Newsletter October 2008

This month we got our wood for the winter and a wood stove for the school. With concrete walls and tile floors, it can get a bit chilly. We are grateful that the cold weather at the beginning of the month did not continue, and we have only had to light a few fires.

Men’s Day:
On Saturday, October 18, Kevin traveled with Virgil Mitka, from the church in Pogradec, to the National Men’s day in Durres. This year the Adriatic Church hosted the event. It was so nice to see brothers from many different cities and to renew friendships. These events are always a big blessing.

Visit to Tirana:
On Sunday October 19, we visited the church in Tirana. We had promised Aurora that we would visit the church with her and introduce her to some of the members. Aurora is now a college student in Tirana. She was baptized in February, but this was only the second service that she has attended because her home in Erseika is over an hour from Korca. She really seemed to enjoy herself. We also had a coffee with some of the members so that she could get to know them a bit better. We are praying that her family will allow her to attend. Aurora is now living with relatives in Tirana and cannot make many decisions for herself. Her family is Muslim, and she shared with us how difficult it was for her to become a Christian. Three Sundays have passed since our visit and she has not attended again. We are praying she is allowed to come and that she will not get to busy from school work to attend.

Visitors:
We were blessed by the visit of Ajald Celmata, Arlind and Besmir Veshti. These brothers traveled from Durres after the Men’s day to help with Sunday service on October 19. These men helped with preaching, song leading and other responsibilities in worship while we were in Tirana. They came Saturday night, and we had the pleasure of showing them around Korca before we left for Tirana Sunday morning. It is so nice to have visitors even for such a short time. We have known Ajald for six years; he was a member of the body in Durres when we moved to Durres in 2002. It has been wonderful to see him grow and mature in the Lord.

Fun Day:
Eva Balla, the English teacher who works with us, planned a fun day for her beginning English students. There were about 50 students who ranged in age from 11 to 18 (the older students were busy with family activities). Activities included a cooking contest, a quiz show, and various other games. This activity was so well received that we hope to have an activity like this for our students as well.

Prayer Requests:
Please keep Rosa in your prayers. She is having a very difficult time finding a job and this is making her very depressed. She has been working full-time since she was about 15 and it has become part of her identity. Losing her job was loosing part of herself. On a positive note, she spends some of her free time reading her bible. Also pray for her son Eddie. He has lost his will to work. Since he left prison in June, he has begun and left over five different jobs. Unfortunately, Eddie never got a college education, and he does not like manual labor. His new wife is supporting the family with her income as a seamstress, and it is causing a lot of stress in the family. Pray that Eddie will have a desire to work and to know more about God. His initial interest in spiritual matters has gone way. His wife Eleina is very interested and attends church when she is not working, but he has never attended.

Please also pray for church growth and male interest. In Albania like most places people want to join groups that are big. Also they like to come with friends. Because we have lost our two male members, who could attend in the morning, to moves we are having trouble encouraging other males to come to a church that is mostly female. We are very pleased with the ladies who are attending though, three of whom are Muslim but definitely on their way to becoming Christians.

Please pray for Ola, she is one of the young ladies who attends. Her family is Muslim, and she wants to become a Christian but her mother does not want her to change religions. She has been attending the church for years and has been Allison’s translator for children’s bible class for over a year. We do not want to create a road block between her and her parents. Please pray that her parents will consent.

Praise the Lord:
Our Albanian is improving, and we are feeling more comfortable using it. Some days are harder than others, but we are also having more “aha” moments. We know that there will always be people who cannot understand us, but more people are moving into the other category.


To see new pictures from this month go to:
http://www.korcachurchesofchrist.com/pictures.html


In His Service,

Kevin and Allison Morrill