After for 1 Week

Yes, that's the kind of English we've been hearing lately. We are talking differently too as we try to explain everything in very simple terms. 

Here is Shiloh with all her new friends in church. 

There is not a nursery because babies are always held and there wouldn’t be enough nursery workers to hold all the babies. They are rarely put down and they don’t do tummy time. 

I have also been laughed at for being too rough with her…

And yelled at because she wasn’t dressed warmly enough. Women walk up, grab her feet and start yelling at me in Albanian. I don’t know what they are saying, but I know they are scolding me. I have learned to say “I don’t understand,” and “only English.”  

It is probably 80 degrees but they think that if you don’t literally turn your baby into an Eskimo, they will get sick. 

Here is Cory right before he begins driving through Tirana for the first time. Tirana is technically 2 1/2 hours away. 

Part of the road is covered in pot holes, part of the road is winding through mountains, and on the rest of the road there are cars flying at you ON THE WRONG SIDE OF THE ROAD, so that they can pass the slow trucks. 

Driving here is a whole different ball game. There are lanes but it seems like you can pass on the other side of the road if you feel the person in front of you is going too slow. 

In traffic you’re just not supposed to stop. Everyone assumes that no one is stopping so everyone times it accordingly. I guess. There aren’t many stop signs or lights. Everyone just goes. 

Most of the time I close my eyes and pray. 

Currently, our kitchen is being put in, our walls are being painted and we are finding furniture and appliances. I got a pink fridge and I love it. 

In the meantime we are staying with our friends Erion and Melodie Dielli who are leading the church plant here in Pogradec. We met them 2 years ago when we first came to Albania and Cory and I said to each other that one day, we would love to work with them! They have been incredible hosts and we don’t know what we would do without them. They have a baby girl around Shiloh’s age but we have to try to keep them apart because Shiloh tries to eat everything she touches. 

All of these things are so exciting but are also teaching us and keeping us patient. 

We are recognizing that things in Albania do not go as quickly as they do in America. Which is not wrong, just different. Life goes at a slower pace. 

They have a saying here: “avash avash” and it means “little by little.” It is said with a shrug of the shoulders and it apparently solves all issues here. We first learned that phrase while we were waiting for 3 hours to pick up our car that we thought was already ready to go. 

We are working hard and everything is getting done avash avash. 

Even when we do get settled in our home, and after the summer full of camps, most of our time will be spent studying the language HARD. We will have to wait to disciple, begin bible studies, train, teach and truly get to know people.

But “avash avash” we will learn and our days will be filled with people and ministry. We cannot wait for that. But preparation is vital. We want to begin well. We want to set ourselves up, Lord willing, to have a long and fruitful ministry here. 

It is neat to watch Erion and Melodie and the incredible impact they have. We feel privileged to be serving with them. 

And here is Shiloh at youth group just because I love this picture.