by Richard L. Bowman
April 24,
2014
A Special Easter Week
Here is my prayer for this Easter season--translated into Shqip with the wonderful help of Klemetina, Xhorxhina and others.
My Easter Prayer (Confession and Affirmation) in Shqip (Albanian Language) (20-Apr-14; © Richard L. Bowman)
And just in case you cannot read Shqip (the Albanian language) here is the poster in English.
My Easter Prayer (Confession and Affirmation) in English (20-Apr-14; © Richard L. Bowman)
The background for these posters is a photo of some cloud formations I noticed on Thursday morning. I was on the bridge over the train tracks here in Lezhë waiting for the train so I could photograph it. (I'll share more of that later. In the afternoon I was finally able to see an Albanian train and photograph it!) I "saw" a cross which seemed very apropos for the Easter season.
Beginning at the Beginning of the Week
The setting sun on Palm Sunday (April 13) was a beautiful way to begin Holy Week and to be reminded that God will ultimately make all things right even when some or all of the material in between our birth and death may be rather twisted and broken. Thanks be to God for his mercy and healing power!!
A Beautiful Sunset on Palm Sunday (13-Apr-14; © Richard L. Bowman)
Then on Monday morning (April 14), Elsie and I travelled with Allen Umble and Klodi to Lushnjë in the southern part of Albania. I first introduced Klodi in my January 25 post. He is a Christian believer from a village just outside of Lushnjë who has informally adopted Allen as a mentor.. He is in his last year of high school and is looking for a Bible college in Albania at which he can further his studies. The trip to Allen's home took us about three hours, including the longish break for coffee and relaxation in Duress along the Adriatic Sea.
Elsie (off of the photo on the left), Klodi, Allen and I Having Coffee (14-Apr-14; © Richard L. Bowman)
Klodi, Elsie and Allen Explore the Uncroweded Beach (14-Apr-14; © Richard L. Bowman)
Finally we arrived in Lushnjë and after a nap, Allen and I went to buy some bread and to help me become acquainted with part of the city. On our walk around, we met a number of persons whom Allen knonws.
Allen and a Friend Meet (14-Apr-14; © Richard L. Bowman)
In addition to having, as one person called it, the gift of meeting people in need Allen also has the gift of being a good cook. On his balcony are a number of greens and herbs in pots already growing for the season.
Herbs Growing on Allen's Balcony (14-Apr-14; © Richard L. Bowman)
Allen Cooking up Breakfast (15-Apr-14; © Richard L. Bowman)
More City Sights in Lushnjë
The front yard of Allen's landlord is full of lemon and orange trees in full bloom. So we admired and photographed them before heading off for a morning stroll through part of Lushnjë.
Leon Blossoms Are Beautiful (14-Apr-14; © Richard L. Bowman)
The Vaçe Zela Theater and Cultural Center is one of the main attractions of downtown Lushnjë, the city where the well-loved singer was born. She died on February 6, 2014, and her memorial service was attended by thousands. She was two months shy of her 75th birthday when she died in Switzerland.
Allen and Elsie Look Toward the Vaçe Zela Theater (15-Apr-14; © Richard L. Bowman)
A short stroll further into the city, we found the Disciples Church which Allen attends sometimes since there is no Mennonite or Anabaptist church in the area. The church plant begun by Operation Mobilization is associated with the Disciples Church. The church is on the first floor with the OM facilities on the floor(s) above that.
As we entered the church we were met this 20-moth-old boy and his parents, Johan and Orjana Toni and their son Isaac. Isaac is checking me out rather boldly. Is it my bald head, my beard, or my persona. Or maybe he just sees something about me that I don't know about myself! :)
Who Has the Ball? (11-Apr-14; © Richard L. Bowman)
Johan, Orjana, and Isaac (15-Apr-14; © Richard L. Bowman)
The Disciples Church Sign in Lushnjë (15-Apr-14; © Richard L. Bowman)
As seems to be occurring in all of the cities we have visited in Albania, Lushnjë has its share of new high-rise apartments and stores. Traditional markets are squeezed in as usual and so are monuments and other reminders of the communist government era in Albania that still may have validity today. The monument pictured below reminds visitors and citizens alike that Lushnjë and the area surrounding it have been considered the "bread basket" f Albania.
A New High-Rise Apartment Building in Lushnjë (15-Apr-14; © Richard L. Bowman)
An Open-Air Market in Lushnjë (15-Apr-14; © Richard L. Bowman)
Want to Butcher Yurw Own Fowl for Dinner? (15-Apr-14; © Richard L. Bowman)
House Sparrows Are Plentiful around Lushnjë (15-Apr-14; © Richard L. Bowman)
Statue Commemorating the Workers in Albania's "Breadbasket" (15-Apr-14; © Richard L. Bowman)
Village Sights
After a morning traipse around Lushnjë, we headed to several villages south of the city where Mennonites have worked in church planting, development, and relief. Glenn and Martha Zimmerly, mission workers with Eastern Mennonite Missons from 1994-2001, were honiored by people in this area especially for their work with the refuges from Kosovo Below is the marble plaque erected in their honor.
Plaque Honoring Glenn and Martha Zimmerly (15-Apr-14; © Richard L. Bowman)
Close-up of Plaque Honoring Glenn and Martha Zimmerly (15-Apr-14; © Richard L. Bowman)
Several church planting attempts by Mennonite workers have now been closed with the remaining believers lften connecting with otger churches.
Site of a Former Mennonite Church (15-Apr-14; © Richard L. Bowman)
Site of Another Former Mennonite Church Plant (15-Apr-14; © Richard L. Bowman)
The area also hosts an Orthodox church and a medical clinic organized through funds from a Muslin group. The medical clinic had hours for patients from 8 a.m.-1:10 p.m. and from 5:30-7:00 p.m. everyday.
An Orthodox Church in On of the Villages (15-Apr-14; © Richard L. Bowman)
A Small Medical Clinic Sett up with Muslim Funds (15-Apr-14; © Richard L. Bowman)
Plaque on the Clinic Walls Honoring the Funding Source (15-Apr-14; © Richard L. Bowman)
While I usually do not know the names of the flowers or wildlife I am seeing, I have seen some wonderful flowers and plants. Here is another one we saw out in the villages near Lushnjë.
Is It a Rose by Some Other Name! (15-Apr-14; © Richard L. Bowman)
In one of the many drainage canals set up during the communist era to drain the swampy area near the villages, I capture some ducks enjoying finding food and just swimming around.
Ducks Swimming and Eating in a Drainage Canal (15-Apr-14; © Richard L. Bowman)
Allen, Elsie and I enjoyed a lunch in a village of pork chops, potatoes, salad and cheese. To stretch our culinary senses just a bit, Allen and I also had a sampling of two frog legs.
The Pork Chops Were very Good! (15-Apr-14; © Richard L. Bowman)
High School Were Walking Home from School as We Passed (15-Apr-14; © Richard L. Bowman)
Robert Elsie has posted a number of "Texts and Documents of Albanian History" on the Internet. In 1831 David Urquhart (a Scottish political person) wrote in Chapter XIX of The Spirit of the East about how marshy ansd in need of draining was southern Albanian. With the land reclamation program of the communist government of Enver Hoxha in the 1960's, the draining of these freshwater marches was accomplished. But with the return of small farms, less care has been given to this drainage sysem and those the biodiversity of the region has begun to return. (See the commentary written for the Butrint National Park in southwestern Albania for more details.)
Below is a photo of one of the drainage canals and the elevated beds for the trains in this area.
A Drainage Canal near Lushnjë (15-Apr-14; © Richard L. Bowman)
Traintrack Bed Elevated above Marshy Land Nearby (15-Apr-14; © Richard L. Bowman)
Finally in one of the villages we met with a local family with whom Allen had English lessons. The father had returned to Kosovo for a month where he was able to find work during these economic hard times. The mother and six children from grade school up through high school gave us a warm welcome and tried their English and our small amount of Albanian language. Since this family were evangelical believers in Jesus Christ, Allen planned a good service of sharing about and in communion in which all participated.
Allen and the Two Sons of the Family (15-Apr-14; © Richard L. Bowman)
The Oldest Daughter, Their Mother, and Elsie Share Communion (15-Apr-14; © Richard L. Bowman)
I will never forget how they all gathered around me and prayed for my healing from the pain that was running ramped in my legs due to not having enough of my medicine with me in Albania, since we extended our teaching time by a month. "Thank you, God, for your family scattered around the world!"
We ended our visit with a group picture outside.
Elsie and I and the Village Family Outside of Their Home (15-Apr-14; © Richard L. Bowman)
The next morning before we left for our return to Lezhe, I captured Allen at work on his computer in his kitchen-living room. "Thanks, Allen, for a very special visit!"
Allen at Work in His Apartment (16-Apr-14; © Richard L. Bowman)
The day turned rainy as we left Lushnjë. But I had to photograph this tricycle truck. It looks like many of the older Mercedes-Benz trucks around Lezhë, but it could also be other makes such as the Piaggio. If you have an idea, please let me know.
A Tricycle Truck (16-Apr-14; © Richard L. Bowman)
Looking through the steamed up bus window as we came into Lezhë, it felt good to Elsie and I to be back "home" after a a good visit to Lushnjë. And crossing the Drini River told us we were back home.
Seeing the Drini River from the Bus Window as We Came Home (16-Apr-14; © Richard L. Bowman)
I have been working on this posting for almost a week, so I'll save some more photos from Easter until next time.
--©2014, Richard L. Bowman
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