"IT'S
ONLY THE BEGINNING"
After working together for a week with Elia, Gloria, Stefania
and Federico, on the day they left, we completed the working
in the kitchen, but there were still many other jobs to be finished
in the flat. On the following day, Sunday, we went to the meeting
at Nehemia church were the whole assembly prayed for us and
for the work we are preparing to do in the villages. After the
Sunday meeting there was an inauguration ceremony of Carlo's
school, witch is directed by the church.
Everything was
going on so well that we almost expect an attack from the enemy
and didn't have to wait long. On that time Sunday, we had news
of the murder of a politician. This event could easily have
become a very dangerous thing for this country with no political
stability, so in order to avoid any danger, we sadly postponed
all meetings for the week in the villages of Stropkë and Bratomire.
I believe that the worst day we passed was on Monday, when from
the early morning we had news that Albania was on the verge
of civil war. Our son Carlo was on his first school day, most
shops in Pogradec had been emptied of good by their owners for
fear of vandalistic act; the situation was very  tense.
In the afternoon we had a visit from Enkela, Kristi and Mira
(these are 3 dear young people who help us with translation
and children's work), our neighbour Nuci and his family, came
to tell us that if we needed help in any way they would help
us. After this Arnold Geiger, from Nehemia Centre, also came
and brought us various telefon numbers in order to create a
network of information, so that whatever needed to be done,
could be easily ,should the situation become dangerous. Toward
evening, about 300m from our house, we heard gun and Kalashmikov
shots, just the following day heard that armed gangs had attacked
the police station and the central bank,exploding a grenade
in the centre of Pogradec, one man died and there were many
injured people. From this moment on, we heard hooting all over
the town and this went on all night. Some of this gangs came
even under our windows, shooting. Dear brother and sister, we
were really afraid, because we didn't know how things
would
turn on or what would happen. Linda, Nuci's daughter, who was
Pastor Enke's translator, came and stayed with us until 11 p.m.;
at this time Nuci
came and reassured us that most of the
shooting we heard was by the dealers of the street who were
protecting their shops, so after a while we went to bed. During
the next day tension was still very high in Pogradec and in
the afternoon a man with a van was robbed and killed, even through
the night we heard Kalashmikov shots. For almost four days my
wife Luciana and our little daughter Ester, did not leave the
house; I only took Carlo to the schoolbus and did some shopping
to get the most necessary thinks, then for the rest of the day
we would all remaing indoor, doing those job not yet done. The
situation became a little more like normal after 5 or 6 days.
On Sunday it was a great pleasure for me to be invited to preach
at Nehemia church, witch
count around 100 members. On Tuesday 22nd September we had a
first meeting in Stropckë with only three people present: Dafina,
Mira and Dafina's mother (these are two girls we have told about
in previous newsletter). These girl spread the information about
this meeting all around the village, but many were reluctant
to come and other said they had the work, etc... There are now,the
on 10th October, added to the Stropckë group, about 7 or 8 children
and a boy. At the moment we are trying to care for Dafina and
Mira's spiritual condition so that we could have two faithful
coworkers prepared for the time in which the Lord will call
others. In this village, about two year ago, there were 24 person
baptised .
The situation in Bratomire is quite different,
in the first 2 meeting there were 20 adult present (mostly women)
and 20 children, although we think that only a few of these
are believers, or at least had taken part in the meeting with
Ps. Enke, others really need to be saved. On 8th October meeting
the children were almost 50 and adult 20. During this meeting
there were 2 wonderful testimonies that God had answered 2 prayers
request made a couple of week before: one the almost immediate
healing of the sister who gives us hospitality, and the other
one a definite answer for a girl who longed to attend a Senior
Secondary School even thought the family had serious difficulties.
This resulted in a great interest of the Gospel message of the
mother.
Regarding the village of Blaçe we have no contact
yet.
As you know, these last two villages are found in the
inland countryside, and in order to reach them, we have to travel
for 13 km (both ways) on a muletrack road in a very bad condition.
Each time we drive there with our car (we are always 5 adult
and 2 children) we have serious difficulties, very
often the car engine hits on the enormous stones all over the
road and we thank the Lord every time that the weather has been
good, but if it starts to rain it will be impossible to reach
the villages, and it will be even worse soon in a few month's
time, when it start to snowing (these villages are around 1200
metres above sea level). We are thinking of renting a private
van, but we have no idea of the cost and of course this would
not give us complete autonomy always to carry out an efficient
pastoral work.
On Monday the 5th October Stefania Manara
Marchi arrived from Grosseto, after a real adventurous journey
and countless difficulties with the police block, during which
the police were not very cordial to us. Stefania has now settled
in her room comfortably, ready to serve the Lord with us in
this mission.
This mission field needs your unceasing prayers,
encouragement and many other things, one particular urgent is
a land rover, this would allow is to reach all the villages.
We thank you for all the great effort you have made so, that
this mission in Albania could get started. A very special thank
you to Elia and Gloria who have given themselves totally to
keep move this plan of God; to Pastor Emanuel Enke who began
this work and has honoured us so we could succeed him in this
work, and the church in Germany which has granted us to have
a comfortable flat (we are doing all possible to make it more
copy).
All the brothers and sisters and missionaries in Albania
send you their warmest greetings.
Sandro, Luciana, Carlo and Ester. |
For
any contact about the mission, write to: 
