Albania

Father, You love Albania! Thank You for pursuing this small country that lies in the crossroads of East and West. Traditions of Islam and the fallout from Communism prevail, so we pray that Your Word will spread into every corner of this nation and that the light of Christ will transform it! Amen.

Nathan Waggoner, Missionary, Albania

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SPECIFIC NEEDS

Volunteer

Missionary

Community Development Workers

ESL Teacher

Sports/Recreation Coordinator

Teachers (to partner with an international school)

Are Short-Term Missions Worth the Cost?

Nathan Waggoner, Missionary, Albania
The Call, January-March 2017

Summer 2016 was a busy season for short-term volunteers in Albania. We were blessed to host a university team and two families for one- to two-week trips each and three Volunteers In Action (VIA) interns who stayed for seven weeks! Thousands of dollars were invested last summer in these short-term trips as the volunteers came alongside of us in the village. Was it worth it?

If you Google the question “Are short-term missions worth the cost?” you will find thousands of 

articles —some thoughtful, some cynical—debating the question. Many articles claim that short-term missionaries benefit much more than their host communities. Most compare the funds used for travel to local wages and consider what else (presumably better) could be done with that money. Some of the examples cited would turn me off from short-term missions completely if I hadn’t experienced the other side.

The team from Asbury University (Kentucky) brought youthful enthusiasm with special skills in worship arts. A student majoring in worship arts along with Jonathan Powers, WGM’s Student Involvement director at Asbury, led a workshop for our young congregation. As a result, a committed group of youth and adults meet weekly to help plan our church services. Not only is the church service enriched and more orderly with the planning but also more people are involved each week.

The team also helped us launch a new children’s program in a neighboring village. (Incidentally, we learned about this community through distributing Christmas shoeboxes—another short-term missions outreach.) We had hoped the draw of our American visitors would help our numbers, but we were amazed when more than 80 kids and adults showed up! Our daughter, Ellie (age 11), played her guitar with Jonathan as they taught the first praise songs ever sung in that community! The youth from our village church caught the vision and have faithfully continued leading this weekly kids’ club outreach. 

Nathan (WGM Board member) and Anne Lowe and their children came to Albania on a family missions trip, and they plugged into our village ministries like they had been here from the beginning. Each family member was involved, whether preaching at church, facilitating youth Bible study, holding a chess tournament, leading a workshop for young mothers on childhood brain development, or visiting village homes. I know they left tired, but they helped encourage us and our neighbors.

Since the VIA interns were here for seven weeks, they were involved in all of the above ministries as well as starting a weekly Bible study fellowship for the young ladies in our village. They were also instrumental in helping our church’s youth prepare and lead the ongoing kids’ club meetings in our neighboring community. Both ministries have continued since they returned to the States, because people are following the patterns they set while they volunteered here with us.All of these “short-term” missionaries have left a long-term impact in our community! They strengthened our hands as career missionaries as they used their skills and abilities for the kingdom of God in Albania!

Only in eternity will we see the full dividends from the investments made this summer by short-term missionaries in Albania. But based on the returns we have already seen in this short time, the answer to the question “Was it worth it?” is a resounding YES!

GO: Ready to make your long-term impact on a short-term team or as a volunteer? Visit www.wgm.org/teams and www.wgm.org/via to learn more!

Wrapping and Warming Hearts

Tracy Dubois, Support Staff
The Call, October-December 2016

Across the country, women of all generations get together in church basements to make quilts for newborns, newlyweds, orphans, and local hospitals. Other small groups stuff pillows for those in need while some fill grocery bags with food for hungry children to eat on the weekends. In Albania, a group of women meet to knit products they can sell to help support their families.

“Economic opportunities for women in rural communities are difficult to come by,” explained missionary Cydil Waggoner. “Where we serve in Albania, limited education and resources, not to mention the expense and difficulty of commuting and responsibilities for family care, all represent barriers for women to contribute financially to their families. Our attempt has been to develop skills (or take advantage of existing skills) to empower these women to create commodities that can be sold to help their families economically.”

When Cydil first became a part of the women’s crafting ministry, the ladies were making jewelry. Their creations had a very low profit margin, and the earnings were split evenly among the women. The ministry switched to knitting, which the ladies were already skilled in, allowing each woman to earn based on her ability, labors, and creativity.

Knitted items for sale include scarves, headbands, legwarmers, hats, fingerless gloves, and even a few pieces for men. Proceeds from past sales have enabled Albanian wives, moms, sisters, and aunts to buy necessities like heating oil and medicines as well as luxuries like their family’s first indoor kitchen sink!“

To those who have already purchased from Village Knits, thank you for making a difference in the lives in this little corner of Albania,” Cydil stated. “For those of you who are reading about Village Knits for the first time, see what we have to offer at the Village Knits website."

Although final sales are the goal of each knitter, there is much more going on behind the scenes as this winter wear is purchased and worn around the globe.

“As I photograph, tag, catalog, and post new merchandise, I breathe a prayer that each item will be bought, that faith will grow with each sale, and that answered prayers will wrap and warm hearts just like the products wrap and warm bodies,” Cydil shared.

MORE: Christmas is just around the corner. Visit Village Knits to start knocking items off your shopping list. You can also follow this community on Pinterest.

Prayer Calendar Oct. 23-29,2016

Coming tomorrow on The Call blog:

"Across the country, women of all generations get together in church basements to make quilts for newborns, newlyweds, orphans, and local hospitals. Other small groups stuff pillows for those in need while some fill grocery bags with food for hungry children to eat on the weekends. In Albania, a group of women meet to knit products they can sell to help support their families."

Ask God to bless the ladies who support their families through Village Knits in Albania.

Speed Bumps and Bruises

Cydil Waggoner, Missionary, Albania
April-June 2016

A fellow missionary friend described the crossing of cultures like walking into a different dimension. Judging motives and understanding rationales in our host culture require a different filter to comprehend. Everything feels warped; even the same temperature “feels” different.

Those differences are like virtual speed bumps that shake the whole mind and body to remind us to slow down and shift to a different way of thinking. If you know a speed bump is ahead, you can adjust your speed and minimize the impact. But if you hit it at full speed, watch out—passengers are going to get bruised.

I was supposed to be familiar with this road. I wasn't supposed to have “forgotten” so quickly that speed bumps were just around the corner. The United States was supposed to be our “home,” but I had already stood motionless in my kitchen trying to remember where to find a cereal spoon. But it wasn’t just a matter of misplaced silverware. I couldn’t figure out why it felt like everyone was disappointing me and acting contrary to my expectations.

We were asked by friends on both sides of the Atlantic about our time in America. How does one answer?

• Our nieces and nephews still remembered us.
• Air conditioning is amazing.
• Sweet corn was even better than I remembered.

By the time we hit the one-month mark of our homeland ministry assignment though, I was ready to return to Albania. I missed my friends, my routine, our ministry, and my own bedroom. But as time passed, I got subtly lulled back into our old American life. I could drive a car again. I could share my thoughts exactly the way I wanted without having to pick and choose from a limited pool of vocabulary in a second language. I could do all of my shopping with a minimum of stops, no stressing for parking, and 99 percent of the time I could find the product I wanted on the shelves (or available online).

Oh, did I mention air conditioning? And soft, fluffy towels?

So after the heartache of some goodbyes that are probably the last this side of eternity, not to mention the stress of an international trip and poor sleep for several consecutive nights, I might have hit some speed bumps upon landing here in good “ole” Shqiperia (Albania).

I had been so concerned with watching out for my children's transition that I didn't have my headlights pointed in front of me. 

Thankfully we're hitting our stride now. I'm feeling a bit more like myself again and the bruises aren't so tender.

PRAY: As a family, gather together this week and pray for the missionary you partner with. Ask God to help them if they feel the bruises of transition and for continued blessing and peace if the speed bumps of transition seem small right now.

The Portrait Project

More Than a Picture
Rachel Elwood, Support Staff
January-March 2016

Cydil Waggoner, missionary in Albania with husband, Nathan, and kids, Ellie and Reni, loves taking photos and has a great eye for capturing special moments. When the Waggoners moved from the capital city of Tirana to a small village, they wanted to find a way to get to know their new neighbors. As anyone who has moved to a new place knows, the task of getting to know people and building relationships can take a long time. Cydil had the idea to offer each family in the village the gift of a photo session and a canvas photo mounted on a stretch frame. Thus, The Portrait Project was born.

With over 100 families living in the village, the Waggoners began to make contacts, visit homes, and take photos. Within one year, they had visited over 50 homes and matched each family with a ministry partner in the U.S. who had committed to pray for the Albanian family. At each photo session, the family was also given a personal invitation to the programs and services at the ministry center where Cydil and Nathan serve.

Partners in the U.S. who committed to pray for a family were given a postcard-size photo, with names and prayer requests written on the back. Many of the partners also contributed $15 to cover the cost of the canvas print.

As Nathan and Cydil have made their way through the village, they have come to realize that, for the families, even more meaningful than the physical gift of a family portrait was the realization that they are being remembered by their prayer partners in the United States. One lady from a neighboring village, in tears, said, “I wish I lived there so I could be part of The Portrait Project!” When Cydil assured her that they could take her family’s picture, too, she replied, “I don’t care as much about the picture. I just want someone to pray for my family!”

And that’s what The Portrait Project is all about.

ACT: Create your own portrait project. Ask to take photos of the families in your neighborhood so that you can pray for them. Then print the photos, and each night for the next year, commit to pray as a family for your neighbors.

Prayer Calendar March 20-26, 2016

With over 100 families living in the village, the Waggoners began to make contacts, visit homes, and take photos. Within one year, they had visited over 50 homes and matched each family with a ministry partner in the U.S. who had committed to pray for the Albanian family. At each photo session, the family was also given a personal invitation to the programs and services at the ministry center where Cydil and Nathan serve.

Pray for a family in your neighborhood that is in need of divine intervention. p. 20

From Inspiration to Involvement

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Jared Gleason, Support Staff
January-March 2016

As I browse social media or flip through a magazine, photos stick out to me the most. Most of the time I’m not even reading, but waiting for the next photo to catch my eye, prompting me to read whatever story or post accompanies it. Do you find yourself doing that?

Photos are fascinating because they can elicit so much emotion and inspiration, especially pictures that involve ministry and missions. You may think, “Wow, that’s an amazing ministry that is going on in Albania,” or “I would love to serve like that some day.” And that thought might be the last time you think of it. My prayer is that that would not be the case.

Are you brave enough to change your inspiration into involvement? I challenge you to actually respond. Don’t just click “Like” on Facebook and move on to the next photo. Don’t just flip the magazine page and read the next article. Take action. Ask questions. Learn more. Share with others what God is doing around the world and in your heart. Or, if you are up to a real faith challenge—go and be a part of it.

Going is a big step, but it is a step worth taking. Through Christ, people’s lives are being transformed and communities are being changed. You can be a part of what He is doing. And then you’ll be the one sharing photos, impacting others’ lives, and, Lord willing, inspiring them to be a part of missions as well.

As you are inspired by missions photos in this magazine, online, or wherever they may be, pray about how God may use those photos to prompt you to become involved. If He prompts you to seek out an opportunity to serve, WGM has many ways that you can do that. Maybe it’s going on your first team, maybe it’s serving for a summer, or maybe it’s beginning a career in missions. It could also mean being an advocate for missions in your small group, church, or community.

No matter what God is asking you to do, I’d love to talk with you and help your inspiration become a reality.

ACT: Connect with Jared today at recruiting@wgm.org to determine the best way God can use your skills and talents in missions.

The Jesus Place

An excerpt from...

The Jesus Place

By Nathan Waggoner, Missionary, Albania
October-December 2014

In 2013 our family began serving as World Gospel Mission missionaries in partnership with Planters Seed Foundation in the country of Albania. Our goal was to bolster the existing ministries of Planters and help plant an indigenous church in the village of Vlashaj.

Planters had already been working in Vlashaj when the door opened in 2001 for them to buy a house in the center of the village and renovate it into a ministry center for the community. Having a permanent presence in the village by way of the center announced that Planters was there to stay and was committed to being a part of this obscure village in central Albania. More than 600 Bible clubs later, our family is blessed to be reaping the years of investment as the Planters staff have sown the seeds of the gospel.

Recently, our colleague Genti was told, “Our son is always asking to go to the Jesus Place!”

When he later shared the conversation with me, I asked, “The Jesus Place?”

“Yes,” he said, “that is the name all the kids use for the ministry center!”

The Jesus Place. I can’t think of a better way for the ministry center to be known! That title didn’t come via a marketing campaign or even a sign on the building. It was given in response to the love of Jesus that has been demonstrated there throughout the years. As I thought about what it takes to create a Jesus Place, I was reminded of a quote by Dr. Steve Elliot from a recent WGM leadership retreat: “If you put love where there is none...then love is there.”

I believe that is how a ministry center becomes known as “The Jesus Place.” You put His love there!

Could that really be a way to begin the process of discipleship—making Jesus Places? As I have pondered this concept, I have had to ask myself, “Nathan, do others see you as a ‘Jesus Place,’ where they can come to find His love?”

The answer is simple: without the overflow of Christ’s love, No! I have absolutely nothing of value to give! I need personal Jesus Places in my own life so that I have His love to give to others. During our training to come to Albania, we were told, “When you go, they won’t just get the Message, they’ll get the missionary!” It is only the daily Jesus Places of time in His Word and prayer that give us the strength to live the message, not just speak it.

A weekly Jesus Place via a Sabbath rest has forced us to trust that God can accomplish through us in six days more than we could do ourselves in seven. Honestly, I don’t know what we would do without our Sabbath rest here in Albania. Sundays are the one day we don’t study a language or do office work (or even write articles for The Call). God uses the mental and physical rest of Sunday to propel us into the new week in His strength.

We have also sought to make a Jesus Place in our family. Family devotions help us re-focus on who we are in Christ and His call on our family. Cydil and I also realized that if we were to nurture and disciple our own kids, we needed to set aside intentional time with them, birthing what we affectionately call “Waggoner Wednesdays.” We spend Wednesday afternoons and evenings focusing on having fun as a family. It is less important what we do and more important that we do it together.

Jesus loves the people of Albania. He is at work here, and we are so blessed to be a part of what He is doing. As the church grows in the village of Vlashaj, we pray it won’t lose the nickname “The Jesus Place.” In Mark 6, Jesus’ own hometown rejected Him. The very place that had known Jesus the longest was the least open to His teachings and miracles. However, at the end of the chapter, Jesus returns to Gennesaret where He had recently been begged to leave, but this time they “immediately recognized him and ran about the whole region” bringing the sick to Him and “whoever touched him” was healed. That’s the kind of church we want Vlashaj to be—a place where Jesus is recognized instantly, the sick and hurting are always welcome and invited in, and healing is found for all who come to “touch Jesus.”

What about you? Where is your Jesus Place? Where do you experience the love of Christ? Could your family, work, community, or even you yourself use a Jesus Place? The good news is that anywhere can become a Jesus Place if you bring Christ’s love there!

ACT: Has your Jesus Place gotten a little dusty? Over the next month, be intentional about taking time to rest, study the Word, and pray. Create a pattern that can keep you growing in the love of Christ.

Orphans No More

An excerpt from Orphans No More
Adopted as Sons and Daughters

By Rachel Elwood, Support Staff
July-September 2012

The relationship between parents and children is one of the strongest bonds of human love we can fathom. For these missionary families, that bond has been forged with children they have joyfully adopted into their families.




Bill, Oksana, and Dennis Brower,UkraineOksana had already fallen in love with the then–5-year-old child and went home that night to talk to Bill. His response: “Oh, don’t worry, he’ll be ours. God’s already told me it’ll happen.”


In Ukraine, it usually takes 12 to 15 months to complete the adoption process, but Bill and Oksana were able to get all the paperwork done and finalized in just three months. Dennis immediately fit into his new family, calling his cousins “brothers.” Even Bill’s wary German Shepherd dog loved him from the start.

Wycliff, Staci, Gifton, Solomon, and Ellie Keter, Kenya

Eight months after Staci and Wycliff were married, they decided together to adopt Gifton and Solomon, two brothers who had been brought to the AGC Baby Center. Their family enlarged two years later with the birth of their daughter, Ellie.

One day, Gifton and Solomon asked Staci, “Mom, are we really a part of this family?” (A neighbor had tried to tell them that they weren’t.) She asked them, “Am I your mom? Is Wycliff your dad? Are you brothers? Is Ellie your sister?” They easily understood that the answer was “Yes!”

Nathan, Cydil, Ellie, and Reni Waggoner, Albania (Special Assignment)

Nathan and Cydil adopted their first child, Ellie, from Albania in 2005. “Our hearts became even more passionate and broken for the plight of the orphan as we had a former orphan living in our home,” Cydil shared. Now 7 years old, Ellie loves her role as big sister to 3-year-old Reni, who was also adopted from Albania.


Due to early-touch deprivation and severe crib confinement during her time at the orphanage, Ellie has some learning needs. Reni is a congenital, bilateral above-the-knee amputee. Still, he hasn’t let that slow him down as he walks and navigates stairs. Eventually, he will learn to use prosthetics.


“Sure, we encountered significant fear and we could have walked away and said, ‘No, this is too hard,’” Cydil said. “But we would have missed out on some of God’s greatest treasures and opportunities to see Him work in some pretty miraculous ways.

Chuck, Amy, Abigail, David, Lydia, Hannah, Shadrach, Elizabeth, and Esther Bemm, Kenya

In Chuck’s role as pediatrician at Tenwek Hospital and Amy’s ministry at local orphanages, the Bemm family was exposed early on to the plight of “unwanted” children. They adopted Hannah in 2006 and have since added Shadrach, Elizabeth, and Esther. They were all adopted from the Africa Gospel Church Baby Center, a home for orphaned and abandoned babies.
“We know that the Lord has placed them in our family at just the right time,” Amy said of their three most recent additions to the family. “While our house is a little crazy and loud, we are enjoying every minute of it!”

MORE: Use a concordance or resource like www.biblegateway.com, and search for the word “orphan.” Prepare to be amazed at how clearly the Bible shows God’s heart toward these precious children.