Our first Christmas in Albania

We have really enjoyed Christmas in Albania. It is very different from the usual Christmas back home. There is no real festive build up here. There are very few decorations. There wasn’t a mad panic at the shops because all the shops were open on Christmas day. There wasn’t even any tacky, cheesy Christmas music to get you in the mood. In fact Christmas was a simple affair. The Albanian people took it to be a normal day. Nothing usual. Into this atmosphere the church was a small voice that attempted to tell society that Christ, the Saviour of the world, has come.

Christmas was very special for us because Hannah’s parents were able to visit. It was fantastic for them to see their grandson Ben and he loved having them around. He didn’t stop smiling for days. It was also good for them to be able to see where we lived and the work we are involved in.

 Visiting an Orphanage

Throughout December we have been involved in a number of exciting ministries. With the youth from Udha e Shpreses (way of hope) Mat visited an orphanage for children with disabilities.

Some of the youth groups outside the orphanage & some of the children who they got to know.

The purpose of the visit was to build relationships with the children, to give them Christmas presents and to give 35 new mattresses & bedding to the orphanage. The best part of the visit, however, was the way in which the youth from the church sang songs and danced with the children. There was a real spirit of oneness and a complete breaking down of the barriers between the youth of the church and the youth at the orphanage.

 Visiting a Prison

On Boxing day (26^th Dec) Mat and Beni, a worker at the Baptist Center, went to visit one of the prisons in Tirana. The prison has 200 inmates and there are an average of 5 men to a cell. Again, the purpose of the visit was to simply say to the prisoners that during this festival period they are not forgotten. Mat and Beni visited each cell giving a packet of chocolate, an orange & an apple and spending a few minutes chatting and simply getting to know the prisoners as friends. As yet there is no prison fellowship ministry in Albania but there is hope that in the future this may develop.