lifted by His love,



Tom