“C’kemi” Albanian for What’s Up? Campus Crusade is full of wonderful people who have poured out their love on us and blessed us with home-cooked meals that warm our tummies and feed our souls, and conversations, sharing in God’s transforming work in their lives and encouraging us in our mission journeys and travels. In particular, the two Alma’s, who we’ve affectionately nicknamed “big Alma,” director of women’s ministries, and ‘little Alma,” high school ministry staff, have poured their hearts into us and personally encouraged me to grow my faith and expand my vision of God and how He is changing me. In many ways, we have become family.
team Triumph with the Almas
We have also been adopted by a wonderful family of siblings, Lida, Mira, and Azgan, all Crusade staff in different ministries, who have an amazing testimony of the power of boldness in sharing your faith with those you love and those closest to you. Lida prayed and shared her faith with her siblings and have seen her sister and brother accept Jesus Christ and grow into true disciples, who are now passionately sharing their faith with students and athletes. We have also been blessed by their warm hospitality, delicious Albanian foods, and taking time to bless us with words of encouragement, hugs, and a scarf to keep me warm when the weather changed from summer to winter in a day. Monica, Brenda, Mira, Lida, and Priscilla
We love to welcome new siblings into the family of God! Through our high school ministry, we invited Adle na and her cousin Catherine to our Saturday morning high school youth group at their school. Last Saturday, they walked the long distance in the
rain to come to youth group and instantly bonded with me as we spoke in English about everything from art to Twilight.
After the meeting, Eri, a high school staff, gave the girls books to take home to read about Christianity. This Saturday, they came again to youth group just as I had prayed and hoped they would. After youth group, I invited them out to coffee together and we shared stories and testimonies. The girls were showed interested in hearing more aout Jesus Christ and what He has done for them. The high school staff will follow-up with them as they continue to search and seek God.
Eri, Adlena, Catherine, Priscilla, Alma
While the Campus Crusade staff have adopted us as family, we too have grown to love them as our brothers and sisters in Christ. When my teammate, Sam, heard that the guitar which Azgan uses to lead worship both at Campus Crusade and for his church was warped and destroyed during a flooding incident in September, he felt God was calling him to action to provide Azgan with a guitar to assist him in leading others to worship now and as he prepares to go to Montenegro, his mision field calling. Many responded to Sam’s e-mails and soon the finances were raised. God provided Azgan with a brand new guitar to lead others into worship through the faithful support of many at home. Sam and Azgan with his new guitar
Of course, I can’t forget the Albanian-American (Lleshi) family that so kindly hosted us for the past month despite their busy, hectic lives with a newborn and beginning of the school year. Not only have they provided us with comfortable lodging, they have also shared some American home comforts, including a Nestle Tollhouse chocolate chip cookie tea party hosted by their daughter, Klara. We have been incredibly blessed by their vision and passion for Albania and their desire to extend God’s blessings and provision by hosting missionary groups in their home. We have been incredibly blessed by the many Albanian families who have taken us in and loved us with Christian love and hospitality. Klara, Halley, Chelsea, Priscilla, Aubrey, Brenda, Monica, and Brittany have a tea party
