Hey peoples,
I know this is unpardonably late, and my only lame excuse is busyness so you'll have to forgive me and get over it. I'm sorry!
Well, in conclusion of our trip I'll tell you about what I noticed, learnt and the impressions I came away with as you all know what we did in our last wee while from Adams (long) post.
It was kind of weird going back to Albania after so long away, some deja vu moments and some wow that's different ones as well. Overall I had a great time and it was really cool to be able to give a little back. From what I could tell the locals appreciated having us, and from what Will told us our being there made it possible for both the Fier and Patos churches to have a really good Christmas. So, based on the responses I'd definitely say the trip was a success from the Albanian point of view. I also really enjoyed getting to know some new people and especially catching up with old friends who I hadn't seen for three years! So many had grown up so much, not just in size etc but in maturity and faith particularly. It's so cool to see people who were relatively new when I left now really involved and committed to God and working with other Christians to share about Him etc. Sharing my testimony was really cool. I found it totally nerve-racking the first time and got all emotional as I was speaking, but I think it really connected with people (half the church - the female half - had tears in their eyes) so it was worth my nerves!
For me, the trip taught me a few things. It reminded me that I need to rely on God and not on my own strength, and being thrown in the deep end usually in the area of language was one way that happened! Leading studies and prayer meetings was also a bit of a challenge as we tried to understand and figure out how to respond to the way Albanians responded to the way we led studies etc (does that make any sense?). I also learnt a bit more about working with a team and how to deal with the dynamics of it.
So there you have it. Albania was cool and I think it was one of mutual blessing for us and the local churches.
When the three of us were in Paris I also caught up with the family I worked for and lived with when I was there for 6 months as a nanny. It was great to see them all grown up and I had a chance to have a good chat with the Mum about how things went when I lived with them. They were really pleased when I told them I'd love to go back to live one day!!
Anyway, I'm sure you've had enough by now. If you would like to know more just ask!
Thanks for all your prayers and support.
Emily
