Kuptoj

I reached a new milestone today: I had my first unprompted thought in Albanian. The thought may have been only one word, but still... it was in response to a conversation in English, and it came to me before the English word!

...and yes, I did feel the need to document something this exciting on the blog! ;-)

We are Global Partners

"Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” - Matthew 28:19-20


I am a Global Partner. 
What is your passion? You can share Jesus with the world and become a Global Partner too, even if you're not Wesleyan!

All trained...

I just returned home after spending the week in Indiana at a week-long missionary training. It was the second of two trainings required for me to complete before I can depart for Albania. I was one (and the oldest) of 5 people at the training. There with me was my Albanian partner, Katie, Lauren who is heading to Zambia and Sam and Sean who are going to Australia.  We spent the week learning about different topics such as: cross-cultural ministry, personal security and hostage survival, spiritual warfare, and many other "-ology" sessions. The days were long but the information was valuable.

We were privileged to stay at Shunem House - a home for missionaries. Let's just say we definitely weren't roughing it. Jim and Jeanette (the hosts) took good care of us. Each morning we awoke to breakfasts similar to what my mom makes only on Christmas morning. Katie and I were able to spend some extra time there to create promo-video for Shunem Ministries. It was a great time to relax and get to know each other better.

I will now recap the week with pictures.

Limos are the cheapest mode of transportation. So... we took a limo from the airport

one of the 19 rooms at Shunem

Katie, Me, Lauren, Sam and Sean

Lauren took advantage of break time!

Playing Settlers of Catan on our lunch break

The Shunammite woman serenades us with her accordion at breakfast

We made it to the wall of fame!

A friendly game of Catch Phrase (the girls won!)

Shooting the promo-video

 

our editing suite!

Sad to leave these wonderful people...

*special thanks to Katie and Sam from whom I stole these pictures ;-)

Happy Birthday Jesus!

Isn’t it kind of silly that we get presents on Christmas? I mean don’t get me wrong Christmas morning, sitting by the tree, opening presents is one of my favorite times of the year. But year after year we celebrate Jesus’ birthday by giving and getting ourselves presents. Huh?

Let’s put in the context of our birthday… Each year people celebrate, have parties and exchange gifts on our special day but we’re never included in any of the festivities, invited to the party or given any gifts. I would be crushed! … and if it repeated every year?? Yikes!

BUT thankfully we don’t have to worry about that – our birthday is our birthday.  YAY! Each year as we get older the celebration looks different, but it’s still our special day. This Christmas wouldn’t it be cool if we actually celebrated with Jesus on His birthday? Included Him in the day, give Him a present, and make Him the special guest of honor?

Get this: The best gift we can give Him, and the only thing He wants, is free! We don’t have to spend hours trying to figure out the prefect gift, spend tons of money on it or even deal with the crowds at the mall. The only thing He wants for His birthday is you. He wants to know you and have a relationship with you, His favorite child.

How? one might ask. Good question! Simply start by inviting Jesus into your life. Tell Him you want to have a relationship with Him. Talk to Him: ask Him questions, tell Him your problems and fears, tell Him everything good that’s going on, just like you would with any friend of yours. There is no right or wrong way, no special time, or day, or time of the day. This makes giving the gift even easier because all you have to do is be yourself!  Check out the bible, do research, ask questions, seek truth, go to church, the list could go on and on…

...And as your relationship grows you will see the irony in all of this is by you giving yourself as a gift to Jesus, you are actually the one receiving the gift. 

Christmas Songs

Top 5: My Favorite (under-rated) Christmas Songs

(please note: it's the song, not necessarily the video that is my favorite)

5. Carol of The Bells - Trans-Siberian Orchestra

 

4. A Baby Changes Everything - Faith Hill

3. Breath of Heaven (Mary's Song) - Amy Grant

2. Joseph's Lullaby - Mercy Me

1. Mary Did You Know?

Praying Away Spiritual Warfare

"For we are not fighting against flesh-and-blood enemies, but against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against mighty powers in this dark world, and against evil spirits in the heavenly places." - Ephesians 6:12 (NLT)

Have you ever been attacked by Satan? A team of us traveled to Cambodia last February to learn more about human trafficking and what we could do in the U.S. to take a stand against it. Prior to us leaving, and then throughout the trip Satan was doing everything in his power to bring out team down - physically, emotionally and spiritually. He was very upset that we stepped into his territory to try to further the Kindgom of God!

Thankfully as Christians, we had nothing to worry about because in the end, we know that Jesus has triumphed over evil. We took confidence in knowing that with the help of the Armies of Heaven and all our faithful prayer warriors, we could overcome the obstacles that Satan was throwing at us that week.

Throughout the trip we were constantly relying on our prayer partners back home. It was through their intercession and the grace of God we all made it home safely - and we were only gone for a week!

While in Albania for two years, there is no doubt that I will need a team of faithful prayer partners who will constantly lift me, the team and my ministry in prayer. There is no possible way I can do this alone. Like in Cambodia, I will be immersed in Satan's territory and this will not make him happy.

Will you join me in prayer? Can you commit to pray for me at least once a week (note: at least) starting now? Sign up for my monthly e-prayer update in the box to the left for ideas of what to pray for.

Giving and Getting

 "Our hearts ache, but we always have joy. We are poor, but we give spiritual riches to others. We own nothing, and yet we have everything." - 2 Corinthians 6:10

This summer I was blessed to spend a week in Haiti on a mission trip with a team of wonderful people from my church. Sometimes I feel the mindset with mission trips are that we (Americans) are going to a country to help them, and to to give them stuff. And we did. We had 20 suitcases filled with all sorts of donations: clothes, formula, medical and teaching supplies, games, arts and crafts and a small monetary donation. You can't argue the fact that we didn't give while we were there.

One night towards the end of the week we were privileged to have a Haitian woman sing "Give Thanks" in Creole to us. It was a beautiful, incredibly humbling experience, and part of the trip the team will remember forever. Since the earthquake the whole country has been through so much loss and suffering, pain and heartache- I can't even imagine what it must be like. Most of the country doesn't have the basic necessities that we as Americans take for granted everyday like a roof over their head, food to eat, and a clean supply of water. Yet they know the secret to life, and because of this, they as a country are far "richer" than America. They don't use medicine to cope with their depression, they don't sit and wallow in self pity or complain about what they don't have, they take everything to the Lord and constantly singing praises to Him for what they do have. Being in Haiti was such a great reminder not only of how much of my life I take for granted, but also how we as Christians should be living on a daily basis.

When you get on the plane to come back home with empty suitcases and part of your heart still there, you realize that you've still received way more than you gave. As Thanksgiving is a day of proclaiming what you are thankful for I thought it would be an appropriate day to share the song "Give Thanks" with you.

What am I thankful for? The list is too long and could go on for days. So instead of listing each individual thanks, today (and everyday) I am giving thanks to God because He's given me His Son. As Haiti knows all of the earthly possessions I am thankful for could be gone in an instant, but nothing can ever take away my gift of eternal life. Thanks be to God!

Albanian Brain Dump

This is part of an email from Dawn, one of the missionaries in Albania. It paints a clearer picture of Albania and gives some insight into what it will be like to live there.

People: Albanians are very hospitable, if you walk down the road they will invite you into their home for coffee.  The personal space here is much smaller than Americans, people touch you (after they know you) and walking arm in arm with two women is common and with men too.  Relationship is many orders of magnitude more important than time in Albania.  (This is not true in America, we as a people are very time oriented) Women gather with Women, Girls with Girls, Boys with Boys and Men with Men.  This is a male dominated culture, one example, while in the store and they are adding up what I am buying, if a man comes in, the clerk will stop and take the man's order, then once he leaves continue with your order. Most of the time wives walk a step behind their husbands.  In general, when a couple come to our house for a visit, the woman will speak very little while the men will talk most of the time.  People do not walk down the street and look at others in the eye and never smile (as a women this send the message that you are available).  If you know someone, no matter how late you are, you must stop in the street and greet them, usually with a kiss on each cheek while shaking hands and ask about them and their health and their family...Things take more time here.

History: The Ottoman Turks conquered and ruled this area for 500 years, then there were a few years of independence, Italians tried to take over and then the Communist moved in for 50 years and declared Albania an atheist nation and one of the cruelest oppressions ever. In 1990-91, Communism fell and "Democracy" arrived.  The history of Albania has profoundly impacted the people, but the new generation (post communism) are very different. 

Home: The food here is amazing, if you like Mediterranean food.  There is very little fast food here, so you will doing most of your cooking.  We do not have dishwashers or clothes dryers.  Nearly all Albanians have TV's.  There are many internet cafe's in just about all areas.  Many of the stores out where we live and you will be living have a counter at the door and you must ask for what you want.  This is a built in language lesson!  Fruit and vegetables are available in season, not all year around.  Veal and Chicken and Mutton are the main meats, while pork is available but a little harder to find.  It does not snow here, but it does get cold enough a couple of days in the winter to cause the mud and the canals to freeze, which we are thankful to reduce the mosquito population.  When it is cold outside, it is cold inside because the homes are all block and concrete.  Gas heaters are available, but they vent in the room and over time cause headaches.  Electric heaters are available and great when we have reliable electricity.  Wood stoves are available, but are expensive and require lots of work. 

Spiritual:  70% are nominally Muslim, 20% are Orthodox, 10% Catholic.  Our family has worked mostly with nominally Muslim folks and some Catholic.  Our Muslim friends are Muslim in name only.  Most have never been in a mosque, never read the Koran, but own one and have it in a place of honor in their home.  Most are very superstitious and mystical and believe very much in the Evil Eye and fear it.  Most all building have things hanging from them to ward off the Evil Eye, dolls, garlic, horseshoe, animal horns, charsms...  Some children wear amulets around their necks with verses from the Koran in them. Many of these things have found their way into the believes of the Catholic people here too.  Unfortunately, since we are Free to be here so are the Jehovah Witness and the Morman's.  People here believe very strange things about Jesus and need people to share the TRUTH about who He is and why He came to earth.  Albanians do not mind talking about religious beliefs and discussing them, there is not a 'politically incorrect' feeling about this kind of talk. 

Albanian?

"What language do they speak in Albania?" is one of the most common questions I am asked next to: "where is Albania?" and "when are you leaving?" 

Yes, you guessed right, Albanian!  The dominant and official language is Albanian, a revised and merged form of the two main dialects, Gheg and Tosk, but with a bigger influence of Tosk as compared to the Gheg. Now, if that last sentence made any sense to you please send me a message and explain. 

What I gather is that Albanian is the last living language of it's type - meaning there are no other languages around today that are similar. This will make learning the language quite the adventure. And if for no other reason, you should continue to follow my blog to read about the wonderful stories that are "lost in translation" while I'm living in Albania. My favorite word thus far is: "gjashtëmbëdhjetë." Take a try. How would you pronounce it?  It is the number 16...and to my ear it is pronounced: jesh-movie-et. How'd ya do?

I am afraid that all of my English, the 8 years of Spanish, and one semester of Greek I took in school will be of no help as I try to learn this new language. But what the heck... I'm always up for an adventure! :-D

5 Signs I know Albanian is Going to Be Hard to Learn

By: Katie Hawkins

1. They don’t have a Rosetta Stone program for Albanian.
2. Albanian restaurants with waiters/waitresses to practice with are few and far between.
3. "No" is universal in almost every language and yes, I picked one of the few languages in which "no" doesn't mean no (jo-pronounced yo-means no).
4. I bust out laughing when I hear the pronunciation of  words because I have no idea how to move my mouth to get those sounds out.
5. It takes me 5 minutes to say anything resembling the word, 15 minutes to say anything resembling a short phrase, and we just won’t even think about full sentences yet...

Why Two Years?

This entry goes back to June. It is from a journal entry I wrote when I first started talking with Global Partners about missions work. I feel as though it perfectly answers the question: "why two years?"
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As if I haven't learned my lesson a million times over, I immediately start to plan out my life again. This is perfect. I will be a missionary. Leave in January 2011, serve until Nov. 2011, come home and join the CG in Dec. 2012. Is that what you want God? I ask after I tell Him how my life is going to work. 

 

I've got my perfect little plan in my head and share it with Tanya from Global Partners when I talk to her about my desire to do missions work. Very kindly she listened as I'm sure I sound like an idiot mapping my life out for her. She is very supportive, and really encourages me to serve overseas however long it is that I feel God is calling me to serve. Only for my knowledge though, she proceeds to tell me about their two year program- just so I can fully understand why they recommend serving for two years. She talks about building relationships, and learning the language and when people serving for a year come home they feel like their work is just beginning as they are leaving. Because of that people serving for at least two years feel a deeper sense of fulfillment. I let that brew in the back of my head and tell her I will prayerfully consider that as an option, and I did.  

 

After sharing the information with my mom and replaying our conversation a few times in my head I remembered something else she said about the two year program that didn't stick out at first. She mentioned that it is more of a sacrifice to give up two years of your life. Usually people can look into the future and say 'next year I will be doing this' but they never look out and say 'yeah, in two years...' It gives you the opportunity to give up your life for Jesus and completely put your trust in Him. 

God answered my prayer about the two year stint almost immediately. Two bible verses popped into my head. (I was thinking it was one, but I was getting them tangled together) The first was Matthew 10:39, "If you cling to your life, you will lose it; but if you give up your life for me, you will find it." and Mark 10:21, "Looking at the man, Jesus felt genuine love for him. 'There is still one thing you haven’t done,' he told him. 'Go and sell all your possessions and give the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.'” My plan was all wrong. With my plan to come home after serving for a year and jump into the CG I was not putting my trust completely in Him, I was clinging to my life. I was looking out for my best interests to find a situation that would better my life. But how can I better my life? I need to get over all of the material possessions and monetary wealth that the CG can provide and rely completely on God to provide for my needs. If I let go of the Coast Guard and the ideas that come along with it, I can let God work in my life and completely 100% trust in Him. Holy Cow. What a scary, yet liberating thought: not just saying I've given my life to God and that I trust him, but actually doing it. Wow!

What about the Coast Guard?

Before I heard if I was accepted into the Coast Guard or not I became really excited about the life the CG would provide for me. I would make a  fairly decent salary, have a housing allowance to afford a nice apartment, make enough to buy or lease a nice, new, Xterra. I would have enough money to pay off my student loan in a couple years. The GI bill would provide me the opportunity to go back to school and get my Masters compliments of the US Government. I could also use money from the GI bill or my AmeriCorps Ed. Award to buy a cutting edge, state of the art Mac to replace my 5 year old slowly dying pc. With military discounts and 30 vacation days a year I would be able to travel all over the world at a lower cost. I would have health insurance, life insurance and dental coverage. I would make a good pension. And I would have the ability to continue to move my way up in the CG thus making more money and if choosing to stay in long term I would have a really good retirement plan to fall back on when I retired after 25 years of service at age 50. Those are just the benefits that came along with the job. The job itself, though I didn't know what exactly I would be doing, seemed pretty exciting as well. Putting my life in danger to protect my fellow Americans. Not being stuck in a daily routine leaving room for boredom and discontent. Plus I would be doing a job where I could put others first and make a difference in the world...sounded wonderful!

Finding out I didn't make the August class was like a knife going through my heart. "Come on God, I've been so patient this year, waiting on where I thought you were leading me. I really thought this was your plan for my life. It doesn't make sense. I want to move on- now you're asking me to put my life on hold another 6 months to see if I can make it into the January class as the #22 alternate..." were the thoughts going through my head. I'm not going to lie, it hurt when I first found out I was wait listed as #22 for the January class, a class made up of 20 people. But God knows what He's doing, and who am I to question? I mean after all, throughout the whole process my prayers were "let Your will be done" and "if this is what You want for my life." After half a day of wallowing in self-pity and trying to come to terms with the decision that was made I tried to suck up my pride and praise God that I didn't get in even though it's what I wanted. 

I love the fact that God knows me better than myself. Seriously. It is quite humbling and really puts your life into perspective... God knows me so well and knows how much I love to travel, and how it's been on my heart to go overseas and do mission work that He closed the door on the CG to give me the opportunity to do that. To go overseas now, before I have a career, a home, a family, etc. the timing is perfect. Thank you Jesus!