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Hello Friends,
Saturday was preparation day. Jill and I packed up most of our belongings, straightened up the apartment, swept and mopped floors, and did laundry. Quinton spent the night in Tirana with Jonida's family and departed Albania at 5:45 a.m. Saturday morning. Hallie had a run-in with the bug Jill and I had but was feeling better by Saturday afternoon. In the evening our family and Helen took short taxi ride to the Perla restaurant -- the restaurant Alfred had previously taken us to during on our first Sunday in Durres. We sat outside by the sea and enjoyed the cooler weather and ocean breeze. After supper we walked back on the beach around 8:00 p.m. Many tourists were strolling along the sand. We stopped by a small carnival ride area and our kids took a turn on the bumper cars. (I dare say if this bumper car establishment was in the USA local officials would have it shut down in 5-minutes. I said more than one prayer that our kids wouldn't get injured. The cars were going pretty fast and seemed to have long lost their "bumper" capabilities. When the vehicles hit each other the sound was more like a clang/thump instead of a ricochet bump. Worse yet, children and parents were scurrying around the course dodging cars. I saw one lad get ran into. Fortunately, our children survived and we proceeded down the beach.) After the bumper cars, Quin was tired and I gave him a piggy-back ride the rest of the way home. The OC students spent the day making preparations for their Monday departure and spending time with their Albanian students.
Helen attended the Durres city church services on Sunday morning with the OC students. Our family rode the bus to Durres around 11:30 and met up Helen around 12:30. The congregation hosted a guest speaker, Mr. Hodge, from Skelmersdale, England. (He had previously done some mission work in Albania.) When he began his lesson he said he didn't figure anyone in the audience new of Skelmersdale. Well, it just so happens that Skelmersdale was one of the 2-week sites during my first overseas mission trip in 1992. I chatted with Mr. Hodge a bit after services. Another guest in Durres was Benjamin Smith. He is the son of former missionaries in Durres. Benjamin married an Albanian and was back in the country visiting family.
Our family and Helen then walked through the streets of Durres toward one of our favorite restaurants, the Piazza. (The OC students were guests of Nick and Daniella for lunch. Nick and Daniella are brother and sister and members of the church in Durres city. They visited us quite frequently in Durres beach.) Even though our order wasn't served just as we had hoped; we still enjoyed our meal at the Piazza. After lunch we walked on the sidewalk by the port to the Blue Star -- Durres' "mall" that houses the Euro Max along with other stores. We let our kids play for over an hour in the children's play area. After the Blue Star we stopped in for a bite of dessert at a bakery on the route to the bus station then headed back to Durres beach.
Sunday evening's church fellowship time began at 6:30. Adriana brought a delicious chocolate/vanilla marble cake. At 7:00 services began. Alfred had songs in both English and Albanian posted on the slides. He presented the lesson on Jesus being our purpose and example for life from Philippians. He even managed to translate the lesson himself -- that is talent!
Around 7:50, during services, I received a call on my cell phone (Alfred arranged for Quinton and me to have cell phones while in Albania). I was expecting to see my friends Myfit and Igli at services but they were not in attendance so I figured the call was from one of them; it was Igli. I popped outside the church building and answered the phone. Igli was calling me from just down the street. He, Myfit, Myfit's brother (Riti), and Myfit's nephew were walking towards me. We chatted and they explained why they couldn't make it at 7:00 to services. Myfit was extremely tired after videoing weddings during the weekend and Igli had to work. They presented me with a Mother Theresa clock for my office (I don't have a clock in my office at OC). After thanking them and saying our goodbyes my friends headed to their home and I returned for the end of worship services.
At the end of the service Alfred displayed some photos he had taken over the past five weeks. The congregation also sang to us "We Love You with the Love of the Lord" in Albanian and English. As you can guess, we didn't leave the building until late as many stayed around to visit and say their goodbyes after services. Around 9:00 p.m. our family headed for a bite to eat at the Besa restaurant.
Sunday night our kids were wired when we finally arrived back at our apartment. Jill and I cleaned bathrooms, packed up a few things, and got our bags ready for our early morning departure. We finally got our kids down around 11:00 and we went to sleep about midnight.
2:00 a.m. is a time when nobody should be waking up for the day -- especially when one goes to sleep at midnight. Alfred called me about 2:35 and we got kids and bags ready to load on our van. Around 2:45 we headed for Mother Theresa International Airport. (The airport is about 40 minutes from Durres to the northwest of Tirana. The final two miles of road leading to the airport reminded me of a two lane county road in Oklahoma. The road finally opens up to the lights and buildings of the airport. The airport terminal itself is a nice new structure with four departure gates.) We waited in our line at the Austrian Airlines desk for about 10 minutes then waited 15 more minutes as the associate checked in our family and our many bags. We then said our goodbyes to Alfred at the security checkpoint. (Alfred had managed an hour of sleep. He was going to teach the children's English class at 10:00 then around noon escort the OC students to the airport for their departure for Rome. Alfred sleeps little and works much. He is a trooper doing great work for the Lord in Albania. He and his family are wonderful!) After going through our passport checks we waited about 30 minutes at our gate before boarding a bus to take us to the airplane.
When we arrived at the Vienna airport our kids had McDonald's on their minds. Jill had previously checked on-line and discovered that the airport did indeed have a McDonald's so our kids were pumped. Not long after finding a spot to wait out our 4.5 hour layover, I noticed a boy and his grandmother looking at me and my OU Sooners t-shirt. I initiated a greeting and soon discovered the lady lives about 3 miles from us in Edmond! Weird! She and some of her family had been visiting in-laws in the Republic of Georgia. They were on their way to Ireland. Anyway, Jill, Hallie, Amelia, and I then left the secure area of the airport and finally found McD's. Even though it was just 7:00 a.m. we were able to order Happy Meals for the kids. I splurged and ordered a cheeseburger too. (Over the course of my 6 trips to Europe I have noticed that the progression back into Americana as I return to the states does not happen all at one time. If we were instantly just dropped back into Edmond from Albania the "re-Americanization" effect would be much more dramatic. Coming back through various airports gradually eases one back into Americana. We ate at Wendy's in Dulles airport in D.C.) Quin didn't make the trip to McD's because he was sleeping Helen's lap in the waiting area.
We passed time during our layover by eating snacks, looking in stores, going to the restroom, and watching people. The most interesting person I saw was the tallest man I have ever laid eyes upon. He couldn't have been many inches short of eight feet. We actually saw him twice. The second time we saw him he had on different clothes. I figured he was putting on a disguise.
The flight from Vienna to Dulles took about nine and a half hours. We flew on a Boeing 777 -- big! Amelia, Hallie, and Jill sat in the three seats in front of me and Helen and Quin sat behind me. I sat next to a father and daughter from Montenegro making their first trip to the states. Our kids traveled very well and enjoyed the in-flight entertainment. I think I saw parts of "The Pursuit of Happiness" four our five times. Helen did a great job with Quin. During the flight we experienced a couple rounds of rough turbulence. The worst was a couple of hours out of D.C. It was the roughest turbulence I have ever experienced. I'm glad the wings of the plane didn't fall off. I'm thankful for good engineers at Boeing.
When we arrived at Dulles we departed the plane directly onto one of the two "Traveling Lounges". These are monstrous people-movers that can be raised and lowered to accommodate various sizes of airplanes. Once off the people movers we waited in line for passport control and then went to pick up our bags. All of our bags arrived except for our neighbor's umbrella stroller. Instead of informing the airline of the lost item we proceeded through customs and on to our gate for our last flight. During our 45-minute wait we managed to eat some Wendy's hamburgers, Auntie Annie's pretzels, and Mexican food. We finished our supper just as we were to board the plane.
I must say, I will never forget the flight from Dulles to OKC. I sat next to a man, Steve, who had been in Washington to, among other things, politically promote the homosexual agenda. He was traveling with Oklahoma's first openly gay state representative from OKC. The Rep. sat in the seat behind us. Steve was quite talkative. I learned a lot about the politics associated with the homosexual agenda. He knew we were polar opposites on the subject when he found out I teach at OC, had been to George W. Bush's inauguration, and had just been on a mission trip to Albania. Most of the flight we discussed other things besides homosexuality and the politics therein. We found common ground talking about Arkansas topics (he was from the Rogers area and his parents owned a Phillips 66 convenience station in the Rogers area), OKC, and travel.
Quin slept for the second half of the flight back to OKC. Quinton met us at the baggage area at Will Rogers Airport. He had spent the night in Houston with David and Jonida and flown up the OKC in the late afternoon. Bill, our driver from Memorial Road, also met us at baggage claim. It took us awhile to get our bags and then I had to file the report about the missing stroller. We finally loaded up the van and got home around 8:45 p.m.
We were greeted at our home by our neighbors Alan and Cheryl and three neighborhood children. Quin was still asleep and Jill and I put him in bed. Our home was very welcoming when we arrived home. Our wonderful friends and neighbors had turned on the A/C, brought in some sweet smelling stuff from Jill's mom (a guy word), and had some groceries and homemade bread waiting for us! Very nice. Helen and Quinton went to bed right away as Jill, myself, and our girls did a little unpacking and watched the 10 o'clock news. It didn't take us long to fall asleep. Too bad Quin woke up around five and rustled Jill and I out of bed. Jill stayed up with Quin and I took his bed for a couple more hours of sleep.
All in all our trip to Albania was quite amazing. As expected, we made many new friends --both Albanian and American. We grew to appreciate the generosity and serving spirit of the Albanian people. We planted and watered God's seed in the hearts of many dear people. Now we'll let God make the seed grow. As is mentioned in Jesus' parable, Lord willing the seed will grow in good soil that produces a bountiful harvest.
Thanks so much for your prayers and support.
Darin

August 4

Greetings,
Once again I have been delayed in posting to our blog because of various reasons, my apologies.
Tuesday evening I had a study with Myfit. Igli didn't show up for his lesson so Myfit and I were able to extend our lesson and have a nice discussion. The primary focus of our discussion was the similarities and differences between Islam and Christianity. We talked about how just being a good person is not enough for an individual to be saved. I explained some Biblically based hypothetical situations wherein individuals are or are not saved. Myfit explained to me that he still thinks Islam is the better religion because it is more vast or all encompasing (I wasn't quite sure what he meant by this). I also learned that most of his education in Islam is based on discussions with his friends; he has never read the Koran. I appreciate his sincerity.
Wednesday morning after the devotional our family made our first and only official visit to the beach. (We had heard horror stories about the pollution of the beach and the water so we had previously avoided the sea for the most part. I guess Jill's "germ paranoia" has subsided some because it was her idea to visit the beach. (Earlier in the week Helen and Quinton were on one of their morning walks along the shore and Quinton noticed some individuals purposefully gargeling the sea water! I guess if they didn't die we could at least swim in the Adriatic a little bit.) We visited the beach associated with the Adriatik Hotel. For $5.50 we anchored down our spot on the beach with our Adriatik umbrella, small table, and two lounge chairs. This area was not as crowded as the other beach areas. Jill also wanted to be at the Adriatik because it had a shower area for us to rinse off sand after our time at the beach. As we were just settling in when my beach neighbor overheard our English and asked where we were from. He was from Kosovo originally but now lived in Switerland. He was visiting Albania with his family.
We brought our lunch with us to the beach and ate before venturing into the sea. A cold front had moved in the previous day; thus, the Adriatic was rougher than normal. At times the water is as calm as a small pond; today there were actually waves and some small breakers. This made for some fun as we jumped over waves. The water was pretty cool and the breeze made it downright chilly out in the water. Over the course of the next 2-3 hours we ventured into the water three times to look for sea shells and jump waves. During our respites, some of us caught some sun (Jill got a little too much), played cards, and the kids dug in the sand. We headed back to our apartment around 2:30 to get cleaned up and ready for our afternoon studies.
On Wednesday I met with both Myfit and Igli. I was honored to have them both stay for our 7:00 church service. Alfred taught about the Good Samaritan. Myfit actually made a comment during class. Following the service Myfit, Igli, and I rode in Igli's family's Mercedez to his fathers bar/restaurant. The restaurant occupies all the second floor of a small building about 200 yards from the main highway. I was treated to an orange juice while my friends drank cappuccino. We chatted about sports and life in Albania and the USA. We made plans to meet again tomorrow at 11:00 a.m. to play ping-pong in Durres.
Things don't always go as planned. Jill and I both woke up on Thursday morning with gasto-intestinal unpleasantries. Oh boy! We were down and out most of the day. I was looking forward to the ping-pong outing but had to cancel those plans. Helen and Quinton helped take care of our kids while Jill and I tried to recover. By the time the afternoon rolled around I felt 50% better and went to the church for my evening classes. Myfit and I didn't meet but Alexander and I did at 6:00. Neither Jill nor I had much of an appitite on Thursday. If Jill ate more than 5 bites of food all day I'd be surprised.
On Thursday night Helen, Quinton, and our kids were picked up at 6:00 by Jonida's uncle. He drove them to his home in the town of Kavaja (about 30 minutes drive from Durres). Jill and were supposed to go on this excursion but couldn't because us of our illness. Jonida's aunt and uncle live in Jonida's grandmother's home with her. They were hosting dinner. Jonida and family were also in attendance. When our crew returned home about 10:00 p.m. Jill had already been asleep an hour, but I got the lowdown on the evening's activities. The first thing Hallie and Amelia told me was they they shucked corn. They also informed me about all the fruits and veggies at grandma's house. Helen and Quinton explained that food was not in short supply during supper and their plates were always full as the seconds and thirds kept coming. Albanians are very hospitable! Helen and Quinto spent the night with us as Alfred and Aldi (Alfred's son) stayed in Helen and Quinton's apartment.
By Friday morning Jill and I were feeling much better; maybe not quite 100%, but better. Quinton, Helen, and one of the OCers had lunch at a family's home. Each of the U.S. guests is a teacher for one member of the family. Jill and I had an appitite again and took our family to our favorite restaurant -- the Besa. On Friday afternoon we, along with Helen and Quinton, sported our Memorial Road "1000 in 2007" mission shirts and had photos taken outside the church building. We again had our studies at 5:00 and 6:00. Myfit brought along his flash drive and we plugged it into Alfred's computer to look at some pictures of a wedding celebration Myfit had attended the weekend before. One of the photos showed the groom, bare chested, riding on the shoulders of his new father-in-law. Jill's and my wedding reception must have been pretty boring according to Albanian standards as I kept my clothes on and didn't camel fight other guests on top of my father-in-law's shoulders.
At 7:00 on Friday we all had a final get-together with our students. Helen and Quinton brought drinks and snacks. We had a good turnout. All of Jill's students were present but Alexander was the only one of my students who could attend. Many of the OCer's students were also in attendance. We all enjoyed playing games, eating, visiting, giving gifts, and taking pictures. Many made plans to see one another again sometime during the weekend. Myfit and Igli said they would be at our Sunday evening worship service.
Helen and Quinton again spent the night with us on Friday night as Alfred and his children stayed in H. and Q's apartment. (Adriana had to return to Tirana to check on her mother who was not feeling well.) Hallie woke up on Saturday morning with the bug Jill and I had. By 11:00 a.m. she had vomited three times. She's had quite an adventure over here! (We're still waiting to see if Quin and Amelia get to experience this joy too. If they do I hope they get it over with before our trip back to the states!) Saturday morning I felt well enough to go running again. The beach didn't seem as crowded as normal. Jill and I did some cleaning and packing as we prepare for our departure early, early Monday morning. (We are scheduled to leave our apartment at 2:30 a.m.) Quinton and Alfred met at 7:30 for a coffee.
Quinton is heading to Tirana today at 4:00 p.m. He is being picked up by a driver and then taken to Jonida's family's apartment. He and Jonida's family are scheduled to fly out early Sunday morning. Quinton is going along to help Jonida with the children. (Remember, David had to return to Houston at couple of weeks ago.) The plan is for Quinton to spend Sunday night in Houston and then fly up to OKC on Monday and meet us at the airport when we arrive on Monday evening.

July 31

Sunday evening Quinton gave the lesson. He spoke on 1 Peter chapter 1. Most of the services are in Albanian with some English translation. Alfred usually asks some other gentlemen to read scripture, help with communion, and lead prayers. (One of these young men is Edwart from Durres. Edwart attends the Sunset Preaching School in Tirana. He is in his early twenties and quite a nice young man. He will be a blessing to the church in Albania.) Toward the end of the service I led two English songs. After services many stayed and visited for quite awhile. It was a good time of fellowship.
Monday was Quin's fourth birthday. We were back on our normal schedule following the VBS week. We met at 9:00 for our meeting and devotional. Around 10:00 Jill and our children arrived at the building. Alfred and Adriana presented Quin with a full-size Coca-Cola red and black soccer ball. Quin loves to play with any type of sports ball. We stayed at the building awhile while most of the OC students and Helen and Quinton began their lessons. For lunch we took one of our new Albanian friends, Paula (age 10), with us to our favorite restaurant, the Besa. We shared two pizzas. (The waiters at this restaurant are amazing. In the evening in particular when the restaurant is busy, these guys run/race walk through the restaurant carrying plates, making change, and placing orders. They are there all day long. Most of them smoke cigarettes when they do get a spare minute. (Smoking is alive and well in Europe.) I guess the exercise they get counteracts the effect of the cigarettes on their lungs. One waiter prides himself on how many cans of pop he can carry at time. I've seen him carry 6-7 cans in tower formation while maintaining a 9-minute mile walking pace. The waiters are very friendly. I think we are their new best friends. I imagine they'll shed a few tears after we leave.)
At 2:00 we had Quin's Diego-themed birthday party at the church building. (We brought over some party supplies from the USA.) Just prior to the party Eldi, Paula's 15 year old brother, and I went to the ice cream shop and grocery store to get a few more goodies for the party. We actually began the party about 2:15 as we waited for Jonida, Heather, Elira, Lori, and Jonida's uncle to arrive from Tirana. (It was very nice to have them attend the party!) We kicked off the party by playing animal charades. Young and old all took a turn pretending to be animals. Quin was an energetic horse. After charades we played "Diego Says". Quin actually was brave enough to sit in the middle of the circle and give instructions to the whole group. After the games we lit birthday cake candles (and a small sparkler that burned Jill's thumb), sang happy birthday, and Quin blew out the candles. The cake was specially ordered from the Pelican pastry shop. Quin chose a race car cake to accompany his Diego party -- oh well, it was yummy. After the cake Quin started opening presents. We had told the Albanian guests not to bring gifts but all of them did. Quin received some nice Albanian souvenirs (flute and hat from Jonida's family), a musical animated car from Edwart, other cars, a package of toy farm animals, a bracelet with "QUIN" letters, a Spider Man towel from Mimi and Papa, a Diego Rescue Pack and watch (from his sisters), and other gifts that I can't recall at this time. He made out alright. After the gift opening Elira did some folk dancing and Mimi and Quin played the flute. Many stayed around for awhile to play UNO and visit. Jonida and her family headed back to Tirana at 6:00 after Elira had a nap.
Myfit couldn't make it to his 5:00 lesson on Monday. Apparently he had quite a weekend. He was involved in some capacity in another wedding. In Albania, weddings are celebrated for an entire week. He had not had much sleep. Lord willing Myfit will be present for his lesson today. Igli and I studied at 6:00. He invited me out for coffee after our lesson. I told him I had to wait around to lock up the building (Alfred and Adriana went back to Tirana via bus at 5:00.) so we made plans for later this week.
This being our last week in Durres, many students and friends are inviting members of our group to their homes. Just today one of our OCers is going to be a guest at one of her student's homes. Friday, Helen, Quinton, and the same OCer are going to a family's home. Thursday evening our family and Helen and Quinton are going to Jonida's Uncle's home for supper. I imagine more such outings will materialize at the week progresses. We have made some special friendships these past four weeks. Lord willing, all of us will make an effort to stay in contact with our new friends over the next year.
We met again this morning for our devotional. During these times we Americans have tried to learn some Albanian songs. Alfred and Adriana have helped us in this endeavor. We have a long way to go; but one or two songs are sinking in. After the devotional Quinton helped one of Helen's students learn to operate her laptop computer. This was the 2nd or 3rd such lesson. At 10:15 I went back to our apartment to check on my family. Jill and the kids thought it would be a good day to do some swimming while we had the chance. So, we applied our sunscreen, put on swimsuits, and walked down to the Adriatik Hotel pool. Quin plays non-stop at the pool. He makes friends very easily with the other children in the kiddie pool. We had a good time and left around 1:30.
At the pool a couple of young girls took quite an interest in our family. The girls are around our girls' ages, maybe a bit older. They live in Tirana and speak a tiny bit of English. The girls were very interested in how Jill and I have two "black" children and one white. There was absolutely no way we could explain the concept of adoption to the girls so we just smiled and shrugged. They were also very intrigued with Amelia's curly hair. One of the girls boinged one of Amelia's curls.
We are scheduled to have our regularly scheduled studies this evening.

July 29

Hello,
Friday I had a study with Myfit and Jill had her two studies. After the lessons at 7:00 we had our VBS finale. Most the VBS students and eight parents were in attendance. The students sang several good ole VBS songs in Albanian as well as "God is So Good" and "1, 2, 3 Jesus Loves Me" in English. Adriana even managed to get Amelia and Hallie to sing "Jesus Loves the Little Children" in English for the audience. After the songs the students performed their skit. They did a really nice job. After the skit Alfred presented a movie about the life of Jesus. He obtained this DVD about three weeks ago in Tirana. A missions group was driving billboard trucks around Tirana promoting the movie. They showed it in several public showings in the city. Alfred asked one of the team if he could have a copy of the DVD and they happily obliged. The movie was titled something like, "Children and the Life of Jesus". I thought the movie was accurate and effective. The audience seemed to be attentive. The movie was an hour long. We enjoyed cookies and pop after the movie.
Our group met Alfred and our van driver at 8:00 a.m. on Saturday for our final Albanian excursion. We headed south this time down the coast and then inland toward the city of Fier (pronounced "fear"). The road was in good condition for about 25 miles or so and then became quite bumpy. A section of the bumpy road was next to a newly paved highway that is still under construction. We drove for at least 30 minutes on road that would be similar to a badly maintained county road in Oklahoma. Thankfully, no one had any fillings jarred lose. One of the OCers got a little car-sick but managed to not "pitch".
Our first stop was the Pelikan restaurant in Fier (not be be confused with our favorite Durres' ice cream stop, also the Pelikan). Alfred had told us there would be some interesting birds at the restaurant, and there were. Two large pelicans and a peacock strutted around the grounds and kept our children entertained. Pelicans are big birds! Most of us had eggs with cheese, potatoes, and ham. It wasn't exactly IHOP; but it wasn't too bad. After brunch we boarded the van and drove into Fier. We made one quick stop for Alfred to run an errand. He returned with two inflatable balls for Quin.
About four miles outside of Fier is the ancient Roman city of Apollonia. The city dates back to 500 B.C. Apollonia is set on a hill that now houses a restaurant and museum. We paid $5.50 each (adults, kids were free. Albania is a great place for kids because they get lots of freebies) to enter the grounds of the city. The first and most striking structure is a partially reconstructed Roman building with columns (the columns are not original). In front of this building is medium-sized amphitheater that is still well preserved (and currently hosting a modern day concert stage. Maybe The grateful Dead are doing a tour of the Balkans.) The modern stage made an interesting contrast with the ancient ruins. The hillside is covered with several Roman ruins. Most of the ruins are ground level walls of buildings. Apparently there is still a lot to be discovered in Apollonia.
We also ventured out to other hills around Apollonia to get a better view of the landscape. One one of the tallest hills is an abandoned military bunker. The hill contains four bunkers connected by tunnels. Amelia and Hallie went through one of the tunnels with a couple of the OCers. After winding our way back to the restaurant we enjoyed some water and ice cream before getting back on the bus. (We opted out of the Apollonia museum because we were about an hour and a half behind schedule.)
Our next stop was the city of Barat. Barat is about an hours drive from Fier. Most of us took a nap on this part of the journey. Barat is known as the City of Windows. A large part of the city lies in a valley with white walled houses built into or on the side of the two opposing mountain sides -- very pretty. We drove through part of the older portion of town and then made a left turn onto a white cobblestone road. After driving about 200 yards the road became quite steep and narrow. We traveled about 5 mph for a good half to three-fourths of a mile up the mountain to the Castle of Barat at the top. The castle dates back to the middle ages. Albania has several castles; but I imagine the one in Barat is the biggest. It cost $1.00 to enter the castle. The outer wall is still intact with a town inside. Baratians still live inside the castle to this day. Once inside the castle we walked on the cobblestones to a bar/restaurant for a Coke, juice, and water break before meeting up with a man who would take us to the museum. Once our man arrived we walked up narrow and winding road to the museum. The museum is really a small old cathedral inside the castle. The cathedral had been restored in 1791. A Codex (dating from the first millennium) had previously been discovered in the building that is now in the archives in Tirana. During the tour we also viewed religious artwork dating back to the 1400's to 1700's. After the tour we explored the castle. On the castle grounds are other old church buildings, homes, statues, and ruins. At the top of the castle's hill is a walled section with an interesting building. At near ground level there is a rock and grass flat roof of building that is 90% underground. As I neared the building I had to walk down a few rock steps to peak into the opening that was once a doorway. Just a step or two into the building the floor stopped. . Had I walked further I would have fallen some 20-30 feet to the water covered floor. The building was really one big dark and damp room with columns supports the roof in the middle. I heard the sounds of bats or rats coming from the bottom of the room. It was a little creepy! We then walked all around the castle complex and took lots of pictures. A few of us bought some souvenirs at the castle's exit and then we headed for home around 5:30 p.m. (We didn't stop to eat supper in Barat because two of the OCers had a get together at 8:00 in Durres). When we arrived back in Durres our family went to get some pizza and rest from our journey.
On Sunday morning some of our group went to church services in Durres city. Our family stayed in our apartment and rested. Around 11:30 we got out and ended up in Durres city around 1:00. It is Hallie's 8 and a half birthday and she wanted to eat suflace (an Albanian favorite). After our suflace's we walked down to the Blue Star. (The Blue Star is an Albanian type mall that houses Euro Max -- one of the supermarkets in Durres.) The power was out in Durres. I know this because as I walked down the street I heard and saw several generator cranking out electricity. (Most businesses in Albania have to have generators to function because of the frequent power outages.). The Blue Star is a large, 3-story air conditioned building. The building must house several generators because most of the shops still had their lights on. The A/C wasn't working but the building was still cooler than outside. On the second floor we found a children's play area -- a daycare for shoppers. For $2.00 parents can drop off the kids to play and then go shopping. We let our kids play for awhile. Amelia and Hallie were really too old for the play area but they still had fun with Quin. The play area included lots of climbing toys, a small trampoline (that according to Hallie was not very bouncy), swings, small ball pit, and a zip-line. After playtime was over, we went downstairs to the Euro Max and did a little grocery shopping. (Amelia spotted the Fruit Loops immediately. We didn't buy the F.L.'s because they were $5.00 and the box was damaged.)
After we departed the Blue Star we popped in for some dessert, boarded the big orange bus, and headed back to Durres beach. I managed to get Quin down for a nap before worship services this evening. Quinton is delivering the lesson tonight.
As we have travelled around Albania I've noticed many construction sights with stuffed animals or "scare crow" looking figures attached. Alfred has informed us that this practice is related to Albanian superstition. Apparently Albanians are a superstitious people. The animals are in some way supposed to ward off evil. (I don't know if Care Bears are that powerful or not.) Another interesting practice is to put garlic in one's pocket. As I may have mentioned before, one of my student's fathers plays solitaire each morning. If he wins the game then he will have a good day.
From my observations, I have found Albania to be a racially homogeneous country. I have not seen anyone of African descent (other than Quin and Amelia). Furthermore, I have yet to see any Asians, Middle Easterners, or Latinos. Most Albanians have an olive complexion, brown eyes, and dark hair. Rarely do I hear other languages spoken besides Albanian. (Today in the Blue Star Jill and I overhead a couple speaking American English. This is only the third time we've heard others speaking English. We didn't venture to ask them where they were from.) I imagine one reason for this lack of cultural diversity dates back to the years of isolationism.
One last observation, Albanians are very polite on the bus. It is generally accepted that young people will give up their seats to older Albanians. Here's how it works. When an older rider boards the bus he goes and stands by a seat he would like to sit in. The younger occupant then stands and gives the seat to the other rider. This often happens without any verbal exchange. Amelia got a taste of this practice today. When we first got of the bus in Durres city the bus was empty and we sat on a row of seats in the back of the bus. As the seats filled in I stood up while the rest of the family sat. A few stops later and older gentleman with a youngster (probably his grandson) stepped close to Amelia. Amelia didn't readily jump up to give the seat. After he chatted with her in Albanian Jill and I prompted Amelia to give up her seat. She did so without complaint. I wish Americans youth were as respectful of their elders.
Bye,
Darin

July 27

Hello Again,
Wow, it has been quite awhile since my last post. Sorry. I have either not been able to get to the internet cafe or on the two occasions I was able to get to the cafe the internet was so painfully slow it would have taken hours to create a post.
On Sunday, July 22, I gave the sermon at our combined English/Albanian worship service. I spoke about how Christians' behavior should be different than the world's. This should be noticeable by both what we do and what we don't do. Noah, Ezra, and Jesus were my examples from the Bible. Alfred translated. We had a large crowd (40+) for the worship service as every chair was occupied.
Vacation Bible School began this week and is concluding today. Each morning anywhere from 15 to 25 children ages 4 to 13 come to the church building from 10:00 to 12:00. Adriana, Alfred's wife, leads the children in prayer, songs, a lesson about Jesus, crafts, and games. We have taught the students the song, "1, 2, 3 Jesus Loves Me". At craft and game time we try to get involved with the children. They are sweet, sweet children who seem to love attention -- or at least tolerate their American visitors. Adriana is doing a good job leading the VBS. Off hours, we have also helped cut, copy and prepare materials. Tonight is the grand finale as parents are invited to an open house at 7:00. The children will sing songs and some of the older students are going to present a play. We are also going to watch a movie about the life of Christ. If we find ourselves in Albania next summer we would like to try to expand the VBS.
Monday the 23rd was our anniversary - 13 blissful years. After my study with Myfit, Igli and Myfit drove Jill and I to Durres city. Igli took us to a nice restaurant, "The Lobster", on the Adriatic coast. He made sure we were seated and the waiters knew that it was our anniversary and that we didn't speak Albanian. Jill and I had a nice, quite meal overlooking the Adriatic. We perspired but enjoyed our time. After supper we strolled down the beach and boardwalk area. Skads of Durresians were present as well. I tell ya, these Albanians are crazy about their evening strolls. We opted for our first taxi ride back to our apartment. We actaully got special access to drive throught the Durres port instead of on the busy street. Our driver was quite jovial and proud of his "secret route" through the port.
Jonida (my sister-in-law), Heather, Elira, and Lori (Jonida's sister) joined us in Durres on Tuesday. Heather attended VBS with our girls. After VBS and a bite to eat, our family, Elira, and Heather went to the Adriatic Hotel pool. The big slide was actually functional this time and the older girls had a lot of fun. Quin and I ventured down the slide a few times together as well. I was informed in German by one of the Adriatic workers that the slide is for guests 15 years and younger. I still managed to be sneaky and take Quin down the slide one more time. Jonida came over to the pool after about an hour. She and Lori were at the building talking/studying with Alfred. We enjoyed some akolori (ice cream) after our swimming. Jill and I had our evening studies and Jonida and crew spent the night in Helen and Quinton's apartment.
While Jonida was here she told us she had recently acquired her girls' extended-stay visa. Albanian law states that visitors staying longer than 30 days (but less than 3 months) are required to get an extension visa at a local police department. Jonida took care of this in Tirana. The process requires 2 notarized copies from our passports and a letter describing why we want to stay longer than 30 days. These items are then taken to an immigration office at the police station. For some reason Jonida was charged almost $40 for each of her girl's extensions. (Previously I had read on the internet that the extension was free and had informed our OC students thus was the case.) On Tuesday night I informed them that we may have to pay a $40 fee. Jonida typed our letters for us on Alfred's laptop and I got them printed at the internet cafe. Quinton and Alfred took the letters, passports, and copies to Durres on Wednesday to get the forms notarized and to find out if we could complete the process at the Durres police department. They found out that yes, we could get our extensions at the Durres office and there would be no fee! Yeah! The only catch was that all the adults had to actually show their faces along with the passports. (We did this on Friday morning in Durres.) So, we're not sure why Jonida had to pay the $40 fee; but, we're glad we didn't have to!
Thursday was birthday day in Durres beach. Helen and I, as most of you know, were both born on July 26. (Helen's mother was too!) After VBS, we ate lunch at our favorite restaurant. The kids had goulash, Helen and Jill had byrek, and I had half chicken with rice. Then at 3:00 we had a birthday party at the building. Before the party, Jill and I went to the Pelican pastry and ice cream shop to get our special order cake. It read, "Darin and Mimi...", then something in Albanian about living another 100 years -- this is a tradition in Albania. We had cake with our family, the OCers, Alfred's family, and a couple other guests. Some of our 5:00 students enjoyed some leftover cake as well. Quin's birthday is Monday - more cake!
Alfred has had a lot of car trouble while we've been here. His 1993(?) model Jeep Cherokee may be near the end of its life. Currently, Alfred and family are busing it because the fuel pump -- or some such item -- is broken. Apparently the broken part is hard to find in Albania, so it may be awhile before they have their vehicle. They spent Wednesday night in Helen and Quinton's apartment and H. and Q. came up to our larger apartment. I think the Zikes are going to spend tonight in Durres as well. Anyone want to ship a car to Albania for the Zikes?
Thankfully some cooler weather moved in yesterday. The previous 4-5 days had been brutal with temps at 100 degrees. Hopefully this cooler weather will stick around for awhile.
I think I've written about the cars and traffic patterns here in Albania. It is quite a site to see and experience. In the cities, the power may be out; thus, the stoplights may not be working. (Then again, a red light is a recommendation, not a commandment.) At these intersections one has to stick out the end of his car to show intent to turn. Cool and courteous Alfred even has to be assertive and aggressive (when his car is functional). There are some interesting cars as well. One such vehicle is the 3-wheeled pick-up truck. The reason we don't see these in America is because they are Chinese. They are just shy of being a full-size pick-up but have one center wheel in the front. Another "pick-up" is just a tad bit larger than a golf cart. The cab holds two people if they don't mind sitting on each other's lap. Also, there must not be any regulation or standard definition of "car". If you can stick a motor on it and get it to move, you're legal. One man that drives up and down our church street has a blue motorcycle type vehicle with a small pick-up back. There is a nice shiny tank on top. He looks kind of cool driving it up and down the street in his shades. I have seen several motorcycle type carts. One such vehicle is usually loaded down with floaties and other beach items for sale. Occasionally I'll see a genuine USA vehicle -- Lincoln Navigator, Dodge Caravan, Cadillac, or Trans Am. I have also seen two smart-cars.
Tomorrow we are supposed to head to Apollonia to see some Roman ruins and then to another city (the name escapes me at the moment). We are heading out at 8:00 a.m.
Sorry for the long delay between posts. Maybe I'll do better.
Hugs,
Darin

July 22

Hello there,
It is Sunday, just after 12:00 noon. Quin and Hallie are taking a nap in the apartment. Thankfully, they are feeling better now. Thanks for your prayers.
This morning I went for my first run in a week. This week I have been getting my exercise by going up and down the stairs in our apartment building. A good many of us have had a touch of "Skenderbea's revenge" and I have not ventured too far from a bathroom during my exercise sessions -- enough said. Jill and Hallie got out this morning for a walk and to do so shopping at a vegetable market. (The produce here is very good.) Quinton, Helen, Amelia, and Quin also ventured out to do some shopping for the potluck dinner tonight after church services. I stayed in and worked on my sermon for tonight.
Yesterday evening Quinton, Helen, and the OC students went to Tirana via bus. The main purpose for this trip was to attend the Tirana church's 15th anniversary celebration. I think this event also served as a building dedication. I have not seen the Tirana church building but I hear that it is quite nice and bright red. The dedication was from 6:00 to 9:00. Jonida's family (mom, sister, and Jonida's kids) also attended. According to Helen and Quinton's report this morning, there were some 100+ people in attendance. Most of the evening was filled with various presenters talking about the church and the new building. The building's two A/C's were doing their best but not cooling too well. Elira, my 2-year old niece, was quite playful and very cute. There was food served after the presentations. The Tirana group arrived back in Durres around 10:15.
Last night Jill and I had our kids' portraits drawn by a sidewalk artist here in Durres beach. (Around 6:00 each night vendors set up their tables all along the sidewalk opposite our apartment building. As the night progresses the crowds get heavier and it is very crowded on the sidewalks.) Well, on more than one occasion we had noticed the work of this one particular artist. A few days ago Jill spoke with him (he is Albanian, lives in Macedonia, and speaks English) about pricing and the procedure for getting a portrait. For 15 Euro ($20.00) he sketched our children in black and white pencil. Actually, he drew Amelia's and Hallie's portraits and took a picture of Quin with his digital camera. He is going to draw Quin's portrait at home. (We didn't think Quin was up to sitting still for 30 minutes considering he had been up since 6:00 a.m. We are such wise parents!) Anyway, Rick, the artist, completed Amelia's and Hallie's portraits to the pleasure of his watchful audience. He really is talented. Apparently he travels to various touristy areas each summer to draw portraits and make extra money. He sets up at 8:00 and shuts down at midnight. Jill asked him what he does during the day. He said, "I swim".
Saturday morning Jill and I took an hour long walk together. We walked on the streets and some on the beach. The people at the beach never cease to amaze me. At 9:00 a.m. it was absolutely packed. We saw all shades of suntans and sunburns and a wide array of swimsuits. Young people kick the soccer ball, bump the volleyball, and even play badminton among the 1000's of other beach goers. Everyone seems to be having a great time at the beach. One older lady knits and sells her creations right on the water's edge. I don't know how many scarves and booties she sells in the 98 degree weather but they sure seem like quality products. Maybe one day I'll by the warmest item she has for sale (perhaps a stocking hat) and then sprint out into the Adriatic and swim like crazy just to prove that knitted items are really appropriate beach wear. Who knows, maybe at the next Olympics we'll see an Albania swimmer in a knitted scarf.
On Friday night following my studies with Myfit and Igli I was treated to another excursion. Taking Alfred with us, the four of us traveled in Igli's car southward, past his father's bar, up paved and unpaved roads to an overlook about 15 minutes drive from the church building. The land belongs to Igli's grandfather and brother. After stopping at a gate at the end of a narrow and dusty road we climbed out of the Mercedez and circumnavigated the gate. We continued to walk along a trail that had a rather steep drop off on the left hand side. After walking about 150 yards we came to a point -- the overlook. I'd say we were some 250 - 300 feet above the boulevard below. From this point I could see all of Durres Bay. There are 100's of new hotels and apartment buildings all along the Adriatic shore. Alfred informed me that all of these structures have been built since communism fell in the early 1990's. Some of the hotels have very nice swimming pools with fountains and slides. The sun was beginning to set in the west just off the tip of the Durres port. It was a fascinating view. We then loaded back into the car. Igli then proceeded to drive in reverse some third to half of a mile or so back down the dirt road. This was the furthest I have ever traveled in reverse. Alfred mentioned he would like to bring our family back up to this spot so they can take in the sights. I hope he does. I showed my video footage of my trip to Jill. She seemed a little hesitant about taking our family up there; but, I know they'd love it.
One of Jill's students has been attending church services for some time now. She has two sweet children ages 15 and 10. She has told Jill that she has been giving some thought to being baptized. Jill and her discussed this during their last study session. Please pray for her. Lord willing, she will give her life to Jesus soon and her children will do so as well in the future.
I have another Albanian observation for you. As I have mentioned before, there is a bakery right across the street from our apartment. We often visit the bakery for loaves of bread, chocolate rolls, and bagel type rolls. At the bakery, it is every man for himself. The concept of standing in line and waiting your turn is not practiced at the bakery. I don't know if this practice goes back to communism times when people had to fight for bread or not; however, old habits die hard. Case in point, today before I walked up to the internet cafe I popped in the bakery to get a roll for Amelia. Two gentlemen were in the process of paying for their bread when I walked in the bakery ahead of another gentleman who had double parked his BMW in the street. I was standing in line behind the two gentlemen when Mr. BMW walked right past me and put his hands on the bread display case. This did not surprise me but was still not appreciated. I guess the worker knew I was in the store before this man and looked at me for my order. I gestured and spoke in English to tell her I wanted one of the round rolls. Mr. BMW asked a question of her and the other worker and they both helped him for a minute before I was given my bread. Next time I may just have to be more assertive like Helen. She went to the bakery on Saturday morning. She was getting chocolate rolls for her grand kids and wasn't going to be denied. She got right in there like any good Albanian would and got the rolls. Go Mimi!
More later,
Darin

July 20

Hello,
I purposefully didn't post a blog yesterday because things have been a bit slow. With three kids with fever we've been doing a lot of care giving at the apartment. Amelia seems to be well now but we are still waiting for Hallie and Quin to come around. Helen and Quinton are helpful too.
Wednesday night's Bible study was very nice with the air conditioning. The smaller air conditioner in Alfred's office (in the same building as the church's main meeting room but only accessible through another outside door) has not worked properly until today. Apparently the problem was more electrical than air conditioner related.
The OC students, Helen, Quinton, and Jill had studies on Thursday but my students were absent. Today I'm supposed to study with Myfit and Igli then head out on another excursion. Igli wants to take me south this time to a hill outside of Durres beach that provides a nice view of the sea and city. Apparently this hill is also the site of some newly discovered artifacts or ruins.
We are still getting new students from time to time. We can now schedule lessons any time of day because the air conditioner provides a climate controlled environment. Helen had picked up a new 1:00 student. She is related to Rick, dad's multi-religion student. Rick is actually our best recruiter. He values education and learning English. I think he has brought in 3-4 relatives to be our students.
This afternoon I popped in the church office. Quinton, Alfred, and Diana were talking about Quinton and Helen's Saturday trip to Tirana. (This Saturday we do not have a planned field trip. The OC students, Helen, and Quinton are venturing to Tirana via bus. I'm not sure of all their plans; however, the main event is an anniversary celebration Saturday evening at the Tirana Church of Christ. The group will have to arrange for a private van to bring them back to Durres because the buses from Tirana to Durres stop around 7:00 p.m.) Alfred drew a map for Helen and Quinton showing them the Tirana church's location in relation to the bus station, bus stops, and well-known landmarks. Alfred also broke out an Albania map. Alfred gave Quinton and me an Albanian geography lesson. Albania has about the same land area as Maryland and appears to be 75% mountainous. David, my brother, and his family had traveled to Seranda in southern Albania while he was in the country. David described some of the roads as "treacherous". The road map showed a portion of the road to Seranda as a very squiggly line. I'm glad we're not venturing there this time.
From my short time in Albania I have noticed some interesting male/female differences. All of the restaurant waiters are male. Most of the workers in the grocery stores are female. Bus drivers are male but money collectors on the buses can be male for female. Throughout the day small groups of men crowd around small tables at sidewalk cafes to drink coffee, smoke cigarettes, and visit. Either women don't enjoy this activity or are not given the opportunity for some reason. Both sexes enjoy walking -- one of the favorite past times in Albania.
We have felt very safe during our time in Albania. Igli previously told me that Durres is a very safe city. Alfred has told us to be careful of crowded situations, particularly on the bus. Apparently pick-pockets can be a problem. Jill has walked on the beach by herself (and 10,000 of her closest Albanian beach-goers) two or three times. When we are at our apartment during the day we leave our front door open to help generate a draft. When we are out on the streets we occasionally get a strange look -- not because we are a potential mugging target but because we stand out some way as foreigners. Many times it was because we carried fans to and from the church building. Now that the A/C is working at the church building, we are no longer fan-carriers.
It is always interesting each morning to see if our local butcher has an animal in his green truck. He parks his truck on the back side of the building near the stairs where we exit our apartment. Some days there are two critters -- a sheep and a cow. Most days I don't see any animals either because he hasn't brought any in or he has just caused an animal to meet its maker. I'm really learning a lot about the Albanian butchering business. (Even though I come from Oklahoma and live in a city with stockyards, I haven't hung around too many butcher shops.) As I exit the apartment building I can look in the back door of the butcher shop. This is the part of the shop where all the excitement occurs. Many times there is an animal hanging from hooks prepared to be cut into dinner pieces. I won't go into any more detail about some of the other steps of the butchering process I have witnessed; but, I am learning a lot.
Lord willing I will be bringing the lesson on Sunday. I have invited Igli to services. After our 7:00 p.m. meeting we are going to experience our first Albanian church pot-luck meal. It should be pretty good -- Diana is a great cook! The experience will be even more enjoyable since we have air conditioning and power!
More later,
Darin

July 18

Hello All,
On Tuesday evening I studied with Myfit and Alexander. From my conversations with Myfit he has told me he works for Canon in Durres. Here he repairs equipment. Yesterday he actually made collection runs to towns around Durres. On Monday evening I was shown Myfit's workplace while on my excursion with Igli and Myfit . He works in the downtown area of Durres in one of three small shops owned by the company. (Also on this trip Igli pulled into a Kastrioti gas station -- named after the country's hero Gjorg Kastrioti (otherwise known by his title, Skenderbeu). Igli handed the attendant 700 Lek, the attendant pumped the gas, and we were on our way in less than a minute. I think Albanian gas station attendants also serve on NASCAR pit crews.) Myfit has also told me that most Muslims in Albania don't practice their religion. There are no mosques in our area of Durres. Durres city has a mosque. The only Muslim call to prayer I have heard during my time in Albania was in Tirana when we were by the old mosque on the town square around noon. Before I came to Albania I thought I'd be hearing this Muslim's call to prayer everyday. I think I've seen less than 5 Muslim women wearing head coverings.
During our study on Tuesday, Myfit and I read about the birth of Jesus. One of the questions following the lesson dealt with Jesus being God in the flesh. Myfit made the point to mention that in his religion Jesus is seen as a prophet. I already knew this Islamic viewpoint and was not surprised that Myfit brought it up. Hopefully as time progresses he will begin to question what the truth really is.
Alexander and I began a study using World Bible School material. We have begun a workbook for new Christians. He was baptized in May. It is basically a study of Ephesians and how Christians should live. Alexander again impressed me with his Bible knowledge and understanding. I have to remind myself that he is still a teenager and a babe in Christ. He told me he watched Ice Age II before coming to our lesson. We were supposed to go to the beach today around 10:00 today but somehow missed each other. We'll have to reschedule our outing.
Jill, Quinton, Quin, and Hallie and I left the church building on Tuesday night around 7:15. Jill, Hallie, and I went to eat supper and then got some ice cream to bring home. Later that night we found out that all three of our kids are running fever now. Oh boy! Besides finding out this news, we also managed to spill a can of grape juice in our refrigerator. I guess we're learning patience .
We all managed to sleep pretty well last night in spite of the heat and fevers. The kids have not been out today but are doing pretty well -- more cartoons and ibuprofen. The OC students brought over some cookies, candy, and juice for the kids this afternoon. Hopefully all will feel better soon so we can get out of the apartment a bit more.
As I type workers are installing a 50,000 btu air conditioner in the church building! One of the grocery stores near our apartment houses a 50,000 btu air conditioner and it does a nice job. Lord willing our lessons this evening and the Wednesday night Bible study will be much more comfortable. We may end up freezing out the Albanians; remember, they don't sweat.
Earlier this morning Jill was asking Adriana (Alfred's wife) about helping her cut out some things for VBS. Adriana informed Jill that her help was not required and that she should go home and "protect her children". Alfred and Adriana are careful not to over burden their American workers while at they same time they take on too much burden taking care of us! Apparently there is a phrase here in Albania -- "You can't tell an Albanian, no." This holds true for the Zikes. They are hard workers who love to serve. We will do well to follow their example!
Thanks,
Darin

July 17

Hello again,

On Monday afternoon Jill and I both had two studies. Jill had her first study with one of the Christians at the Durres beach church. They are studying Proverbs. I had two studies with my two non-Christian friends, Igli and Myfit. We have finished the material about the prophets and other Old Testament material and are now studying the life of Jesus. Please take a second to pray for Igli's and Myfit's hearts to be open the message.

Amelia still has a fever. She is spending most of her time resting on the couch and watching American cartoons dubbed in German. I didn't know Sponge Bob was bilingual. With Amelia being home-bound, one of the adult Martin's has to stay at the apartment. Quinton and Helen are quite helpful with the care giving. Today, H. and Q. are at one of Helen's student's apartments as she need help moving and setting up some computer equipment.

We had our devotional this morning at 9:00. Alfred and Adriana were not in attendance as they were checking on some air conditioners for the church building. The building is in desperate need of air conditioning -- especially in the evening.

Last night after my studies Igli and I rode in his father's car to Durres city. At the main bus stop we picked up Myfit and then headed up some rather narrow and dilapidated streets until we arrived at our destination at one of the highest points in Durres. We parked near the top of a hill and then continued to walk up the hill about 100 yards to the base of a grand mansion. According to Igli and Myfit, this grand home was constructed in the 1920's by Albania's king. The home is "off limits" to visitors; however, Myfit persuaded the uniformed guard/soldier to allow us to enter the home. (Myfit has a friend who previously worked inside the home. Somehow this connection helped get us special access to the home. It may have also helped that they were showing an American the great city of Durres.) The guard pulled aside a bar gate wrapped in some nasty looking barbed wire and we walked up the driveway to the home.

Now that I had a better view of the home I could see some graffiti on the ground floor walls and most of the windows were broken out. The view of the Adriatic from this vantage point however was magnificent. Another soldier escorted us into the home. (Before going inside he was kind enough to take a picture of my friends and me as we stood in front of the Adriatic.) Once inside the mansion I couldn't believe what I saw. The home was absolutely ruined. The wooden floors were ripped up or badly damaged, what little paint there was on the walls was peeling, tile was broken, chandeliers were missing, and the marble staircase was falling apart. As we began our ascent on this staircase it creaked. I stopped in my tracks and questioned the safety our our home-tour. Igli assured me it was okay. Thus, we ventured up to the second floor and out onto a terrace. Here I took more pictures of Durres and the Sea. We proceeded to climb stairways and access terraces -- I took pictures on every level. At one point I saw the open elevator shaft and carried its former homeowners to any of the homes 4-5 levels.

After climbing a second narrower staircase to the top, we stepped out onto the roof. The roof of this grand mansion is now the home to no less than 15 satellite dishes and antennae. Cell phone and communication companies found a wonderful spot to post their equipment and apparently the Albanian government thought the price was right. We climbed yet another small iron staircase to the utmost point on the roof. We were surrounded by antennae and support cables as we stepped out on the roof's ledge for the best visual vantage point. At this point I broke out my video camera as well as my still camera to get a panoramic shot of the city, coast, and sea. The sun was also just about to set over the Adriatic--quite pretty. After a few minutes on the roof we began our descent and finally exited the home.

Igli told me the house was ransacked in 1997. Apparently the citizens of Albania has reached a breaking point about the downfall of the economy of other issues and took it out on this government building. I would estimate the home is some 7,000 square feet. It rests on a high hill overlooking the Adriatic and the city of Durres. Can you imagine the value of this home if it was is good condition in America? It seemed strange to be walking around such a grand mansion that was in such horrible condition. In a way it is a microcosm of Albania itself. Albania is a beautiful country with lots of potential but has been beaten down by wars, communism, a misdirected dictator, and economic difficulties. Lord willing, it will rise again and the church will grow in this beautiful country.
Take care,
Darin

July 16

Hello Again,
On Saturday night after our day in Kruja Helen, Quinton, Darin, and two of our OC students installed new light bulbs in the church building -- 100 watt bulbs for 60 watt. In the evening they make a big difference. We also swept and mopped the floor as it was quite dirty from Friday night's fellowship night. (We also wanted to do this for Alfred and Adrianna since they do so much for the church and have done so much for us already. They live in Tirana and it is 45 minute to an hour drive for them to get to the church building.)
On Sunday morning Jill and I ventured to Durres city for worship services at the Durres church. Helen and Quinton stayed with our kids. To get to the Durres church we walked down to our bus stop about a quarter mile away. Well, to be more specific we almost made it to the bus stop. The bus was already leaving the stop so we flagged it down and jump aboard as it slowed to about 5 mph -- Jill really showed great skill as she vaulted on the bus without injuring herself. The bus ride was a bit crowded but not to bad. One young lady near us on the bus decided to vomit in a clear bag -- at least she had a bag. I chose not to look. I felt sorry for her. Once at the last bus stop in Durres we disembarked and walked the half mile or so the building.
The Durres church building is just a few paces off one of the main streets. We arrived about 15 minutes early for the 10:00 service. We chatted with Chimi, the minister, and his wife. I took a picture of his family with their baby, Samuel. We met an American woman who was in Durres for 5 weeks to teach English at the church. This is actually her 7th time to Durres. She is a school teacher in Humble, TX. For the 10:00 service, Edwart, a young man attending the Sunset Preaching School in Tirana, preached about the goals of the Christians. Chimi was kind enough to translate. For Bible class, Chimi spoke and a young lady from the congregation translated. Jill and I picked the right day to visit the Durres church as the A/C was actually working! The power was out (I have mentioned that most places in Albania have power about half the time) but their generator kicked in nicely. (Last week when the rest of our team visited the Durres church the generator wasn't working so they had zero A/C.)
Following services we chatted with the two AIMers who were in attendance. Two of the AIMers were enduring a bout of the stomach flu. We also chatted with a couple from OC who were in Durres to teach. For lunch, the two AIMers, our four OC students, and the teacher from TX went to eat suflaqes. Suflaqes are meat, cucumbers, french fries, lettuce, yogurt sauce, and ketchup (optional) wrapped in pita bread all for $1.00. Not too bad!
After lunch the OC students, Jill, and I went to the foremost supermarket in Durres. It was actually just a short walk from our bust stop and from our lunch spot. The supermarket is housed in a modern silver building named "Blue Star". The building has other stores as well but we didn't venture in these establishments. The supermarket was air conditioned, clean, and had the feel of Americana. We didn't find many products that we couldn't find in our area. The supermarket did have peanut butter though. For $6.00 we could have purchased a medium-sized jar of peanut butter that contained no sweetner -- we passed. We could also have bought a quart-sized ice cream for about $10.00 -- and it wasn't even Haagen-Dazs! We bought a few smaller items that we couldn't get at our grocery stores and headed for the bakery! After a quick dessert (chocolate cake and some type of flaky lemon thingy for less than a buck) we boarded the bus for the ride back to Durres Beach.
When we arrived back a the apartment we discoverd that Amelia was now the one with a cold. We're not sure if she has what Hallie had or has her own new bug; either way, she is not too excited to be sick. (When Amelia is sick the whole world knows. When Hallie is sick or hurting one would hardly know. Thankfully, Amelia responds well to ibuprofen. We give it to her for her benefit and ours.) So, since Amelia was feeling sick she and Jill didn't go to p.m. worship at our church meeting.
There were about 40 in attendance; this meant just about every seat was full. It was pretty warm in the building but I had access to a few passes of one of the oscillating fans. Hallie and Quin behaved well. Hallie actually fell asleep during the service but I wasn't going to fight her to keep her awake. Greg from Oregon preached and Alfred translated. We chatted awhile outside after services then I grabbed a fan, Quin, and Hallie and we headed back to the apartment.
I need to take a minute to tell you about Quinton's student -- I'll call him Rick. (I have writtes some about him previously.) Quinton is blessed with having the most interesting student of the bunch. I'm not exactly sure of Rick's age but I'd guess he's around 50. He is fit as a fiddle and always arrives to his 11:00 lesson in white pants and a tucked in white t-shirt. He has a shaved head and a black mustache. Rick is a former javelin thrower. Apparently he is from a somewhat wealthy family -- at least before communism they were wealthy. I think they were able to get back most of their assets after communism fell. Anyway, Rick combines several religions and philosophies to form his own faith. He dedicates six hours a day to yoga, meditation, and purification. Six hours! I have seen the benefits of his yoga as one day he streched on the sidewalk and buried his nose into his knee cap. If I tried this I'd pop a hamstring and have to go the the hospital in Durres. Rick takes a two-hour drive one day a week or so to the mountains past Tirana to collect natural spring water. He also fills jugs for friends. One time Rick ate nothing but grapes for either three months or three weeks (blame the misinformation on the language barrier); either way, that is quite a few grapes. And I don't think these were the seedless variety! Rick has spent 6-months in a Hindu monestary and claims to have not been to the doctor in several years. I believe it. He is a vegetarian and believes killing animals for food is a sin. (I don't think he'd fit in to well in Evening Shade, Arkansas.) To his credit he is very polite and always smiling -- I guess grapes will do that to you. I can't imagine processed food has passed over his lips since he was a child. Fried Twinkies must be a product Satan in Rick's eyes. I guess if we all could dedicate six hours a day to meditation, strechting, and purification we'd all feel better; but who has the time?
Besides our Bible studies, our group has some other projects this week. We are going to make final preparations for the VBS next week, plan for another fellowship night, and help Alfred get the church's projector mounted on the ceiling. Alfred used the projector on Sunday.
More later,
Darin

July 14

Hello,
We are two weeks into our five week campaign and all is going well. Last night I had one study as Myfit had to help prepare for his cousin's wedding. After our studies at 7:00 we hosted a fellowship night. There were 36 total in attendance (11 Americans and 3 members of Alfred's family included). The main entertainment of the evening was the exciting game of Bunko! Alfred had written the rules on a white board and also gave verbal instructions at the beginning of the game. We had seven tables of players -- Helen, Alfred, and I didn't play. Hallie played with Jill and Quin played with one of our OC students. Alfred, Helen, and I circulated during the first round or two to make sure all was going smoothly. A time or two we had to correct some scoring misunderstandings, but by round 3 all players were experts. The room was pretty warm but not as hot as it could have been; otherwise it would have been brutally hot. Everybody seemed to enjoy playing Bunko and meeting new people (some of our guests were friends of our students who had not been involved with the English/Bible studies before). Adriana, Alfred's wife, brought a cake, our OC girls brought some other snacks, and the OC men brought drinks. We had just the right amount of food. Quin was a hoot as he starting blowing on the dice before throwing them. We greatly appreciate the patience of those at his table during the game.
A little after 9:00 the final round was completed. We had two Bunko winners, a winner for the most wins, and a loser prize -- Americans couldn't win prizes. Prizes were provided by Helen -- a Keepsake Candle, calendar, cool wraps, and magnets. The winning group started singing, "We are the Champions" after they were recognized. We hope our fellowship will encourage others to join our studies and worship services. After the fellowship most of the Americans and Alfred's family stayed to clean up. The OC girls went to Durres with one of their students. They visited a restaurant at a castle-like structure at the top of a hill overlooking Durres. All in all the fellowship was a huge success. We plan to have another fellowship in a week or two. The next time we may have more games to play or watch a movie.
This morning at 9:00 we departed in a 12-passenger van for Kruja. Kruja is a mountain city about an hour from Durres. Geographically, if you have your Albania map handy, it is northeast of Durres. We started out on the same hi-way that leads to Tirana -- this is a nice 4-lane hi-way with few potholes. About halfway to Tirana we turned off onto a two-lane hi-way that was in pretty good shape. We stayed on this road for about 10 minutes until we hit another town (can't remember the name). George W. Bush visited this town on his 7-hour visit to Albania. I imagine he visited this city as well as Tirana because it is close to the airport. Once we were through the town the road got quite rough for awhile as we started our ascent up the mountain. After about 3 miles the road's surface got smoother but the path became serpentine and steep. The road was surrounded by trees with occasional breaks to see the scenery. There were also some rock quarries along the way. After about 10 miles or so we arrived in the city of Kruja.
Kruja has a population of around 30,000. These inhabitants must be in good shape because they have to walk up and down many hills in there city. I did see one flat area that housed the town soccer field. We drove through most of the city until we arrived at the base of the Kruja castle and museum. The castle dates back to the 3-4th centuries. We paid $1.00 to enter the castle grounds. Souvenir vendors lined the walkway the main castle area. There ruins of the castle are actually just partial walls and such. We climbed the stairs up a short hill to the Skenderbeu Museum. (Remember, Skenderbeu is the national hero.) This museum was constructed in 1982 and is quite nice. Upon entering the museum (fee $2.00) we couldn't miss the massive concrete statue of Skenderbeu and his people. Our tour guide was a clean-cut young man who spoke English quite well. The museum is broken into several halls. At one point during the tour we found ourselves on a terrace that provided an excellent view of the city and landscape below. We could actually see to the Adriatic Sea and Tirana. (Supposedly from the top of the mountains behind Kruja -- some 3,000 feet -- one can see the lights of Bari, Italy. There is a way to climb to the top of the mountain but it would be quite a climb. Alfred said he and some buddies made the climb when he was 22 years old. This climb was not part of our tour today!) As we were signing the guest book at the museum we chatted with a young man from Houston, TX. He was with a campaign group that was hosting a youth camp in the south of Albania. Also during the tour we heard some more English being spoken -- a Canadian women was on the tour.
I didn't realize Skenderbeu was such a cool guy. (I should have paid more attention during world history class.) Anyway, I'm not going to give a history lesson now but I'd encourage the readers to grab a World Book -- or at least check out Wikipedia -- and read a bit about him.
After we left the museum we walked down to the entrance of a house dating back 243 years. The entryway to this house was a cobblestone walkway completely covered with grape vines. Rosemary and rose bushes lined the path. We waited about 15 minutes in this area for our guide -- a cute little man who repeated his memorized English tour speech with a lot of excitement and expressiveness. The house and its artifacts were the possession of the wealthiest family in Kruja back in the day. The house included a steam-bath (Turkish bath) and a room for the men of the family to sit, smoke tobacco, and make decisions. A loft looked down on this room. From the loft the women were to look through small circular windows to see if the men needed any more provisions during their meetings. If so, the women would give the food, wine, whatever, to a young man at the door who would then give it to the men. (I'm thinking of instituting this type of service at my house in Edmond. I think Jill will be on board.)
After our visit to the old house we walked out of the museum -- Hallie bought an Albania purse for $3.00. We walked down a cobblestone hill -- those cobblestones are slick -- to the closest restaurant we could find. We sat outside. Half of us had a great view of the countryside and Adriatic. The sky was clear with a slight breeze. The temperature was in the upper 70's -- very nice. We ate salad and pizza. I tried my first cappuccino -- I'm not a coffee drinker but enjoy a cappuccino every now and then. Alfred had an espresso.
Our last stop of the tour was a visit to the Turkish bazaar. This was just down from the restaurant and museum. The bazaar's walkway was cobblestone and not more than 10 feet across. I imagine there were at least 50 shops. The first shop on the left was a carpet store. Two women were using a loom and another woman was the salesperson. On the wall of this establishment was a picture of Laura Bush along with 3-4 other important people in this very same shop. I bought a small hand-woven Albanian flag at this shop for $5.00.
The store owners all along the Bazaar's path stood outside their stores and invited guests into their shops. Most of the stores were selling the same trinkets with a little variety in hand-made goods. Quin bought a small Albanian boxing glove key chain for a dollar and Amelia bought an Albanian purse similar to Hallie's. I think all the OC students bought souvenirs. One particularly eager owner coaxed me into her shop where I purchased a mug and Amelia's purse. I would have loved to have bought from every store owner -- they were all so eager.
At 3:30 we met at the van and headed back to Durres. On the way back down the mountain I had to really relax and focus because I was feeling a bit nauseous, but I made it down okay. Most of the Martin's took nap on the drive home. It had been a great trip.
Currently our girls are out shopping with the OC girls and Quin is on the computer behind us playing Thomas the Tank Engine with one of our OC men.
Mirupafshim (goodbye),
Darin

July 13

Greetings Again,
I just left our apartment to come to the internet cafe - a short walk across the street. Amelia and Hallie were entertaining their new friend. She is 10 or 11 years old and the daughter of one of Jill's students. Their friend speaks a tiny bit of English but more Spanish. So, when I talk with her I use my very limited Spanish. Jill can usually get her messages across with a variety of words and gestures.
This morning at our devotional time we had a practive round of Bunko -- the dice game. Some of our OC students knew how to play already. Bunko is the main form of entertainment for our fellowship tonight at 7:00 p.m. Alfred's wife Adriana made a cake for the party, our OC girls are supposed to bring some other snacks, and the OC boys are to bring pop (sounds like the good ole days of youth group devotionals).
After the devotional this morning Alfred and I got in his Jeep and headed for Durres. He needed to change some dollars for Lek and arrange a van driver for our excursion tomorrow. We met the van driver at the Durres gymnasium. This week the Balkan youth women's volleyball tournament is underway. We popped in the watch the Greek team practice. Alfred thought this was the national team or close to it. These were some tall and athletic Greek girls. They were jump serving with power and accuracy. I don't think my college club D-team volleyball squad would give these girls much of a match! They were impressive. Anyway, Alfred found the van driver who informed Alfred that he couldn't drive on Saturday. He arranged a van for us via his cousin. So, apparently we will travel to Kruja in a 12-passenger van for around $100.
Last night it was -- dare I say -- almost chilly! The wind had picked up and a cold front moved through. After eating pita bread with chicken at our apartment -- our best home-cooked meal yet -- we and Quinton and Helen headed down the strip to our favorite ice cream (akalore) store, the Pelican. We are regulars now and are greeted warmly. As we sat ourside eating our dessert Hallie kept telling me how cold she was. I told her to soak it in and enjoy the cool air; we'd be sweating again soon. Today is nice as well.
Here are a few more Albanian insights and observations. At many locations on the sidewalks there are youngsters and older men sitting by scales. For a small fee we can weigh ourselves in kilograms. I guess this is a step up from begging. I weighed myself for the first time yesterday just outside the bakery on the bottom level of the internet cafe building. A cute litte gal received my 10 Lek (11 cents) and I found out I weighed about 70 kg with my backpack on. When I saw the girl later she was eager for me to weigh again. I'll probaby weigh on other scales before I come back to her -- I don't think her scale was accurate.
All along the beach or small examples of capitalism. Some entreprenuers (I bet I spelled that wrong, sorry) offer grilled corn. These small grills always have red-hot coals and charred corn on top. I can't imagine eating the corn because at least half the kernels are black. It is a smelly operation; however, I see many Albanians eating the corn so I guess the grilling will continue. (The corn-grillers are also on the sidewalks.) Other beach sellers offer a variety of beach necessities -- floaties, sun screen, towels, sand digging equipment, coolers, hats, and candy. I imagine there are 100's of these small stores/booths all along the beach and the streets leading to the beach. The most interesting of these sellers are the one who take their stores to and from the beach via bicylce. These stores are actaully attached to the bicycle. The rider sits and pedals at the back of the store while all the floaties, towels, etc. hang off a large rectangular prism in front. The other day on a run I saw one of these bike-store riders stopped in the street. Part of the frame of his store was rubbing against one of the bike tires. I tried to help him pry the metal off of the tire. He did most of the work and got it fixed. He thanked me in Albanian and shook my hand.
Thankfully, Albanians are not in favor of public displays of affection. Every once in awhile I'll see a couple walking arm in arm but this is rare. I'm yet to see a couple kiss in public. I'll keep my eyes open though.
Lastly, a note about the dress-code at the beach. Very young boys (3 years and younger) can be found nude as they splash in the water. Young girls up to age 8 I'd guess often swim topless -- no big deal. The adults all wear conventional swimwear. Pretty much everybody at the beach has a dark tan or is recovering from a sunburn. We've seen many with pealing skin. Oh well, as long as all are having fun!
God bless,
Darin

July 12

Howdy,
Jill and I both had a study on Wednesday evening. One of my students did not show up but this gave me an opportunity to have an extended discussion with Myfit. I extended an invitation for him to join us at our Friday evening fellowship night but he will not be able to attend because he has to prepare music and other things for his cousin's wedding on Saturday. I hope to have both of my studies this evening and Jill is scheduled for a 6:00 class.
On Wednesday night at 7:00 we had a Bible study at the building. Our attendance was much larger than last Wednesday night. Alfred led the study of Jesus' parables. He is a really good teacher. He started out the lesson by translating back and forth from Albanian to English; however, as the lesson progressed the English dropped off.
Following the church service we ate sandwiches and hot dogs at our apartment. As we were entering our apartment a group of Albanian children met us and followed us up the stairs. Two girls invited Amelia and Hallie to play with them on the driveway on the back side of our building. After supper Jill took our girls down and Helen, Quinton, Quin, and I soon joined them. Jill and another girl had our long jump rope in action and about 5-6 Albanian girls were jumping at one time. All in all about 15-20 Albanian youngsters were playing with us until almost 10:00 p.m. We did a lot of jump roping and counting in English. Jill and our gals chatted with some of the girls who spoke English. A few of these children attend Alfred's English class on Mon. and Thurs. We hope to invite these children to VBS and I'm sure we'll play with them again.
It is cooler today. We appreciate the cloud cover and breeze any time we can them!
Quinton just returned from a 4-hour field trip with his student. They traveled to the mountains east of Tirana for some special mineral water. (Dad's student is an interesting man. He threw the javelin, does yoga, been in a Hindu monastary, and combines the best of several religions into his own religion.) Quinton said the water didn't taste bad; perhaps he is healed of all his ailments!
Alfred, Helen, and my family took a walk to the post office this afternoon. Alfred showed us an outdoor market where we bought bananas and grapes. We then ate at an Italian restaurant close to our apartment. The pasta was quite tasty but took a good hour to arrive at our table. Oh well, we had time to visit.
More later,
Darin

July 11

Hello,
It is Wednesday afternoon here in Durres. We did not get rain on Tuesday night. On Tuesday evening I had 2 studies. One with Myfit (pronounced moo-fyit) and the other with Alexander. Myfit is one of my two non-Christian students. He is very puntual and maintains regular attendance. He understands written English quite well. He struggles a bit with speaking and understanding spoken English (or it may just be me he struggles to understand). He looks a lot like a young Arther Fonzerili ("Fonzy" for you Happy Days fans). I'm praying that the truth will connect with him. Alexander is a young Christian, very bright, and speaks excellent English. I am impressed with his Bible knowledge. Lord willing, he will continue to grow in his faith. n Monday, Wed., and Fri. I study with another student instead of Alexander. (Jill's Tuesday evening student had to cancel on account of a sore throat.)
Jill, Amelia, Hallie, Quin, Helen, and Quinton went to Durres city by bus on Tuesday evening while I was at the church building. They saw some of the sights of Durres and the kids enjoyed some of the kiddie activities by the coast. One of the activities was a trampoline. Albanians seem to love their coffee, music, water, and trampoline jumping. The trampolines in the touristy areas are composed of four smaller trampolines separated by padding. Some experienced jumpers and jump and flip from one tramp to another -- the Martin children are not in this elite group.
Following my studies I too went by bus to Durres with the OC students. This was my first ride of the public bus. Here one can actually hale a bus as one would a taxi in other cities. There are bus stops and the drivers appreciate the passengers boarding at the stops. When one gets on the bus at another location it is a little more risky because the bus doesn't exactly stop. We had to jump on as the bus slowed to about 2-3 mph. ( kind of felt like Luke Duke jumping in the General Lee.) The bus was crowded but not absolutely packed. The windows were open and the breeze felt nice. The body oder wasn't that bad either -- yeah! The ride to Durres takes about 12-15 minutes. We got off at the final stop in Durres and then had to walk about a third of a mile to the church building. Here I met my family and the OCers met the AIM team. Our family headed to the Volga -- not the famous river but a walking area in downtown Durres. (If you already didn't know, Albanians are big walkers. In the evening this otherwise busy traffic thoroughfare is bereft of cars but loaded with pedestrians. I took a minuted to break out my video camera and video the action on the Volga. It is really a nice area to walk with a nice wide street, lights above and IN the street, shops, and restaurants. People of all ages walk and enjoy the coolness of the evening. We walked down the Volga to a restaurant by the Adriatec.
The Piazza was one of the nicest restaurants we have visited in Albania. It is mostly a seafood restaurant but chicken, beef, and lamb were also on the menu. As a freebie, the restaurant brought out two plates of steamed muscles. I'm not a big seafood eater but I ventured to try the muscles and actually enjoyed them. I don't think our kids joined the muscle bandwagon however. Quin wanted to order octopus but we had to squelch this idea. Our family actually split three entrees and made it out of the restaurant for under $20.00. Had this been an American restaurant I imagine the bill would have been upwards of $60.00. We also enjoyed a complimentary dessert of ice cream and fruit. Good stuff.
After supper we walked back up the Volga and to the bus stop -- a walk of at least a mile. By this time of night Quin needed to be carried so we all took a turn carrying the little nipper but Papa (Quinton) did most of the work. We finally arrived back at our apartment around 10:15. It had been a nice evening.
This morning we had our devotional again at 9:00. We tried out the newly acquired projector as well. Scott Young from Memorial Road had e-mailed me over 500 PowerPoint pages of songs; so we displayed the words to several songs as we sang. We read from Romans chapter 6, prayed, and chatted about our studies and some upcoming events. (One thing we want to do is better serve the Christians in this area. We are going to have Alfred inquire to see what needs are present and if we can be of assistance.)
Our apartment and Helen and Quinton's are the only ones with washing machines. These are tiny but mighty washers. We have recently been doing some of the OC student's laundry. We're keeping up with the wash load just fine; finding room to hang all the wet clothes is a little more challenging. We have a drying rack on our balcony and I have strung a drying line in one of our bathrooms. Clothes dry quite quickly out on the balcony.
I'll inform you a little bit more about the Albanian people. From my experience in other Eastern European countries, I have found most to be lovers of beer. This is not true for the Albanians -- at least not the ones I'm associated with nor the ones in the Durres beach area. I have not seen one intoxicated Albanian nor individuals walking down the street drinking beer. This is a nice blessing. Alcohol is readily available in stores and restaurants and some do partake but not on the scale I've seen other places. Most Albanians don't have sweat glands -- or at least they don't use them. During my studies I lose about a quart of sweat per hour. I fan myself, wipe sweat from my brow, and drink fluids. Myfit, for example, wears long pants, avoids the fans in the room, and doesn't even glisten. From my observations, Albanians are generally reserved and quite individuals. They don't like to bring a lot of attention on themselves and are certainly not boastful. They are very courteous and hospitable. During my excursion with a couple of my students I was treated royally. The front passenger door was opened for me and I was treated to Fanta at a coastal restaurant. Albanians love to drink coffee morning, noon, and night. Tiny espresso cups are as common here as Sonic drive in cups. It is an insult to try to drink decaf as well. The night light is hopping in our area primarily -- in my opinion -- to the amount of caffeine running through the locals' blood.
That's it for now. Please pray that God will give us more opportunities to study the Word with our Albanian friends.
Later,
Darin

Greetings,
It is another hot day in Durres but we are hearing rumors of rain this evening...we'll see.
Jill and I both had studies yesterday. My two students on Monday are friends, both in their twenties. My first student actually stayed for my second student's lesson. This was not a problem. Neither of my students have much Bible knowledge so it is exciting to read with them as they learn truths for the first time. Right now both are studying about the nation of Israel, God's plan to bless the world through Abraham's seed, and the coming Messiah. Today's lesson is about David and Goliath.
Following the lessons my new friends took me to see the family business. We all rode in the student's father's 1977 Mercedez. Our drive was only about 2 miles from the church building. We first stopped by a bar/mini-restaurant and there picked up one fo the student's brother and cousin. The brother had actually lived in England for 5 years and spoke English very well. We then took a short drive toward the coast and arrived at the Tropical hotel. This hotel boasts the biggest pool in the Balkans. It is quite large and looks pretty clean. (We may have to try it out someday.) We sat in a pavilion area and had drinks. My students chose expresso and I had Fanta -- a popular drink in Albania. Before heading back to the church building we walked out to the Tropical's beach. The beach was not crowded and the Sea was very pretty.
Monday night we ate home-made goulash in our apartment -- ground beef, pasta, and ketchup. Our kids were sleepy so we put them to be earlier than usual. We had a pretty good night's sleep except for Quin getting up at 6:00. Jill and Quin made some French toast and pancakes and has some quality early morning time.
This morning as I arrived at the church building, one of our OC students was listening to an older Albanian man dressed in a full suit. There wasn't much of a conversation occuring since neither spoke the other's language. At the man's feet was a white trashbag containing a live sheep. The sheep was laying on the ground with its head poking out. We guess the man was trying to sell the sheep to our student. Needless to say, he didn't purchase the sheep -- although it would be nice to have a pet in the apartment.
I had to go back to the apartment this morning during the morning lesson time. Jill had stayed at home to clean the floors in our apartment. When I arrived back at the apartment Jill was in a converstation with two Jehovah Witness representatives. It appeared that the couple was a mother and daughter. Again, the language barrier saved Jill from having to be rude but we were offered some lovely JW Albanian literature.
For lunch today we went with the OC students to a "fast food" restaurant. We see the phrase "fast food" on many restaurant signs. I imagine the restaurant owners think that the more western phrases used the more likely they'll attract customers. The food was cheaper and of a lesser quality than normal -- so it was just like American fast food! I had a hamburger that was more like a SPAM burger. It was tolerable but I don't think I'll order it again.
This afternoon Quinton, Darin and Alfred plan on setting up the church's newly acquired projector -- straight from Adam's Boulevard Church of Christ in Bartlesville.
Later,
Darin

Jul

Hello Again,
On Sunday night we met for church services at 6:30 p.m. in our building. We had fellowship time for 30 minutes and started the Albanian service at 7:00. We had the windows open and the fans blowing but it was still very toasty in the room. There was a nice turn out for the service. The singing sounds really good in small room especially since there is no carpet or curtains to dampen any sound.
For the English service at 8:15 I led singing and Quinton (big Quinton that is) gave the lesson about Jesus' prayer in the Garden. At the conclusion of the service we chatted for awhile more then all the Americans and Alfred's family went to a favorite restaurant of Alfred's -- the Perla (Pearl). The restaurant is upscale for Albania and right on the Adriatic Coast -- very nice. It took us quite a while to order and we got our food well into the 10:00 hour. Most of us had a sea food spaghetti which included all sorts sea creatures. It was a good thing the lights were low or our kids (and Darin for that matter) would not have consumed much of the meal. It was really quite tasty. We finally got back to our apartment around 11:30 p.m. Quite an evening! Thankfully our kids went to be quite easily and rested well.
On Monday morning we met for our 9:00 devotional and some had lessons at 10:00. Amelia and Hallie sat in on the last part of the children's English class taught by Alfred. Our family and Helen and Quinton ate sandwiches in our apartment for lunch and then our family walked down to the Adriatik Hotel. This is probably the nicest hotel in this area and for $10 our family reserved a poolside umbrella and two chairs. The hotel has a large pool for adults (5 feet deep) and a smaller kiddie pool which Quin really enjoyed.
Jill and I have our lessons coming up soon. So far was have been pleased with the progression of our English/Bible lessons. We are praying for more Albanian students as a couple of our OC students still have some spots open on their teaching schedule. Please join us in these prayers.
More later...God bless!
Darin
p.s. Amelia wants everyone to know that she ate octopus.