Si jeni!
We have not quite figured out if that means Hello or How are you. We have all received different stories as to the definition of the word. The funny thing is… we are all asking the same lady. Therefore, depending on the day She could say that it means Hello, she could say that it means how are you… Next she will tell us that it means your welcome.
Basically I stick with the the only word that I can properly pronounce "Falemnderit" which means thank you. Its kind of funny though because this phrase, depending on how you say it, in my opinion could mean lots of things. I'm sorry, Hello, How are you, How much is this, Goodbye, Flock of sheep, Is that your cow, or Hey look, Mountains!
Needless to say, learning Albanian has proven to be slightly more challenging then learning Spanish. But regardless of the language barrier I am loving Lezhe. My squad is together for the month and we are staying at LightForce summer camp. The camp doubles as a farm so that it can be self sustaining during the winter months. So this month our ministry is helping our contact George, clean and prepare the camp for the kids that will visit this summer.
We are repainting fences and playgrounds, trimming hedges and gardening, moving rocks, chopping and stacking firewood, and helping to take care of the sheep, pigs, and chickens. Though we do not have a lot of relational ministry this month, God is being so faithful in working in and through my squad. We come together as a squad each morning and evening to study our way through Proverbs and Matthew. Then during the day; as we are working, we try to turn our focus to praying for the kids that will visit this summer.
I am so thankful for the opportunity to live and serve with LifeForce this month. God's presence is so evident in the way he is building our relationship Him and with each other.
Your prayers for our ministry and for my squad are cherished.
~Em
