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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
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WELCOME! |
The
archive Elbasan Updates for the past year are here. |
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Summer
Campaign 2002
(Interim Report)
Our Summer campaign began in the second week of July when a group of
five teachers came from our sponsoring church for two weeks. They taught
the English using the WEI materials. On the Sunday before they arrived
two young ladies, Aferdita and Erinda
were baptised. For the second year in a row our campaign began with
baptisms. This got all of us in the right frame of mind, as if we
weren’t already there, for the coming weeks. One week later our brother
Dashamir, who had brought a young
man to worship and classes a few of times, and had also been teaching
him, announced that Dyleve wanted to
put on Christ in baptism. Three new Christians in eight days. The Lord
was truly blessing us. Since then, Dyleve
has been teaching another young man who had been attending a charismatic
group in town but was uncomfortable with some of the things he saw
there. This young man has also asked
to be immersed in to Christ. We are studying with him some more.
One of our goals this year was to try
and build up the spiritual maturity of the church, both with the young
people and also the older. For the past years we have concentrated on
making new members. In itself, not a bad thing. But those who were
already members were being forgotten. So this was a priority from the
outset.
Two things that that we did
differently from the past was to have a three hour break from midday
until 3:00 in an effort to have a rest from the heat. This led us to
teach slightly later. We found this to be very useful. Secondly, we
decided to have our devotional in the evenings at the end of classes. In
the past they have been first thing in the morning which meant they were
only attended by campaign workers and a couple of members. We wanted
them to be attended by everyone. There is no doubt it worked as we were
getting members and non-members come just to be at the devotional at
7:00pm.
After the San
Jose team left there was a weeks gap before the
Banisters arrived. It was decided
that we would continue to hold the devotionals and we were still getting
a high turnout. As many as 22 attending some evenings. Once Gene and
Nancy had begun their classes, and they were holding these at 6:00 each
evening, three on Comparative Religion and two aimed at women we thought
that maybe the brethren would not want to stay for the devotionals as
well. We were wrong. Numbers continued to stay and even come specially
for this short time of praise and teaching. We decided to use this time
to help some of the men get used to preparing a short lesson and
preaching. We discovered some hidden talent in the church and everyone
was uplifted by this.
We considering special classes after
the summer is over for the men. The younger ones in evangelism and the
older in preparation for eldership. We are currently in the amazing
position of having men in the church who in a relatively few years are
likely to meet the requirements for elders.
Gene is looking into the possibility of coming for three
months during the winter to concentrate on teaching the men.
Another class has been set up by
Dulcie for a group of young people
who had asked to be baptised. They are Denisa,
Eri and Igli. They are of the younger age group but have been
attending for some time. This small group is turning into one of the
most amazing classes I have ever seen. Because of illness,
Dulcie was unable to take the class
for two weeks. But these young people, aged from 12 to 14 continued to
get together at 5:00pm Tuesday and Friday. Picture this scene, just
before 6:00pm on the Friday the group was meeting in the main room. They
had been talking about the Bible and about their homework. Even though
Dulcie had not been there they still
continued to do what she wanted. As we watched them we saw them hold
hands and twelve year old Erinda led
them in a prayer. (The boys had not come on this occasion). Prayer is
becoming a natural thing to them.
Our devotionals are continuing at
least until the end of the campaign next week We will then discuss what
to do after that. The evenings are already beginning to draw in, they do
so quite rapidly here, and soon we will reach the point were
7:00pm will be too late. Few people will stay out after dark even though
this is a safe city. But I am hopeful that even if we don’t hold them
daily we will do so on a regular basis. This will continue to give us an
opportunity for the men to prepare lessons and preach.
Also, we are now arranging for our
brother Alush Ruda to preach on a
regular basis of once a month. Alush is a retired school teacher and is
an able preacher. We are also looking at Alush to take a leading role in
teaching the young men. There are also plans being discussed to have a
couple of our young men supported – if we can find the funds – to work
part time with the church in a training situation. This will involve
them in two hours a day Bible Study, tuition and practical experience.
These young men will also be able to go to the villages and help
establish churches in these communities.
All of this has come about as a result
of the growing spirituality in the Elbasan church.
Meanwhile, we have been continuing to
deal with the Lleshan Project. This is the project to help a
family in serious conditions in the mountains near Elbasan. Thanks to
the generosity of our brethren here and in the USA we have raised enough
to build a new house for this family. Work began on the 16th and it is
hoped to be completed within a month. To compare this family today to
when we first saw them is to see some big changes. Six year old
Olsi, who captured our hearts, is
showing great signs of improvement. He was able to stand on his feet,
his legs are strong enough to stand on with support and to see his face
as he tries to walk whilst being held is a joy. On our visit on the 17th
we heard him laughing for the first time. Our plan is for two of our
ladies to go to the village three times a week to give him some
physiotherapy.
Please pray for the continued progress
of the church here in Elbasan. We are excited by what has been happening
and there is a desire among all the members to see this growth continue.
But we are all realistic enough to know that it would be very easy to
slip back. Dulcie and I need your prayers for
wisdom and the energy to be able to help the brethren here maintain the
growth they are showing.
Also, that the funds will be found to
enable Gene Banister to spend the three months here and to support the
young men for a year.
Pete & Dulcie Hodge
Missionaries to Elbasan
RECLAIMING ALBANIA FOR JESUS
Pete & Dulcie Hodge
Missionaries to Elbasan
RECLAIMING ALBANIA FOR JESUS
|
March
2003
Dear Brethren & Friends,
Greetings from the sunny climes of Elbasan. Finally, the weather seems to be
settling down to real spring-like temperatures. Most days are sunny with the
occasional ‘cool’ breeze blowing through off the still snow-covered
mountains. This has led to fluctuations in temperatures, from very chilly in
the mornings to warm by lunchtime. So, we are now in the middle of the ‘flu
season.’ This had had an impact on attendances at most activities, with as
many as half our teachers ill on occasions.
Dulcie has had a bad time recently with
a bout of Bronchial Pneumonia. As I write this she is recovering slowly.
Thanks to our ‘Super Doc,’ Agron, who
seems to be able to cure almost everything, she is even having little
trouble with her long-term problem of MS. A course of Magnesium B6 and
Vitamins A + E have had a dramatic effect on her.
During March we had a visit from F. LaGard Smith.
He came to speak at some meetings we organized on the themes of ‘Fellowship’
and ‘Church Leadership.’ Our thanks to brethren from Vlore and Durres, who
spent a number of days with us, and for Tirana who came on the middle
Monday. We had some wonderful lessons and LaGard endeared himself to the
church in Elbasan and else where by his knowledge and good humour. Those of
you who know me well, will be aware of my sense of humour, often described
as ‘weird.’ Imagine poor Dulcie
having to endure two of us with similar humour for a week.
On the 19th and 20th we attended the annual ‘Missions Conference’ in Tirana.
It was good to see so many friends there from around the country. We decided
that we would ensure we would get around for visits more often this year.
With the rapid improvements in our local main roads, this will not be the
ordeal it once was.
The electricity situation, which was giving us two hours a day with no power
during the winter has now worsened to as many as eight hours a day without a
supply. This has led to renewed accusations that the government was selling
electricity abroad, as the lakes are now fairly full and they are also
importing power from other countries. As things are going it is hard to
argue against this. At our building we have no electricity for all but one
hour a day, which means all translation work has come to an end. Yet we pay
a fixed amount for the supply each month. I have asked for our supply to be
metered again as we are paying for nothing under the current arrangement.
After writing the above word reached me that from the 2nd April we will have
no problem. We will not be holding our breath!
Another aspect of life we are watching with interest is the introduction of
‘Radar Speed Guns’ here in Elbasan. The average young driver equates driving
with excessive speed. They could be in for a major surprise now. We expect
to see long queues of stopped traffic along the main Autostrada.
Church News
Apart from the meetings with LaGard Smith, we had a month of activity. On
the 16th Denise Millo (13) was immersed
into Christ and two days later Blendi Yzeiri
(30) was immersed. Both had been studying, Denise with Dulcie and Blendi
with Gene Banister last year and
Koli since then. Please pray for these two
new babes in Christ as they begin their walk with Christ.
We received the entire Moody Institute of Science Films, ‘Sermons From
Science’ during the month. We have used many of these films in different
places over the years and are now looking forward to using them here. Our
desire is to have them translated and possibly subtitled. This will enable
us to use them in the villages and around the city. Also, we are looking at
having them shown on local television. Following the writing of the above
Dardan TV was approached and they said they could translate and subtitle
each film for $25 each. Plus, they can have the signal changed from NTSC
(USA) to PAL (Europe) for the price of a tape (300 Leke). A understanding we
have is that they will also screen all the films for $20 each. This means 20
weeks of publicity for less than a $1000.
Another activity we are considering is to advertise the church services on
the local buses. We have a deal with the bus company to place an
advertisement on a bus for 1000 Leke ($7) for six months.
We are then asking brethren to ‘Sponsor a Bus’ for six
months.
April’s Plans
We hope to start holding classes in the village of
Lleshan from the beginning of April. These will be on Sunday
afternoons and will initially be aimed at the children, though we will have
the material to work with the adults. Alush
will head this work up. Please pray for this
work that it will lead to an expansion into other villages.
Dulcie and I are considering taking a
short holiday in Belgrade. A friend of ours who works there has invited us
and we feel we could really do with the break. There is supposed to be a
direct flight between Tirana and Belgrade, but this being Albania, none of
the travel centres in town know anything about it. We will make some
enquiries when we next go to Tirana.
Dick Ady, the author of the WEI course,
has recently published the first two books in a Beginners English Course.
We are planning to try these out in various formats. This will commence in
April.
Longer term, we are not sure what will happen regarding a
summer campaign this year. With the war in
Iraq now under way, there seems to be a reluctance by many to travel. Whilst
there is no danger in Albania, we are not even having anti-war
demonstrations; many have indicated that they do not want to risk traveling
to Europe at this time. Already, one couple who were planning to be here for
six weeks have had to cancel as the church that was sending them where
unwilling to send anyone overseas this year.
Dulcie and I are planning to take a
holiday in July and August in England. It is my mothers 80th birthday, our
grandsons 13th birthday, Dulcie’s (?) and one of my brothers 50th, all in
the space of three weeks. Then over the weekend 23rd –24th August I am
speaking at a church in the North of England. With the step rise seen in
airfares here, we are considering driving. It is thought that our little VW
Golf will be able to handle the trip. This would give us a touring holiday,
as we would drive through Italy, Switzerland or France to the UK. No final
decision has been taken on that as yet.
So as we enter the second quarter of the year, we look back on a busy three
months. We have seen growth both spiritually and numerically. We look ahead
to an equally busy time, though we will try and take things a little slower
by letting the Albanian brethren take more of the responsibility.
We want to repeat our thanks to all our ‘team’ who are working with us to
further the cause of Christ here in Elbasan. Without your generous help we
could not be here and be a part of this wonderful opportunity to follow in
Paul’s footsteps.
Your fellow servants in the cause of Christ
Pete & Dulcie
Tel. (355) 054- 57871
Cell. (355) 069 232- 6010
Email: petedulcie@enet.org.al
|
|
Greetings in our Lord's name.
I know that it is only Thursday, but mush has
happened this week that we want to share with you. Some things are worth
rejoicing over, others are enough to bring us to tears.
On the positive side, we began two children's
clubs. One for boys aged 10 - 14 years, was held on Wednesday evening. 48
attended to play table tennis and other games. A short devotional was held
and the time was considered a great success. Thursday saw a similar event
held for 10 - 14 year old girls. There were only 25 at this but they also
enjoyed their time. Dulcie said
after that the boys were much better than the girls. That is a real
novelty. These 'clubs' will be held weekly. Most of the children
come out of the Beginners English classes we hold, and all the children
have received an invitation to Sunday school. We have talked about doing
this for some time, but it a only in the last couple of weeks that we
have been able to consider making a start.
The comment was made to me recently that we
ought not to be spending as much time with the children and young people.
Rather, we should be working among the adults. We aim to achieve two
things with the children's activities. Get to know the parents, the
adults; and to rain the kids in the idea that Christianity is relevant.
Just Wednesday my Albanian language teacher said to me that she could not
understand why so many young boys attend the mosque. She said that one of
her pupils, she is a school teacher, goes to the mosque. She said that in
talking with him she is distressed by the ideology that he is being fed
and now believes. She is from a Muslim tradition family. Our work among
the children is to seek to prevent them being led astray by the evil of
Islam.
On the less positive side, today we went to
Lleshan, the mountain village we are working
in. We met another family who are in need of help. Not every family has
the same needs, some have better living conditions than others. Usually
that means that the mud floor is not as worn down as others. This family
is composed of mother and father and five children aged from 7 to 16.
Though their house has two rooms, one, the best one, is closed by order of
the commune (city hall). It has numerous cracks from last years series of
earthquakes, and is considered too dangerous to use. So the seven members
of the family live and sleep in one room which has a double bed on which
the mother and four children sleep, the father sleeps on a settee and one
son sleeps on a 'bed.' There is a wood-burning stove in the centre of the
room and couple of other items of furniture. Their biggest need is for
some decent clothing. We recently made an appeal for clothing on
television and we have some good stuff to take to them on Sunday. We will
also take some food up for the other two families. This time, rather than
flour, we plan to take rice. Rice is a cheap meal here, yet they tell us
that they have not had any for a very long time. Our biggest need is for
vitamins. Agron reports that almost
all of the health problems in the villages are due or made worse by a lack
of vitamins, and this is because of the poor quality of the diet.
This coming Sunday we will hold our second
children's class in the village. Alush
is going to start an adults Bible Class in one home and
Doctor Agron will hold the first clinic
in another home. These classes have been started because we took an
interest in the village. We sought to show the true love of Christ by
helping them and showing that we were interested in them. Always,
the best sermon anyone will ever hear is the one 'preached' by our life.
A lot of people will not go to the village
because to see the conditions is to distressing for them. I understand
this. As I was walking around this morning I was experiencing all sorts of
emotions. There was the exhaustion of scrambling around the mountain side,
though that is in a sense fun. But there was anger that the religion of
Islam results in their people having the kind of lifestyle that leads to
the problems these people have. Then there are the politicians who have no
interest in the village folk. This leaves the Lord's church. Can we
actually ignore the plight of these people? How can we, and still claim to
be showing the love of Christ to all men? I enjoy going to the village and
to working among these people. Yet I also feel a sense of relief when I
get back to our solid, well constructed, reasonably comfortable home. I
can look into the refrigerator and see all the contents, most of which
these people have never seen or tasted, and then go to the wardrobe to put
on my clean and ironed cloths. How can I ever complain about not having
some things that are common to we in the west?
So this week the work in the city has expanded
and also in the village. The doorway of opportunity has opened a
little more. Dulcie and I and the
whole team here simply need the energy to keep going.
Alush Ruda, Vera Kura and Agron Asllanaj
are a tremendous help. To see Vera
scrambling around the mountain, and as today, whilst going to look at a
new brood of chicks, getting chased and attacked by a hen make it a time
for some laughs as well.
Please support us with your prayers.
Your fellow servants in Christ
Pete & Dulcie
|
May 2003
Dear Brethren and Friends,
Greetings in our Lord’s mighty name. Another month has passed since our last
report and as we mentioned to some of the brethren the other day, we are
now one third of the way through the year. Where has it gone? So far we have
had a fifth anniversary event and some special meetings. April has been a
little more restful as we have concentrated on our regular activities.
This has not stopped us introducing some new activities. We began two
‘clubs’ for children. On Wednesdays we have one for 10 – 14 year old boys
and another for girls on Thursday. We made up a couple of table tennis
tables and they get to play
this game. It is amazingly popular here. They are allocated a certain period
of time on the table, depending on how many attend. Several have already
begun to attend Sunday School.
Numbers attending worship have shown an increase and also the Tuesday Bible
Class has a good attendance. We have noted an increase in enthusiasm,
perhaps due to the arrival of spring weather – at last. We have had a really
strange spring with
hot, cold, warm and on one day, six inches of snow. At the time of writing
we are having unusually high temperatures. Most days in the mid eighties.
Most people are really feeling the heat as it has hit us a few weeks earlier
than usual. Fortunately, we have
discovered that whilst our second floor classrooms and offices get hot
during the day, our auditorium is pleasantly cool.
Classes have begun in Lleshan, the mountain village we are working
in. Attendance is good and we are optimistic that this will continue to
grow. We have made some medical discoveries there. About 70% of the people
in the area we are working in have thyroid gland problems as well as the
usual vitamin deficiency. We also discovered another two families there who
are living in poor accommodation. We set up a clothing appeal through a
local television channel. They ran two separate news reports on this aspect
of our work. Also, the people in Mjeks have asked if we are going to
return there. We are looking at this.
On our most recent visit to Lleshan we heard that
Hagji, the father of the family for whom we built the house,
spends some time each morning, using the older children’s copies of ‘My
First Bible,’ leads his family in prayer. We were stunned to hear this, but
it helps to convince us that even though Lleshan is a long, hard trip out of
Elbasan, we are meant to be going there. Please
pray that the Lord will continue to give us the strength and the wisdom to
continue this work.
We are also looking at ways in which we can work in the city area as well.
We have now finally discovered how to get the video projector we were given
to work. This means we will be able to screen films in the villages and the
city.
We visited a family in one of the apartment neighbourhoods, actually
relatives of the Islami family, who have
many problems. There are four children, a 13 year old boy, who seems in good
health, twin sisters (11) who attend a special school as they are mentally
backward and another son, (7) who delighted in telling us that he “is very
sick.’ It seems he has a heart problem, possibly a hole in the heart. He is
about the size of a healthy three year old. A local doctor has signed him up
for surgery in Tirana but there is no way this family can afford it. Mum
does her best, but a drunken father, who only comes home occasionally and
who has left the family with a huge electricity bill, which they will never
be able to repay, and hence have had their supply disconnected. Thanks to a
very generous neighbour, a cable from the next apartment gives them a
limited supply. Dulcie and I have agreed
to help the family with food on an occasional basis. The neighbourhood they
live in is at the northern side of the city and there are many children
there. We are going to look at starting classes in that area soon.
With the start of May we have changed our schedule of class times. Now we
have reverted to having a three-hour break from 12:00 – 3:00 as it is so
hot. We then extend our classes an extra hour into the evening. One thing
living and working in a
hot climate like the summers here has made us appreciate the truth of the
old English song dating back to the British Empire, which had the line, ‘Mad
dogs and Englishmen go out in the midday sun.’ The midday siesta is one of
the finest inventions
ever made.
Please continue to keep the work here in your
prayers. Without your love and encouragement as a part of our
‘team,’ little that is being done would be. There is one specific area of
concern we would value. Since last October the exchange rate
of dollar to Leke has dropped dramatically. Then it was about 135 Leke to
the $. Now it is down to 123 Leke to the $. This has resulted in a real cut
in our income equal of around $300 a month. Fortunately, the main expenses,
our apartment rent and the rent of the building is paid in dollars so we do
not have any additional expense there. The problem is two-fold. First the
general collapse of the dollar in international money markets, and secondly,
a move by many people into Euros has reduced demand for the dollar. Whilst
it is not yet a big problem for us, we have to keep a close watch on the
situation as we support most of the church activities from our personal
support, as all the ‘working fund’ we receive goes into the building rent.
We do not want to stop any of the projects we are involved in; indeed we are
actively seeking to increase them.
Your fellow servants in the cause of Christ,
Pete & Dulcie
Missionaries to Elbasan
RECLAIMING ALBANIA FOR JESUS |
|
JUNE
03
Dear Brethren & Friends
Greetings in our Lord’s wonderful name. It is so good to be able to report
on the wonderful blessings of our Lord on the church here in Elbasan. Souls
added to the church, the visit of the Biqaku
family to our worship service (This is the family we have been helping in
Lleshan), and a good increase in fellowship and enthusiasm.
June has been very hot here in Elbasan, indeed, for many days we have had
the highest temperatures in the country. This means we have seen
temperatures in the high 90’s F. As the month progressed and temperatures
never eased, it became more uncomfortable and so many headed off to the
beach for relief. All this time our members who are students have been
involved in exams. Some very important ones, like final High School exams
and in one case the final University exam. The High School finishers will
now begin a summer of courses as they prepare for the ‘Competition.’ This is
the University entrance exams which are held in early September.
In the middle of June we rejoiced at the immersion
into Christ of Brixhilda Cimi. Xhilda is one of Dulcie’s
students and had asked to become a part of God’s family here in Elbasan. She
attends a class with Dulcie twice a week with four friends. They have
completed the WEI courses and are now on a survey of the Bible and an
advanced English course. Please pray for Xhilda as she starts out on her
walk as a child of God.
Xhilda Cimi & Dulcie
On the 30th we held our first ‘Graduation’ as the English
students of our sister Rezarta completed their English begun in 1999. They
were presented with a certificate and at least ten of them have signed
up to take the WEI course with Dulcie beginning in September. It has
always been our plan that as the students finished these classes they would
be enrolled into the WEI course if they wanted to and their English was good
enough. Even in cases of poor English we can offer the WEI Bible course with
an Albanian teacher.
On the 4th July we were thrilled to add
another long term friend to our family. Dr Agron Asllanaj, who we
have known since 1999. For some time he held a twice weekly clinic for us in
Mjeks and lately a bi-weekly clinic in Lleshan. He has always been
eager to give medical advice to members and had told Dulcie to take certain
vitamins which have led to a remarkable improvement in her health situation.
Agron has been attending worship and Bible
classes for several months on a regular basis,
so his decision to become a Christian has
been long awaited.
Argon Asllanaj & Pete
So June, and the beginning of July have been weeks of great blessing. On
the 6th July Dulcie and I will leave for a holiday in the UK.
After six weeks of the heat here the idea of the much lower temperatures of
England are a big encouragement to us. We are due to return on August 24th.
This year, rather than fly, the cost of flying has soared with the fall in
the dollar the increase in the Euro and the switch from dollar to Euro for
paying for tickets, we will be driving after first taking a ferry to
Trieste. So, please pray for our safe travel.
Included in this newsletter are photo’s of Xhilda and Agron. Please pray
for these two young people .
Your fellow servants in the cause of Christ.
Pete & Dulcie
|
|
Greetings in Christ's mighty name!
Dulcie and I have returned from our
holiday in England and have now returned to full speed as we enter into
our Fall/Autumn programme. Though we were away from the work for seven
weeks we had kept touch with the brethren and returned to find that there
were few problems to deal with. This, it must be said, has been a novelty,
but also very encouraging.
The England Trip
As most of you were aware, this year because
of the step rise in airfares we decided to drive to England. Many of our
friends said that doing such a long trip in a VW Golf was foolhardy, as
these cars were not designed for such journeys. Bt, even though the
car is twenty years old, had already travelled over 330,000 kilometres, we
felt confident in using it. Indeed, our biggest worry was what would
happen when we crossed into Italy. There have been horror stories of
people having problems with Albanian registered cars at borers leaving
Albania. But we had no problems at all any border, even on entering the
UK.
We travelled by ferry from Durres to Trieste
on July 6th. A twenty-four hour journey. Arriving at Trieste around 8:00pm
we headed straight out for Austria. We were in the midst of the Alps by
11:00 and stopped for the night. The next day we made it to Luxemburg and
the second day we were in Calais. One day ahead of schedule. We arrived at
our daughters home at 3:00am on the third day of travelling.
We enjoyed a good period of working around our
daughters home, sitting on the beach and enjoying fellowship with
brethren. One highlight was the family get-together to celebrate
Pete's mother's eightieth birthday and
the 50th birthday of one of his brothers. included in this list of
birthdays was Dulcie's and our grandson Pete's
thirteenth. We have some wonderful photographs of this event. Two to be
treasured is one of all five brothers together. The first such photo for
nearly forty years. Another of the five with mum in the middle.
The first week in the country saw us visit the
Cotswolds in the West Midlands. We went there to meet up with
LaGard Smith and to finally meet his
wonderful wife Ruth. They treated us
to a wonderful day touring the Cotswolds, which was a great pleasure to
us. One of Pete's brothers lives in the area and so we were able to visit
his home for a meal as well. We worshipped with the saints at Dawlish in
Devon for five weeks. Pete preaching
each week and on the last Sunday in the UK at Reading - near London - in
the morning and at New Cross, in South London in the evening. It was such
a joy to visit these two churches and to renew fellowship with some
wonderful brethren. We left for Europe on the evening of the 19th
and arrived back in Elbasan ahead of time on the 24th August. Our car
performed perfectly and the only work that had to be done were little
things that needed doing regardless of the distance.
The Autumn Programme
Our return to Elbasan was to really
throw us into preparations for the resumption of the various programmes.
Our English classes resumed on September 1st, and we were soon busy
registering new students for the Beginners classes, and to assigning
returning students to their new classes. This year an added work will be
the inclusion of the first group of graduating students into the WEI
course programme. Dulcie has 18 of
these teenage students in two groups and Pete
has one individual student. Any doubts we may have harboured over the
wisdom of the English classes have been dispelled as we see the students
who began in the first group in 1999 now having learnt English to a
reasonable standard, begin to study God's word with us.
Attendances at worship and classes, which had
seen a drop during the summer made a big jump. The first Bible Class after
we returned had 26 attend. Our brother Koli
taught the class. I was extremely impressed with his ability, both in
actual teaching and also his delivery. Koli
has his interview for a visa to attend the British Bible School
on the 11th. Please pray for him. The following Sunday saw over 30 at
worship. This included to young men from Africa. One from Nigeria and
another from Ghana. They are both in Elbasan to play football with our
local team. One amusing story to relate from
Michael, the Nigerian concerns his desire to have a small
pocket Bible. He said he felt a little conspicuous carrying a large Bible
under his arm, as everyone stared at him. I did not think it prudent to
suggest that the stares were nothing to do with his carrying a Bible. But
more of the 'novelty' in seeing an African in Elbasan.
We also returned to get busy preparing for the
visit of Gerry Cowan from the 8th. He
is going to take a series of classes for a week. The church here has a
great love for Gerry and are really looking forward to his visit.
On the 4th Pete went up to Lleshan. Our
minibus is of the road until we can raise the funds to get a new gearbox,
the old one being a serious state of defect. Trying to find spare parts
for it resulted in two fruitless days visiting car breakers around central
Albania. Their are hundred of VW Transporters around, but just try finding
spare parts. Complete used gearboxes are available, but they are around
the $400 - $500 price. Which we can't meet. So we had to get Taxi
bus to the village. What a trip. A nine seater bus had 23 passengers and a
large sewing machine on it by the time we reached our get off point. Ah,
the joys of life in Albania.
We found the family well and little
Olsi, their young son, very 'perky.' This
despite having spent several days in hospital following a problem with a
form of epilepsy. It was such a thrill to hear him say he was well after I
asked him how he was. This was the first time we had heard him speak in
this way. His laughter as Pete played
with his younger sister Enkelajda was
also a joy. The family have being having a real problem with a lack of
water this summer. They had a small spring which gave them some drinking
water, but that was about all. There was none for the crops, which meant
they were slow in producing crops. Pete noticed a neighbour, actually a
relative, had a sprinkler working on their land. It seems they had laid on
a supply from a source at the top of the mountain, but were not making any
available to our family. Hadgji
said that he could 'tap' into this same source, but he needed 300 meters
of tubing. Pete told him to get into
Elbasan early on the 5th and we would sort that out. So we bought him 300
meters of pipe and a sprinkler.
So, it is now back to near normal. There are a
few changes. Some of our young people
will be taking the 'competition' next week. This is the University
entrance exam. When we first came to Elbasan these same people were just
'kids,' now they are heading for University. How time flies.
Please keep the work here in your prayers.
Also, please for Dulcie and myself as
we try and find the energy to keep up with the kids. We are beginning to
discover that having a youthful mind and an aging body are often not
compatible. But we'll keep trying.
Your fellow servants in the cause of Christ
Pete & Dulcie Hodge
|
October 2003
Dear Brethren and Friends,
Greetings in our Lord’s name. It is with thankful hearts to God, who
continues to bless us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in
Christ Jesus.
October has been a wet month here in Elbasan. Wet being the operative word.
We had have many days of steady rain, with on one occasion a fair fall of
snow on the surrounding mountains. That has gone again, but it indicated the
chaotic temperature range we have had. Currently there are two running jokes
locally regarding our worsening electricity supply. One I seem to have
started, that the more rain we get, the less electricity we receive. The
current supply is down to eighteen hours a day, with some days in the middle
of the month of only twelve hours. The other joke doing the rounds is that
following local elections on the twelfth, when the Democratic party won the
Elbasan mayoral seat, the Socialist government were punishing Elbasan
with big cuts. The truth behind the twelve hour cut was a major generator
fault which blacked out half the country. The rumours are so much more
interesting and fun.
The beginning of the month saw our daughter Lisa
and grandchildren Pete and Becky with
us. It meant two trips across to Thessaloniki for Dulcie and myself to pick
them up and return them for their flights from and to London. It being
considerably cheaper to do it that way. It was good to have them here, and
our Albanian family made them feel really welcome.
After they left we began to try and get back to something like a normal
routine. Our classes resumed, though several of my WEI students had
graduated from High School to University and had dropped out of their
course. I have picked up a couple of new students to replace them, but up to
two years work ended suddenly. This is a frustrating aspect of the work here
when we are doing the English lessons. Dulcie’s
classes resumed, she has a class of around ten teenagers who have graduated
from the Beginning English course and are now on the WEI English/Bible
course. The Beginners English classes are growing and our band of teachers
are influencing over 300 students of all ages a week. At the time of writing
I am still waiting to find out when the class with the police will start.
As I mentioned earlier, there were local elections during October. Our
brother Dr. Agron Aslami was working
with OSCE as an observer during the campaign. He told us that with the
exception of two or three problems in some areas, the overall election was
the fairest in the thirteen years of democracy here. Indeed, the election in
Elbasan was almost gentlemanly in conduct. It is another mark of the growing
improvement in the country. Now if they could just do something about the
endemic corruption in high places!
The situation with the Biqaku family in
Lleshan continues to improve. Little Olsi
is really opening out. He tries hard to walk and it is only a matter of time
before he will begin. What is even more pleasing is his rapidly improving
speech. He is becoming quite a chatterbox. And his laugh is really
infectious. But to see his smile is such a joy. He really beams, his eyes
sparkle as he gazes into my face. It makes me feel good just to be around
him and his family. Finally they seem to be getting somewhere on the water
supply front, and soon they hope to have regular clean water. The very dry
summer caused their crop to be reduced and so we are looking at helping them
with some food this winter. At our visit in the middle of the month they had
one and half sacks of flour left, and their diet was composed of bread,
potatoes and a few chestnuts. If anyone would like to send a few dollars,
pounds or even euros we can ensure they have a good supply of the basics
this coming winter.
Koli had hoped to go to the British
Bible School in Corby England. But the British Embassy could not issue him a
visa. It appears that someone with the same name had been to England
illegally in the past. For some reason there wasn’t any photographs of this
person and so the Immigration Office in London would not permit Koli to have
a visa until it was sorted out. It now seems that he will have to wait
until next year to go.
Attendance at worship services has improved and we are back to an average of
35 each Sunday. The Ladies Class attendance is also improving. Our Bible
Class though has seen a bit of a drop recently. Hopefully we can turn that
around soon. Currently we are studying the book of Revelation.
On the 26TH Dulcie and I went to the
wedding of our sister Alkida Çhullhaj.
This was held in Elbasan’s amazing new cultural icon, the café/museum
situated in the local castle. Part of this has been excavated to the Roman
occupation level and the rest left at the Byzantine/Ottoman level. With a
café, restaurant and hotel on the site, this is a unique situation. The
wonderful gardens presented a beautiful backdrop to the short service of
blessing that Alkida and Hekuran
asked me to compose and conduct for them. This was such an honour for me.
Despite threatening clouds the service passed off successfully. Maybe we
will have started a trend, as the only set services that are held here are
the very odd Orthodox services.
Financially, there are some increasing problems as we see the dollar
continue with its downward course. Last year this time we were getting an
exchange rate of 135 Leke per dollar, this year it is down to 114.80. This
is effectively a $500 a month drop in spending power. Currently, there seems
to be no end in sight to this problem. It is compounded by the fact that
the dollar is not the currency of choice here now, having been
replaced by the Euro. If we have to purchase Euros they are costing us $1.18
per Euro. As we begin preparations for the return to the UK in 2005, we are
having to put some funds aside for that move, the situation is becoming a
little worrying.
To date we have been supporting our co-worker Alush
Ruda, by $100 a month. We are having to rethink this for the new
year, as we have to consider making cuts or reappraising our priorities. One
thing we are urgently in need of is a secretary/translator to deal with the
mounting load of translation work that needs to be done of material for
members and evangelistic purposes. At this time there is no one available to
deal with this and we are being held up in some outreach work because of it.
But, we are unable to cover the cost. Our sister,
Darina, is currently looking for a job as she has finished
university, and would be ideal for the post. She currently teaches some
English classes and could fit these into a schedule working with the church.
We want to thank all those who have continued with their regular support for
our work here during the past twelve months. Also, to those who have made
generous one off donations for different aspects of the work. Without your
love and vision we could not have done the work we have.
How do we see 2004? As we draw near to a new year we always find time to
take stick of the previous year. Overall, we consider this years to have
been one of consolidation. A strengthening of the members from earlier
years. This has been to some extent successful, though there have been some
areas where things could have gone better. These we consider to be learning
opportunities. And as we look ahead to the new year, we see new
opportunities opening and maybe some of the things we have been doing
ceasing or changing direction.
We will be holding a general meeting of the church soon in order to discuss
our options for the new year. Also, to encourage the members to become
involved more in the various activities. We hope there will be a summer
campaign this year. Also, some visiting speakers who will help encourage and
uplift the brethren. Also, we will work with the local television
station to sponsor various programmes explaining aspects of the Bible
message. We still want to have the series of Moody Bible Institute videos,
‘Sermons From Science’ translated and used on air. The two that were done as
a test have turned out fine and we want to have the complete set done before
we leave, so we can leave them for the church to use in the future. If
ever I get a computer video programme I have working it may be possible to
do the translating and subtitling ourselves. This means we would only have
to get the signal changed from the US, NTSC to the Europe, PAL.
This brings us to an end to our report for this month. Please continue to
keep us before the Lord in your prayers as we share with you in the Lord’s
work here in Elbasan, Albania. As we keep repeating, this is very much a
partnership, the Lord at the head, you, our supporters and prayer partners,
and Dulcie and myself. Am I being arrogant to say that we are each needed as
much as the other? Being very mindful of the fact that despite all we do,
“Unless the Lord builds the house, they labour in vain who build it; unless
the Lord guards the city, the watchman stays awake in vain.” (Psalm 127:1).
With love and greetings in Christ
Pete & Dulcie
|
|
November 2003
Dear Brethren and Friends
Greeting in our Lord’s matchless name. It is hard to keep in mind that once
again we reach the end of another year. In a couple of days December will be
with us and with that the build up to the holiday season. Whilst Christmas
is not a big thing here ye; though it is growing in popularity each year,
the New Year celebrations are as big if not bigger than Christmas in the
west. But before that, at the end of November we had three holidays, Bayram,
the ending of Ramadan, the anniversary of the ending of the German
occupation of Elbasan in 1944 (25th), then on the 28th
and 29th two more national holidays, Independence Day and Flag
Day. One celebrates the ending of the Ottoman Occupation in 1912 and the
other the defeat of the Germans in 1944. One thing is certain; you
would have to go a long way to find a country that has more holidays than
Albania. And it is normal for ‘Christians’ to celebrate Muslim holidays and
Muslims to celebrate ‘Christian’ holidays. Either way it means a day off and
an excuse for a feast.
November has been a good month for the church here. We have seen a steady
growth in enthusiasm from most members, an increase in attendance at
services and classes – more on that in a moment – and the discovery of a
‘talent’ in our brother Sokol, who preached his
first Sunday sermon on the 23rd. He did a first class job
and we will now assign him to speak on a regular basis. This means that
currently there are three of us sharing the preaching rota, with possibly
one or two more in the wings to come later. I am currently teaching the
midweek Bible Class on the book of Revelation. Attendance at this class has
grown to a good number. This is very encouraging as it is hard to get people
to come out after dark here. A throw back to the days just a few years ago,
when it was not safe to go out in the dark, specially for women and girls.
During the week before the 23rd some of the English teachers
invited their students to come to Sunday School. One of the purposes of
these classes was to act as a ‘feeder’ for the Sunday School. Lately,
numbers attending Sunday School had been around 20. But on the 23rd
we had 56. Still not as many as the record (77), but a step in the right
direction. Several of the children stayed for the worship service and a few
actually came just for that. We had a total of 63 at worship that morning.
It would have been higher but for our university students having to go to
classes, as they had to make up for the bank holidays. Can you imagine kids
in the UK and USA going to school on Saturday and Sunday to make up for days
off in the week? We plan to build on the increase, though we are sure that
on past experience, numbers will drop slightly at first.
We want to encourage the children, and to do that we plan to screen films
for them. We still want to have the series of Moody Institute Films,
‘Sermons From Science’ translated and the system changed from NTSC to PAL.
Two have been done as a test and they work well. We have about 22 more to do
at $25 each. Anyone want to sponsor a video? Also we are trying to get the
Jule Millar Study series, which has been translated into Albanian and is
available on filmstrip.
Near the beginning of the month we began Beginners English class for some
police officers, including the Director himself. Unfortunately, timing
became a problem as the nature of their work meant that it was hard to find
a time for everyone. The class was going well until it was put ‘on hold’
until a suitable time could be found. This being Albania, and anything could
and often does happen, the Director was sacked suddenly. We understand that
he was not even told why, but there are three stories doing the circuit at
the moment. It is almost certainly politically motivated in some way. So,
now we don’t know what will happen with the class.
I took on a couple of new students during the month, and Vito, one of my
older students who had not been seen for a year, returned to regular
attendance at worship and asked to resume classes. I am doing a survey of
the book of Acts with her. Dulcie’s class, with the first group of graduates
from the English school, is going well. Some of them attended worship on the
23rd. Also, Igli, the son of our sister Vera, has asked to be
baptized, and it is planned for the 24th December. I don’t know
why the delay. He had not spoken to his mother about it, but had
talked to his father and Dulcie.
Speaking of Vera,
as I write this (25th) she is to have tests in the hospital in
Tirana for possible breast cancer. As you can imagine she is very concerned,
though she is putting on a very brave face. Hopefully we will have the
results before sending this report out. Dulcie
has been suffering from a very heavy cold and cough for over two weeks, but
is now beginning to get over it. Meanwhile, I am having a few problems with
rheumatism in one of my knees. Obviously a reminder of the onward and
relentless marches of time and the aging process. Our ‘Super Doc,’
Agron, has told me of a new medication that is
supposed to be a great help and he is going to try and get some for me.
Meanwhile, it is business as usual.
I want to encourage you regarding the teaching of the word of God. Two of my
students are Arjan the son of our landlord and
his friend Meril. Arjan is the talkative half
of the duo, but does ask many good questions. Usually our class starts with
one of the WEI books; we usually take two lessons to do one lesson from each
book. But then towards the end the discussion turns more to spiritual
matters. Both young men are from Muslim backgrounds and
Arjan told me he and his family kept to the
Ramadan tradition. The purpose, he said, was that by fasting during the day
he hoped that God would forgive his sins. This enabled me to concentrate on
the contrast between Islam with its dependence on doing good things and
‘hoping’ to earning the favour of Allah and the Christian’s assurance of
sins forgiven. Slowly I am seeing a distinct change in his thinking and in
his questions. Please pray for these two teenagers.
Arjan was one of our Beginners Class students who graduated this
year.
We visited Lleshan on two occasions during the month and the
Biqaku family came to worship on one Sunday.
They are doing well, and we found that the father,
Hagji, is hiring himself and his horse out to plough fields for other
villagers. This is bringing the family a little income, which is a real
encouragement. Little Olsi continues to make
progress, with a continuous improvement in his speech. In fact, we have
found him to be quite a cheeky little chap. He is still reluctant to take
those first steps on his own, but we are convinced that day will soon come.
We also visited a family we have been involved with in another village,
Shergjan. They are very keen to have an English
class start there. Time and teachers problems prevent us from making a
definite decision to start at this time.
After a very wet spell, the weather has turned warm, indeed on some days it
has been back to shirt-sleeve order. This variable weather pattern
will of course lead to an increase in colds and flu. Even after more than
six years here we still find it strange to see butterflies in November, and
flowers in full bloom in the yard. Usually by now the mountains around
Elbasan are covered with snow, but at the moment they are free of it.
Apart from our regular support we have two specific needs for 2004. One is
the funding for a gearbox for our Transporter van. This will be around $500
for a used one. And the funds to pay Darina Vorfi to work with us as
secretary/translator ($150 –200 a month). With the continued fall in the
exchange rate, currently 113.60 Leke to the $ , we simply do not have the
funds to cover it ourselves. In the first two weeks of November the rate
fell by 3 leke per dollar. This meant a drop of around $60 in our spending
power in just two weeks. Unless there is a turn around in this
situation we will soon have to stop financing some of the projects that we
are doing at this time.
We do though, want to thank our supporters who have continued to support the
work here in Elbasan. Without you we would not be able to do what we have
been able to up until this time. Also, thank you to all those who have
lifted us before the Lord in prayer. Without prayer the work here
would never succeed. We have been encouraging the brethren to become more
prayer conscious recently, and there has been a marked increase in prayer
among the members. This is very encouraging. Each week members chose the
name of another member from a basket. During the week they pray for this
brother or sister. There is much enthusiasm for this activity.
So as we prepare for the New Year and the many new opportunities to serve
our Lord, please continue to support us through your prayers and practical
support Also, plan to come and work with us sometime in 2004.
Finally, Dulcie and I wish to extend to
everyone a very happy holiday period and a blessed and prosperous 2004
Your brother and sister in the service of the
Lord,
Pete & Dulcie
Late
News: Just before sending this report we heard from
our sister Vera that following a long weekend
of tests she has been told she ahs no cancer. There are a couple of
abnormalities which will need minor surgery later, but nothing life
threatening. She did not have to say anything in detail when we spoke to her
on the telephone, the tone of her voice said it all.
Our God really does answer the prayers of His
children!
Dear Brethren and Friends
Greetings from the Lord's church in Elbasan.
We want to share with you news of the immersion into Christ
of Denisa Leshi today, 14th December. Denisa
is twelve years old and a student of Dulcie's for some time.
We are so impressed with Denisa, who was so determined to
become a child of God that she did not hesitate to enter the water even
though we were unable to heat the water for her.
Please pray for our new sister.
Pete & Dulcie
|
GEZUAR VITIN I RI 2004! (Happy New Year
2004!)
Dear Brethren and Friends,
Greetings to everyone at the start of the New year.
Dulcie and I want to wish everyone a warm, blessed, and
successful 2004.
In this end of year newsletter we would like to share with you some of the
'fun' that the Christmas/New Year season is here in Albania as well as
update you on the work in the church. Over the year, we try to give you an
idea of life here, both the good things and the not so good things.
Hopefully, this gives you an idea of why things happen here that do not
happen outside. For example, Dulcie said
the other day that she was concerned at the lack of respect shown at worship
services. I agree with her, but said we must recognise the fact that this
country has little history of respect in the area of religion.
Christmas in Albania is a growing phenomena. All the trimmings we are used
to in the west are to be seen. Father Christmas's face smiles out of shops
and television upon us all. He is riding his sled led by the reindeers. The
Christmas tree takes pride in shops and homes and decorations brighten up
the shops. And the lights! Coloured lights flash and glitter in windows of
houses, shops, apartment blocks, and trees all around the city -- everything
we are used to seeing for the celebration of Christmas. But here it is all
for the New year. Shops that are open on Christmas Day will close for two or
three days over the New Year. Today (30th), Elbasan teemed with people.
Walking round the market was hard work as the crowds pressed around us. The
central island of the dual carriageway heading south in the city centre was
jammed with villagers selling turkeys. We have never seen as much traffic
around town as we have this year. What used to take five minutes now can
take twenty. The normal total disregard for road dangers by pedestrians has
increased; so it is even easier to see someone stop to talk with a friend in
the middle of the road. And, we will not say anything about Albania driving
other than to say, imagine the worse and you still haven't thought of the
average!
But despite this, the normal Albanian good cheer continues. People take time
to visit family and friends. They meet in the street and walk around, or
drink coffee. Everywhere, even strangers will wish you 'Gazuar Festet,' or
Gazuar Vitin i Ri,' Albania is a fun place to be at this time of the year.
Christmas and New year back in Britain from 2005 will be very dull by
comparison.
But despite the seasonal activities, the work of the church has continued.
December saw the baptisms of Denisa Leshi (12) and
Igli Kura (13). Both are students of Dulcie.
Igli is also the son of our sister
Vera. There is some laughter at the
thought that Igli is now his mothers
brother and she is her sons sister. Not only that, and we are having to
counsel Igli a little, she has to be
submissive to her Christian son. Please pray for these two young people as
they begin their new lives. We have a good group of active young people
here, many of whom speak good English despite their young ages. They are
also very active in the Sunday School.
The weather has fluctuated wildly with temperatures dropping quite low to
very mild. There is nowhere like as much snow on the mountains as usual for
this time in the year. There is also little rain the past few weeks. Our
electricity supply continues to be intermittent. We have no power from
10:00am - 3:00pm. This is a slight improvement of two hours a day from the
past weeks. There are numerous complaints, as Elbasan has the record of one
of the best cities for the number of people paying their bills, yet having
one of the worst supplies. This bad feeling is aggravated by the fact that
from January 1st there is to be a big increase in price. Similarly,
telephone charges have also seen a big increase, though few will believe us
when we tell them that it is still cheaper here than in Britain. We have
just heard that there is to be a new tax on cars to pay for a new road from
Durres to Kukes, in the north of the country. For the past three years there
has been a tax on fuel to pay for another new road. Who knows where that
money has gone, though most Albanians will soon give you their belief on
this subject. If anyone thought British people and possibly many Americans
have become cynical about politicians have not heard the views of Albanians.
Dulcie and I want to thank all those
wonderful brethren who have assisted us financially during the past year.
Without your help and love we would not be able to do the work we are. We
pray that you will al feel led of the Lord to continue to support the
Albania work in 2004. And, if possible, possibly to make a small increase.
Our actual spending power has fallen by over 25% during the past year
because of the fall in the dollar's value, down from 135 Leke to the dollar
in October 2002 to 106 Leke today. Each 'one leke' now cuts our income by
between $25 - $30 a month.
Above all, please keep us in your prayers. This year we will be undertaking
many activities. There is our 6th Anniversary on February 1st. During mid
March we will hold our VBS. Schools are on half-term then and it is
thought this would be a better time for the activity than the middle of our
normal very hot summer. We hope that there will be a WEI Campaign
this summer and we are hoping to have a visit from our brother, Gerry Cowan
later in the year. This is in addition to the activities we are planning for
our members to be directly involved in.
Your Fellow Servants in the cause of Christ
Pete & Dulcie
|
July
04
Dear brethren and friends
Greeting in our Lord’s most holy name. The first thing I
must do is apologize for the lack of reports for the past months. This has
been very remiss of me. The reality is that during the late winter early
spring period spring there has not been a tremendous amount to report
outside the usual.
It has been a very wet period; weather wise, meaning
lessons and classes were often badly attended or cancelled all together.
Numbers attending worship fluctuated wildly again to a large part due to
the weather, but also education requirements many of our student members
were unable to get out to worship.
Yet, at the same time we are able to report two
additions to our family, Esi Ibrahimi and Kamela
Samaxhahu. Esi is the daughter of our sister
Rezarta and one of Dulcie’s
students. She had been in our Beginners English classes from the early
days. Indeed, the very first class has now completed the course and most
of the students, now teenagers, are taking Bible Studies with us. Please
pray for our new sisters and for the students who are learning more about
the message of hope and salvation. A second class has finished the
beginners course and we are offering them free additional lessons
providing individuals attend worship. Whilst I have a bit of a personal
problem with imposing such requirements on students, the teachers are
being quite insistent upon us doing it this way.
We are also having to deal with a couple of problems.
Over the years the church in Elbasan has been relatively trouble free. But
during the past few months there has been an element of disruption due to
one man seeking to be ‘Boss.’ This has ‘ruffled the feathers’ of many of
our members who realize that not only is this an unscriptural concept, but
that this individual does not have any support within the church.
Attempting to deal with this has often been exhausting, as well as
frustrating. Please keep us in your prayers as we continue to seek to
resolve it.
February 1st was our sixth Anniversary. It is hard to
believe that six years have passed by. Where has the time gone? We decided
this year to make the day more informal and we had a great day of
fellowship. Next year, 2005, will be our last one here, and I am sure that
we will really ‘push the boat out’ for our seventh anniversary.
Also this year, thanks to one of our émigrés,
Genta Ruda, we have a set up a web page. This
is an exciting addition to our work and whilst it is still in its early
stages, we are receiving many good comments about it. Look it up on
www.churchofchrist-elbasan.com
Also, at the beginning of the year we moved
house, again. Our previous apartment was very cold and dusty, so we
located a house complete with large garden and high wall. Whilst this
solved the dust problem, we discovered that in heavy rain water would come
through the roof. Also, the landlord has turned out to be the worse one we
have had since we arrived here. But, things are slowly improving.
Dulcie slipped on set of wet steps and landed
on her back, fortunately, not causing any serious damage, but she is now
suffering a lot of pain and discomfort.
As the year has gone on we have seen the
village work grow well. Little Olsi, in
Lleshan, is now walking and has become wonderfully cheeky. The comparison
with when we first met him and his family exactly two years ago is
astonishing. Thank you all who have helped make the lives of this family
to be so improved.
As I write this report preparations are
nearing completion for our summer activities. For one week we will
hold a VBS in Elbasan, followed up by a series of two day activities in
three local villages. There is a tremendous response from our members and
friends who are getting involved.
In May we enjoyed a week of lessons and
fellowship with Gerry Cowan. Gerry is always
a popular visitor here and his lessons were enjoyed by an above average
attendance for the entire week. It shows that despite the problems, the
stability of the church is looking good.
Our plans for the return to the UK next
year are moving ahead. We are planning to locate to Skelmersdale , which
is just north of Liverpool. We plan to work with the church there.
Currently we are looking at ways to get our possessions back and contact
has been made with a couple who make regular trips to Albania with goods
for missionaries and are willing to move the smaller items back over the
next few months. Leaving Elbasan and Albania is going to be a hard wrench,
but we do see the ‘door opening’ for the move. It is certainly my desire
that after our return, I will be able to make annual trips back to work
with the church for a few weeks.
Now, that I have finally managed to
complete this report and send it out, I assure you all that we will be
back to a regular monthly issue. Please keep us in your prayers as
we work at helping the church here in the next ten months, and continue to
try and resolve the problems that have been such a drain on us without it
causing any major upsets.
We want to thank you all for the wonderful
support you have been to us over the past months. Without your love and
encouragement we would not be able to report on the continued growth of
the work here. Please keep us in your prayers at this time.
Your fellow servants in the cause of Christ
Pete & Dulcie Hodge
|
| July 11
04 Dear brethren and Friends,
Just short note to let you know how things have gone the past week.
It was the first week of our two week VBS programme. Monday began with
around 35 children in our building. A nice handy number to try and keep
quiet. Tuesday this increased to over 50. The kids were really enjoying the
class and the activities they undertook. On this morning there was an
element of excitement when our sister Enkelajda
Bargjo came to the class. Enkelajda
was making her first visit after winning the Miss Shqiperia title on
the 3rd. The girls loved meeting her, specially those who are in her English
classes.
By Friday the numbers had reached the mid eighties. Our team of helpers and
teaches did a fantastic job. Dulcie
has been a marvel despite being in constant pain following her fall.
Also, on Friday Vito Imeri was immersed into Christ.
Vito has been my student or over two years and it was a personal joy to
finally help her enter the new life.
So a good week has ended and we enter a new one with joy in our hearts. Our
VBS moves to three villages, two of which we have never been to before. We
will hold classes for two days in each. One of these villages, Shirgjan,
has been under 'attack' from the Jehovah's Witnesses. We are taking the
fight to them by the use of printed matter. I have written one tract on
their false prophet, The Watchtower Bible & Tract Society, which should be
delivered to every home next week. We will also follow this up by personal
contact.
So, keep our activities in your prayers.
Love in Christ
Pete & Dulcie |
August 2004
Dear Brethren Friends
Greetings in our Lord’s mighty name. The past few weeks have been exciting
and not a little traumatic in one way or another.
Shelcan, Shirgjan and
Shushica
July saw us hold a two week VBS. The first week was held in the building and
the second in three villages, Shirgjan, Shelcan and Shushica. Shirgjan is a
village we have been involved with for some time but the others were being
worked for the first time. We had a good attendance in all classes over the
two weeks. We also had a good turnout of helpers from the church. We only
lost one morning through bad weather, when a storm hit the valley in the
early hour of the morning. We decided to go to Shelcan just in case there
were any children there. A few had still turned up at our outdoor site, so
we were able to spend some informal time with them.
We did take the opportunity to make a visit to a 600 year old Orthodox
church building on the edge of the village. Despite the lack of electricity
due to a power cut which prevented us from viewing the original wall
paintings, there was still enough light to enable us to get an idea of the
importance of the building. One day we hope to get official permission from
the government department that deal with antiquities to visit the building
properly.
The result of the VBS was good and we now have Bible Classes being held in
Shelcan and Shirgjan. These are being led by our brother
Dashamir. Dashi is a ‘gem,’ and his
enthusiasm can be catching. We are hopeful that he will attend either the
British Bible School or the Sunset Extension School planned for Tirana in
2005.
At the end of July we had a visit from Dick Ady,
his granddaughter, Tina, and Bob and Roxie
Patterson. It was so good to see them again. We took them to
Mirek, to see the 2,000 year old
bridge that was on the Via Egnatia and after to Lleshan to visit the
Bichaku family.
Dick was the first to respond to our appeal for help when we met
the family first in 2002. He had long desired to see the family for himself.
Unfortunately, it was the first time in years that the family had been able
to visit the mothers family, so only Hadgji,
the father, was at home.
Doctor Agron Aslami, who is one of our
members and is a tremendous help in our village work suggested that we try
and obtain some funds to purchase medication to help the people in
the villages and also some in the city. He reckons that many people here
suffer from Thyroid problems and as a result were in need of medication to
overcome that. Thanks to our brother Gerry Cowan’s
hard work, $1,500 has been raised to purchase much needed medicines. The
first of these have now been received and we will start using them
immediately. Anyone who may like to help with our health ministry can send
funds to our sponsoring church, San Jose, Jacksonville, Florida.
Dulcie
As many of you know, a few weeks ago Dulcie
fell on the steps at our home and hurt her back. An X-Ray taken at the
local hospital seemed to indicate there was no serious injury, just bad
bruising. Dulcie was in a lot of pain
after the fall, but it was put down to the bruising. Then on the Sunday
following the VBS, she was taken ill during morning worship. A visit to a
local cardiologist led to the possibility of a possible heart condition. So
I immediately arranged for her to return to the UK for further treatment and
examination. Within twenty-four hours of arrival she had been admitted to
hospital for treatment for a possible heart attack.
The result was interesting to say the least. After a week in hospital for
all sorts of tests, she was told her heart was fine and she had not suffered
the feared heart attack. On the Friday she went back to our daughters. I had
by then surprised her by returning as she was facing an angiogram and I knew
he would be a little nervous. On the following Tuesday
Dulcie was readmitted to hospital with severe back pain.
X-rays and tests confirmed that she had actually suffered one cracked and
one crushed vertebrae. The doctors reckon that what she suffered on the
Sunday morning was in fact muscle spasms in her chest due to the back
injury. The prognosis is for a good recovery, though she is to be
tested for possible osteoporosis, as there are cases within the family. She
will stay in the UK until she is completely recovered.
I wrote the above before Dulcie went for
her last check-up. She was then told that in addition to the damaged
vertebrae, she had a broken shoulder blade and broken ribs. She should make
a full recovery, but the specialist has said it will be a six to nine months
recovery period, providing she is careful. Obviously, getting about is a
problem for her so she has hired a Mobility Scooter. The cost of this works
out at around £200 ($350) a month. But it enables her to go to the shops and
just get out in the fresh air. We also have to find funds for the
painkillers she has to take and some living expenses. As I write below, the
current financial situation has become a bit of a problem. I can send her
some funds, though our expenses here remain the same. We would like to ask
brethren if they could help in some way. Any help you could make will be
gratefully received. We consider that she needs around $600 a month for the
period of her recovery.
Owing to the fall in the dollar/Leke exchange rate over the past two years,
we have had to make some cuts in our expenditure. One major expense has been
the $500 a month rent we had been paying for the meeting place. We began to
search for alternative accommodation, but found nothing that was suitable.
Discussions with our current landlord resulted in his agreeing to rent us
just the top floor of the present building for $300. This allows us to keep
our classroom space, though with a smaller area for services. The rent will
be partly covered by the English Classes and the church. This will also
prepare the church for our departure next year, when it will need to take on
the whole rent.
Attendance
Attendance at service and classes has shown an improvement. Particularly
pleasing is the Tuesday Bible class which regularly has an attendance of
around 18.This time of the year is always a problem, specially Sundays, when
the ’beach’ is such an attraction. But as soon as September arrives the
beach problem will no longer be as much a problem. Classes in the village
work continues to grow well. We now lay on a bus to bring people in from
Shirgjan for Sunday School and the worship service. 17 attended on the first
Sunday. It does seem to be ironic, that at the time attendances are
beginning to grow, we are cutting space.
So, this month our report is a bit of a mixture. To those who have continued
to support us financially and through prayer, you are a blessing to us and
we appreciate you considerably.
Your fellow servants in the cause of Christ
Pete Dulcie |
|
September 2004
Dear Brethren and Friends,
Greeting in our Lord and Saviours name.
September has been an intriguing month for us here in Elbasan. One might say
it has been a bit of a paradox. As we saw our meeting facilities ‘shrink’
for financial reasons we suddenly saw our membership dramatically increase
and our average attendance levels rise by almost 25%. This has led to much
rejoicing here. But. it has also meant we have developed a new meaning to
the expression, ‘close fellowship.’ But more detail on that later.
I want to start this report with personal news. First, Dulcie and myself
would like to thank our brethren for their generosity in enabling her to buy
the mobility scooter. This has enabled Dulcie to be able to get out to the
shops and take the occasional trip to the river to ‘feed the ducks.’ Also,
the hard bed she bought enables her to get a lot more sleep. Her condition
seems to be slowly improving. She says that some of the stiffness has gone
and she is finding moving a little easier. Obviously, she is still relying
on painkillers, but overall there is quite a noticeable improvement. We are
so thankful for all the prayers, support and encouragement that brethren
have shown at this time. As things look at the moment, it is possible that
Dulcie may not make it back to Elbasan as our departure date is set for
the middle of May 2005 and her recovery period does not end until
around March. I think a lot will depend on whether she trusts my packing
skills. (I do not have a good record there). Anyone who would still like to
send some financial help to Dulcie can do so through our sponsoring church,
San Jose, Jacksonville, FL., or if in the UK, direct to Dulcie (See
addresses at the end of this report). Also, she would love to hear from
brethren as boredom is a big problem for her.
Over a 17 day period we witnessed some amazing scenes. Eight wonderful souls
were added to the Lord’s church here in Elbasan. The husband, son, and
daughter of our sister
VitoImeri, Salem, Klajdi and Anxhela,
plus Irena Xhafarri (one of my students
for over two years), also from the Sunday School work
Alda Aliay, and from our village ministry
in Shirgjan, two sisters Mimoza and Esilda (Ilda)
Biba and Marsuela Milo, the
sister of Denisa, one of hardest working youngsters in the church. We thank
our wonderful God and Saviour for each of these precious souls.
The schools reopened after the long summer break which means that the
English classes have also resumed. Currently we are still registering new
students, but we are trying to work out teacher availability. This year, we
have the addition of a new class which I am taking, those who have
finished the Beginners Course. I am taking them through the WEI English
Course. In total, there are three groups with about 15 students aged from 12
– 15. After the first four lessons I can say that the classes are going
well. We have been asked to begin English Classes in the village of
Shtermen. Large and free accommodation is being provided and our sisters
Darina Vorfi and
Vera Kura will be heading up this work. It
is a step back five years for us, as we used to help a group of Kosovar
refugees in that village back in 1999. It’s possible some of students may be
some of those we were teaching in a class we held back then.
Services and classes are doing well. Attendance at both Sunday worship and
Bible Class, where we can have as many as many as 23 attend, is encouraging.
Remember, that figure is around two-thirds of our regular membership.
As you know, I have always tried to give you a taste of life in Albania.
Living here is often seen as a series of comical episodes strewn with head
holding frustrations. I would like to tell you about my latest adventures
whilst out driving. Albania has a seat-belt law for motorists. What it
actually was or is, was for a long time a mystery, as few people ever seemed
to wear them and even fewer knew the law. On one recent trip to Durres, I
was stopped by the police. The reason, they explained, was to ask ‘Why was I
wearing a seat-belt?’ I had heard of this happening to someone in the past,
but had put it down to ‘urban legend.’ Then more recently, after a meal in a
village motel, I was stopped again. On this occasion I had forgotten to put
my seat-belt on. This time the question was, ‘Why aren’t you wearing a
seat-belt? Explaining the previous incident, I asked for the law on wearing
seatbelts. Here it is. I kid you not! If you are below 1.50 meters and above
1.90 meters in height, you do not need to wear one. So it seems, that the
police have to take a rough guess at how tall a driver is and decide if he
should be wearing one or not. Couple this with the law on pedestrian
crossings, Elbasan is peppered with them, at least three at every
intersection, I can get no sense from anyone. Roughly it seems that
everyone, pedestrians and motorists can all use the crossings at the same
time. At least, that is what happens. So you see life here on the road can
be fascinating. Oh yes, I did not get a ticket, though the police officer
also pointed out that I had no light on the rear number plate. Considering
the number of vehicles I have come upon in the dark with no rear lights of
any kind, that was a bit funny to me.
Plans are being worked on for our move back to England next year. We now
consider that getting a container could be the best way and so I am looking
for a company in Durres to find information about this. We have been invited
by the church in Skelmersdale in the North-west of England, to
relocate to work with them in their evangelistic ministry. We need to find
support for this work, so we are asking brethren and churches to prayerfully
consider helping us in this ministry. I will be circulating more information
on this soon, but ask brethren to pray for us as we try and resolve this
matter.
The story of Olsi, the little boy in the
village of Lleshan, continues to encourage and excite us. Two years ago
Olsi could not walk or talk and there
are some who believe he may not even be alive today. But when schools
returned from the summer break, Olsi was
among the kids attending the Nursery class. I never realised that I could
jump as high as I did when I heard this news. During September we were told
about Valentina. Valentina was five
weeks old and her mother had died shortly after her birth. We visited
Valentina in the premature baby unit for two weeks and agreed to
buy Pampers (diapers) and food. We also got her some clothing, blankets, and
other things she needed. Fortunately, her family, who lives in the village
of Shtermen, are good people and the various relatives will help her father
Gazi care for her. She has two older
sisters, Alexandra (6) and Klara (3).We
are going to continue to help them with food etc. for the time being so they
have one less concern to deal with. We approached a number of local business
people for help and had an amazing response from every one we approached. It
is because of the help we have given this family that we have the
opportunity to hold classes in the village. The English lessons will lead to
Bible classes also. Please keep our witness for the Lord in this situation
in your prayers.
We want to thank everyone who has continued to support our work through your
prayers and financial support, particularly through this difficult period.
Your fellow servants in the cause of Christ
Pete & Dulcie
Sponsoring Church:
San Jose Church of Christ
6233 San Jose Boulv.
Jacksonville, Fl. 32217-2399.
Dulcie’s British Address:
Dulcie Hodge, c/o 36 Swallowfields, Totnes, Devon, TQ9 5LB, England
Tel. ++44 1803 840572
|
December 2004
Dear Brethren and Friends,
Greeting in our Lord and Saviours name.
First, I am sorry for the delay in sending this report. With
Dulcie away meaning a need to ‘keep house’
as well as the normal work load, some Things have tended to be left undone.
My schedule with WEI students has continued to grow and currently I have
more of these than at any time in the last three or four years. The students
range from teens who have completed the ‘Beginners’ courses to adults who
have come in to seek to improve their spoken English. I also have three WEI
students in one of the villages, one of whom was a ‘Beginner’ with us when
we held classes in her village during the summer of 1999.
Unfortunately we have just passed through the most difficult period in our
time in Elbasan. Owing to various problems, my two
co-workers left the church under something of a cloud.
Accusations were being thrown around about members of the church, with no
desire on the part of the ‘accusers’ for discussion in order to resolve the
problems. It is a peculiar Albanian trait that one makes accusations but
does not enter into discussions to resolve them, as regardless of the truth,
they are right. It reminds me of a British tabloid newspaper of who it was
once said they ‘never let the facts get in the way of a good story.’ These
accusations were also being spread among some of the local population, but
with a very limited negative reaction.
Fortunately, these problems have had little effect on the church as a whole,
but they have made things a little difficult as it has reduced the number of
men by two, meaning that those of us left have far more to do. The problem
occurred after the two men had lost most of their personal support and I had
said I was unable to make up the loss. I have stressed to the church that we
must be willing to pray for them and welcome back into the congregation
should they return.
But, whilst we have had to deal with the problems, good things were still
going on. Our village work continues to expand. We now have classes in
Shirgjan, Krujezar and Shterman. The first two are being led by our
brother Dashamire. This young man is
doing a fantastic job with no moans and no money. We would like to find some
support for Dashi as he never asks for money for personal purposes, only for
bus fares. He has begun to bring in about ten youngsters from Krujezar to
worship on Sundays.
Overall we are seeing a good growth in attendances. Sunday numbers are now
often in the 30’s. It is a fact that many of these are youngsters. Several
of my WEI class students attend regularly and one or two even attend other
classes.
Little Valentina Hoxa, the baby whose
mother died shortly after her birth is now four months old and is doing
well. We buy Pampers and food for her each month. She is now growing well
and she is beginning to react to things going on around her. Meanwhile,
little Olsi in Lleshan continue to
progress in his speech and walking.
Our personal financial situation is a growing concern as the dollar/leke
exchange rate has shown a dramatic fall. It is now down to 95 Leke to the $,
which is less than half the original rate in 1997. To put it into figures I
can understand, that means that every $1,000, which equalled 200,000 Leke in
1997 is now less than 100,000 Leke and falling. We have tried to maintain
our contribution to benevolence, but even in this area we are having to make
cut backs.
Planning for our final departure, planned for May 15th., continues to
progress. My biggest concern at the moment is for a replacement for me. We
are praying that Edmond Gjoni, a young
man from Elbasan who is linked
to a church in Italy, but who has been worshipping with us since returning
to Elbasan after completing a two year Bible course in the USA may accept
the challenge. Mondi is a popular young
man and is proving to be a great help to me as he shares the teaching and
preaching.
Also, we are making progress with plans for
the move itself. We have accepted the invitation of the church in
Skelmersdale, in the North West of England, to share in the work of that
church. Our biggest concern is obviously financial as we will need to try
and locate some support. With a building of their own and an established
eldership, this will be a completely new experience for
Dulcie and myself. It will also be a
challenge for us as we seek to adjust to life back in the UK. A friend of
mine recently told me that it usually takes two years to do this after a
long period abroad. Please pray for us as we make plans for the future.
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