Ministry Marathon!

We are way overdue for an update, sorry! We are doing really well, and can honestly say that after being on vacation in Italy and then coming back “home” to Albania, it does feel more like home. There is something psychological about being away and then coming back, settling in, and getting into a routine. This process of “coming home” was even taught to us when we were in missionary training exactly one year ago in North Carolina. It was suggested to leave your country of ministry for a short period of time, but NOT return to your “home” country. Then, when you return to your country of ministry, you say to yourself over and over again “I’m going home.” And it does feel like home! At least more than it did about 6 months ago. So we are praising the Lord for that. We are even getting used to the spontaneity of things here. For instance, the public schools do NOT have a school calendar. Sometimes the students don’t know a week before school begins or ends when exactly it will begin or end! They don’t have a schedule of assignments, vacation days, etc. So this can be challenging when we’re making a Fall Youth Events Schedule for our kids! But if you’ve ever been on a short-term mission trip you instinctively know the keyword for the entire trip: flexibility. Long term missions is very different than short-term, but this is one thing that remains constant: the need for flexibility.

The month of September is FULL. And for this we are really, really grateful. The Lord has blessed us with SO MANY opportunities for ministry with the students here. We have full calendar of youth “events”, church involvement, and language training. We both love being busy, and thrive when we’re forced to be intentional and purposeful with our time. So here are some things you can be praying for:

Albanian Language Training: After two months off, we both start language training again this week, twice a week each, for private lessons. We have the same tutuor, Arta, and she is wonderful! Praise the Lord!

Discipleship: We are both actively discipling several students each. This is what we get most excited about and what takes up so much of our thought and prayer life. Please pray specifically for our discipleship students: For Justin: Eno and Genti; for Gretchen: Xhili (pronounced Jilly) and Evi.

Bible Studies: Pray for all our youth as we have begun separate girls’ and boys’ bible studies this fall. We are still praying that the Lord will help us to follow-up with several boys who attended camp and had soft hearts toward the Gospel, but we haven’t seen them for weeks, despite several phone calls and invitations.

Fun Events: We also have fun events planned for fellowship and “getting to know one another”. We really look forward to these times as they help the students bond – and help us bond with the students. For September we have planned: hiking/swimming on the mountain and go-carting!

Fellowship Events: We have one Fellowship Lunch planned after church at our house and one Praise & Prayer on a Friday night.

Okay, I think that’s enough for one post. But I can’t help mentioning one more prayer request. Please pray for a healthy pregnancy for Gretchen and for the delivery of a healthy baby in March!

God’s blessings to each of you.