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Matt 28:18-20
18 Then Jesus came to them and said, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to
me. 19 Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the
Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 and teaching them to obey everything I have
commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age."
NIV
John 20:10-16
10 Then the disciples went back to their homes, 11 but Mary stood outside
the tomb crying. As she wept, she bent over to look into the tomb 12 and
saw two angels in white, seated where Jesus' body had been, one at the
head and the other at the foot.
13 They asked her, "Woman, why are you crying?"
"They have taken my Lord away," she said, "and I don't know where they
have put him." 14 At this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing there,
but she did not realize that it was Jesus.
15 "Woman," he said, "why are you crying? Who is it you are looking for?"
Thinking he was the gardener, she said, "Sir, if you have carried him
away, tell me where you have put him, and I will get him."
16 Jesus said to her, "Mary."
She turned toward him and cried out in Aramaic, "Rabboni!" (which means
Teacher).
NIV
NIV
Learn More
|
| |
January 2002
To the supporters of the Durres Missionary Team:
We can't thank you enough for making 2001 such a successful year in Durres.
There is much that we want to share with you concerning our progress in
carrying out the Lord's work this past year. However, we don't want to
overwhelm you with too much information, so we are going to split our
year-end report into two parts. They are forecasting a seven day
power outage, so don't be surprised if it takes a while before we
respond to your emails. Also, we have three important items to bring to your
attention immediately-
1. The problem with our sponsoring congregation's address
has hopefully been fixed. It appears that the problem was not with the
address, but with the post office personnel. Minor variances in the address
(i.e. street vs. road) are all being delivered now, but just to be on the
safe side, here is the official address for all future correspondence-
Idaho Falls Church of Christ
2650 Plommon St.
Idaho Falls, ID 83402
2. The tax letter mailouts for all contributors are being
created this month, and are scheduled to be sent out at the end of January.
If you made a contribution to our team, and do not receive this letter by
the middle of February, please let us know.
3. We would be happy to provide the full financial disclosure
of our team to anyone who is interested. Just send a self-addressed, stamped
envelope to our sponsoring congregation, along with a short note stating
your request, and we'll mail one to you.
Your fellow servants,
The Smiths, the Winebargers, and Lynn Hunt
**********************************************************
In this month's edition of the "Mission Durres" Newsletter-
1. December is
a month of fellowship
2. Bible reading program introduced
3. New Bible class about to start
4. Attendance holds steady, despite holidays
5. Financial status - Reporting trip planned
7. We need campaigners this summer
Dear Brothers & Sisters in Christ, Relatives, and Friends:
2001 was a very busy year, and its last month was no
exception.Because of the year-end holidays, December in Albania was a new
experience for us. We were warned that students would not come
to classes during their vacation, so we closed down the school between
Christmas and New Year's day. Fortunately, we had plenty of
ways to stay productive during this time. We planned several
fellowship activities, and they all turned out to be a big success.
First, Patrick had a party for the teens who attend
his Friday 'Introduction To The Bible' class. The next day, the teens from the Tirana church came all the
way to Durres to hold a devotional with our group. Finally, we
finished the year by inviting the entire church to Lynn's apartment
for one last celebration in 2001. The church in Durres is
definitely growing closer to each other and to the Lord.
We have been
trying to convince the new Christians of the importance of reading
God's word. It is the easiest way to learn about God
and His love for us. To encourage more Bible reading, we
distributed a daily Bible reading schedule to the church, and everyone
(including us) will attempt to read the entire Bible in 2002.
We intend to use part of our Sunday morning Bible class time to answer
questions they may have about the reading. Hopefully, many of
the new Christians will persevere the entire year, and will establish a
lifetime habit of reading the scriptures every day.
The remaining
time of our Sunday morning Bible class will be devoted to a study of the
book of Hebrews. This class will be taught by Lynn,
and is designed to show how Christ is a fulfillment of the old covenant (the
Old Testament), and how he established a new and better covenant with all
people. Hebrews is also a good book for teaching about
perseverance under trials, and it helps us understand faith more completely.
Lynn is creating a new handout every Sunday, so the
students will have a folder full of useful material to keep for future
reference.
We had some
apprehension about church attendance during the month of December, but our
fears were in vain. Attendance on Sundays averaged 27
people. On the last Sunday of the month we held a
business meeting, and 31 people came and participated in it. We
discussed upcoming events for 2002, and we also talked about ways to use the
contribution effectively. An important item that we discussed
was the need for an indigenous minister.
American missionaries may come and go, so the church really needs someone on
location to provide stability until it grows stronger. Having
an Albanian in this position would prepare them for total independence.
The church agreed with this idea, and is willing to use part of the
contribution for this person. We would like to find a partner
in America to help us hire a local minister. If we cannot find
someone who already has sufficient Bible knowledge, we may need to raise
funds for educating this person, as well.
We have been
overwhelmed by the number of people who are making a sacrifice to keep us in
the field. We cannot say THANK YOU enough.
Our support has been steadily increasing every month, and we believe we now
have enough money to stay in Durres through 2002. Our goal is
to be here through the summer campaign of 2003, at which time we would be
replaced by another missionary family or team. Ty Pope,
who was here this past summer is already planning to move to Durres after he
graduates from Harding University this spring. In light of the
needs of our growing team, we decided it was time to make a special
fund-raising trip. Lynn, who has been here
almost a year, will be in the U.S. during February and March for this
purpose. He will also be giving presentations to some of our
supporting churches. If you would like to meet with him, and discuss
the work in Albania, please let us know. Also, we may ask
some of you to help us by providing housing for him while he is traveling. And we would like to ask everyone to pray both for his
safety, and also for success on this trip.
Finally,
we are looking for people to come on a summer campaign this year.
We hope to teach over one-hundred students this summer.
But in order to do that, we need your help. If you have your
summers off, or if you are retired, we can use you. If you can
only come for two weeks, we can use you. The work is simple, but very rewarding. Please give this serious consideration. This summer is going to be a critical time in the growth of
the Durres church. As the number of converts grows, so does its
stability. Once the church is stable, it can help evangelize
its own country. So by planting a single seed, you could enable
God to harvest a hundred-fold increase.
Thank you
again for making this mission work possible. We hope God
continues to bless each of you in 2002.
Your fellow
servants,
The Smiths, the
Winebargers, and Lynn Hunt |
|
February 2002
Greetings to the supporters of
the Durres mission team!
Scroll down to read our February Newsletter, and don't forget to read the
attached document "Article.rtf" for a summary of our 2001 activities.
FULL SUPPORT: Our team is now fully supported.
The Adam's Blvd. Church of Christ in Bartlesville, OK began helping to
support us and that brought us up to full support. Even though we did not
have full monthly support for the first 7
months of our work in Durres, we always had enough because so many of you
gave us one time support. But we knew if
the support situation remained the same, at least one family would have had
to returned to America early. But now, if all of our regular monthly
supporters continue, all of us will be able to stay. Praise to God for
supplying our needs and may God count the fruit of our labors in Duress to
your account as you so graciously give to support us (Philippians 4:17).
FAITHFUL: All the new Christians in Durres remain faithful
except for one who moved away and we are unable to contact her so we don't
know her situation. We have a lot of fellowship with the new
Christians and they are growing in the Lord. Some are exceptional in their
growth. We are going through a yearly Bible reading program and we will have
a "Bible Reader's Fellowship" this Sunday. We will eat together and
then discuss questions that come up from our Bible reading. The Tirana
church will have a youth rally in mid February and we have
18 signed up to go. Our Sunday morning Bible classes continue to grow. We
have always had 100% attendance in our Sunday Bible class (that is the same
number as the worship assembly) but since we started a children's class we
actually have more in Bible class than our worship assembly.
GENERATOR: Albania does not have the capacity to generate
all the electricity the country needs. Power has always
been off and on since we've been here but now it is off more than it is on.
We rarely have electricity here at the school during the day. We have some
battery powered lights but often we don't get enough electricity for them to
recharge over night. Sometimes we teach classes by candle light. We have
sent students home because it is just too dark to see. So we purchased a
generator. We borrowed the money ($3,300.00) from some other funds
to be able to get the generator immediately.
ALBANIAN MINISTER: Çimi Kafexhiu has been hired
by the Durres church to work as the preacher. Of course, the Durres
church is new and small so we cannot supply all of his salary. So we will
try to raise the rest of his support. To my knowledge however, this is the
first time an Albanian church has supplied any salary for an Albanian
preacher.
TRIP TO USA: Lynn will be in America from February
4th through March 28th. He will be recruiting workers for our
summer campaign, helping to raise support for Ty Pope (Ty plans to move to
Durres in June and work with us for a couple of years), raise replacement
funds for the generator ($3,300.00 needed) and raise the remainder of Cimi's
support (the Durres church supplies $50.00 per month, Idaho Falls supplies
$100.00 per month and an individual supplies $50.00 per month so far). Lynn
will also give a report at several congregations that are helping us.
CLASSES: Altogether, we have 36 students we are
teaching (not counting Lynn's students). The Albanians are a
delightful people. They have very little Bible knowledge so it does take
longer to teach them. They have a great interest in God's Word. Most of it
is just curiosity so we have to shuffle though many to find the ones who
really want to follow God.. There are so many who want to study that we
teach one class after another all day.
CAMPAIGNS: We need your help! Can you join us for the
summer or part of the summer? It is easy to get students but our schedules
are full. If you could come for two, four, or six weeks let us know and we
will send you details.
WEB PAGE AND EMAILS: Our team email address is
weidurres@missionalbania.com
or you can use our individual emails listed below. You can send an email
of encouragement to any of the Christians here by simply going to the
response section of our web page and clicking on their picture.
Your fellow servants,
The Smiths, the Winebargers, and Lynn Hunt
February Newsletter from
Durres
I watched Ilir feel the air in
front of him with a curtain rod. The piñata dangled just above his head, but
the blindfold prevented him from seeing it. He was being very cautious. This
was partly because of the number of people around him. The room was small
and crowded, and people frequently moved to avoid being struck by a wild
swing. Nevertheless, the atmosphere was very festive, and people were
laughing, talking, and yelling instructions to Ilir. He was also being
cautious because he knew the value of a good hit. A solid blow could break
the piñata, causing it to spill its sugary innards to the floor. And He knew
the person who broke the piñata would win the grand prize: an
Albanian-English dictionary! As he raised the rod over his head, I mused
that this was a very satisfactory ending to an amazing year.
My introduction to Albania actually came the year before. I was working as a
computer programmer in Little Rock at the time. I remember calling my
parents on Sunday afternoon, as had been my custom since I moved away to
college. The big news of the week was that their minister had decided to
take a new job - in Albania! This was a surprise to me as well. Dennis had
been working as the pulpit minister in Idaho Falls since I was a little
child. Not only was he the man who baptized me, but I also consider him to
be an instrumental part of my spiritual growth. Needless to say, I was
curious about what caused this sudden change.
I found out that the Idaho Falls church was sponsoring Randy and Pam
Richards, a missionary couple in Tirana, the capital of Albania. The
Richards had invited the elders from Idaho Falls to come and participate in
a missionary conference that year. The purpose of the conference was for
sponsors to see first-hand how God was working in Albania. Three men decided
to accept that invitation. Les Pope (an elder), Dennis Winebarger (an elder
and minister), and Patrick Smith (the missions deacon) traveled to Tirana
that spring. They were impressed with what they saw. They were impressed
with the openness of the Albanian people, they were impressed with the
effectiveness of the missionaries' program, and they were impressed with
God's ability to reap a hundred-fold from what was being sown. In fact, they
were so impressed, that they decided to join the work. Patrick introduced
the subject to Jamie, his wife, by saying, "What are we doing that is so
important that we can't give up a couple years to help."
So the decision was finalized. Dennis and Patrick were going to move their
families to Albania. They had chosen the city of Durres as their
destination. Les was going to stay in Idaho Falls as a state-side advocate
for the team. Everybody else was in a state of shock. "Albania? Isn't that
dangerous? What about your children? What about the church here?" Many
questions had to be answered and many concerns had to be addressed. But the
two families were confident that God would provide everything they needed.
Meanwhile, I was plugging away at my cushy desk job. But the question
haunted me as well. What was I doing that was so important I couldn't give
up a couple years to help? The answer remained the same - nothing. So that
fall, I asked to join the team.
I'll never forget the next six months. Fundraising is a strange mix of
frustration and poignancy. I remember a widow living on social security who
gave me five dollars. I suspect it was more than she could really afford.
And the family who stretched their budget to give twenty five dollars a
month, in spite of the fact they had two daughters they were putting through
college. Or the children's Bible class that collected coins from
two-year-olds to send to us. Everywhere I turned, people would cheerfully
give what they could afford. But with all the donations, our goal still
seemed so far away. We believed God was going to find a way to get us to
Albania, but He seemed to be on a much slower schedule.
Spring rolled around, and invitations to the Albanian missionary conference
were offered again. The team decided it was time to act on faith. Two
representatives were sent to the conference, and I was one of them. Only I
wasn't planning on coming back at the end of it. The Winebarger and Smith
families were going to join me in two months, regardless of our funding
status. My traveling partner was Mike Tkachyk, who was going to replace
Dennis as the pulpit minister in Idaho Falls. Mike has a wacky sense of
humor, but he really helped keep me sane during the trauma of moving to a
third-world country. We started off living in Tirana, and commuting to
Durres every day. The van drivers that carried passengers on this route made
money in one of two ways. By filling every available cubic foot of space
with a human body, and/or by driving the route as quickly as possible. It
was always a harrowing experience, but it did wonders for our prayer life.
My task was to prepare for the arrival of the remainder of the team.
I was blessed to have help from the Christians in Tirana. Two
Christians in particular were dedicated full time to work alongside me in
this effort. I could not have accomplished anything
without the help of Eric Qirjaqi and Çimi Kafexhiu. They knew
we were planning to start a new work in Durres, so they had done some
prep-work for us. I was informed that there used to be a church in Durres. A
missionary from New Zealand had worked there in the nineties, and he had
converted about twenty people before he had to leave. The Christians from
Tirana had been searching for any of them who were still around. Most had
moved away, but they were able to locate four people still dedicated to
Christ. They also rented a building for us to hold worship services in. Mike
and I were so impressed with this small group when we joined them. When you
only have eight people in your congregation, everybody has to participate.
But I never heard anyone complain. They even seemed eager to help. That's
one thing that seems to be common to all the converts I've met over here.
They have such a beautiful appreciation for their salvation. They don't ever
hesitate to give back to God in any way that they are asked.
After two busy months, the living and working arrangements for the team were
finished. When they arrived, they only had about a week to settle in. Then
everybody plunged into the work. We started setting up Bible studies as fast
as we could. Some of the studies were taught by the team, but a lot of them
were passed on to our first campaign group. We had eleven volunteers over
the summer. With their help, we built a firm foundation for the church.
Everybody taught about seven hours each day. Even then, we still had a long
waiting list of Albanians wanting to study with us. Many of our students
were just curious, but many of them were seriously interested in the Gospel.
At the end of July, we had our first baptism, and there were three more
within a month. It was a very memorable summer. I will never forget our
daily lunch breaks at the restaurant around the corner, or trying to buy
fans for everyone at the local market, or taking trips to a nearby tourist
town, or a thousand other unique experiences. But all things must eventually
come to an end, and in September, we waved good-bye to the last of our
campaigners. We were on our own.
When the school year started, we had to shuffle our schedules around. We
placed adults in the morning time slots, and teens in the afternoon. These
one on one sessions were designed to convert people to Christ. However, we
also had several new Christians that needed to be taught. So Patrick started
our fist group class. On Friday afternoons, he teaches a Bible overview
class for about twenty people. We also wanted to start a Wednesday evening
class. Dennis picked that one up, and is teaching about the book of Luke.
Attendance on Sunday mornings remained steady, and we eventually had one
more baptism for the year. The families were finally adjusting to life in
Albania, and everybody was glad to finally settle down into a routine.
The fall was also a time of fellowship. On many Fridays, Patrick would
invite the teens to his house to play games and eat popcorn. On Sundays,
Dennis' wife Fredia would invite the girls to her house for cooking lessons.
These times of fellowship really seemed to strengthen the church. No longer
did the converts act like individual Christians, but everyone became part of
a team. Everyone became a part of the body of Christ.
As the end of the year approached, we started thinking about the future.
2001 had been a busy year, but it was just a start. We talked and prayed
about our plans for the upcoming year. In January, we would start a yearly
Bible reading program and a Sunday morning children's class. In February,
the congregation in Tirana would hold a Youth Rally. In March, we would
attend the annual missionaries conference. In May, the Harding Chorus would
perform in Durres. In July we would host another summer campaign, this time
both larger and longer. As the list of things to do increased, we knew we
would need some time to prepare. We found a week between Christmas and New
Year's Day.
So on the last Sunday of the year, we presented our goals for the future to
the church. They were as excited as we were about all the events planned.
They also volunteered to help us in any way we needed. The main discussion,
however, was not about events, but about people. When the team arrived in
Durres, we only had six month's worth of support. At the end of those six
months, we came to know first-hand how God provides. We received word that
we were fully funded for our original two year commitment! What a blessing.
However, during our time of shortage, we really saw the need for the church
to have an indigenous minister. So at the meeting, we discussed this with
the local Christians. They agreed with our assessment, and proposed hiring
Çimi, who had already been working part time with us. They were happy to use
part of the weekly contribution toward this effort. It was not enough to
make a livable salary, but it will be one day. So we added another item to
our list of things to do: find interim financial support for an indigenous
minister. We also discussed what would happen when our time in Durres is
finished. We don't want to leave this young church struggling on its own. We
told them we expected to find a replacement missionary family to carry on
the work after we leave. We told them that one of the summer campaigners, Ty
Pope, was already planning to move here when he graduates from Harding. Now,
of course, we have to carry through on our promise. But God will provide, as
he always has.
After the meeting, we all went to my apartment for a New Year's Eve party.
It was the perfect way to end the year. Surrounded by the fruits of our
labor. Surrounded by living and breathing examples of God's hand working
here on earth. I just had to praise Him for what he's done in my life, in
the lives of my teammates, and in the lives of the Albanians. These were my
thoughts as Ilir took a mighty swing at the piñata.
Lynn Hunt |
|
March 4
Greetings to each of you! We
want to thank you for your continued prayers.
It is with great joy that I am able to share with you the events of this
last week. In my last note to you, I asked that you pray for two of my
students, Skender and Leila. I believe that because of your
faithfulness to this task, all of our prayers were answered. Skender
declared this week that after studying and reading the Bible that he wanted
to turn his life over to Christ. It was with great joy that the
Church gathered on the shores of the Adriatic Sea for his baptism. For those
there, it was an emotional moment as he declared that he wanted to be
counted as a child of God. As he spoke, it was evident to all his clear
understanding of God’s plan of salvation and how he wanted it! It was with
great joy that he ran to the waters edge. His excitement was also evident as
he arose from the sea and declared God’s victory over sin. Please take a
moment and view the attached picture of your new brother in Christ.

Please continue to pray for Leila. I was able to have coffee with her, Kutim
(her husband), and Kutim’s father this week. Friendship will play a vital
role in reaching this couple and their children.
Your Fellow Servant
Patrick
|
|
APRIL 2002
CAMPAIGN:
English, English, English, so many people here want to learn English. So we
advertise that we teach a free English course using the Bible. We let them
know right up front that this is about religion. Their desire to know
English opens a great door for the Gospel. Many of the Albanians have
learned English to some degree and they want to improve. Potential summer
campaigners often email and express concern about teaching an English
course. We tell them, “Don't worry about the English”. The WEI English
lessons are well written and actually teach themselves. The students do
the English lesson at home. All we do is check
their answers when they come to class and we even have an answer sheet. If
they have any questions, we simply assign them a section to read on the
subject of their question.
The student does all
the work and they do work hard. Generally, they have never heard an American
speak, so they hang on every word. Often, you can see their English improve
each week.
The WEI Bible course teaches itself as well. All religion was illegal
for 40 years so there is very little Bible knowledge. A new student just
began yesterday. She is 53, a middle school teacher and a French language
teacher. She has never had a Bible or ever read one sentence from the Bible
before that class. Another student, after reading Genesis chapter one said,
"So that is the way it happened!"
Even if students do not develop an interest in Christianity, they still
learn about the Bible and they get what we
promised; a very good English course. Eric Winebarger is 16
years old and he teaches classes. Benjamin Smith is 15 and
he teaches classes. Patrick Smith II is 12 and he teaches a
12 year old Albanian boy. You can teach too!
We need your help! If you are a faithful Christian, speak English and have a
caring concern for the lost, you have all the ability you need to come on a
campaign. We need teachers for the summer campaign, but especially the last
week of July and the entire month of August. Consider coming for two, four,
or six weeks. We will also need follow-up teachers in the Fall
(September/October). Please come and let us put you to work. You will be
amazed at the way that God will use you to touch the lives of others.
BAPTISM: Ajald Çelmeta, one of Eric’s
students was baptized 3 weeks ago.
Ajald began studying last summer
and has attended worship services regularly. He led singing for us the
second Sunday after he was baptized.
CONFERENCE: World
English Institute held a 2 day conference for missionaries the third week in
March in Tirana. For Patrick and Dennis this was a reminder of how it all
began. In 2000, we attended that first conference sponsored by WEI. We also
had the opportunity of teaching many students over the next month. However,
it did not take us long to see the opportunity and the need to share God’s
Word in Albania. We
learned that Durres, the second largest city in Albania, did not have a
church meeting there. After returning home we began making plans to move to
Durres. Now, after living here almost a year, it is exciting to see what has
happened. Between 30 and 40 meet each Sunday to worship God. We teach 48
students in a one-on-one study each week. We have three group studies each
week and each of those classes has more
than 20 in attendance. All praise to God for the good that has been done.
This year’s conference gave us some new ideas about how to better reach the
lost. We also enjoyed some fellowship with other missionaries from Albania
and Kosova and with those who came from America to attend the conference. It
was an extra blessing for us to be able to sing songs of praise in our
native tongue once again.
PICNIC: The Elbasan
church sponsored a picnic on the beach near Durres. We enjoyed the
fellowship with Christians from Elbasan and Tirana. Ajald was baptized in
the Adriatic Sea at the time of our picnic.
WEB PAGE AND EMAILS: Our
team email address is weidurres@missionalbania.com or you can use our
individual emails listed below. You can send an email of encouragement to
any of the Christians here by simply going to our web page a clicking on
their picture.
Your fellow servants,
The Smiths, the Winebargers, Lynn Hunt & Shkelqim Kafexhiu |
May 2002
Greetings to the supporters of the Durres Mission Team,
The warm weather has arrived and we are off and
running! Five campaigners arrived during the
month and we began teaching 48 new students. What an
encouragement they have been to the Lord’s work here in Durres. Even
with that said, we want you to know that you
provide the largest source of encouragement for
the work here. We know that without you none of this
would be possible. It is because of your willingness that the
Church has been established in Durres. It is
because of you that we are able to teach over 60
classes a week, each time planting God’s Word into the heart of a
fertile nation.
The Church here continues to grow in numbers and knowledge. During the
first part of May, the teenagers participated in Durres’ first
Bible Bowl on the Gospel of Mark and it was a
huge success. Fifteen participated in the event
with the remainder of the members officiating or serving in one role
or another. Jona Salataj
came in first place with a score of 98/100. If
you will remember, Jona was baptized in August of 2001. It was such a
blessing to see all of them test their knowledge on God’s Word and do
so well.
As mentioned above, we had five campaigners work with us during the month of
May. Peter Nuthak, Ryan Tessier and Ray
Wheeler who are all from Duluth,
Minnesota. Doug and Tonya Barber are
from Idaho Falls, Idaho. All of these individuals
have proven to be valuable assets to the work here. Their
commitment to teach the lost was evident and we are so thankful for
their willingness to come to Durres. For
those of you wondering about whether or not you
should come and teach, let us tell you a little more about
Ryan. He
is 25 and has been a Christian for about seven months. Because of the
method and material that we use to teach, he felt totally comfortable
teaching his ten students. Ryan
told us jokingly that he thought that we actually
had given them too much information. All of the campaigners
commented positively on the organization and flexibility of the
day-to-day operations of the school.
At this time we are aware of six additional campaigners that will be
traveling to Durres to assist in the work here. They will teach
in two groups of three during the last half of
June and all of July. Another group has
expressed interest in coming in August. With that in mind, we are
still looking for teachers to help with follow-up
work in September. Is that something that
you could help us with? In September the airfare rates drop
a little and the weather is cooler. If September will not work
for you, how about October?
As 4 of the 5 campaigners found out, you have to be very careful about the
work in Albania. In one fashion or another, they have left here
seriously thinking about how they could return in
the future to teach the Albanians. Both short and long-term options are
being considered. We are not surprised by
their thoughts since that is exactly what happened to both the
Smith and Winebarger
families! This is good news for the work in Durres as the Smiths
enter their final year serving here. We ask that you continue
to pray about the success of spreading the Good
News and that God will continue to raise up those
needed to spread the Gospel throughout Albania.
We are in need of your continued prayers regarding the future of the work in
Durres. Over the past five months, things have been
accelerating so fast that we feel overwhelmed at
times. Some of opportunities that we are
dealing with include: the number of applicants wanting to begin the course
is increasing weekly; members of the church have close friends that
have
shown interest in learning more about God’s plan for their life and are in
need of special attention; existing students (sons, daughters,
husbands, and wives) want their families taught so
that they will agree with their desire to be
baptized; and individuals wanting to baptized “privately” due to fear
of retribution by family is increasing. We count each of these
as a
blessing, but they do require time and energy. All of this is
compounded by the need for regular follow-up of
past students that are in need of additional
teaching and mentoring.
In an effort to assist with these opportunities Ty
Pope will be returning this summer to
participate with the work over the next year. If you will
remember, Ty is from Idaho Falls and spent last summer teaching in
Durres. Ty
graduated from Harding University this spring with a Bachelor’s Degree in
Bible and plans on serving as a preacher within the brotherhood.
Ty has
been accepted to Harding’s graduate studies program and currently plans on
returning to the States in August of 2003 to continue his studies.
Because Ty is
from the Idaho Falls congregation (the congregation that sponsors and
extensively supports the work in Durres), his resources for fund
raising are limited. With that in mind, we
are asking you to consider seeking out those
individuals and congregations that are interested in participating in
reaching the lost in Albania, all the while investing in a young man
who has committed his life to teaching the lost
where ever he goes. We feel comfortable
recommending him to you as he has already proven himself to be a
faithful servant. It is our hope to
raise $1300/month to meet his physical needs. The Idaho Falls
congregation will serve as Ty’s sponsoring
congregation and all support funds for Ty can be sent to them.
We are pleased once again to have Leslie Winebarger
back with us for part of the summer. Leslie
is the daughter of Dennis and Fredia. Leslie
spent two years in Scotland with the AIM Program
and just completed her first semester at Harding
University. Leslie brings a smile
with her and serves as a mentor for the young
Christian girls in Durres in addition to her regular
teaching schedule. She is a blessing to the work here and we
ask that you continually pray for her.
The congregation in Vlorë will host the second annual summer camp in July.
This activity has proven to be an extremely valuable tool in the
spiritual growth of the teens. Last year
several young men returned to their home
congregations with the ambition to preach the gospel. This type of
attitude and desire is the key to teaching the
lost in Albania. We realize that the
team here is only reaching an extremely limited sect
or of the society and that it will take
Albanians teaching Albanians to win over this country.
With that in mind, we are providing some information concerning the
camp that we received from the Vlorë congregation.
“Many of you were very generous last year in helping us to fund the
second annual Bible camp in the mountains near
Vlorë, Albania. The success of the first
year resulted in an increased enrollment of about 25%, a total of 180
campers. Our resources were stretched to the limit. We
saw a clear need to add a fourth week of camp this
year, designed especially for university age and
young adults, and we have asked Mladen Jovanovic
from the church in Zagreb, Croatia, to
be our guest teacher that week.
This year we are raising the tuition fee for the camp, in line with the
local economy. Nevertheless, tuition fees will help to pay only
between 50% and 60% of the actual cost of the
camp. Llogora Christian Camp has proven
to be a major spiritual benefit to all the
congregations in Albania, bringing together young
people in a wholesome and healthy environment.
Will you please consider helping us finance this
important work of the church in Albania? Even a small contribution
will make a great difference in the lives of some really fine young people.
Please send your contribution to the following address:
Slicer St. Church of Christ
P.O. Box 725
Kennett, MO 63857
Attn: Scott Miskelly, for
Llogora Christian Camp
Beyond your physical help, we earnestly request your prayers for God to make
this another outstanding spiritual blessing for the young people of
Albania.Once
again, we thank you for your support and prayers.
Your fellow servants,
The Smiths, the Winebargers, Lynn Hunt, Ty Pope & Çimi Kafexhiu
************************************************************
Homepage: www.missionalbania.com
Team Email: weiDurres@missionalbania.com
Sponsor:
Idaho Falls Church of Christ
2650 Plommon St.
Idaho Falls, ID 83402
Smith Family: pjsmithx7@yahoo.com
Winebarger Family: drw44@juno.com
Lynn Hunt: huntmaestro@yahoo.com
Çimi Kafexhiu: cimish2000@yahoo.com |
June 2002
Greetings to the supporters of the Durres Mission Team,
TRAINING ALBANIANS: The goal of our mission work here in
Durres is to make the church an Albanian church and one that can some day be
carried on by the Albanians. We realize that the Albanian interest in
learning English has given us a great open door. We also realize that
the need to study English will diminish over the years because nearly every
Albanian child is now studying English in school. Therefore, we
believe an important part of our work is training Albanians to share the
Gospel with their people. To help accomplish this we have recently
implemented two programs. (1) We hired an Albanian (Maril
Kruetani) to work with us for the summer as an intern.
Maril is 17 years old and member of the
Tirana church. Maril spends 5 days
a week with us teaching classes, taking classes, working with our teens,
serving as a camp counselor, preparing lessons and he preaches once a month
for us. If successful, we plan to do this every summer to encourage
these young men to serve the Lord as full time ministers. (2) We have
begun an intensive Bible class that meets for 9 weeks, 4 hours each week.
The students are assigned homework, take examinations, and are graded on the
course. We have 12 students taking the class.
We are hoping this will be the beginning of a school
to train preachers in Albania. Most Albanians who go to another
country for training never return.
SUMMER CAMPAIGN: Our campaign continues and at this point we
have only one campaigner. Because of an illness, two campaigners had
to cancel. Kelly Atkins worked
here last summer and has returned to help us again. More campaigners
will be here in July and August.
STUDENTS: The number of students we teach continues to grow.
The number of students who want to be baptized (but are not allowed to)
continues to grow as well. But we continue to work with them.
The families here are very close and family approval is very important.
Hopefully they will come to see that Christianity is not a threat to their
families but actually a blessing. One of our students, a Muslim woman
in her 50's, recently said, "I am for Jesus, not Mohammed." She still
has much to learn, but her commitment to Jesus is growing. Another
woman in her 40's just finished reading the story of Cain and Abel for the
first time. She was so impressed with how God gently worked with Cain
who was a murderer. A 52 year old male students explains that he
cannot attend on Sundays because he has to work 7 days a week (which is not
unusual for people who have jobs). We encouraged him to talk to his
employer about getting a couple of hours off on Sunday. He told us they
would just fire him because they look for excuses to fire older men and hire
younger ones. It reminds me of how easy it is to be a Christian in
America.
MOVED: We had our first family move away.
Gjyzela, Altim, and Alan Laknori will be greatly missed.
They moved to Italy. When we moved here we were warned that
many would be moving to other countries. We are told that there are
about 9 million Albanians in the world but only 3 million live in
Albania. Unemployment is extremely high, perhaps as high as seventy
percent. Nearly every one has plans to move to another country, and
when the opportunity comes they move.
NEW MISSIONARIES MOVING HERE: Allison and
Kevin Morrill plan to move here in August. The
Smiths plan to move back to America next
May at the end of their two year commitment. The
Winebargers will probably move back after
the summer campaigns. We were praying that God would raise up some
replacements early enough for them to get acclimated to the work before some
of us leave. The Idaho Falls church will
sponsor the Morrills also. The Morrills are busy raising support and
packing for their move here. As with any growing mission work
financial needs grow with the work. Please prayerfully consider
helping this work. We thank God for you who have made this work
possible because of your financial sacrifices. We pray God will return
your sacrifice many fold.
Your fellow servants,
Lynn Hunt, Cimi Kafexhiu, Ty Pope, the Smiths and the Winebargers
************************************************************
Homepage: www.missionalbania.com
Team Email: weiDurres@missionalbania.com
Sponsor:
Idaho Falls Church of Christ
2650 Plommon St.
Idaho Falls, ID 83402
Smith Family: pjsmithx7@yahoo.com
Winebarger Family: drw44@juno.com
Lynn Hunt: huntmaestro@yahoo.com
Çimi Kafexhiu: cimish2000@yahoo.com |
July 2002 Newsletter
Greetings to the supporters of the Durres Missionary Team!
FIRST SUMMER BAPTISM: Another soul has been added to the kingdom,
praise the Lord! Jonila Çyçja, who
has been studying with Dennis, decided
to be baptized on July 14. Her family only recently moved to Durres,
and she has enjoyed making friends with her new brothers and sisters in
Christ. It was an eventful Sunday. After the baptism,
Skënder brought in a roasted lamb from
his father's flock. It was his gift to the church, so we had a special
potluck lunch. We had never seen an entire lamb roasted before, and
none of the Americans had any idea of how to divvy it up. Fortunately,
Fatime had experience in this area, and
she carved it with a professional touch. After we had eaten, everyone
decided to go to a movie in Tirana. Not only was it
Jonila's first time to go to the cinema,
but it was also her first time in Tirana. It was a very enjoyable day.
CAMPAIGNS CONTINUE: Four more campaigners arrived in July:
John Dale, Pete Rawlins, and Neel O'Donnell, all
from Portland, Oregon, and Rick Tucker, from Bartlesville, Oklahoma.
This was John's second time here, and we were glad he brought a
couple of friends. They were all a great help, and we were sad to see
the three of them leave. Rick will
be here through mid-September. During their stay, we took a trip up to
Kruje (a nearby tourist sight). A number of Albanians went with us.
Part of the group visited the museum and castle, while the rest of the group
hiked up the mountain behind the city.
INTERNS: Our summer intern, Maril
Kruetani has proven to be an asset for the church. Over the
last month, he has preached and led devotionals. He also teaches the
WEI course to a number of students during the week. As part of our
mentoring program, we asked him to attend several classes during the week.
These include Dennis' "Plan of Salvation"
class on Tuesday & Thursday mornings, the Wednesday afternoon Bible class,
and a class with Ty covering the Psalms.
In addition to Maril, we have decided to work with an additional summer
intern, Ervin Ballabani. He is
only fifteen, but he already preaches in Tirana on a regular basis.
These two young men have expressed an interest in becoming preachers, and we
are encouraging them in this direction. There is a definite need for
native preachers, if the church is ever going to survive after the
missionaries leave.
OTHER ACTIVITIES: This summer has been very busy for us.
Since a large number of our converts are still teenagers, this is when they
have the most free time. We sent seven
Albanians to the Christian camp in Llogora. The theme of
this year's camp was "Becoming A Living Sacrifice". It is our hope
that the message taught will stay with them through the coming years.
Also, at the end of the month, the church in Tirana celebrated their tenth
anniversary. We rented a bus, and took the entire Durres congregation
to worship with them. Dick Ady,
who has been involved with the Tirana congregation since the very beginning,
delivered the sermon. In the evening, we watched a slide show on the
history of the church (in Tirana), and Monday we returned once more to watch
a drama. Two of our teens were so impressed by the drama, that they
want to rent the auditorium and have it performed for the community of
Durres. On Tuesday nights, we have been holding devotionals for the
church. We were unsure of how well they would be attended, since we
have so many other activities during the week, but the devotionals have been
a big success. We hope to continue them at least once a month during
the school year.
FINANCIAL NEEDS: Last month, we started an intensive Bible course,
covering God's plan of salvation. This is our first step towards
training native preachers. Due in
part to the number of classes we offer during the week, and in part to the
large number of campaigners coming next month, we felt it was necessary to
increase our available teaching space. Towards that end, we have fixed
up the basement of the building we are renting. Nothing fancy, just
some florescent lights, carpeting, and more tables and chairs. However, the
$400 we spent on these things put a strain on our monthly school budget.
Perhaps there is a person or group out there who would like to make a small
one-time contribution towards this endeavor. We plan to make frequent
use of this space for a variety of classes, including a children's class,
and a Saturday morning 'defending your faith' class. In addition to
this need, the Morrill family will be
moving here next month. They are still trying to raise the rest of their
support. If you know of a congregation that is looking for a
missionary family to support, please let us know. And, as always,
please keep us in your prayers. The Lord has blessed us, and we pray
that He continues to bless you for the sacrifices you are making.
Your fellow servants,
Lynn Hunt, Çimi Kafexhiu, Ty Pope, the Smiths and the Winebargers
|
August 2002
Greetings on behalf of the Durres, Albania Mission team, and a special
thanks to all those who help support the Lord’s work in Albania.
BAPTISMS: August has been an eventful month as far as baptisms are
concerned. We have had a total of six baptisms this
month! Please keep these new Christians in your prayers. We also
pray that others follow in their footsteps and make the decision to be
baptized into the body of Christ.
CAMPAIGNS: We were blessed with the help of eight campaigners from
the Adam’ s Blvd. Church of Christ in Bartlesville, Oklahoma:
Marilyn Fisher, Bob Seat, Art Henley, Dale and
Carlotta Baird, Louise and Harold Harris, and Rick Tucker. Rick
will be in Albania with us until mid-September.
MOVING: We were all greatly saddened this month as we bid farewell to
our good friend and first convert since the arrival of our team:
Jonida Kushi. Jonida has moved to Milan,
Italy to attend college. She has been a great blessing to the Church here
and she will be missed by us all. Although she may no longer be in the same
country with us, she will always be in our prayers and we ask that you might
give a quick prayer for her as well. Also within the next couple of months
several other Christians will start to attend college within the country.
While they may not be moving away, many of the Albanian Christians who
attend college may find it difficult to find time to spend meeting with the
Church. Please keep them in your prayers also. In Albania, as well as many
other European countries, education is considered one of the most important
things.
NEW MISSIONARIES ARRIVED: Kevin and Allison
Morrill arrived this month. Kevin and Allison are hoping to work
in Durres for two years, although how long they can stay depends greatly on
whether they have support or not. They have only been in Albania a few weeks
but have already been a great help to the work in Durres. We ask that you
pray that they are able to find the support they need to stay in Albania as
long as the Lord allows.
OUR FIRST VACATION BIBLE SCHOOL: Marilyn
Fisher from Bartlesville, Oklahoma, with the help of
Kevin and Allison Morrill, successfully
held our first, two hour long, daily Bible school for young children. The
daily classes provided children ages 6-12 with Bible stories and Bible
lessons on such subjects as, obedience, sharing and forgiveness. The
children also enjoyed singing Sunday school songs, and working on small
crafts projects. Kevin and Allison are
going to continue doing a class for children with a one-hour long, weekly
Bible class beginning in September. Please keep this new children’s class in
your prayers that it may be successful.
EVENTS WORTHY OF MENTIONING: A Ladies’
Health and Wellness Seminar was held on Sunday the 25th of
August. It was put on by Carlotta Baird and Marilyn
Fisher from Bartlesville, Oklahoma, and was attended by 39
Albanian women. Also the Saturday before the seminar, several Churches of
Christ from different parts of Albania joined each other for a picnic and
fellowship in Apollonia. Apollonia is an ancient city of Albania. It is
currently being excavated. The Christians enjoyed each other’s company as
well as viewing all the ruins together.
Your fellow servants,
Lynn Hunt, Çimi Kafexhiu, Ty Pope, the Morrills, the Smiths and the
Winebargers
************************************************************
Homepage: www.missionalbania.com
Team Email: weiDurres@missionalbania.com
Sponsor:
Idaho Falls Church of Christ
2650 Plommon St.
Idaho Falls, ID 83402
Smith Family: pjsmithx7@yahoo.com
Winebarger Family: drw44@juno.com
Lynn Hunt: huntmaestro@yahoo.com
Çimi Kafexhiu: cimish2000@yahoo.com
Ty Pope: t_hawk72@hotmail.com
Morrill Family:
morrills_in_durres@yahoo.com |
|
September 2002
Greetings to the supporters of the Durres Missionary Team!
This month has brought about change. With school beginning, the
students are busier than ever. This, however, does not keep those who
are truly interested from attending. The most significant of changes
was the weather. It rained a lot this month.
CAMPAIGNS: The summer campaign finally came to an end this month, and
we feel that it was a great success. Theresa
King, from Oklahoma City, was the last campaigner to leave.
We would like to thank her and all the other participants, who so selflessly
gave their time and money to be here teaching the Word of God. Special
apologies go out to Donna, John, and Carma,
who we failed to mention in our July newsletter.
BIBLE BOWL: On the 7th of September, we had our second Bible Bowl
here in Durres. This Bible Bowl included two teams from Tirana.
It was a good day with fellowship, fun, and 100 questions about the book of
Acts. The participants studied very hard, and it showed. The top
three scores were 99/100, 97/100, and 94/100. Although there could be
only one first place team, all the participants are the better for having so
thoroughly studied Acts. Everyone learned something new about God's
Word from this Bible Bowl, and that is the goal of any Bible Bowl.
BAPTISM: One more soul has been blessed this
month by taking on Christ in baptism.
CONSIDERATION: In addition to the one baptism this month,
there are a number of students considering baptism.
We would ask that you pray for these individuals to choose the way of
salvation and join the body of Christ.
ATTENDANCE: Though school has started, attendance has remained
steady. We average 50 each week, with 36 of those in attendance being
Albanians. It is great to see that we are outnumbered by the Albanians
in attendance.
VACATION: The Smith family is on
vacation in America. They went to be with
Patrick's father during his surgery. They will be in the
states until October 24. They will be traveling thorough Oklahoma
during part of their vacation before returning to Texas. So when you
see them, give them a warm welcome and say a prayer with them for Albania.
CHILDRENS' CLASS: A weekly children's class has been started by the
Morrill's and Cimi. This class was
inspired by the VBS we had here this summer with the help of
Maralyn Fisher, one of the campaigners
from Bartlesville. Every Tuesday one class is held in the morning
(ages 6-9), and one is held in the afternoon (ages 10-13). The classes
will switch times in the spring; this will allow any that wish to come the
ability to do so without interfering with their school attendance. The
children have been enjoying the class and learning a lot.
PRAYERS: Please remember the
Smith family as they travel. We
ask that you pray for those who are considering baptism. We also ask
that you pray for the continued fervor of the Christians here in Albania.
And please pray about the flooding in the south and north of Albania.
Take care and God bless,
The Smiths, the Winebargers, the Morrills, Lynn Hunt, Çimi Kafexhiu, and Ty
Pope
************************************************************
Homepage: www.missionalbania.com
Team Email: weiDurres@missionalbania.com
Sponsor:
Idaho Falls Church of Christ
2650 Plommon St.
Idaho Falls, ID 83402
Smith Family: pjsmithx7@yahoo.com
Winebarger Family: drw44@juno.com
Lynn Hunt: huntmaestro@yahoo.com
Çimi Kafexhiu: cimish2000@yahoo.com
Ty Pope: t_hawk72@hotmail.com
Morrill Family:
morrills_in_durres@yahoo.com
|
October 2002
Greetings to the supporters of the Durres Missionary Team!
Thank you for your continuing support. We know that everything we have comes
from God; thank you for letting Him work through you. This work would not be
possible without the help we receive from you.
Travels: There was a lot of traveling in the month of October. The
Winebargers went home for the month to
visit family. Dennis' mother was
critically ill and passed away so the family went to Pennsylvania. While in
the US, the family also spent time in Idaho Falls visiting with
Fredia's family and members of the
church. The Smiths have returned
safely. They logged many miles. Their trip included visits with
Patrick's family, Jamie's family, and the
Bartlesville Congregation. The Smiths are settling back into
their routines and recovering from jetlag. Allison
had the opportunity to go to the "Come Before Winter Retreat" in Florence,
Italy. This was a very valuable experience for her because she learned about
leading small group Bible studies, and she also received a lot of ideas for
building children's Bible class materials. There were missionary women from
many different countries, and they provided a wealth of knowledge and
experience. The men of the Durres
congregation traveled by bus with a group from Tirana to Vlorë for a
Nationwide Men's Day. They listened to speakers, participated in a
group discussion, and ate a fellowship meal. There was also discussion on
the problems faced by the churches in Albania.
Baptisms: A new sister, Migena,
was added to the church this month. She has a constant smile and is an
encouraging person.
HTML Class: On Sunday October 20th Lynn took the time to briefly
explain the basic process of Web design and HyperText Markup Language
(HTML). Lynn's small, but devoted, class of students included
Çimi, Ty, Allison, Kevin, and Leida.
Everyone learned quite a bit from this time and had fun in the
process.
www.missionalbania.com: The month of October also brought changes to
our home on the internet. There are additional pictures and updated
information about the team and members of the Durres congregation. Come see
what’s happening!
The School: The school was quieter this month with all of the
traveling. Interest in classes and the need for teachers continues to be
high. With word of mouth a steady stream of new students continue come in
our door.
The children's class has been going well. We have tried a variety of methods
to teach the children. Informal plays seemed to work the best. We told the
story of Joseph, and had the children act it out. At the beginning no
one would volunteer, by the end everyone was participating.
Diana is helping a great deal in
translating the Bible stories into Albanian. We have been trying to give a
hando ut per week, so the parents can read the Bible stories their children
are learning. We hope to make these handouts into a
book for the next time the class is taught.
Life in Durres: The members of the church continue to grow their bond
in Christ. We have been trying to meet more often for fellowship.
Kevin and Allison hosted a game night
for the adults of the congregation. It was a lot of fun. The favorite game
was Pictionary. There were lots laughs generated by both the pictures and
translation difficulties.
Prayer Requests
Please remember these people in your prayer this month:
- The Winebarger Family as Dennis' mother
passed away in October.
- The continued recovery of Patrick’s
father.
- The hearts of our students and their
parents. We have a number of students who want to be baptized, but one or
more of their parents does not approve. Those who cannot attend because of
their parents objections.
- The continued growth of the church and the
strengthening of new Christians. American Christians who are
thinking about coming to Durres and their support.
Take care and God bless,
The Smiths, the Winebargers, Lynn Hunt, Çimi
Kafexhiu, Ty Pope and the Morrills
************************************************************
Homepage: www.missionalbania.com
Team Email: weiDurres@missionalbania.com
Sponsor:
Idaho Falls Church of Christ
2650 Plommon St.
Idaho Falls, ID 83402
Smith Family: pjsmithx7@yahoo.com
Winebarger Family: drw44@juno.com
Lynn Hunt: huntmaestro@yahoo.com
Çimi Kafexhiu: cimish2000@yahoo.com
Ty Pope: t_hawk72@hotmail.com
Morrill Family: morrills_in_durres@yahoo.com
|
November 2002
News from Durres, Albania!
It is with joy that we write you this month and provide you with details of
the work that God is crediting to your account because of your willingness
to support the Lord's work in Durres. We thank God daily for
your prayers and financial support. November proved to be a remarkable
month not only in physical weather, but also spiritual harvest.
Three souls were added to the Lord's body. Both
Danjela Bashllari and Arta Kola were baptized on Sunday 11/24/02.
Danjela is a WEI student that was taught by summer campaigners
Leslie Winebarger, Donna Light and Carlotta Baird.
Allison Morrill has been working with Danjela during the past
fall.
Arta is the wife of Skënder Kola who was
baptized last March. Arta was taught and baptized by her husband. What
a joy it is for the congregation to have their first Christian family and to
see the Albanians reaching out to their families and loved ones with the
Good News of Christ. While visiting with
Patrick before her baptism, Arta said that she knows now for
herself what the Bible says about Christ and our need to give ourselves to
him. For most of us, it was difficult to tell whether Arta or Skënder
was more excited about the event.
Kristela Bushkolaj was baptized on
11/3/02. Kristela is one of Patrick's students that found it necessary
to convince her family of her need for baptism. Coming from a family
with a mixed marriage (Catholic and Muslim), her parents were not initially
supportive of her decision. Kristela has already proven to be an
encourager to the congregation and has taken an active role reaching out to
those around her.
November has also brought a reduced teaching load for many of us. In
an effort to take advantage of the time, Dennis
began mentoring sessions for all of us that focus on presenting numerous
short Bible studies should we be presented with an opportunity. These
classes are of benefit to all of us as it is necessary that we continue to
sharpen our own skills and knowledge.
In an effort to bring everyone up to speed with the Lord's work in Durres we
would like to summarize the numerous activities that are currently in
progress so that you can keep abreast of things and can be more specific in
your prayers for the work here.
Individual WEI Classes - Over 100 one-on-one classes are taught
weekly and serve as the primary tool for reaching out to the community.
Should you be interested in learning more about the World English Institute
material please visit their website at www.weiady.org.
Small Group Bible Studies - The classes typically have between two
and four individuals that have completed the WEI Basic and Advanced Courses
and are open to students who show an interest in learning more about God's
will for their life. These classes cover the Book of Acts, Romans, and
Isaiah. A new class will begin in January that discusses the
prophets of the Old Testament. Typically between three and five
one-hour classes are conducted weekly.
Wednesday Bible Study Class - Presented in such a manner that
students could improve their English skills; this class is open to all
students. They have spent the last year reviewing the book of Luke
chapter by chapter and will begin studying the book of Romans when Luke is
completed.
Friday Afternoon Bible Class - This class focuses on providing a
general overview of the Bible for those that are interested in understanding
the events and people that God used to reveal His word to mankind.
They recently finished the Old Testament and have begun studying the life of
Christ. Group fellowship time is hosted afterwards to allow the
students a time to develop common interests and build friendships.
Sunday Morning Bible Class - Like the Wednesday bible study, this
class is open to all students and is also presented so that the students can
improve their English skills. Various topics are taught depending on
the current needs of the class. They have just finished a detailed
study of the book of Hebrews.
Children English Classes - A majority of the students are related to
our existing and former students. Basic language concepts are taught
using Bible stories and principles. The first 2 children's classes
began in September and lasted for 12 weeks. They will be expanded in
February to 4 classes. Two of these classes will be for the students
that were taught this fall, and the other two will be for new students.
It is through these efforts that we are currently reaching out to the
community and teaching the Good News. None of this would be possible
if it were not for your willingness to partner with us. We are
thankful for your commitment to reaching the lost in Durres. If you
have questions about the work here or would like additional information,
please contact one of us so that we can keep you informed.
Prayer Requests
Please remember these people in your prayer this month:
The continued recovery of Patrick's father. The hearts of our students and
their parents. We have a number of students who want to be baptized, but one
or more of their parents does not approve. Those who cannot attend because
of their parents objections. The continued growth of the church and the
strengthening of new Christians. American Christians who are thinking about
coming to Durres and their
support.
Take care and God bless,
The Smiths, the Winebargers, Lynn Hunt, Çimi
Kafexhiu, Ty Pope and the Morrills
************************************************************
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December 2002/Year-end report
Greetings to the supporters of the Durres Missionary Team!
2002 has been an incredible year for the Lord’s church in Durres. The church
here has grown both in numbers and in spiritual maturity. We want to praise
God for his many blessings. Here are the highlights from this past year:
· The church agreed to hire Cimi
Kafexhiu as their minister
· The church started a daily Bible reading program to read
through the Bible in a year
· The school purchased a generator and air conditioner to
improve teaching conditions
· The teens attended the youth rally held in Tirana
· The first men were baptized, and have been actively
participating and leading ever since
· Lynn reported on the
work to our five biggest supporting congregations in the U.S.A.
· The team gave their first report at the March Missionary
Conference in Tirana
· The church attended a nationwide picnic at the beach
· The missionaries started teaching follow-up courses to
prevent potential Christians from
slipping through the cracks
· The school expanded its facilities by renting the second
floor and building a baptistry
· The church hosted a Bible Bowl on the gospel of Mark
· Ty Pope moved to
Albania to work with the team
· Several members of
the church attended Llogora Christian Camp
· The missionaries sponsored an internship program, with
two interns participating
· Kevin and Allison Morrill
moved to Albania to work with the team
· Twenty-two campaigners came to teach in Durres
throughout the summer
· The church attended the ten-year anniversary of the
Tirana congregation
· The church hosted a VBS, with the help of
Marilyn Fisher
· The church hosted a Ladies Day, with the help of
Carlotta Baird
· The church visited Apollonia, along with other
Christians from Albania
· The church hosted a second Bible Bowl on the book of
Acts
· The church started teaching a weekly children’s class
· The men of the church attended the first Men’s Day in
Albania
· The Smiths & Winebargers
both took a trip to the U.S.A. to see family and to report on the work
STATISTICS: We had 17 baptisms last year
(2002). There are several others who want to be
baptized but are not allowed to by either parents or mates. We also had 4
Christians move away. This is something that the congregation will
just have to live with. So many Albanians want to move to other
countries. We heard there are 9 million Albanians in the world and
only 3 million live in Albania. Our average Sunday morning attendance for
the worship assembly is 43 and 39 for Sunday Bible class.
THE GROWTH: The church is growing stronger as the Albanians take on more
responsibility. We try to use the Albanians to do all the preaching.
Cimi does most of the preaching and 2
other Albanians help him. A third Albanian man is working on his first
sermon. Last year, the church decided to provide part of
Cimi’s support. This year, they
doubled that amount and now provide $100.00 of his monthly support.
The plan is for the church to eventually support him completely so he will
not be depending on support from America. We have many classes
throughout the week for the Christians (mostly small group studies).
We brought our American tradition of potlucks (and New Testament tradition
of love feasts) and the church enjoys them greatly.
Lynn had a holiday party and 45 people
squeezed into his
apartment.
FINANCES\SUPPORT: When we moved here our team didn't have all of our
monthly support but we did have a lot of one-time gifts that people and
churches gave to us. As we gained additional monthly supporters, we
decided to prorate out our one time support over the planned two years and
it made up
the difference in what we were lacking in monthly support. As of
January 2003, the one time support has been used up and it has become
necessary for one family to return home eight weeks earlier than planned.
Thus, the Smith family will be returning
to Idaho Falls at the end of March. Patrick
will look for employment from there.
It is our hope that the individuals and congregations that joined with the
Smith’s in the work in Durres would
continue to support the on going work. If that is not possible, it is our
desire that you would consider continuing your support for an additional two
months to the end of May. Those funds would be used to assist the
Smith’s as they seek employment and
transition back to life in the States.
If a majority of the supporters will continue on, there should be adequate
funding for the Winebarger family to stay through the end of September.
Of course, all of this is subject to change depending on the level of future
funding for the work here. When they leave, it is our hope that the
adequate support will be available to provide the continued support for
Cimi, Lynn, the Morrills, and pay the
school expenses (rent, utilities, secretary, etc.).
CAMPAIGNS: We will need your help again this summer with the
campaign. So many people here want to know English. So we
advertise that we teach a free English course using the Bible. We let
them know right up front that this is about religion. Their desire to know
English opens a great door for the Gospel. Many of the Albanians know
English to some degree and they want to improve.
Potential campaigners often email and express concern about teaching an
English course. We tell them, “Don't worry about the English.” The WEI
English lessons are well written and actually teach themselves. The students
do the English lesson at home. All we do is check their answers when
they come to class and we even have a cheat sheet. If they have any
questions about the English, we simply
assign them a section to read on the subject of their question. The
student does all the work and
they do work hard. Generally, they have never had an American speak to
them before so they hang
on every word. The second part of the English lesson contains the
Bible story. Again, this teaches itself. We need your help! If
you are a faithful Christian, speak English and have a caring concern for
the lost, you have all the ability you need to come on a campaign.
Come for two, four, or six weeks
and we will put you to work and you will feel good about the way God will
use you to touch the lives of others.
In the near future, we will be creating a “Campaigners Page” on the website
where all of the
information that you will need will be available. Watch for it!
THERESA KING: The Lord continues to provide workers for reaching the
lost in Durres. After spending just two weeks here last summer,
Theresa has decided to move to Durres and join
the
effort in spreading God’s word. She will be a welcome addition to the team.
The church in Edmond, Oklahoma has agreed to
sponsor her. Please remember her in your prayers as she attempts to raise
the funds necessary to move to Albania. If you or someone you know would
like to help her financially, you can send donations to:
Edmond Church of Christ
801 S. Bryant Ave.
Edmond, OK 73034
Please put “Attn: Theresa King” in the check
memo line. If you have any
questions, don’t hesitate to contact her at
theresa_ann@cox.net.
END OF YEAR SUPPORT STATEMENTS: The Idaho Falls congregation is
presently
sending out receipts for income tax purposes to all contributors. IRS
rules only require receipts for single contributions (not the annual total)
greater than $250.00. Should anyone need or want
something different for their tax purposes, please notify the Idaho Falls
congregation by writing to Homer Anderson, 2295 Evans Ave., Idaho Falls, ID
83402, by calling the him at (208-523-4055),
or by sending an email message to him at
MyraAnders@aol.com.
************************************************************
Homepage: www.missionalbania.com
Team Email: weiDurres@missionalbania.com
Sponsor:
Idaho Falls Church of Christ
2650 Plommon St.
Idaho Falls, ID 83402
Lynn Hunt: huntmaestro@yahoo.com
Çimi Kafexhiu: cimish2000@yahoo.com
Allison & Kevin Morrill: morrills_in_Durres@yahoo.com
Ty Pope: t_hawk72@hotmail.com
Jamie & Patrick Smith: pjsmithx7@yahoo.com
Dennis & Fredia Winebarger: drw44@juno.com
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January 2003
News from Durres, Albania!
Baptism
On the 11th of January another soul was added to
the Lord's family. Her name is Linda Josifi and she is one of Fredia's
students.
Young Women’s Class
Jamie started teaching a class for young
women this month. The class, which has focused on different aspects of godly
living, has been very popular. The Smith kitchen has been filled to capacity
each Saturday. Pat claims he
doesn’t have enough chairs in the house! The girls have learned about
building devotion, contentment, faith, diligence, and character. These
lessons have greatly benefited the girls and women who attend. Most of the
ladies attending this class are new Christians, who are eager to learn about
living as Christian women.
Continuing The Mission
Lynn Hunt returned home to Idaho Falls
this month to visit family and consider the possibility of extending his
work in Durres. We have been encouraged and strengthened by Lynn and ask
that you pray for his choice. We know that whatever is decided it will
glorify the Lord Jesus. Also this month Ty Pope
made a decision to remain in Durres for another year. We are excited to see
his commitment
and desire to serve the Lord.
January brought a new member to our team. Alfred
Zike joined us this month. Alfred is a recent graduate of the
Sunset International Biblical Institute in Athens Greece. His wife
Diana and two children will join Alfred
soon. The family will be an asset to the team, and we welcome them into this
mission.
Summer Campaigns
Now is the time to start thinking about the summer campaign! We will be
hosting five sessions for campaigners this summer. There are four sessions
still available at the writing of this letter. That's right, only February
and already we have campaigners scheduled and ready to come. Please if you
are interested in being a part of the 2003 Summer Mission in Durres contact
us as soon as possible.
Attached to the newsletter you will find a schedule of available sessions,
as you plan for the summer please keep in mind that the dates for each
session are set for a reason. We are trying to maintain all of the students
that we start this summer. There was a marked drop off of students last year
and we are trying to fix that with this new schedule.
Wind, Rain, Hail, Slush, and the Flu
This month has brought a myriad of weather events to us. They have ranged
from 60 F days to slush. Though the weather does tend to remind some of
home, it can be a drain on the psyche.
Another challenge to our morale this month was a bout with the flu. Some
hearty souls avoided this "Albanian Diet Plan" altogether, but a majority of
the team tried it out for at least a few days. We seem to be well on the
road to recovery now and looking forward to the new month.
Prayer Requests
Missionaries -- Those who are
considering moving to Durres to work with the Church and those who are
considering continuing their work here in Durres.
The Summer Campaigns -- That the Lord
may be glorified.
The Zike Family -- A safe and speedy
move from Athens to Durres.
The World Peace. Understanding of God’s
message. Acceptance of His divine will.
Your fellow servants,
Lynn Hunt, Çimi Kafexhiu, Ty Pope, Alfred Zike,
the Morrills, the Smiths and the Winebargers
************************************************************
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February 2003
We thank God for you and your continued financial support. Your sacrifice is
greatly appreciated. God has blessed your support and our efforts in Durres.
Our average Sunday morning attendance in February was 47. The Durres church
is now 2 years old. In this newsletter, we want you to know more about the
church here (the Albanian part of the church). Currently, there are 26
baptized Albanians in the church.
Here is a list of our Albanian members:
1. Diana (adult - female). Diana became
a Christian when she was 17 and has been a Christian for 8 years. During the
time when the church was not meeting here, this teenager would get up early
on Sunday morning to take the Lord’s Supper. When we (the American
missionaries) moved here, Diana just graduated from the University Of Tirana
with English as her major. He hired her as our secretary and she has been of
immense help in getting the church established in Durres.
2. Cimi (adult - male). Cimi is the
preacher for the Durres church. In February 2001, Cimi, along with some of
the members of the Tirana Church of Christ, traveled to Durres each Sunday
to hold worship services. Cimi is well qualified for the work. He is a
graduate of the British Bible School and before working with the church in
Durres he worked with the Kosovar refugees after the war in Bosnia.
3. Olta (teen - female). Olta was one of
our early converts. She isn’t always allowed to attend but it is
always a joy to see her smiling face.
4. Jona
(teen - female). Jona is very active. She teaches the children’s class on
Sunday morning. She also teaches one on one Bible studies throughout the
week.
5. Fatime (adult - female). Fatime
(along with her 4 yr. old daughter) is growing in her faith and will be a
good Bible class teacher in the near future. She loves to study the Bible
and is growing fast.
6. and 7. Skender (adult - male) and his
wife Arta. Skender became a Christian
one year ago and Arta was converted last fall. They have two boys (ages 6
and 3). Skendar is a naval officer and his fast spiritual growth made him a
natural leader in the church. He has taught the adult Bible class and
preaches from time to time.
8. Ajald (teen - male). Ajald has been a
Christian for 10 months. This boy is literally a genius. His spiritual
concepts are profound. Since he was one of the early male converts, he was
soon doing everything (leading singing, the Lord’s Supper, leading prayers
and preaching).
9. Denada (teen - female). Denalda is a
senior in high school. She always brings her sister and often brings a
friend.
10. Artan (adult - male). Artan is an
excellent English translator. He will be preaching for the first time next
week.
11. Suela (adult - female). Suela’s
faithfulness is a great example to her sister and a friend who attend with
her. We pray they will become Christians also.
12. Migena (teen - female). Migena is
very faithful in her attendance and always brings her younger sister and a
friend. She always has a ready smile on her face.
13. Kristela (teen - female). Kristela
is a very popular young lady and is a great influence for Jesus.
14. Linda (teen - female). Linda is our
newest Christian and is just beginning her new life with Christ. She is
delightful and has a strong desire to grow in knowledge of God’s word.
15. and 16. Alfred (adult - male) and
his wife Diana. They have two children
(ages 10 and 12). Alfred just graduated from Sunset International Bible
Institute in Athens, Greece. He is supported by the Adams Blvd. Church in
Bartlesville, OK. Diana and the children are still in Athens and will join
Alfred shortly. They are a wonderful addition to our team.
17. thru 22. Because of the possibility of persecution, there are
6 members (all female - 2 adults and 4 teens) we cannot mention.
23. thru 26. These four (all female - 1
adult and 3 teens) are not faithful.
The church is very loving and united. The Christians are growing in their
faith and enjoy being with each other. We believe the church is actually at
the point that it would continue just fine if all the American missionaries
had to leave. We realize the great open door the Americans have here is our
English. We can advertise a free English course using the Bible and get more
of a response than we can handle. We pray this door will be open for many
years to come.
There are several changes taking place in our team.
Lynn Hunt has returned to Albania and has
made a commitment to work here at least another year. We are so thankful to
have Lynn back. The Smiths will be moving back to
America on March 26th. Please keep them in your prayers as they
make the transition and pray for Patrick to find a job.
We hear that the economy is down in America and we know that even in good
times there are always many things that take our money. We are so thankful
to God for all of you who are making the financial sacrifice to keep us
here.
The Durres Mission Team:
Lynn Hunt, Cimi Kafexhiu, the Morrills, Ty Pope,
the Smiths, the Winebargers and the Zikes
|
March 2003
Greetings to the supporters of the Durres Missionary Team!
SMITH FAMILY DEPARTS:
March has been an eventful month for the team. By
far the biggest event this month was the departure of the Smith family.
Due to a shortage of funding, the Smiths had to leave two months
short of their original two-year commitment. Of course, we all realize that
God’s timing is perfect, and we believe that He had a reason for them to
return when they did. But that didn’t make their departure any easier. There
were many tears shed—by the church, by the team, and by the Smiths
themselves. We want to thank them for their dedication to the Lord, and for
their contribution to His work in Durres. Patrick was able to find a job in
Idaho Falls, and the congregation there has welcomed them back warmly. While
the Christians here in Albania are unlikely to see them again, we can take
joy in the fact we will be together forever in Heaven one day.
F. LAGARD SMITH:
The Elbasan church invited F. LaGard Smith
to come to Albania and hold a series of lectures in Elbasan. The Durres team
took a few days off to attend. His lectures were insightful and thought
provoking. It was a time of growing in the Word, and also a time of
fellowship. For many, this was their first time in Elbasan. We happened to
be there on “Summer’s Day”, which is a major festival held only in that
city. We also took a day trip to Pogradec, a city on the Albanian/Macedonian
border. After visiting there, we became convinced that a mission work should
be started in Pogradec. Please keep this possibility in your prayers. The
harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. We heard LaGard speak again
in Tirana, and finally convinced him to come to Durres for a couple of
nights. One of these nights was a question and answer session for the team,
also referred to as “Late Night with LaGard”.
THE MISSIONARY CONFERENCE:
Every year in March, the missionaries in Albania gather together for a
conference. It is a time to share our successes and failures with those who
are in similar circumstances. This year was no different, and we enjoyed two
days of fellowship and discussions with the missionaries from Tirana,
Elbasan, Vllore, Fier, and Lushnje. One of the major concerns
discussed was the impact of the war on our summer campaigns. Many
Americans are hesitant to travel during this time. While this is very
understandable, there is still a great need in Albania for the gospel to be
taught. If you are interested in coming to Durres this summer, please
contact us! We will be happy to keep you updated about the atmosphere of
safety in Albania. If you do not feel comfortable traveling yourself, there
are other ways you can help us with the campaign. Every year we hear about
people who want to come, but can’t afford it. Perhaps you would consider
sponsoring someone in your stead. Or, the permanent team would even benefit
from an extra donation. Please pray with us for the war not to disrupt the
work in Albania.
MINI-CAMPAIGN:
Sometimes we have Christians volunteer to teach, but they are not able to
come in the summer. We prefer to have teachers in the summer, since it is
difficult to fill the teaching schedules during the school year. But we
certainly won’t refuse help at other times of the year. And so two brave
ladies, Brenda and Betty, arrived this
month to start a mini-campaign. When they bought their tickets, they didn’t
know that war would break out prior to their departure. However, it didn’t
stop them from coming. Praise God for their faith and courage.
FRIEND’S DAY:
We couldn’t let the Smiths leave without
giving them a proper send-off. So the church had a special fellowship meal
to wish them farewell. We combined this event with a “friend’s day”. We
encouraged all the Christians to invite their families and friends to the
worship service on that particular Sunday. It was a resounding success, with
sixty-six people attending! That is a record for the church in Durres. We
hope God opens the hearts of all those who visited that day, and that His
kingdom continues to grow.
Once again, we cannot thank you enough for your help in this work. You are
true partners in sharing the gospel. May God continue to bless you for your
generosity.
In His love,
The Winebargers, the Morrills, the Zikes, Lynn Hunt, Çimi Kafexhiu, and Ty
Pope
************************************************************
Homepage: www.missionalbania.com
Team Email: weiDurres@missionalbania.com
Sponsor:
Idaho Falls Church of Christ
2650 Plommon St.
Idaho Falls, ID 83402
---------
Winebarger Family: drw44@juno.com
Lynn Hunt: huntmaestro@yahoo.com
Cimi Kafexhiu: cimish2000@yahoo.com
Ty Pope: t_hawk72@hotmail.com
Morrill Family: morrills_in_durres@yahoo.com
Zike Family: alzike02@yahoo.com
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