Team Albania 08 has arrived safely home.  We thank God for keeping them safe while travelling, especially on the Albanian roads.

Will is thrilled with the the work of the team, and the impact it has had on the churches in Fier and Patos.

We will add some more photos onto this blog, and hopefully report any news we get from Albania about the guys we have got to know.

By Text – Wednesday – Slightly cooler today.  Sports camp was ok and went out in afternoon and to a lady from the church this evening.

hello again all,

just a quick note from a few of us. no pictures again unfortunately!!

well, english school is finished as of yesterday. we all had a lot of fun teaching, and each have funny stories to tell of the children’s misunderstandings!

the last holiday club was this morning, and we had a lot of fun. i -rachel- especially enjoyed it, as i have missed out on it every other day because of teaching extra english classes. in fier, our drama was on the risky side, as ben covered the ascension! {think ladders against walls, and sheets to cover!} i gave my testimony, and we decorated squares of material in the craft to be made into a banner.

we are all looking forward to the international evening at 5:30 today, especially the sampling of various snacks like David’s welsh cakes!! we will be sad to see ben andrews leave later today, but will be praying that he has a safe journey home.

please pray for insect bites- although most people have escaped pretty much unharmed and not bothered by them including hazel! i am covered to the point where it looks a bit like i have measles! even on my face! anje is another victim.

we were sad to find a bag of 3 abandoned kittens in the rubbish pile near will’s house, and particularly our first timers in albania are struggling with the way albanians treat animals.

The boys, Anje and Bex (but not Gareth! because of a previous knee injury!) enjoyed another game of calcetto football on thursday night. some of us went to watch, and i was surprised to see Renato (a boy who had previously been to holiday club and english school, but who hasnt been this year) was there. i sent a note home with him to give to his sisters Bruna and Margarita (this is the family who ’stole’ me and Graham and took us out to dinner two years ago!) and through this we have been able to meet up with this family again which is lovely.

we were praying for the plumbing at david and mary morgan’s house, and are happy to hear that things are ok now!

preparations for sports camp is next on the cards!!

Click on a photo to see it full size.

hi all,

As you might have guessed, internet is unavailable at Will’s house, and we’re pretty busy at the moment so trekking down to the internet cafes has been awkward; but here we are; still all in one piece.

On Sunday, Chris, Ashley, David and Rachel went to Lushnje in the afternoon.  Bertie sends his love to his biggest fan Bertie Poole Dory and Alta (Bertie’s children) showed us round the new and improved english ( and other languages and computer and sewing!) school, which is looking amazing.  Photos are being difficult to upload, but they might make it up here. Ashley preached the same sermon as the morning (and it was just as good the  second time round!) and Rachel gave her testimony, after a minute’s  notice.

The others went to Patos on sunday evening. Gareth preached and Reb gave her testimony to around 30 people. it was good to meet with some of the Albanian counterpart to team albania 08. It has ben great having more albanian church members involved this year!

Mario & Dan

Monday was a good start to the english school in both Fier and Patos, with many young people attending. Though it was a bit chaotic at Fier, so we had a bit of a switch around for Tuesday. Vicky and Ben Andrews arehaving a bit of a challenge with a boy called Mario, and Rachel and David aare enjoying the challenge of entertaining and controlling the footballing lads!

Holiday club in Fier has also been going well, it has been nice having Elvis involved in the music in Fier, and Glyn and Vicky have done a good job sharing their testimonies.

In Patos, holiday club has been lively as ever, with many high spirited boys! Please pray for safety during games! Anje and simon have both spoken well also. and albanian members of the team have been really helpful with leading. Thank God for the partnership in the gospel between english and albanian leaders, which has been great. Pray for Gareth as he leads a session on youth ministry to some of the albanian christians on saturday.

Last night was a particularly warm night! and both Rachel and Will struggled a bit with their asthma. Thank God that he has taken care of us this far, and pray for continued protection; particularly in the case of insect bites, as some people are beginning to get violently munched!!

ps.

Thankyou for your continued prayer support.

We are missing all former members of teams who have come out before. Know that you are being asked after constantly! and greatly missed!

And Ben Andrews would like to send some virtual kisses to his lovely wife!

One specific area where we would like prayer is for young albanians who have shared with us their belief in Jesus, yet are too scared to make this public, for fear of family rejection or other difficulties.

here is a poem one young person gave to Chris:

I need a hero!
I need a hero
to be present in my life
i need a hero
to save me from the dark
i want a hero
to make me feel stronger
i need a hero
to make me live longer
where is my hero?
i need him to help me now
i need a courageous word
i miss my hero
i’m frightened of the dark
i want him to forgive me
i feel blind, i want to see
i need a hero, an angel
i can’t hide my tears any more
i need a hero!
to rescue me
Today i understand
there is only one hero, one angel
that can save me from the dark
accept Lord Jesus
to be present in your life!
I need a hero, I have my hero!

she also wrote this:
Believe me, i would like to come everyday to the church, but i can’t. I think you can guess why.

Please pray for her.