170 Worship God in Tirana, Albania!

On March 14, 2010 the Tirana Church celebrated its 10th aniversary.  The week leading up to the aniversary service was filled with excitement, prayer, outward-focused programs and a lot of evangelizing. We had the privilege to have some brothers and sisters from Worchester and Budapest come and help us reach out to many lost souls, and to celebrate with us. That week brought back a lot of dear memories from the begining of the church, and many disciples stepped out of their "boats" because they were reminded of how God wants to use them to make an eternal impact.

On the day of the aniversary service, it was amazing to see people continuously coming and filling up the room.  In fact, we had to bring in many extra chairs because the number of visitors exceeded our expectations.  God brought 106 non-Christians to the service, so together with the disciples 170 people worshiped God in that service! Glenn Petruzzi preached a powerful message, and an Albanian sister (who came to the first service in 2000) and a Hungarian brother (who was in the original mission team) also shared from their lives.

Many people expressed the desire to study the Bible, so in the two months after the service we studied the Bible with a lot of people. This revived the faith of many of the disciples for at least two reasons: One, because they saw more visitors come to a special service than they have seen in the last 7-8 years (the harvest is plentiful, there are still many open people in Tirana). Two, because after this big service more than half of the Albanian disciples participated in a Bible study with a non-Christian.  This is something we have not experienced as a church for many years. 

In the last three months, three people were baptized into Christ and three others got restored to our fellowship. Althtough these people had started studying the Bible before the anniversary service, still it had a great impact on them. Some of those who came for the first time to the anniversary service are still studying the Bible, and are in the battle of deciding to make Jesus Lord of their life. Please pray for them. And please continue to pray for the church in Tirana, so that our faith and our zeal to save the lost would be continously growing to the glory of God.

Lastly, we asked some of the helpers from the Worchester church to share their thoughts about that week leading up to the anniversary service. So here is what they said:

Karlee: "My experience in Albania was completely unexpected.  To be honest, I was afraid of what it would be like! I have never been able to go somewhere and not hesitate about sharing with someone who was walking my way. In Albania, I felt completely confident that God was going to do the speaking for me (along with the amazing Albanian sisters, of course), and was able to see the magnitude of those who are lost and need to know God. This church is filled with so many devoted, loving, and inspiring disciples and I am blessed to have been able to meet you all and to be your sister in Christ."

Mat: "Luke 1:27 says ". . . for nothing is impossible with God.' During my trip to Albania, I felt this scripture came to life. Being in a country I had never been in before, with a language I didn't speak and people I didn't know, I was skeptical at first because I wasn't sure how I was going to be used in only one week's time. I have done evangelism campaigns in the past, some for a week, some for longer, but these circumstances in Albania were different.

To see how God moved was so inspiring, challenging, humbling and faith-building. I felt like a first- century Christian, focused on evangelism day in and day out.  I was convicted to see how much I need to grow in really having an evangelism-focus every day. It was amazing to look out on a full room on the day of the service, and see people we had shared with and met show up and come hear the good news about God. To see the hard work of the disciples be blessed with 106 visitors! When I shared about this back in the states, people were clapping, and shouting to hear that a small church had such an amazing impact on people in one week! It convicted us to think that as Americans if we took one week out of lives and just evangelized all day every day, imagine what God would do with that!

Thank you Tirana church for your hospitality, love, encouragement and faith that inspires us over here. Thank you for putting up with us "loud and crazy" Americans! That takes a lot of patience! There is so much I take for granted as an American disciple, and I am so grateful for your perseverance and for the example you set. Going to Albania has changed me and it is an experience I will never forget. Please pray for me as I go on the mission team to Portland, Maine, that people will respond like Albanians, and that we will have many visitors and baptisms."

Melissa: "I will never forget my week spent in Albania.  It is probably the closest I have ever felt to being like the first century Christians.  We were breaking bread together, praying together, and always sharing our faith.  It reminded me of Acts 2: 42-47! It was amazing to me how God could use me and work through me despite the fact that I did not speak a lick of Albanian. That just shows the power of almighty God!

I also will never forget the hearts of the people there.  They were so thankful and so faithful.  I admire so much their purity in their love for God and just how appreciative they are for everything they have been given by God.  I have been touched and convicted since then.  I continue to remember them and thank God for them in my prayers, just like Paul was thankful for the Thessalonians.  I will never ever forget my experience there.  It opened my eyes in seeing how lost this world is.  I had a narrow view, but my eyes have been opened by this experience!"

Eric: "This was my 5th visit to Tirana, but it never ceases to amaze me when I see the hearts of the disciples in Albania. Their ability to open up about their lives at a moment's notice is an incredible upward call, and it was so inspiring to see how hard they worked, and the faith that they displayed, to make the 10th anniversary service a success. Thanks so much to all for making us feel so welcome, and God speed with all the studies and baptisms."

"Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen." (Eph.3:20-21)