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ALBANIA TEAM
PESHKOPI (AEBC)

2017 archive

Wow! What A Week!

6/19/2017

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What an incredible and blessed week at the first-ever EEMN Albania English Language Camp! We shared the grace, love and mercy of the Lord with over 60 students this week! The Old Testament story of Joseph was the basis for our language study about Faith. It served as a great testament to a loving and benevolent Lord - a view of God that is foreign to most Albanians.
As our first foray into teaching Christian concepts in this culturally Muslim community, it was important to take time to build relationships and trust in the first part of the week, before beginning to introduce Jesus. The students only knew a secular society based on Muslim social tradition.  By the grace of God, the message was well timed and very well received. On Thursday, team member and EEMN Board Member, Pr. Phil Lee, presented the concept to the entire camp that Joseph was an ancestor of Jesus. The ideas of family and lineage are important to the people of Albania and served as a great way to introduce Jesus as a direct descendent of Joseph. Pr. Phil also drew the parallels of faith, humility, servanthood, love, and forgiveness shared between Joseph and Jesus, along  with the promises that can only be accomplished by God in Christ.
Many students opted to take an English New Testament Bible home with them, on Friday; along with several Albanian biblical resources made available by Alph-Omega Church. We are grateful that team members, Steve and Linda Meyer, brought 100 Gideon's English New Testaments to Peshkopi to have available for anyone who wanted one!
Team member, Carolyn Lee (Pr. Phil is her husband), took the time to have her students write about their experiences at the language camp. They will be translated by our ministry partners and we cannot wait to read them all! Although, it has already been shared that her students think that Carolyn is the best teacher, ever!
Team member, Ruth Lindberg, learned on Saturday that one of her students is a member of a local Peshkopi family that is the focus of World Vision Albania and Kosovo. If you visit the EEMN FaceBook page, you can view the video about the family. EEMN is also praising the Lord for World Vision Albania and Kosovo, as they paid for all of our team member hotel rooms, while in Peshkopi (for all 9-nights!), and they paid for the entire week of lunches that fed all of the camp participants!
We are also grateful to Pr. David Michael Carrillo (EEMN missionary to Latvia) and his incredible gift for preaching the Gospel through music. EVERY student, teacher, translator and local host has his music replaying, over and over, in their heads and now knows that God loves them; they are a friend of God; and that God is their friend; God cares about them, and that God's plan are always up to something good! 

​For the rest of our camp story, here is the official camp video! Enjoy!
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Great Start to the Camp!

6/13/2017

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The Alpha-Omega Church sanctuary has a breathtaking view of the river valley and the opposite hills and mountains to the northeast that separate Albania from the country of Macedonia.
The team enjoyed worship, on Sunday, with the congregation of Alpha-Omega Church in Peshkopi. Our EEMN co-host, Dan Hall, delivered a great message on Acts 2 that was translated into Albanian by Pr. Ermal Lushi. 
Following a walk though town and lunch at a popular restaurant in Peshkopi, the team was able to start setting up classrooms and make final preparations for camp at the church building and at a nearby restaurant reception room. One of the highlights of preparation included having coffee with several of our translators. Coffee is a very important social activity in the Albanian culture and you might notice from the photos that men and women usually sit in separate groups. This is a carryover from the Muslim cultural identity that still influences social mores despite the almost non-existent practice of religion in Albania. In fact, Ramadan is still observed by many in Albania (including in Peshkopi) even though there is no longer a spiritual or religious connection made to its observance.
Alpha-Omega Church
Pr. DMC & Steve Discussing the View Before Worship
Dan & Ermal
The Men Enjoying Coffee
The Ladies and Their Translators at Coffee
All Set For Monday Morning!
On Monday,  the most glitch free and enthusiastic first-day-of-camp student participation was enjoyed by everyone (at a new location, to boot)! Much of this is due to the outstanding planning and coordination made by our EEMN Albania missionaries, Dawn & Dan Hall, and our Albanian partners in ministry, Pr. Ermal & Sarah Lushi!
We are always very upfront that we use the Bible as a textbook for teaching English, and our hosts prepared us for the reality that we might lose some kids after the first day because they might feel uncomfortable with the Christian emphasis. However, every single child came back on Tuesday - along with several new students who were in academic testing on Monday. In all, we have over 50 students (6th-9th grade) participating in camp!  Also, the level of English here is astonishing. This has made teaching a lot more fun!
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We are treated to many smiles and hellos from the children as we walk through the village each day.
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Exploring Peshkopi

6/10/2017

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The team enjoying an evening with our Peshkopi hosts, Pr. Ermal & Sarah Lushi and EEMN Residential Missionaries to Albania, Dan & Dawn Hall and their two youngest children, Issac & Elizabeth.

We made the 4-hour drive from Tirana to Peshkopi - up steep inclines, plenty of switchbacks, narrow roads that hugged huge mountains, and incredible vistas in every direction!
After settling in to our accommodations, the team had a chance to explore our new home-away-from-home in Peshkopi, and to spend time getting to know our gracious hosts Pr. Ermal & Sarah Lushi and EEMN residential missionaries to Albania, Dan & Dawn Hall and their two youngest children, Issac & Elizabeth.


Photos In and Around Peshkopi:

Following breakfast, on Saturday, the team shared in a devotion and worship songs led by EEMN residential missionary to Latvia, Pr. David Michael Carrillo. We were then invited to attend the last children's Bible club of the school year at Alpha & Omega Church in Peshkopi, which is the ONLY Christian church in the region. Pr. Ermal & Sarah led the children in praise songs, games, and exciting, interactive teaching focused on four miracles of Jesus, during his earthly ministry. 
After the Lushi's treated us to lunch at a local favorite Albanian café, the team went on an excursion that included a bit a four-wheeling, crossing and old wooden, 50-meter bridge, and then skipping stones across a beautiful mountain fed river!
It was a joy-filled and relaxing day. Tomorrow will start with worship at Alpha & Omega Church, followed by camp set up, local volunteer coordination, and final prep!
Team Devotions & Worship
Children Enjoying Final Bible Club of the School Year at Alpha & Omega Church
Meeting Up at Dan & Dawn's Home in Peshkopi
Skipping Stones Across the River
Beautiful View
Refreshments & Conversation at a River Bank Café


Dan & Dawn Hall
shared in their latest Halls in Peshkopi newsletter their prayer requests. It just so happens that all of those request for prayer match exactly what the EEMN AEBC team desires!
PRAYER REQUESTS:
The 5 day camp starts on Monday the 12th. Nearly all the arrangements have been made, so we mostly just need to see them through. Please pray for a few things because this opportunity has a lot of potential:

1. There will be a lot of travel and logistics just getting the team to Peshkopi running the camp and getting them all home. There's also getting the students from the villages to Peshkopi and back every day. Please pray for smooth and safe travel and daily details. We want everyone to be able to focus on the reasons we're doing this beyond those kinds of things.

2. Pray for unity and effectiveness of our team, which includes the EEMN team, translators, and those of us from the church that will be assisting as well. Being all on the same page is a good thing.

3. Pray that the truth in the messages would be received well by all who need to know Jesus. Most of the students are coming from non-practicing, traditional Muslim families. They probably have some belief in God, but don't know much about religion of any kind, and it's probably not important to them.

4. Pray for super positive connections between everyone this project touches and God's people at the church. We have already started building relationships with the directors, some of the teachers, and a bit with the students as we have been visiting the schools to make plans, announcements and test the students for class placement. Ermal, our pastor, said the other day that this part is really important. The directors have likely been asked why they are letting students go to the church. So having a positive connection with the church is critical to breaking down the barriers to the Gospel in this culture. So far, it has really been fun getting to know these folks, so we are praying that it is just the beginning of something much bigger to grow God's Kingdom in Peshkopi and beyond.

The entire EEMN AEBC Team prays blessings to each of you and we thank you for your support!
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The Whole Team Is Here!

6/8/2017

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Everybody made it, safe and sound, and so did all of our luggage! After a little time for rest, the entire team walked to a nearby restaurant for some local cuisine, conversation, and then off to sleep for a fresh start Friday morning. Thank you for your prayers for safe and uneventful travel! Tomorrow, we will drive up to the mountain village of Peshkopi and begin preparing for a full week of language camp.

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The AEBC Team: Angela Breidenbach, Pr. Phil & Carolyn Lee, Pr. David Michael Carrillo, Linda & Steve Meyer, and Ruth Lindberg (Pr. David is behind the camera).
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DMC, Pr. Phil & Carolyn, Ruth, and Angela enjoying some conversation outside our Tirana airport hotel.
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Heading for Albania!

6/7/2017

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The first-ever EEMN Albania English Bible Camp team is headed to Albania, right now!

Pr. David and Angela are already in Tirana, Albania and will meet Pr. David Michael Carrillo, Pr. Phil & Carolyn Lee, Ruth Lindberg, and Steve & Linda Meyer at Tirana International Airport, on Thursday. 
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After everyone has a chance to sleep, the entire team will make their way to the small northern village of Peshkopi, Albania. This is where the first EEMN English Bible Camp will be hosted the week of 12-16 June!

In the mean time, the Breidenbachs have posted a short video update:
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    Authors

    Pr. David & Angela Breidenbach are the Executive Director and Director of Development & Operations for East European Missions Network (EEMN). They are serving as Team Leaders for this first year of hosting a camp in Albania.

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    June 2017

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  • Home
  • ALBANIA '19
  • LATVIA '19
  • SLOVAKIA '19
  • SLOVAKIA TEENS '19
  • ESTONIA '19
  • ABOUT EEMN
  • ARCHIVES
    • RUSSIA '18
    • RUSSIA '17
    • UKRAINE '18
    • ALBANIA '18
    • ALBANIA '17
    • LATVIA '18
    • LATVIA '17
    • SLOVAKIA '18
    • SLOVAKIA '17
    • SLOVAKIA TEENS '18
    • SLOVAKIA/BULGARIA TEENS '17
    • ESTONIA '18
    • ESTONIA '17