February 2009 Newsletter

The weather has been very wintery this month which met that we made a fire in our wood stove at the school every morning and kept it going all day long. Many of our students have suffered from terrible colds and one of Allison’s students even went to the hospital due to a cold. She did not need to be hospitalized. We are grateful to have stayed in good health.

Lots of Students:
Usually our fall and winter schedule is to teach classes in the afternoons and evenings, but this year we have been very busy with morning students as well. Both of us are teaching a large number of morning and afternoon students. One of the biggest reasons for this change is that one of the high schools and one of the elementary schools (grades 1-9) have been reconstructed and refurbished this year, so these students are going to school in the afternoon instead of the mornings. The plan was that the students would return to morning classes in January, but the schools were too damp and cold so this did not happen. So many morning students have been good and a little hard. It has helped clear up spots for new students in our afternoon, but since our mornings were when we got things done: studying, paying bills, shopping etc. It has been a challenge.

Campaign:
Please consider campaign. Albania is one of the most interesting places we have ever visited and the Albanian people are so welcoming. We love living here and teaching the Bible is such a joy. The materials we use are not difficult to teach and are used for correspondence in many parts of the world. We have learned, though, that the one-on-one personal interactions have really helped bring these materials to life for our students, and even the most reluctant students are excited about reading the Bible after a few lessons. This is also very important for those who are attending worship and the Christians here because it gives them another Christian example. We are in need of teachers for this year’s campaign, and we ask that you prayerfully consider being a part of this work.

Eva Bala:
For those of you who have been praying for Eva Bala we have good news. She attended worship for the first time this month. It was a good step in the right direction. She has been teaching with us for a year and this was the first time she has attended. We did not want to force her, but have encouraged her. She is very interested in the book of Hebrews and Kevin is preaching on this book right now. She has been asking a lot of questions. We hope and pray that this is just the beginning.

Visiting Tirana and Durres:
We needed to renew our passports because they were due to expire this year, so we thought we would make the 4.5 hour trip worth the gas: scheduling a doctors appointment for Allison, stopping by a factory that sells English books and Bible materials, and various other activities that can only be done in the capital. We had the pleasure of staying with Ellen Walker, a missionary in Tirana for the night, and we visited Durres on the way home. In Durres, which is about an hour away from Tirana, we got to have lunch and catch up with Cimi and Anila Kafagiu. They are good friends that we do not get to see often and it is so nice to see them when we are in that part of the country.

Prayer Requests:
Continued health of Allison and the baby: Allison is currently 22 weeks pregnant and she and the baby have been in good health thus far.

Rosa and Eddie: We are still visiting Rosa and her son Eddie every week after morning worship. Rosa seems to understand and really loves studying the Bible, but is not ready to make any life changes right now. She is still really struggling with the grief of loosing her daughter Mira about a year and a half ago. Eddie, 32, has really been struggling with drugs, friendships, a lack of desire to work, and his marriage falling apart. For a couple of weeks this month, he listened and participated in the Bible lesson at his home, but he runs hot and cold. We are continuing to pray for his growth. The family has really been struggling because Rosa and Eddie are both out of work. Rosa received some news this week though that she may be getting her old job back when one of the employees retires.

Church growth and Male interest: Please continue to pray for this because we have really not had much male interest at all either from students or from others. This has made our work difficult. Kevin is still preaching, leading prayers and singing in Albanian, but we would love to have more males to help. There is a group of three ladies who have been attending for about a year or more and understand about baptism and have talked about it, but have not made this commitment yet. Please pray for these ladies: Klotilda, Bruna, and Ola.

Thank you for your continued interest in our work,

Kevin and Allison Morrill