|
January 2006 (through May 2006)
Dear friends in Christ:
By God's grace we have raised the personal support funds necessary to make
our move to Albania. Today we purchased our airline tickets to depart the
States on January 10, 2006. We will arrive in Tirana on January 11, 2006.
Our plans are for classes to begin seven (7) weeks from now on Monday,
January 23, 2006. The following is the schedule and the courses that will
be offered for the first one month term:
January 23 –February 17, 2006
Chapel 8:30am until 8:50am
Spiritual Wholeness 9:00am until 10:00am
10:00am until 10:10am (break)
10:10am until 11:10am
Confident Preaching 11:10am until 12:10pm
12:10pm until 12:20pm (break)
12:20pm until 1:20pm
Afternoon break (Practical
Evangelism)
Life and Teachings of Jesus – I 4:30pm until 5:30pm
5:30pm until 5:40pm (break)
5:40pm until 6:40pm
I am looking forward to our time together in God's Word, in Christian
fellowship, and in our own personal growth in the likeness of Christ.
I pray that each of us will begin praying
that our minds and hearts will be open, honest and humble as we study
God's Word in order to further equip ourselves for service in His Kingdom.
Our great God is good as He continues to supply our needs.
Steve Stamatis
Dean - IBIA
dig4truth@yahoo.com
501-593-2556.
Funds:
We now have five
full-time student scholarships of $400 each per month, including three
from Adams Blvd. in Bartlesville. As soon as we raise the remainder
of Bledi's support, ($200 per month) we will have six full-time student
scholarships. A brother from the Farragut church in Knoxville, TN
told me at the workshop last week that they would probably be picking up a
full-time student scholarship as of March. We have one man from
Nigeria who plans to be a full-time student, but he is bringing his own
support.
In summary, we need
$200 a month for Bledi,
$400 a month for one more full-time student, and
$300 a month for two part-time students, a total of
$900 a month to be fully funded.
Thank you for your
support,
Dick Ady
weiady@aol.com
Stamatis Status – October, 2005
I like these words of Theodore Roosevelt, “Far better it is to dare mighty
things, to win glorious triumphs, even though checkered by failure, than
to rank with those poor spirits who neither enjoy much nor suffer much
because they live in the gray twilight that knows neither victory nor
defeat.” Much of the process of fund raising tempts me to live in the
“gray twilight”.
There are strings of days when I feel like doubting Thomas. Then I am
reminded that our Risen Savior who revealed Himself to the doubter is
still alive and with us and His heart’s desire for those lost in darkness
has never changed. I deeply believe that this Biblical training center
located in Albania can become one of the tools of God’s worldwide
reconciliation team.
So many of the various facets of getting this Biblical training center up
and running are beginning to take shape:
· We have located one floor of an apartment building (100 yards from the
WEI building in which the Tirana congregation assembles) for use as dorm
space and classrooms.
· Our curriculum is pretty much completed and we are waiting on approval
from the Sunset International Division administration.
· We have worked out the school calendar for 2006/2007. We have also
completed the daily schedule that we will begin with.
· We continue to widen our network of relationships that are helping us to
develop our student pool. We are beginning to get inquiries from
individuals as far away as Nigeria and India. We are also continuing to
cultivate additional possibilities of students from Albania, Romania and
Bulgaria.
· We are making progress on our student scholarships.
· We continue to work on finding qualified men (endorsed by Sunset) that
will act as visiting instructors to assist me in teaching the courses.
· Our personal support needs are slowly but steadily climbing towards our
needed goal.
· Our team of partners (both individuals and congregations) continues to
grow as we press forward with our plans to develop the International Bible
Institute of Albania. I believe this will be a great tool to assist in
accomplishing God’s purposes in the world – specifically in Albania and
the Balkan region.
There are still needs that we
have yet to fulfill:
· Our working fund is not working.
· Our travel fund will not get us anywhere.
· Leads on donated used laptops for the use of the school’s students have
not come in.
Thank you to each of you that are using your God-given capabilities to
move this enterprise towards the starting point. It is amazing how widely
diverse the individuals of our IBIA team are. Your prayers, your notes of
encouragement, your sending us names of potential students, your financial
sacrifice, your giving us names of someone you know to contact, your
creating pages on your web site for IBIA and your interest are all being
used together by God to create a powerful working force that will enable
the International Bible Institute of Albania to be a useful tool in the
Kingdom.
Our common bond is God, His Kingdom and His purpose for humanity. In our
battle against the “darkness” there are so many fronts on which the
fighting is being waged. We are not in competition with other endeavors
fighting for the same cause. We are simply trying to gather and unite the
forces necessary to successfully engage the enemy on the front which we
are choosing.
These two sites have information regarding our plans for IBIA:
http://www.sunsetinternational.org/ and
www.weiady.org
On October 3rd and 4th Doug Reeves, Chris
Swinford, Dick Ady and myself gathered in Bartlesville, OK with Bob Seat
and Art Henley to make certain we are all “on the same page.” The meeting
was encouraging and enabled us to pinpoint some areas that need our
attention as we move towards our beginning goal date to begin the school
on January 23rd, 2006. Deborah and I would like to move to Tirana, Albania
sometime in the first week of January.
Having already passed one proposed beginning goal date I would like to
meet this new goal. With your assistance we can be on the ground in
January. Together, we can make it happen. We have a PowerPoint
presentation of what we want to accomplish on CD. If you would like a copy
for yourself or someone you know that might want to partner with us,
please email me your request. You can also contact me on my cell phone at
501-593-2556.
With appreciation and affection,
Steve and Deborah Stamatis
STAMATIS STATUS – August 2005
Another month has passed since we last updated
you. Our support has increased about $250 per month. We wouldn’t be where
we are without the assistance of each of you. I have mailed out a few of
our CD Power Point presentations on Albania.
If you have someone you know that might like to join our “team” to
enable us to get the school beginning in Albania let me know and I can
send them the CD.
Since our last update it has been determined that we would postpone the
opening date of the International Bible Institute of Albania from a
September beginning until January of 2006. There were several factors
involved in that decision – one of which was our deficiency of personal
living funds.
Now that school has begun and many people are back into their routines, we
are praying that we will have more opportunities to present our plans and
needs to mission committees and elderships.
As you continue to mention us in your prayers, please pray a prayer of
thanksgiving for each of the family units that are sacrificially giving in
order to partner with us to help train enabled and equipped servants of
Christ. I appreciate the names that have been offered as possible leads to
additional involvement and support.
What a privilege it is that we are allowed by God to participate in His
ministry of reconciliation. Each of us can attest to how great a treasure
God’s grace and mercy is as His reality continues to permeate our lives.
Some day in the future I want someone in some Balkan country to be able to
sit back in reflection of their life (as I have recently done) and think
“why me?”. In all of history and of all the possible places “why me”?
Basically because at some point some one took upon themselves the sense of
obligation to share the truth of God’s love with another human being.
Each of us has a spiritual “family tree”. There are so many people that
God used to enable us to be where we are in our relationship with God. I
believe it is important for each of us to remember that what this all
boils down to is that somewhere in time God will use us as part of the
spiritual “family tree” of some person unknown to us in a house in a city
we may have never even heard of. This is why we do what we do.
We look forward to hearing from you,
Steve and Deborah Stamatis
STAMATIS STATUS –
July, 2005
Our time in Albania
was very productive. We were able to visit with the leadership from each
of the congregations in Albania. We had some informative and very
productive discussions regarding the Church in Albania and how the Bible
training center will function and relate with each of the congregations.
We stayed in Tirana and worked
out of the capital. On one day trip we drove through Elbasan and on to
Pogradec and then to Korca. On another day trip we drove through Lushjna
and Fier on our way to Vlora. On each of those day trips Deborah and I
enjoyed the company of both Alfred Dimce – who served as our driver – and
Alfred Zike. We gained very valuable insights into the history, culture
and mindset of the people of this country. We enjoyed assembling for
worship with the Church on two successive Sundays in Tirana and then in
Durres.
We were also fortunate
to meet with most of the individuals who had expressed an interest in
attending the school. We were able to confirm the intention of some and
plant an interest in others.
While we were there
we wanted to get an idea of the availability, quality and pricing of
properties that could serve as our home and for the school. We were
surprised to discover that the property prices are somewhat similar to
what we found in Greece. In the midst of our many discussions we learned
that we would have to legalize the school. We visited the Cult Committee
(department of religion) and the Department of Education to learn what
process we must take to become legally recognized.
The need for expanding
God’s Kingdom in that country and the larger region of the Balkans is very
real. There is an obvious need for well trained and convicted disciples of
Jesus with a deep understanding of God’s Word that have a heart for
serving people by helping to mature existing congregations and planting
new congregations throughout Albania and the Balkan region.
Now is the time.
Now the door of opportunity is open. We have been able to arrive at this
point because of our partnership with so many who have been providing
funds, prayers and encouragement. After meeting with the missionaries;
fully supported Albanians; and Albanian Christians who are hungry to be
equipped to serve more effectively and efficiently my sense of obligation
to assist them is even heavier. The fire in their eyes and strong
conviction of faith in their hearts is not easily forgotten. My sense of
urgency has only increased. Unfortunately, our lack of adequate funding is
obstructing our taking the next steps into moving to Albania to serve them
by beginning the school.
I need you to help
me shorten the time it is taking to reach the front lines of this Kingdom
enterprise. If all other things are in place and we do not have sufficient
funds for both of us to move to Albania, I feel compelled to return by
myself to start the school while Deborah stays in Searcy to work to meet
our needs. Obviously this is not our preference, but the need is now and
the opportunity is now.
+++++++++++ dig4truth@yahoo.com
Our direct network of connections is
limited. Would you help me increase our direct network of connections?
Would you share this opportunity with a leader in a congregation?
Would you give me a name of someone that I can share the idea of this
opportunity with? We ask that you continue praying for us. We need and
appreciate your emails of encouragement. We are so fortunate to be working
together with you for the same cause serving the same Master.
+++++++++++ dig4truth@yahoo.com
We are planning
on being at the Global Missions Conference in Arlington, Texas from July
20 – 23. Prayerfully we will make contact with some interested individuals
and congregations.
With appreciation and affection,
Steve and Deborah Stamatis
Stamatis Status – January 2006
Deborah and I arrived in Albania twelve days ago. It has been a continuous whirlwind of
activity from the moment our feet touched Albanian soil. We have opened bank accounts,
connected to the Internet, bought beds, sheets, blankets, pillows, flatware, dishes, pots
and pans, propane heaters, prepared menus, went shopping in markets that are not quite like
a Wal-Mart Super Center or Krogers.
We went sleuthing for items we thought were common but are not used in this country. Things
like loose leaf, lined paper are not to be found. I have almost accepted Toblerone
chocolate as a replacement for almond M&M’s.
We had a period of twenty-four hours without electricity. Since the water tank is in the
basement and must use an electric pump to move the water to the top floors, we also were
without water for that long, long day. That was unusual. The norm is that we are without
electricity for only about an hour every day from around 8:00pm until 9:00pm.
Dirt streets (as a result of political standoffs), cold concrete homes, and risking life
and limb every time you cross the street are such trivial bothers compared to the great joy
we experienced today. Today we were firsthand witnesses of the culmination of a reality.
God birthed the International Bible Institute of Albania after years of praying, planning
and sacrificing by hundreds of Christians in the United States and in Albania.
When I left the States I thought we had four full time students enrolled in IBIA. I soon
discovered that we only had two full time students. I began talking with the church leaders
in several congregations in the country. Today we began with seven full time [advanced
certificate] students. Our five full time resident students are:
Altin Koci (21) of Lushnje; Sokol Hyka (34) of Elbasan; Dashamir Xhika (25) of Elbasan;
Eduart Hoxha (20) of Durres; and, Leandro Terrolli (19) of Pogradec. Our two non resident
full time students are: Bledi Valca (25) of Tirana and Ray Wheeler (46) an American WEI
missionary working in Durres. We also have five part time [basic certificate] students:
Skender Kola of Durres; Suela Kurt of Durres; Arila Kafexhici (the wife of a full time
national preacher) of Durres; Adriana Zike (the wife of a full time national preacher) of
Durres; and, Valbona Valca of Tirana (the wife of one of our full time students).
What a blessing to already have our afternoon class filled with twelve students pursuing
one of our two certificate options.
Deborah and I have concentrated our full energy on getting things ready for today’s
momentous beginning. So, we are currently the “house parents” of our five resident students
as we pursue our own separate living quarters.
Without each of you, our partners in this effort, we would not have been a part of this
wonderful day. We are sending pictures from today’s beginning of IBIA to our webmaster to
put on our website. It is
We are still lacking some necessary funding. Following is a list of our current financial
needs:
$200 per month for our personal support
$150 per month for our working fund
$500 per month for our travel fund
$150 per month for a part time cook
$350 per month for our full time translator
If you know of an individual or a congregation that would like to partner with us in this
exciting endeavor for the Kingdom, please give them our contact information.
Steve and Deborah Stamatis
Stamatis Status – March 14, 2006
Greetings from the land of double eagles. I find it hard to believe that it has been two
months since our last newsletter. It is hard to believe we were greener in our naiveté then
than we are and continue to be in our new environment. God is true in His promise to be
with us and watch over us. I know my guardian angel is on high alert the four times a day
as I walk my 20 minute mile back and forth from our house to the school facility.
The school seems to be settling into a good rhythm and routine this second term. Our first
term was definitely “on the fly”. We began with five resident students and after three
weeks one walked away without a word to anyone and left all of his belongings behind. None
of us have heard one word from him. We continue to be in contact with his family, but they
say only Dashi knows where Dashi is. We have our suspicions that the family knows more than
they are willing to divulge.
The first term we found our cook, Teuta - or as the students call her, the cooker. She is a
great cooker and she also helps us keep the facility clean. She has a great personality and
loves to speak broken English and Albanian with Deborah and I. When she gets real excited
she abandons her English totally and we are left pretty much in the dark about whatever it
is she is excited about.
We also found our translator in the first term. Antonetta and her
family are stable members of the Tirane congregation. Her sweet smile and mothering
instincts are a great asset to our school’s chemistry.
That first term, the students discovered that this was not a walk in the park. They have
made such tremendous strides in so many areas of their lives. For the entire four weeks of
the first term, Deborah and I lived in the school’s facilities with the students. We were
“on” about eighteen hours a day. That was not something I would recommend, but it really
worked out for the best in the long run.
We owe so much to the efforts of Alfred Dimci and Alfred Zike
in having the school to the point where it is right now.
This second term seems to be light years ahead of our first term. It is amazing how packed
yet fast these four week terms are. There is really no time for let down at all. There have
been some really hard moments and some really great moments along the way. I exist by
rolling with the punches. I even have to take it from the cooker. She has told me that I am
fat and she has put Krap in the freezer. She says all
this while smiling at me and telling me I have a wonderful wife. Let me do a cultural
translation. The word fat in Albanian means lucky. She says I am fat (lucky) to have such a
wonderful wife. I agree. In those terms I am “shu fat”
– very lucky. As for the Krap in the freezer, I was
relieved to learn that Krap is a good fish that she had bought and placed in the freezer. I
am not a great fan of fish, but it is better than the English translation.
I have had opportunity to preach in Elbasan and in Durres. It is good to meet with these
congregations and talk to them about the men who are attending the school from their home
congregations and to be on the look out for potential students in the future.
I am hoping to be able to arrange my schedule so I can go to some local countries and begin
recruiting for the school for January of 2007. We still need funding for our travel
expenses – both to and from the States and within Albania and the Balkans for publicizing
the school and student recruitment. This will be an essential aspect of the long term
success of this school.
Deborah and I are still about $400 a month short of our
budgeted goal for personal support. If you know of some congregations that might be
interested, please let me know and I would like to contact them.
Thank you for your sacrifices in so many ways that enable us to be here. I don’t remember
crying this much in my life. It brings tears to my eyes every time I see the light bulb go
off in their minds, or the tears flow down their cheeks as they see truths and principles
in God’s Word that they did not even know existed. It is not easy here, but we are so
abundantly blessed by being here. Prayerfully, God is forming Christ in me more and more
each day.
We miss you and love you. We love your emails. They really do help lift our countenances
when they have fallen. Your words of encouragement and your funny pictures are weapons
against the schemes of Satan as he tries to discourage and dishearten us. God has blessed
us with a great team of partners.
For His glory,
Steve
Deborah’s Details
I wish all of you could watch the students growing and changing from week to week. Steve is
a challenging and motivating teacher and mentor. He holds the bar high and the students
rise to the challenge. Then they are so happy and proud when they successfully finish their
assignments and receive their grades.
As school began, I stayed busy solving some computer problems we were having, getting food
and other supplies for the resident students, keeping track of IBIA monies spent, running
around to various offices in pursuit of a resident visa, looking for an apartment for Steve
and I, and interviewing potential cooks. Alfred Dimce
graciously volunteered to cook the first week of school. Diana Zike
cooked the second week.
It was during the second week that I, with much appreciated help from Diana, interviewed
and tried out two cook/cleaners. We ended up hiring Teuta Nuro
to be our cook/cleaner. She is a firecracker! She was so happy to get to work for IBIA, she
purchased all the food and cooked a steak dinner for all the students and staff on her
first day of work. She smiles and laughs. She calls me “My Honey.”
Thank you (you know who you are) for providing the funds for the cook/cleaner. Having
someone dedicated to this responsibility is crucial for the daily routine of the school.
For four weeks Steve and I lived in the school with the resident students. We wanted to
find the right place for us to live. Time and patience paid off. We live in a comfortable
apartment that takes up the second level of a three level villa. The first level is a
store, and the owners live on the third level. We have electricity 24/7!! This is a HUGE
blessing here in Albania. The owners are very nice, and have a
good reputation in the neighborhood. The mother and adult daughter speak English. The
family is interested in what we are doing. They ask questions about the church and have
requested some literature about it.
Tirana, as a city, is easy to get around in. It is relatively small. We can walk to many
places. (Good thing, since we have to!) There is a lot of dust and pollution, even more
than in Athens. English isn’t all that common in everyday life. I will have a much easier
time shopping when I know the language better.
I find most people to be helpful and friendly. Albanians love Americans. Strangers have
asked us where we are from and when we tell them America they say “Shu
mire, Shu mire” (Shoo meer) which means very good. So far, my experience is that
shopkeepers and vendors are honest with the prices.
In closing I want to share part of our morning routine. I wake up, thank God I’m alive and
pray that neither I nor Steve will get hit by a car today. We leave our peaceful apartment,
close the gate behind us and start dodging cars. Along the way we are vigilant for cars
driving on the sidewalk as the road near us is too small for the two-lanes of traffic on
it. Oops, watch that hole! We cross a traffic circle amidst cars, buses, bicyclists,
pedestrians and dogs. Then we approach the corner meat market where a
three-wheeled-bicycle-cart-thing has delivered the morning’s fresh beef. On the sidewalk
are the animal skins and bags of, well, never mind that part. Oops, watch that hole! Two
blocks later is the vacant lot AKA open air public toilet. We come to a “public phone”—a
phone on the sidewalk with its wire strung through nine or ten trees and into an office
window at the other end of the block. This is the Albanian entrepreneurial spirit! And now,
the center of the city… Large public buildings around a central “square” complete with
fountains (empty now) and a giant statue. I actually like this part of the walk, except for
the beggar on the corner who sticks his tongue out and goes “phtthat”
to us for not giving him any money. We walk up the boulevard until we turn into the
neighborhood of the school. Oops, watch that hole! Now, we just have some wading and mud
puddle dodging and we’re there! Thanks for walking with us!
You are with us more than you know. I am thankful to be partnered with you.
Deborah
STAMATIS
STATUS – May, 2006
The students have now completed half of their first year. These four
men have traveled a great development distance over the last seventeen
weeks of classes. They have now completed 13 courses. In each of IBIA’s
required two years, they will take 26 courses. They now have a week off
from classes. This is a research week for the students. Five weeks ago
they had a one week seminar on, “The Christian Home” taught by Alfred
Zike. He graduated from the branch school in Athens, Greece. He works
full-time with the congregation in Durres. This week they will work on
the assignments Alfred gave them for that course. After this week, we
will have our final four week term before we have an eight week break
over the summer.
This next term I will teach “Topical Preaching” and “The Book of Acts”
while Alfred Zike will teach “Greek 2”. After that term my current plan
is to take a week to make a quick visit to the congregations throughout
Albania and then fly back to the States. While in the States we want to
spend some time reporting and raising funds. We are looking for the
opportunity to inform interested congregations about the exciting
things happening with IBIA. If you know of any mission minded
congregations that you think would be interested in what we are doing
please provide me with some contact information.
Our goal is not only to train these men in the principles of truth from
God’s Word, but to train them and provide opportunities of testing to
allow them to develop the character of Christ. Men with heads full of
knowledge and hearts empty of the character of Christ are not the
servants God needs for His kingdom. The knowledge takes time but the
character takes patience.
I thank God that there are men such as these that are willing to be
taught, rebuked, corrected and trained in righteousness with God’s
Word. They really do desire to be God’s men that are thoroughly
equipped for every good work.
Before we left the States back in January, we had shipped some
computers to Albania to use as a resource network. The CPU tower that
was to be our server was broken in transit. We had configured the
laptops to be able to read the resources off of the server. Only three
of them have adequate hard-drive space and processor speed to handle
the software that was only going to be on the server. Thanks to
Deborah’s hard work, we were able to make the computers available to
the students this past week. They were excited to have access to all
the resources. They were eager to begin work on their papers that will
be due soon for “The Christian Home”. We have almost 800 volumes in the
Libronix Digital Library. They kept commenting about having so many
books available in IBIA to study and do research with. Thanks again to
those of you that assisted us in getting these computers.
Some of our needs:
Travel fund – This enables us to fly to
the States at least once a year to report and continue to raise funds
for IBIA. These funds will also be used as I travel throughout Albania,
The Balkans and Europe recruiting students and raising an awareness of
the school. We would like to raise $5,000 to $6,000 per year. Costs of
flights continue to increase as I am sure you have noticed.
Working fund – There is current funding of
$330 per month. It is only for a year ending in December. Beginning in
January of 2007 I will need to match at least this amount. This is used
for maintaining our Home Office; IBIA advertising; Hosting morale
building events for student and staff; Hospitality for IBIA guests;
and, Maintenance and development of IBIA computer network for research
library.
Computers – We would like to have four
more laptops. Used would be fine. We need a minimum of 40G hard drive;
448 MB of RAM; a CD drive reader; a processor speed of 1.58 GHz.
Student scholarships – The amount we need
per student varies based on the number of students. Our current
operational expenses for the school and residence are $2,200 per month.
As we add a new group of students in January of 2007 our expenses will
increase. We have been working with a figure of $400 per month per
student. Up to now this has not been adequate. We are hoping with the
increase of student numbers that this amount will be sufficient. If you
want more detailed information we will send it to you as you request
it.
We realize that without your sacrifices this school would only be an
idea. It is humbling to see what God can accomplish through all of us
partnering together
with Him utilizing our various God-given capabilities for his glory and
to expand His kingdom.
We don’t have to wait for two years to see the impact of our combined
efforts. As I interviewed the students in January, part of the
application process requires that they sign a statement that - among
other things - they will not smoke. One of the students told me he
smoked. I told him he would have to quit. That was four and one half
months ago. On Wednesday we had completed our classroom lectures for
the term. I scheduled an off day on Thursday for a morale boost and to
give them a little extra time to prepare for their Finals on Friday.
So, on Thursday morning we all went bowling and then went for coffee
after that. The group next to us in the bowling alley was smoking
cigarettes. Our young man who had the smoking issues leaned on my
shoulder, indicated the group next to us and said, “That was me not
long ago. Destroying my body and not really understanding my value. Now
I am strengthening my body at the gym and my soul in the school. I am
so grateful to God for this school.”
For His glory,
Steve
Deborah’s Details
Spring has arrived since I last updated you. The weather has been
mostly sunny and very comfortable. The available produce reflects the
change from winter to summer. As the months have passed, I have become
more at ease running the daily errands. I know what to expect weekly
and monthly with the IBIA supplies and finances for which I am
responsible. I know my culture shock is not over, but I do have the
comfort that routine offers.
Betty Crocker
In May, I decided to bake a chocolate sheet cake…the kind they make in
Texas! Collecting the ingredients was straightforward except for the
pecans and powdered
sugar. I chose not to worry about the pecans. Walnuts are so easy to
find here, I thought I’d substitute them. (Please forgive me, you
Texans and Southerners!) The powdered sugar, on the other hand, seemed
indispensable.
The “Big Market” did not have powdered sugar. (FYI the “Big Market” is
the real name and the store is about the size of two 7-ll stores.
Mini-marts are a
little bigger than an American suburban walk-in closet.) I went to the
stores/mini-marts in my neighborhood asking for powdered sugar…in
Albanian. I was encouraged that the first mini-mart I tried, answered
my question with “po” which means “yes.” Then, I discovered that
powdered sugar comes in 100 gram packages (less than a cup). I asked
for four…the man only had one. I continued on asking at a total of 13
stores/shops and found two more shops that had one or two packets each.
I felt victorious!
I have since learned that there is a shop five minutes from my house
that sells “everything” one needs for baking. I visited there this
week, and they have powdered sugar, oatmeal, chocolate chips, candles
for cakes, and big bags of tortilla chips! Oh, does that sound
incongruous? Not for Albania…I’ve seen a store that sells only rugs and
televisions.
Mark Twain
A couple of weeks ago, I needed to buy a few small things, all from
different places. I had no small change, only a 5,000 leke bill, ($50).
Every place I went, the shop keepers and vendors could not or would not
make change. They insisted that I take the merchandise and just pay
them “neser”—TOMORROW! I came home and had to make a list of who I owed
money to! 40 leke here, 250 leke there, 10 leke, 20 leke…I felt like
the guy in the Mark Twain short story The1,000,000 Pound Bank Note who
got tons of credit at all the stores in town because he had BIG money,
not small money.
I thank you so much for praying for me, Steve and IBIA. We need your
prayers on our behalf. God is keeping us safe. He continues to give us
strength and resolve when we think we cannot do anymore. Our God is
truly an awesome God, raising us up with His mighty arm and refreshing
us with His enduring truth.
Love,
Deborah
|
