“Gezuar!” Cheers from Albania! Despite the many years of the Ottoman empire and communist government, Albanian people generously extend themselves and seek good in people. We have been incredibly blessed by their warm generosity, opening their homes and sharing of their resources with us freely.
Culture:
Hospitality is a key part of Albanian culture due to its strong Muslim affiliation. Albanians are incredibly warm, friendly, and do not hesitate to extend themselves. So if you compliment something small in their home expect to take it home with you because it’s rude not to ac
cept it. Friendships are remembered and cherished. We have experienced huge helpings of Albanian hospitality in the Lleshi family opening up their home to all 13 of us World Racers, Campus Crusade missionaries inviting us for dinner and showing us around town to get us acquainted to Tirana. Movies, TV, and music have influenced Albanians negatively towards materialism. Still, going out for coffee or drinks (non-alcoholic) is a common way to build friendships and share the gospel. Ironically, unlike many parts of the world, social class is divided by level of education and whether you are from a small town or a large city instead of wealth. Klara Lleshi and friends
Ministry:
Originally, our plans were to go to Egypt, but God has other plans and sent August World Racers to 6 different Eastern European nations to develop new contacts with missionaries, local pastors, and other ministries meeting the needs of the people. This month we’re partnered with Team Silas in Albania. Protestant Christians make up 0.1% of the Albanian population. 70% identify as Muslin, 20% Orthodox, and 10% Catholic. 3.5 billion Muslims form the only self-identified Muslim nation in Europe. However, the #1 religion in Albania is Albanianism. Albanians take great pride in religious unity, which means everyone is open to all faiths but not serious about their faith. Evangelism has been challenging since many religions have sent missionaries into Albanian following the fall of communism in 1991. Consequently, it is essential for us to create a distinction between religion and a relationship with Jesus. Our current ministry involvements include…
- Campus Crusade High School ministry (Jeta e Re). We hand out invitations to high school students daily for our weekly Saturday morning youth group. We will also be “having coffee” with some students on Saturdays after youth group to share our testimonies and the gospel with them.
- Campus Crusade Athletes in Action ministry. Daily, we coach and play American football with 9-12 year-old soccer players. Afterwards, we share our testimonies and a glimpse into how Jesus has impacted our lives.
- Campus Crusade Josh McDowell Conference. 1.5 years ago Albania’s Campus Crusade invited Josh McDowell to speak to Albanian youth, parents, pastors, and national leaders during a week of workshops and rallies October 21-25. We will be heavily involved in distributing invitations on college campuses to the two youth rallies in Tirana and Elbasan, as well as, drama ministry for the rally itself.
- Lincoln Center “Let’s Talk” classes. As a ministry to the Albanian people, the Lincoln Center was started by American missionaries and has become a well-known resource for English learning in the community. We will be teaching a two-week course on conversational English phrases and slang. We hope these classes will create opportunities for us to “have coffee” to share with our students.
- We are also exploring other ministry opportunities for future World Racers, such as orphanages, children’s group homes, local churches, and missionary organizations.
Language:
- Albanian is the official language with two main dialects Geg, spoken in the North, and Tosk spoke in the South.
- many Albanians in the city speak English as their second language, which encourages communication
- “Falemenderit!” means thank you, but literally translated means “I bow to you”
- “Po” means yes and “Jo” (yo) means no
Food:
Byrek is a phyllo pastry pie with cheese, meat, or my favorite, spinach! Byrek’s are a cheap option for a meals at about 30 leke (prounounced le-k) or $0.35. Albanians also have wonderful Italian food since many chefs went to Italy to study under Italian chefs during the communist era and returned after the fall of communism, bringing their skills to the kitchen. Mostly, we’ve been enjoying the benefits of government subsidized dormitory “cafeteria” foods. It is a challenge to figure out what foods are in other countries when you can’t understand their menu or labels and foods don’t look familiar.
Byrek is a phyllo pastry pie with cheese, meat, or my favorite, spinach! Byrek’s are a cheap option for a meals at about 30 leke (prounounced le-k) or $0.35. Albanians also have wonderful Italian food since many chefs went to Italy to study under Italian chefs during the communist era and returned after the fall of communism, bringing their skills to the kitchen. Mostly, we’ve been enjoying the benefits of government subsidized dormitory “cafeteria” foods. It is a challenge to figure out what foods are in other countries when you can’t understand their menu or labels and foods don’t look familiar.
