A2B THANKED FOR HELP
In March this year Teiuta one of our cooks finished a Social Work training course funded by the local council and the European Union. During the course Teiuta invited other girls from the course to come and work at the day centre. This helped them get some “hands on” practical experience and the course leader was very grateful for the help. A ceremony was held at the training school where certificates were awarded. The first was to Teiuta and the second was a thank you document from the Mayor presented to Alketa who received it on behalf of A2B.
From Sue And Tony Anderson’s Visit May 08
Nestled amongst the mountains like a pearl in God's hand sits Elbasan. The air seems fresh as you travel the high altitude but the smell of industrialization soon begins to reach you as you traveled down into the heart of the town. The influence of the previous communist regime becomes obvious as empty factories and deserted houses scar the landscape. The mixture of houses old and new reminded me of a bag of 'allsorts', different colours, shapes and sizes all bunched together, in no particular order Sometimes we'd see a doll hanging outside the empty houses on the old telephone lines or on top of the roof- placed in order to frighten away 'evil spirits' reflecting the superstitious minds of a people displaced, misunderstood and abused, and a people who need to know love and security.
Tony and I had the privilege of being asked by Jill and Paul Heffer from 'The Aid to the Balkans' Ministry to visit Elbasan to see the work that the Charity was doing and to speak at a Ladies Conference. We met Alketa and Elona who work unstintingly and with a deep commitment, they have a passionate heart for the Christian message to be brought to the people- not only in Word, but also in deed, following the example of our Lord Jesus Christ. The love in their hearts and in the outworking of the Gospel touched our lives and our hearts, as did the commitment of Jill and Paul.
One of the works is based in 'The Bread of Life' Centre in Elbasan; a centre dedicated to feeding the local people, who for one reason or another are unable to feed themselves or their families. Again, the dedication from the team of workers, who dish out over 100 meals daily to the elderly, the poor and many children is far more than skin deep and we were left with an incredible sense of challenge as we saw in the working of the 'Living gospel'. The work extends to encouraging families and individuals to care for themselves, some of them being recipients of 'the Family Sponsorship Scheme'- where the money each month is allocated to feeding, improving living standards or to buying clothing bundles' for the families to sell on the markets. In the latter scheme, the family are encouraged to earn a living by being allowed to keep any profit that they make from their sales which hopefully leads to living an independent life. When we were at the Center an Albanian nurse came and saw to any possible medical needs that needed to be addressed, and a lady received a sewing machine to enable her to earn a living to feed her children. The Charity also sends people on courses to learn the skills that they need in order to make the best use of what they have been given. To run a centre like this takes planning, hard work and dedication and very importantly - money! I was sad to hear that if regular finances were not increased to the charity then this Centre, “to many a centre of survival” would have to be closed down. A terrible thought. so if anyone is reading this and feels that they would like to help then please contact A 2 B, lives and livelihoods depend on it!
Sue was invited to speak at a Ladies Conference in a church outside Elbasan, where five Churches came together. She was told afterwards that the ladies had been praying for this to happen for some time. Dear long suffering Alketa translated for her and the message about being 'Women of Destiny', gleaning truths from the books of Samual about Hannah, and from the Book of Ruth , leaving the ladies with a sense of purpose, hope and a future. Many many women were prayed for, for healing and restoration and we saw the Holy Spirit Ministering- changes were taking place.
Tony was asked to preach at the JBUT Church ( Jesus Brought Us Together) in Elbasan where believers gathered. Again 'Keta' translated whilst Elona sang and led the worship. His message on Faith and the ongoing work of the JBUT Church was well received. The men in particular were touched and new bonds were formed. Testimonials rang out from the previous days conference and we found that we couldn't hold back the tears, God is so faithful. People recognized the un-forgiveness in their hearts and decided to make a new start.
Sue Writes: We visited the 'Romany' areas of the town where the majority were poor and most families lived in one room. The plight of these families is shocking and we couldn't help comparing the 'Western Lifestyle' with what we could see. Most families didn't have toilets or bathrooms, but we were encouraged to see that A 2 B had been able to not only build a two roomed house for a family but had been able to supply a small toilet room. Most families sleep on the floor or if they're blessed on small couches with little or no privacy, but again we were privileged to be part of helping to equip a young family with three beds and a fridge. The look I shall always remember was the look of amazement on the little boys face-as a new bed was assembled for him. The mother sells chickens on the market and this was how she intends to look after her family- she's young and determined and I know A2B will look after her and the family until they are able to do so. We also visited a remote school in the mountains where I believe about seventy five children came. The children would walk for miles and always seemed to have a smile on their faces. The standard of the education was impressive as was the children's writing; we hope to make a link with a school on the Isle of Wight as they obviously need basic supplies and encouragement. They are now teaching the Gospel not only to the children but also to the staff! Praise God! Thank you Jill and Paul. Sue and Tony Anderson
