Grace group kick off

Februrary brought the start of a new ministry at Grace Church Tirana. Small groups or Grace groups finally started after months of leadership training. Kris and I were especially excited to be a part of this ministry because small groups were such a vital part of our life and growth in our years at Lakeside Bible Church. There are about 6 groups meeting all over the city of Tirana at people's homes. The purpose of the meetings is to have a deeper level of spiritual fellowship, pray together, use the Sunday sermon as an avenue for daily Bible application and live out the Biblical principles of discipleship and the one-anothers. It was with great anticipation that we opened our home for the first meeting and lunch.


Here is the young married/young family group at our home. Our group consists of mainly Albanian nationals. We do have a few non-Albanians that are married to an Albanian in our group. Out of this group 2 couples later decided to attend other grace groups that met closer to their homes.


One question that we get frequently is, "Do you speak Albanian in your group meetings?" The answer is, "Not yet". All those who attend our group speak English very well. Of course, our goal (to which we are are working very hard to attain) is to be able to have our meetings totally in Albanian because it is much easier for the Albanians to relate and discuss in their own language. However, we are so very grateful that God has allowed us to be able to minister even though we can't yet do it in the native language. It is really exciting to be able to converse more and more in Albanian during the fellowship time. We continue to make LOTS of mistakes, but these dear friends are so very gracious with us and don't laugh too much. :-)


This is Ghazi and Irena and their baby. Irena and I have had many opportunities to get to know each other in the past year and I am thankful for her continued thirst to grow. We continue to pray for the salvation of Ghazi, her husband. He is very open to spiritual things.


Tim, Gerta and their baby boy are new to Grace Church. Gerta is an Albanian who lived in the states for 9 years where she met and married Tim. They are a really committed couple and have been involved in ministry for quite some time at other churches. We are really thrilled to have them join our church and our group. Tim is teaching English at a Turkish school here in the area. Pray for him to be tremendous witness to the many Muslim co-workers and students that he comes in contact with every day.


Nik and Lizzie have one boy and one baby girl on the way. Nik is an Albanian who attended university in the states and met and married Lizzie, who is a missionary kid herself. (An interesting side note - Lizzie and I actually met in 1991 in Nepal where her parents were missionaries and I was on a 2 months short term medical trip. When I came to Albania the first time in 2005 we both realized that we had met so many years before. How great is God to bring us together again.) Lizzie inspires me in my language learning. She is fluent in Albanian and has a really great ministry with other young Albanian women and moms. Their passion for Christ-likeness is a joy to behold.


Flori and Genta are newlyweds. Flori is a recent graduate from the SouthEastern Europe Theological Seminary where Kris is a professor. Genta came to know the Lord through the ministry of Campus Crusade for Christ here in Albania and worked for them for quite a few years. Genta definitely has an evangelst's heart. She is always looking for people at work to share with and get to know. She meets with two committed Muslim women for a Bible study on Christianity and the Muslim faith. Her passion for the orphan girls has led her start a weekly ministry in the orphanage. This is a ministry that I have the privilege to be a part of. Flori is an intern at the church.


Lenci and Alta are dear friends and co-laborers in this ministry. Lenci also graduated from the seminary and does lots of translation work into English. He has a wonderful grasp of the English language, as does Alta. Alta teaches English at the Lincoln Center here in Tirana. Alta's father is a pastor and she had the privilege of growing up in a Biblical based family - this is VERY rare in Albania. She and I have spent lots of time together talking about Christianity and the Albanian culture. I look forward to many years of fruitful ministry with them.