February 2013
Lushnja Then
Lushnja Now
Catching Up
It has been TOO long since last were blessed to see pictures of how the Lord is working here in Lushnja. I am convinced that a lot of what is being accomplished is a result of your prayers, as I know he is also working through many of you in helping to support this work financially. Thank you, and may God continue to bless you, and together we bless the world with the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. As you can see from the above photos, growth is taking place in the size, or at least the number of buildings, in the city of Lushnja.
Because it has been so long, and so much has happened, I will let the photos in the following collage do most of the "speaking" in this issue of the newsletter. It is very sad to see those who have named the name of Jesus walk away from their commitment, but God continues to bring more people into our sphere of influence, allowing us to share the Good News of Jesus with them. Enjoy the collage.
The Reason For It All - New Births
Glenida Kajdo and Vjollca Kodra in preparation
Gleni in anticipation
Vjollca rejoicing in the Lord
The Ionian Sea, near Vlora, proved to be not the ideal baptistry, but it worked OK for the young men in the next photo
From left to right:
Adriano Gjergi,
Donald Çela,
Tom Bonner
and Olsi Murrizi
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Above:
Maja Korreshi in the "delivery" room
Left:
The "newborn" Maja
Sonila Zhilivoda,
eager to become a child of God
Sonila filled with joy and the Holy Spirit
I want to stress that these photos cover the baptisms which have taken place over an extended period of time, due to my negligence in reporting. I do plan to rectify that shortcoming as we go forward from here.
Other Events
There have been many other activities, not all of which I can provide photographic record of in this report, but I will provide some.
Group for youth play day, with one of their Bible class teachers, Gleni
Group of counselors and campers from Lushnja at the pre-teen camp
The three photos above are from a youth gathering at my house
Looking Ahead
Some of you may be aware that we have been seeking a larger facility in which to meet. The need is not so pressing now as it was when we were averaging abut fifty in attendance, but we are looking to the future. We want to find some place that can handle a much larger gathering without difficulty, in which we can grow for many years. At one point we thought one was a "done deal", but that fell through. Then we located another, but the cost to make it suitable for our use, along with its drawbacks, led us to decide to stay where we are for now.
There are now four of us teaching English and Bible five days a week, and from that comes the effect of greater opportunity for growth. Alma Kajdo has been working with me for something over seven years now. More recently Vjollca Kodra (see pictures above) and Silvana Eksarko have begun to spend time each weekday in the project of teaching and building relationships through World English Institute. At the present, neither of these ladies is being paid, but they could certainly use it, and we would like to accommodate their desire/need when it becomes a possibility.
Oltion and Sojana Mezini, both of whom were baptized here, have been studying at the university in Vlora for some time now. Olti will conclude a master's program in maritime engineering next month, and Sojana will complete a bachelor's program in economics/finance in the summer. They are giving consideration to entering the Bible training school in Tirana for a two-year program of study, simply so they can be better prepared for service in God's kingdom. Whether they will seek to serve the Lord full-time or not remains to be seen, but this is a young couple in whom the love of God dwells in great measure. Please pray with us that God will lead the way, that we will be responsive to His leading, and that the best path of service for them will be opened and made clear.
Olti and Sojana Mezini
Praise Be To God
For ten and a half years now I have made Lushnja my home. God has truly blessed the work here through your prayers and your giving to make it possible for the church to exist and grow. I praise God that I am breaking through some of the things that have hindered my more effective service in the kingdom. Please continue to pray for the ongoing growth, in every way, of the church here. May He alone be glorified.
Saved to serve, serving to save
Tom
4 comments:
Thanks for your update Brother. God bless those who are supporting you.
It seems that in some societies, public meeting places are a necessary tool of the church today. Even in the U.S. if we plant a church we soon rent a school, etc, to reach out farther than we can in our own homes.
But when we use a building and invite the public in, studies have shown that (for some unknown Psychological reason) we will not sustain an audience over 3/4 capacity.
In short we need to have a meeting place that says to the public,"We have room to grow." I'm praying that you will find a larger place to meet.
Love, Terry
Hi Tom, Good to read your report of the work in Lushnja. The Lord has really been blessing you there. I am still missing Elbasana, after being back here in the uk since May 2005, but that work continues to go well. They celebrated the 15th Anniversary last Saturday. I still remember the first visit Dulcie and I made on Feb. 8, 1998. The best move we ever made. We'll keep you and the saints there in our thoughts and prayers. Who knows, I may make it back for the 25th. Pete
Dear brother Tom,
It's great to get an update and especially one with so much good news! The place you baptized Glenida and Vjollca looks very nice, too!
Tom,
Thanks for keeping us informed. I pray you are well -- looks like you are even thinner than when I saw you last.
Thank God for his work among these precious people.
I want you to know that we have taken verseoftheday.com (which goes to over 200,000 people now) into 8 languages and hopefully some of them can be useful to some of your folks.
God bless you brother!
Phil Ware
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