Greetings in the name of our Lord Jesus,

The months of January and February are always the beginnings of new challenges to face to complete our mission. We all hope and pray for a prosperous year and full of blessing. It is said that hope is the last to die and we guess at some point this is true because for us Christians hope of the eternal life is what keeps us united and makes us willing to serve our Lord. It is because of Christ that we can do all things and that everything is possible because of Him. Hope is the last to die and we are the first to raise and inherit God’s kingdom.

Despite the cold weather we have continued with our work as usual trying to serve and do our best on this earth. Every minute, every hour and every day has been dedicated to our Lord and we have done the utmost to fulfill God’s plan by sharing the good news and saving souls. We rejoice in His presence and it is because of Him that we have the opportunity to serve and be part of His family on this earth. Working for Him is not only a blessing and a life’s opportunity given to you but it is also a challenge to face. It is through the difficulties that we grow and mature in faith. We cannot just sit down and see how this filthy world gets dirtier and more evil day by day. Christianity is in a war and of course we need to bear in our minds that not every battle can be won. Our aim is to win this war and be triumphal toward evil.

Active ladies traveled to Lushnja

As usual the activities held here in Elbasan Church of Christ have been as following. The Bible class on Tuesday, the Ladies’ class on Friday, Sunday school and the worship service on Sunday. Almost all of the members of the congregation have given their input and made possible these activities. United we have been able to make things work out perfect and of course reap the results together.

Bruna & Doris in Individual WEI studies

During January and February Ilir, every Tuesday, continued with lessons on the recognition of various biblical models for resolving conflicts. There has been a useful biblical teaching and the members have shown great interest by actively participating in discussions. This class is a very encouraging and teaches us to be more prepared for our daily lives when conflicts are inevitable. Our sisters Vera and Mereme have prepared all the lessons for the Ladies’ class for the months of January and February. Their lessons have been more than helpful and the ladies have been very active. Vera, Rezarta and Bruna have given their help with the Children’s class. They are doing a good job with the kids. They are very eager to learn the passages from the Bible by heart and act out some of the stories. There is no need of persuading them as they are persuading us to give them more information and make them be as active as possible. At this point we think that what a better world would have been ours if all the people were just like the children. But of course even our Lord Jesus said: May you be as pure as these children.

The Sunday Class

The sermons are prepared by our brother Ilir. He is working real hard and he is being concise and specific about different topics. The slideshows are making the sermons easier and more interesting to everyone to understand and why not even be totally focused on the lesson by not getting bored. Remzi is helping him with the Lord’s Supper and the hymns.

Ilir is developing individual Bible lessons with some of the young people who come regularly to our activities. They are teenagers who want to know more about God. In these individual Bible classes, Ilir is encouraging young people to a full knowledge of God, and God willing they will be baptized and to participate in our sacred family. Some of the students are ready to be baptized. They come from Muslim families, but the word of God has made their hearts be open and ready to accept our Lord Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. Students called Doris Xhyra and Amarildo Gjini both are 15 years old and live in Elbasan. Ilir is being developing by Bruna Capja biblical teaching, a Christian sister who spends her time in spiritual growth through God's Word. Ilir accompanied by Vera is developing biblical teaching with Mira and Shqiponja going to their home in Kraste, on the outskirts of Elbasan.

The work in Kryezjarr is going very well and it is becoming a habit to report the good work and the full attendance of the ladies and the children in there. Hatixhe, Vera and Bruna help out and make the classes there Bruna work with the children whereas Vera and Hatixhe works with the ladies. They find the classes of a great interest and they take an active part in the discussions and the lessons shared there.

The ladies in Kryezjarr

During this period the ladies in Kryezjarr have learned about the commandments of God and have discussed about how should be their life led by Him. The kids continue to come and learn biblical lessons to know more about our Lord Jesus Christ. Bruna is doing a great job with the kids.

In Kryezjarr

During February we had in with us a honored and respected sister named Elsie Red. Elsie was a great help and an encouragement for all the community, but especially for her students that spent a wonderful period in her care. Elsie as a good sister taught her students the true love that God has for all of us. Some of the students of Elsie now come to our meetings. Elsie is a special lady and we thank God that she was with us at a time when we needed her assistance. We spent a good time together even though she only stayed for a while. I pray God to enable Elsie to be back with us next year, together we can stay until the end of the mission of our holy God.

Elsie in Kryezjarr

Elsie Reid

Our health situation has not been good. Ilir had a problem about a week with hypertension and the heart and has spent several hours in hospital here in Elbasan and Vera also has had health problems. Vera has been in the hospital of Tirana for some gynecological problems.

The economic situation in Albania is even heavier during this period. Unemployment, Increase of prices, inflation is affecting our daily life, but hope in God has grown and strengthened in our hearts so we make every attempt to stay every moment in God's mission to share the good news of salvation.

Please keep us in your prayers asking God to use us as tools every moment in this world of darkness that surrounds us.

In closing, we thank in particular all brothers and sisters in Christ who support us in God's mission here in Elbasan. Without your support it would be difficult for us to stay focused on sharing the good news among the people that surround us. God bless you.

Thanks to Church of Christ in Skelmersdale for the assistance with clothes that sent us. We decided to deliver these clothes for poor residents of the village Kryezjar, where the Church of Christ Elbasan operates by sharing God's word.

We thank all the brothers and sisters that supported us every month to help the little Antonel. His growth and life depends on that support. We want to apologize for the delay of this report but this happened due to the health problems Ilir has been having these days. We hope and wish he gets better very soon and totally recovers in order to continue with the work here. Please keep us in your prayers. At the same time we thank everybody who has helped us and been near us spiritually and financially and keeping us in their prayers.

In Him

Ilir and Vera

Church of Christ Elbasan
 

Greetings in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ!

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, the Church of Christ Elbasan wishes you all the blessings of our Lord Jesus Christ in your life for His Glory. You are a blessing for us and an encouragement for our work here in the fields of God.

The blessings of God are present and achievable from all those who have an open heart for Him.

Let’s start this report for our work for the glory of our Lord here in Elbasan, with a good news. This month God added to our church a new member, a new sister decided with all her heart to surrender her life to Jesus Christ by accepting Him as the true God and savior. Her name is Doris Xhyra.

Doris is a young girl who has come firstly at the church for learning the English language. She has been Vera’s student for almost two years. During this time she has been devoted in her lessons. During the time that Ilir started working full time with the church of Elbasan, he asked Doris and some other youths to make individual lessons with him. Doris agreed and she and Ilir started making individual lessons together for 5 months in intensive way learning for the truth of God that is the only truth that liberates us from the bondage of Satan.

During the time that Sister Elsie Reid was here in Elbasan, Doris participated in some daily lessons with her. The lessons and presence of Elsie were an encouragement for Doris to decide to get baptize.

Doris’ family was a persecuted family at the time of the Communist regime here in Albania. They have suffered much, have been interned, some of the relatives have been murdered and some were imprisoned. The many sufferings have made this family to have an open heart for God. We are working with some members of this family and God willing they may be members of our holy family, the family of God.

God is wonderful with us. He adds to our church young members to strengthen and vitalize it, allowing us to be every day on His mission.
During the month of March, the services and the lessons have continued regularly.

The Bible lessons were held regularly with the topic of Conflict Management. The lesson’s aim was to familiarize the participants with the many fragments that Lord has given us throughout his word. The lessons have been practical and easy to understand by the participants, who have participated actively in discussions.

The youth’s class is a success for the glory of God. The number of the young people is growing and now there are 16 persons participating in that class. The biblical lessons are organized to help them in their daily situations. By looking at the darkness around us, we aimed to show them how strong the light that comes from our Lord Jesus Christ.

The ladies’ class has had a good consistency and a most pleasurable attendance by the ladies. Sister Mereme prepared a lesson for the participants about the works and the responsibilities that God has given for the women in the family. The ladies have been active in the lessons and discussions.

The children’s class is also growing. The kids come happy at the class to learn more about God. The lessons of sisters Rezarta and Bruna have added the curiosity for them to learn more at the Sunday class.

The worship has been regularly developed every first day of the week. The preaching of the Word of God has been focused in the encouragement of the brothers and sisters to face the difficulties and the struggles by relying in the truth of the Lord that never disappoints us. God is loyal, He knows our hearts. He knows our needs and sufferings while we are working for His glory. He has promised us that no temptation bigger that we can handle will fall on us. That, with the temptation, He will give us a way out of it. This promise of our Lord fills out heart with joy as Christians.

Individual Bible lessons have continued regularly and God willing, their number may increase, as some of the youth of the Youth’s class have expressed the desire to take individual Bible lessons, but at the moment they are busy with the school lessons and courses for the preparation of the final exams at the end of the school.

The biblical lessons have also continued regularly in Kryezjarr. Sisters Vera and Hatixhe have prepared together the biblical lessons for the women meeting on Sunday in Kryezjarr. They are doing a good job and the women have been active in their class. During meetings the women have brought food that they have prepared in home to eat together after the lessons.

The kids’ class in Kryezjarr is also going very well. Two of our newest sisters are working with the kids every Sunday. Their names are Bruna and Doris who are also helped by Hatixhe’s daughter Anisa. Children have learned new songs about God and lessons from the Bible. At the kids’ class is also coming Antonel, a kid whose family is in a really bad economical and socially situation.

Also during March I.B.I.A’s Dean Steve Stamatis organized a day of fasting and prayers with the students and the graduates of I.B.I.A in an environment in Mount Dajti. It was an experience that served us to better understand God’s purpose for our lives and to focus more on His wonderful plan for his churches here in Albania.

We went to Tirana on Sunday because on Monday morning we had to be in Mount Dajti. We had a good time in the evening talking together. We thank Steve and his wife Deborah for the good time that we spent together. May God bless their work for His glory!

We thank God for all you brothers and sisters that generously have supported and helped our mutual work as His tools in his field here in Elbasan. You are an encouragement for all of us to work even more to strengthen our Lord’s church.

We thank you for your prayers for our health. We really have had a more stabilized health situation during this month. God is in control of our lives and this fills us with joy and happiness.

We thank the supporters of the little Antonel for the generous help that has enabled us the meeting the needs of his and his grandmother for food.

GOD BLESS YOU ALL!

With Love in Christ
Ilir and Vera
Church Of Christ Elbasan
 

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