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.