Plumpers and Pumpkins

"The plumper is here!!!" 

Irida burst into the bible study right as we were about to begin. She was out of breath. 

She had messaged me earlier and told me she was going to bring the plumper by today because I had told her about the problem in my shower. She knows a plumper because he lives in her apartment building. 

"I have been knocking downstairs for 10 minutes! What is wrong with you guys??" She said. 

Have I mentioned we have a bullet proof door? I'm serious. There's not even a door knob. You need a key to open it. It's a 3 inch thick metal wall. 

When we first moved here we told the landlord we needed a new door because the old one was paper thin glass. So she got us a bullet proof one from Tirana. Makes perfect sense. 

Anyways, we can't ever hear anyone knocking because the door is so thick. 

Poor plumper. 

The shower doesn't drain. You can imagine taking a shower in a tub that barely drains. Ew. 

After I let the plumper in we continued with our first girls bible study in Pogradec! 

We have been having girls nights every week for a few months and decided now was the time to shift it into a bible study. The girls had even been asking if we were going to do that. 

We are going to go through the book of John. 

Today I did an introduction amidst babbling baby girls, translation pauses, and stick figure drawings. I always use stick figures and pictures to explain the Bible. Teenagers and even adults are really no different than kids when being taught. Everyone likes to be amused. And believe me, my drawings are very amusing. 

We talked about why we should study the Bible. 

We talked about how the Bible is many different stories but it is also one big story of God's plan for humanity. 

We talked about Adam and Eve and Israel and the promised Messiah. 

Every time I explain God's plan of salvation in simple terms I am stuck by its power all over again.  

I am so looking forward to this bible study with these girls. Please pray for this time! That the Lord would cause it to bear fruit, and use it in their lives. 

At the end, everyone stayed and danced to Albanian music for a long time. You hold hands and do the steps in a big circle. 

Then we all went on a xhiro which I have written about before HERE. 

And I was thinking about how everything we did this afternoon, were some of the first things that drew Cory and I to Albania. 

Their hunger for the Word and for Truth. 

Their fun and loud culture where everyone loves to sing and dance. 

Their emphasis on community and friendship. Even if this means walking arm and arm as slow as you possibly can for an hour and just laughing and talking. 

On our xhiro today the girls were teaching me some Albanian. They always get so exasperated at us. They think it is so easy and we are so dumb. Hahahaha...

I explained to them that Albanian actually IS HARD. 

In English a hat, is a hat, is a hat. It's a blue hat. It's the boy's hat. Its the hat that was given to the boy. It's a HAT. One word. 

In Albanian EVERY noun is in at least 10 different forms! Usually more. And I thought it was just the colors...

They also told me my belly is getting SO big. How nice. In America we just go around telling pregnant women how good they look-"Wow! You don't even look pregnant!" In Albania, they tell you you are getting fat. It's meant as a compliment but how am I supposed to take it that way? Oh well. 

Also today....

*Our power went out roughly 42 times. 

"The Almighty" came to fix it. He is called this because of his uncanny ability to ATTEMPT to fix all things. This means he can fix everything and nothing all at the same time. 

I am praying that in the situation he is more Almighty than not. Because, Shiloh's cloth diapers only last so long and I need electricity to do laundry. 

** I decided to make pumpkin puree so I could make pumpkin cookies for the girls bible study. 

If you are looking for a good way to bust open a pumpkin...drop it. 

I started to cut it but didn't have the patience. So I went out on the balcony, lifted it over my head, and dropped it. 

I looked up and 3 men on the next balcony were staring at me. 

They probably would have been staring at me anyways. I was wearing mismatched sweats and had a mess of a pony tail on my head. 

***Shiloh Belle is a wild child. She makes us laugh all day. Here is one of her favorite faces to make. 

****Cramer Baby 2 is 13 weeks and growing (obviously since I keep getting told how much bigger my belly is). 

*****Right now Pogradec is in an uproar. It's 9:30 at night and I'm inside my house but it sounds like I'm in a stadium. There is a qualifying game for the Euro Tournament. Futbol. They are playing Serbia. Albanians and Serbs DO NOT like each other. Majorly because of the events that took place during the Kosovo crisis (which I know little about). People were wrapped in Albanian flags in the street today. Cory is watching the game with some kids at a coffee shop down the road. He just texted me that they may close the game because of the fighting and explosions going on by the stadium in Serbia. 

Well, hopefully Albania wins. And hopefully when they do, they don't wake Shiloh up with their whooping and cheering. 

American Lottery

Did you know there is an American Green Card Lottery? 

Every year 50,000 people from selected more impoverished countries in the world are given Green Cards and a chance to move to America and "live the American Dream."

The first or second night of every English Camp, the talk is about "Hopes, Dreams and Goals." Where do you want to go in life? What would make you the most happy? What are your deepest desires and hopes? 

For a majority of the students, their ultimate dream, is to move to America. 

America represents opportunity. 

We would always ask them where in America they wanted to go...thinking it would be LA or New York or Chicago. 

"CON-NEC-TI-CUT." They would sound out each syllable. 

"Where??" 

"CO-NEC-TIC-CUT." More annunciation. 

"...Oh, I don't know where that is." 

Finally, you realize they are saying Connecticut and you are even more confused. 

Your dream is to go to America and you want to live in Connecticut??? 

You try to hold in your confusion...I don't want to burst anyones bubble. I mean, I've never been to Connecticut so maybe its absolutely glorious. 

Come to find out most of them want to go where they already have family. Why they already have family in Connecticut I will never know. 

"How do you plan on getting there?" You begin to ask kids. 

"I want to win the lottery." They all say. 

"The lottery?" And I'm thinking, this is one of the poorest countries in Europe and they have a lottery??? Again, you don't want to burst anyones bubble and say "look, the chances of you winning the lottery are slim to none so maybe you need to come up with a more realistic dream." 

Instead you ask, "How much is the lottery?" 

After a lot of translating and explaining you realize they aren't talking about a cash lottery but a lottery to get a free Green Card to America. 

This still seems like a slim to none chance. How many people get to go? 

October is the month you can apply for the lottery so right now everyone is talking about it. 

We recently found out that about 5,000 Albanians are chosen PER YEAR. 

In a country of only 3 million that's actually more than a slim to none chance considering not everyone is eligible to apply. 

You have to have a certain level of education or job experience. 

You have to have someone you know or family waiting to take care of you in America until you can establish yourself. 

In fact, we know a few people in the last years who have gone to America through this lottery system. 

So its not a vast amount of people but its enough to create HOPE. 

We were recently asked what we foresaw being one of greatest setbacks in ministry. I believe this has something to do with it. 

Most students want to leave Albania. That is their highest goal. 

I used to think they didn't understand. That they had an unrealistic picture of America. That they were placing their hope in something that would inevitably disappoint them. 

But the more I am here, the more I understand. 

The systems here are riddled with corruption. 

You bribe the doctor to give you the correct diagnosis. 

You pay your teacher to give you the grade you deserve. 

You slip cash in your passport at border control to cut in front of 40 cars. 

Because I am from America, I see all the problems with it, but I do forget about the opportunity it provides. 

If you work HARD, their is a great potential that you can achieve your goals. 

And that statement is all relative. 

I don't mean anyone can live in Beverly Hills or own a yacht. 

The goals Albanians are dreaming of is getting a job that pays for food and electricity. They want to live very simply. 

Not having to bribe your teacher to give you the grade you actually deserve. 

Not having to have your electricity shut off in the winter because you can't pay the last year of bills. 

There are VERY few jobs, even if you have a college education. 

And they will work together and work HARD for these things. They might run into obstacles and hard times and confusion in America, but not necessarily the brick walls of corruption they run into here. 

And it is not only America that they go to. They go to Italy, Germany, France, Greece and many other places. In fact, most of the money in Albania comes from family members sending it from the outside. Of the 6 million Albanians in the world, only 3 of them actually live here. Most of them, especially this younger generation, want to get out. 

I guess I don't really know how to respond when people tell us they just want to leave. 

It's a little bit of an odd feeling when you have left your home and your family to come and love them. 

But at the same time, I understand. I understand wanting to pursue a different life than subsistence farming or owning a tiny shop in front of your house. 

So we can pray: that the Lord would raise up strong leaders that would be passionate about their people knowing who Christ is. And we are so thankful to already see that happening. 

And its also good to remind ourselves that we are here to serve and obey. We will work hard. We will give these people our all. We will be faithful testimonies of Jesus. But we aren't responsible for the results. That is all God. We can plant seeds and water the plants, but only God can make them grow and bear fruit. 

And we are thankful to watch as God works! 

This fall, 5 bible studies have started at our little church plant in Pogradec! 

Last year this time there was 1. 

There are people in the street asking if we have a children's ministry or a women's bible study they and their kids can come to. 

The spiritual climate is overwhelmingly beautiful. 

There is hunger and hopelessness. 

There is teachability and thirst. 

We are so thankful to throw ourselves into ministry with these people.

Cory speaking at the Youth Meeting 

Who is the Bathroom?

I wrote this last week and never posted it: 

Right now there are 3 men in my house YELLING. 

The man (we will refer to him as "The Hairy Man" because he has more hair on his arms than I do on my head) who installed our "heating system" for 4 days apparently didn't know what he was doing. 

AT ALL. 

We first realized this when the stove began to smoke. 

Then we heard an explosion. 

Cory was the first to realize the explosion came from Shiloh's room where she was sleeping. 

He opened the door and it was full of steam so that he couldn't even see the crib. 

Thank the Lord she was unharmed. 

A boiling tube of water exploded. 

The Hairy Man came to see what the problem was, said it wasn't his fault and left. 

That was yesterday. 

Today, another man (we will call him "The Smoker Man" because he probably smoked a whole pack from the time he got here until the time he left) who has installed systems like this before, came to see what had been done wrong. 

He started laughing, taking pictures and I kept hearing the word "bomb." 

Maybe that means something else in Albanian? 

Finally our friend Klodi translates..."This is like a bomb." 

"NO, not like, it's BOMB." The Smoker Man says. "This is all wrong you have to throw it out." 

"It's upside down. It is bomb. What was this man doing?" 

Beyond that he didn't put a safety valve on the stove so there was no way of controlling the heat from making the water too hot. At least that's what I understood. 

We call The Hairy Man to come over so The Smoker Man can explain to him what he did wrong. 

That was about an hour ago and they have been storming around my house yelling since then. 

I didn't realize I was stressed until I went into my room and ate a whole Snickers bar. 

Basically, the whole system has to be removed. It doesn't work in our home. 

The stove was the wrong size. 

The pipes were going the wrong direction. 

The boiler thing was way too small. 

Furthermore, the system wasn't built to code. So it was illegal in a sense. 

This means all 5 radiators and the stove need to be returned.

The Hairy Man refuses to be responsible...

That was last week. 

Since then we have come up with some conclusions. The system that was in our house will be used in our church building. We are going to have a different system installed tomorrow by The Smoker Man who is very good at what he does. 

O bobo. That is that they say in Albanian when things like this happen. It's kind of like "Good grief." O bobo. I'm probably butchering the spelling but thats what it sounds like. 

I have mentioned before that "life takes longer." This is what I mean. There were 4 days of men in our house drilling holes and covering our house in dust, only to find out they did it all wrong and we have to start all over. 

The electricity went out last week when we were gone for the night. It didn't come back on. When we got home, everything in our fridge was bad and everything in our freezer had melted. I had been stockpiling food for the winter in the freezer and had to throw a lot of it away. 

My doctor (It is true Baby Cramer 2 is on the way, we put a pic on Instagram to announce it :)) is 3 hours away. 

There is no garbage disposal or dishwasher. 

My dryer takes 2 hours. Or 4. Or 6 when the electricity goes out every 1/2 hour.

Sometimes there's a house in the middle of the road. 

Obviously things like this happen in America or anywhere, it is just more common here. It is a part of every day life, not an out of the ordinary hiccup. 

We were in Greece for a day this week to get some things that we can't in Albania. 

There is a Starbucks in Thessaloniki. There are trash cans along the side walks. There are places to buy clothes for Shiloh at a reasonable price. There are different kinds of restaurants that have more than sausages and bread. There is no dust. 

It was a little bit overwhelming at first. 

I don't want to dwell on the things that are hard about living in Albania. I love it here. I love the mountains and the lake. I love the people. I love the hunger for truth, the questions about Jesus and the opportunities to share with everyone. 

When I think, "Gosh this dust is horrible," I just push past it and remove it from my mind. 

When the smells of burning meat and trash on the street turn my pregnant stomach, I just think about something else. 

But going to a place where those things were absent, made me realize how much I actually do think about them. Especially how much my pregnant brain thinks about them. Because a Kristine pregnant brain and a Kristine unpregnant brain, are two very different brains. 

I really hate the dust and trash. 

I really don't like the smells of sewage and raw fish.  

I really want Chipotle. Like really bad. 

I really don't like when the butcher hands me bloody cow money. 

And Cory and I were talking about how crazy, amazing, scary and enveloping the plan of God is. 

He didn't pick us to come here because we love to rough it. I hate camping. I don't understand how its a vacation. Like its more work than real life. 

He didn't pick us to come here because we don't care about material things. I like shopping. I like things I don't need. I like putting my baby in cute clothes that will only fit her for a week. I like fall decorations and Trader Jo's seasonal snacks.  

He didn't pick us to come here because we love to eat bread 3x a day. Bread makes me fat. Bread makes me sick. I personally believe there will be a Chipotle, a Stonefire, and a Chick-Fil-A in Heaven. And everything in Trader Jo's. 

He didn't pick us to come here because we are super smart. I still cannot get it in my head that "Ku" is "Where" and "Kush" is "Who?" Therefore, I always want to say "Who is the bathroom?" 

In fact, I don't really know why he picked us to come to Albania. But I know he did. I know He laid it on our hearts and gave us a passion for this place and these people. And I know that we told him we would do anything. And I know that we told him we wanted to truly be used by Him even though we don't deserve to be. 

And I know that He wants to grow us and change us. And we've asked Him to do that. And maybe we are just extra stubborn, snobby people that have to be thrown way out of our comfort zone to be changed at all. 

And I know that He wants us to rely on Him. If this was easy or we thought we were "good at it" it would destroy our ministry. 

But as it is, we are very much out of our element. We are very much trusting in God that if this is what He wants from us, He will help us. 

And I wasn't planning on writing any of that, but it's just what came out. That's what I was thinking about yesterday. 

I'm thankful for the prayers and encouragement of many. We are so blessed to be here, amazed at the Lord's guidance in our life and so excited to see what He will do.

Making Fire

Our life here, at times, has been one incredible adventure of traveling back in time. 

We are currently having a wood stove installed. 

My home is COVERED in a layer of dust because they have been drilling holes in the walls all day. 

We will buy wood, stack in on our balcony, and from that wood will heat our house this winter. 

I know a thing or two about many life skills...

I can check the oil in my car...not change it of course, but check it. 

I can tell you if your tire is flat. 

I can punch an address into google maps and get directions. 

I can cook thanks to Pinterest. 

I can sew a square pillow...yes that's the one I'm probably most impressed with myself for. 

BUT...

I do not know how to start a fire from a chunk of wood. 

I do not know how to live in the snow. 

I do not know how to BE cold. When we snow skied in Brian Head, I cried. 

Seattle for a year just about did me in. 

And now I have a wood stove. 

And I will learn. Things that I never really wanted to learn but now will out of necessity. 

If I could live in 100+ degree dry heat for the rest of my life I would be perfectly happy. I love to be hot. I love the sun. I didn't have air conditioning in my car for years in the Southern California summers and I just liked that I could leave for work with wet hair and arrive ten minutes later with it dry. 

SO...the LORD is S T R E T C H I N G me. Sometimes on rainy days I feel as though He is asking me...

Do you really love these people? 

Will you really go anywhere? 

Will you have joy even when the summer isn't hot and the winter is full of snow? 

I get it. This sounds dramatic. To some it is a joke. 

But everyone has their struggles. 

This is mine. I love the heat and I don't get it here. I hate the snow and I sure will get it. 

BUT, I KNOW this is where the Lord has us. I LOVE these people. I feel so blessed that he has brought us here. 

So I will be sure to let you know when I build my first fire (I wish I could use emojis on here...I would use the fist bump one in this instance).

In other news...

*Last week, we went on a little family vacation to spend some time together, rest from the summer and get a little sun before the winter hits. Because in many senses, our home is our ministry, (we have events and bible studies and an open door policy) we kind of need to leave Pogradec to spend quality time together. 

So we packed up and drove away. We didn't REALLY know where we were going or where we were going to stay. But that was part of the adventure. 

We drove to the coast of Albania. It is very beautiful and untouched. We found an awesome spot close to the beach.  It was such a blessing and we are very thankful after such a full summer. 

Beautiful Albanian Coast

**The last day of our vacation I was struck with some kind of bubonic plague sickness that knocked me out for the next five days. Cory and Shiloh had some great bonding time while I tried to let my body heal. Today is the first day I have felt normal.

***In the midst of all of this, two of our FAVORITE people are here right now. It has been so great to catch up, hear about their summer and spend time with them. 

****There is currently a Futbol (soccer) camp going on for boys ages 12-14 this week. There were 100 this morning! NONE of these boys come to the church. Every night they have a meeting where they are walking through the gospel. Please pray for Cory as he teaches tonight. From this we are hoping to begin a Bible study with this younger age group. 

Now I have to go sweep and scrub away the 6 inch layer of dust covering everything in my home :) 

When the Teams Leave

In the last 10 days....

*I have been struck by the incredible lack of jobs here. It is truly heart breaking.The girl I mentioned HERE came to my house yesterday because we have begun reading the Bible together. I read it in Albanian and she corrects me and translates. 

Her mom is in need of a surgery. I couldn't quite understand what kind, but I believe she needs to have her gall bladder removed. The recovery will take about 3 weeks. 

But here is the problem: Her mom has 3 jobs. Her Dad has none. He had a job for 15 years and was fired. Because he went to school and was trained for that specific job, he has been unable to find another one for years. This probably largely also has to do with the fact that he is an alcoholic. 

Her mom takes care of an older woman every day and cleans a house and a medical clinic. If she were to take the time off for the surgery, she would LOSE ALL HER JOBS. She would lose all her jobs, and the family would therefore have no income. 

I don't know how to help. They don't need money for the surgery. Her mom needs a job when she recovers. Actually, she needs multiple jobs. Jobs that will support her and her husband for the rest of their lives. 

I asked this girl if she could work her moms jobs while she recovers but the employers will not allow that. 

Another lady I know has a little stand by the lake where she sells little trinkets and snacks. Her husband used to beat her. Then he left her. She has a 5 year old little boy. She looks so sad every day that I have a hard time saying hi to her. If she does not sell the little items that 18 other people along the water sell, she won't be able to provide for herself and her little boy. 

There is an 8 year old girl named Esmeralda that sells sunflower seeds along the water all day long almost every day. I don't believe her Dad is in the picture. Her mom sells some other things. This is there only income. Esmeralda always comes and gives Shiloh and I big hugs. She is the sweetest thing and I wish I could take her home with me, feed her lots of food, and let her play like the 8 year old little girl she is. 

**I said goodbye to my sister Lissy and my friend Natalie a few days ago. They have been here for 6 weeks. And it hit me that I live here in Pogradec all over again. All of a sudden, my family felt very far away. This will be the longest time that Lissy and I will go without seeing each other and I don't know what I would have done without her this summer. When we moved here, I knew that she was coming soon. Now she is gone and I can't believe how quickly the six weeks went by. It was really hard to see her go. But, it also made me thankful that the Lord has made His path so clear to us. In the midst of the sadness of being away from family, I have peace knowing that we are in the center of God's will. There is such joy in that! 

***This week marks the first time in 5 months that our little family of 3 has lived alone. It was a little bit of a shock waking up in the morning with no one in our house. I keep thinking someone will stumble down the stairs and pour themselves a cup of coffee. I can hear people walking around upstairs in my head. In the last 5 weeks we have had over 30 people stay in our home, sometimes 20 at once. And it was PERFECT because that is what our home was designed for! There is a room upstairs that has 3 triple bunk beds. There is a room with more bunks and pull out couches. There were mats and bags COVERING the floor. But there was plenty of room and space and it was such a blast to use our home in this way!

Yes, there were TIMES when we had 20 people in our house that I felt like I was in the middle of a mosh pit...

The pile of dusty shoes made me feel a little panicky. 

The creaking doors and loud voices that woke Shiloh up an hour early were not my favorite. 

The pile of cloth diapers I had to wash began to smell like a moldy hamster cage because my laundry machine was occupied. 

The 30 hungry people in my kitchen was a bit of an adjustment to only cooking for Cory.  

But it was SO FUN and such a BLESSING...

To have all the bunk beds upstairs full of people excited to serve in Albania. 

To have meals with so many dear friends. 

To stay up late laughing and talking and sharing about what the Lord is doing. 

To have so many people love on, play with and giggle with Shiloh. 

To share our life, our ministry and our passion for Albania. 

I am so glad that our summers will always be full. Full of old friends. Full of new relationships. Full of mattresses and bags on the floor. Full of dusty shoes. 

****These are some of the boys that haunt our house. Many of them came to camp. I wish they could live with us too. 

***** There are about 80 old men that sit outside all day, every day and play dominoes or chess or something. They wear the coolest clothes and hats and I just want to sit with them and hear their stories. 

******I had a girls night at my house on Tuesday. We simply met these girls through the camps. They were invited, they came. Some of them claimed Christ for the first time. The hope is that this slowly changes into a Bible study. Rather than feeling like I don't know where to begin, I feel like there is SO MUCH TO DO that I will never be able to do it. There are so many girls that are hungry for the truth. There are so many girls that need to understand how precious they are to Christ. So I pray that Jesus would bring me the right ones. The ones that he wants me to love and minister to. 

*******We are so THANKFUL that this is our home. We are so thankful for the relationships built this summer. We are so thankful for hearts that were changed by the power of the gospel. We also KNOW that the real work is going to begin now. The discipleship, the relationship building, the LANGUAGE study. Thank you for being a part of what the Lord is doing here!