For 45 years the country of Albania existed under the iron shadow of communism.
It was a particularly vitriolic type of communism that banished all forms of religion totally
from society, except for the religion of atheism. Today the new, young, fledgling Seventh-day
Adventist church is growing despite many challenges.
That and much more coming up on today's program.
Hello and welcome to Mission 360Ë coming to you today from the bright afternoon sun
in Tirana, the capital city of Albania. We'll be focusing on mission here in Albania on today's program.
It's a very young fledgling church that only began in the early 1990s after the fall of communism.
We'll be talking to the mission president - a missionary from the country in El Salvador.
We'll also be talking to one of just two ordained Albanian Seventh-day Adventist pastors
working in this country. We'll also be traveling to the country of Belize.
But first up, lets meet three global mission pioneers working in South Africa.
Three pioneers, one common job! Gift, Steward and Moeketsi are an energetic Global Mission
pioneer team with a mission to reach the city of Pretoria, South Africa. These men understand
the local context; they speak different African languages, and they are ready to creatively
face the mission challenge.
Daily they look for an opportunity to relate to people. Some they encounter door-to-door.
Others they are only able to talk to during a work-break at the gas station.
Pollen works here, for a few weeks he has been actively learning the Bible with the three pioneers.
One of the many important life lessons Pollen has learned, is to share the knowledge of
Jesus with friends. And before long he invited Maria, a co-worker to study with him.
Now, they are both waiting to finish their last lesson before baptism.
In Pretoria there are many train preachers. It's a common sight while traveling by train.
Pioneer Steward frequently travels by train and one day he decided to address the many
misconceptions presented as he rode the train. But instead of confronting train preachers,
he chose another wagon where he speaks directly from the Bible on a daily basis.
He always prays with the fellow riders and has found encouragement through the growth he has seen
on regular commuters in his 'church wagon.'
And so far I have discovered that many people have benefited from these presentations
because right now they are able to identify who is saying the truth and who is saying
false doctrine. Because people are beginning to even follow me wherever they see me getting
into a coach. People are now knowing me and they follow me. Some audience they follow
because they want to learn more about what I am presenting.
As the three pioneers dodge traffic, navigate crowds and climb endless sets of stairs in
the city's towering apartment buildings. They know God is working with them to find
hearts hungry for truth and hope.
One day the three pioneers met an interesting woman. As usual they spoke kindly with her
and gave her a study guide.
I introduced the lessons and she showed interest in these lessons. And in two days
after I left there, she called me because I supplied my contact number on the lessons.
She said come I am done with your lessons. You know, I went back there thinking that in two
days? I know people can take a month, some weeks to complete them. But in two days she
was done. I went there and took the lessons and I marked them. You know when I was marking
them I could see that really she read them.
The pioneer team was surprised to see that this woman had been up all night studying
all of the lessons. She couldn't put them down. Although tired she still had many
questions about the Bible, God, salvation and prophecy. So Gift, Steward and Moeketsi
continued to visit her house and strengthen her faith. It was clear that the Holy Spirit
was moving her heart and mind towards God.
The spirit of the Lord is always working in people's lives.
We had people who are willing to come to the church. Some have already decided that
they are coming to church.
In fact, during the past 2 years the pioneers have studied the Bible with some 1,500 people
and baptized more than 200 of them. Through this they started two new branch churches
and they are encouraged to continue reaching many more for the kingdom of God.
Thank you for your prayers and financial support of Global Mission pioneers across the world.
They are making a difference in reaching the cities!
I'm talking with pastor Leo Espana and we are in Albania where pastor Leo, you are serving
as the president of the mission
plus you are also pastoring a church in this city.
How many years have you been pastoring a church here?
I came here in 2008, end of 2008 and since then I've been pastoring here in the church of DurrĂŤs.
How many people do you have worshiping?
We have an average of 30 people to 35 people coming every Sabbath.
Now this is a port city obviously, now what happened here in the early 1990s?
Well this is a city very important. It is the second largest city of Albania and
also it's important because for the harbor.
Just across we have Italy about three hundred kilometers from here and the city of Bari.
After communist time, many Albanians wanted to go away from Albania and to know
other countries and to look for a better living.
So many people came here and try to go to Italy.
Right, in his pictures of boats that are just full of people trying to get away.
It happened just right here. Yes exactly. This is the place.
Now in the last did a couple days we've seen global mission projects here in Albania.
What are the good things that are happening here?
Well we thank God because the best thing that can happen in Albania is people coming to Jesus.
And through the Global Mission projects we have seen that people are coming. For example here
in the church in DurrĂŤs, one of our projects is to run language courses, Spanish, English.
And people like to learn languages and they have come. We have a computer lab there and
people come and they register and then once they are learning they say what is here?
What are you doing here? I say well, this is a church and we also teach about the Bible
and we invite them to come.
So you're really a center of influence in this city.
In the heart of the city. Wonderful. Now I have heard you speaking Albanian.
And it seems to me that you speak it very well but that is not your language, where are you from?
I'm originally from El Salvador, Central America.
So what is a family from El Salvador doing in Albania?
Well as you know Gary, God has plans for all of us and once we decide to follow His will
He knows where he wants you to be. We are serving as missionaries is here with my wife.
My wife is from Honduras.
And by the way are we have two children and one of our just five months old.
We have a baby girl born in Albania.
What a blessing.
What are your plans for the future here in Albania?
Well we want to see the church grow much more. We have many cities that still
have not been penetrated. Even though the Adventist church is in most of the main
cities here in Albania with the lacking to penetrate north Albania and very south of
Albania, cities that need to be rich for Jesus.
We recently started a new global mission project in the city of Fier as well.
Well very good, now after many years, 45-47 years of communism where religion was banished,
there's a high rate of atheism in this country is that still the case?
Yes there are still some people that are skeptical to religion. Others that just don't want
to talk about God. However, people are more open
now to the gospel and I believe that that's an opportunity or for us to spread the gospel here.
Now, what about pastors. How many Albanian pastors do you have?
Okay we have presently three Albanian pastors. One is our secretary of the mission as well
but he's also a pastor in the central church in Tirana. Pastor Julian Castrati.
We have also pastor Genti who is in Albasar that you recently visited.
And we have a pastor who is in the church plant in Fier, the city
that I just mentioned to you. He was previously working in Korcha and now is has moved to work
in the church plant in Fier.
So you have a small team in a big task?
Yes you said so. We understand what it means when Jesus said that we need to pray for more laborers.
So what would you say is the biggest mission challenge facing you here?
I believe we need to be more open to the to the community still.
We need to get to know people, Albanians need to know who the Adventists are.
We thank God for ADRA because ADRA International was the first NGO organization that came
to the country. But also we need to spread more.
The most well-known religion here in Albania is Islam, an Greek Orthodox church and Catholicism
is 10 percent and then we are not that well-known, so we need to work
more on that. I will say that as Adventists we still need to invest in Albania, in education,
in health. We don't have a school here yet. We don't have any hospital
or clinic even though with ADRA we've been working with that, with health as well.
But we still need to get to know more, the Adventists in the community.
Pastor Leo, thank you so much for sharing with us. And viewers at home please
remember the challenge here in Albania. Remember pastor Leo and his team as they follow
God's leading as they seek to build His kingdom right here in Albania.
We've got more mission coming up right after this break.
Welcome back and I'm delighted to be talking to pastor Julian here in Tirana, Albania.
Summer's day, sun is coming down and pasto Julian, you were one of the founding members
of the Adventist church here in this country. In fact, you were one of the first ordained Seventh-day Adventist pastors.
We're standing in from of this building. Describe it and tell me the significance of it to you.
Okay this building very, very significant. It's personal but it's also much more than that.
This building we call it the pyramid but it was built originally in the late 80s
as a memory a for the legacy of our communist dictator. He is infamous all
around the world the notorious because he is the
author of banning religion completely and for Albania becoming the first atheist
country in the world. And it's very ironic and iconic, I would say, that this building,
in this very building, that we have had the evangelistic meetings, the very first ones run
by Pastor David Currie from Australia and this is the meeting where Meryl Pagica
probably you know the famous story I think all around the world,
her story is well known and I also got baptized in this very building inside.
Okay, this story, this was a lady who had remained faithful through the years have communism.
Tell us briefly the story.
Her story was very became famous in the GC Session
in 1985 but I think it's time maybe for the even for the younger generation of
Adventists to know her story because it's a beautiful story.
Here's a lady, she was a member of the Daniel Lewis small group back in the 30s.
When he became a martyr in the 50s he was tortured by the communist regime.
She kept seeing him in prison. She loved the Lord but Daniel was pharmacist.
He was not an ordained minister so she couldn't get baptized. And she waited 47
years, be exact, for the day until she could get baptized. She was baptized by
David Currie. Not just that she waited for 45 years, she collected her tithe regularly
every month and she handed it into the General Conference officials back in 1992. Very touching story.
So she just kept storing it away through those years.
She kept storing it away. With that money at that time in Albania, she could have bought a beautiful villa anywhere they like
but she was so faithful to the Lord.
And she said I have this three dreams I want to return the tithe to the church to
the Seventh-day Adventist Church, to my church. I want to get baptized and I want to see a
church building in Tirana.
Wonderful now you were attending the meetings, you started doing Bible studies but it
was her baptism that really influenced you what happened?
Absolutely, I was the from the very beginning I was fascinated by
the amazing Discoveries series. It was just beautiful. I accepted all the doctrines
but you know there was something when you're a first generation Adventist,
When you hear the name Seventh-day Adventist it seems a little bit that's a bizarre or
a bit strange. So I had some misgivings, should I get baptized. So I was very
close that I had not made the final decision. But I was there on the 18th of April 1992
and I was right there in this building inside and when David introduced her in front of
all of us and I was just there, I was two meters away from from her, from the baptistry and
when I saw her praising the Lord with her face you know up to the heavens just like
that and saying praise be and glory to the King, I waited 45 years for this day.
I was like wow, this lady there must be, if she waited that long there must be something
very special about this church. This must be the true Church of God. I better join
this church sooner than later and I was baptized the next the following Sabbath.
Amazing, beautiful story.
And I was we were all crying. It was probably the first time I was really crying like a
a little baby. I was a teenager at that time. Very touching story.
And that's what made me well who I am now and we're all shaped
and we all learned from her example.
Wonderful, wonderful story. Now Julian, you grew up as a kid in an environment where atheism
was a religion. What was that like?
It was very strange you know very interesting because in school we learned about evolution
and there is no God then all this are fairy tales and stupid stories and so on and so forth.
You know my mom very interestingly very secretly even though she was a math
and physics teacher she will tell me secretly look there is a God, don't listen to the
communists. Now she was her family was persecuted by the communist regime but it was a very strange.
It was it's felt like there was something lacking you know in your life growing it's
like your empty there is no you're just you feel like we are all like animals, apes.
And survival of the fittest, that kind of thing.
And then you know it was difficult. And you see the consequences, and the long
transition, the corruption, the organized crime that has plagued this country for decades.
There's a direct consequence of that lack of the fear of God you know for all those 30-40 years in Albania was staunchly atheistic.
So when you see the popularity of the New Atheists
at the moment it how do you react with your background?
For me it is so sad to see this new, this new atheism movement and so on and so forth.
It has brought nothing but you know destruction,
tears, pain, disillusionment, corruption. It's brought the worst, I think, that
human nature can bring about.
And it's just something that a is very sad and we never want to see, no Albanian wants to go
back to those years when there was no God presently a society where you see churches
being burned and being destroyed. When people, when you imprison people because
they read the Bible and that's just something awful and there's so much lost in humanity
from that kind of horrible idealology.
Julian you're the secretary of the Albanian mission. You're one only two ordained Seventh-day
Adventist pastors working in this country. What is your hope and dream for this country?
My dream is very similar, it resembles some Niropigika's to have a beautiful
blossoming church here, to extend the kingdom of God in this country which so badly I think
more than any other place in in Europe, needs God because it's been so dried up.
It's been so been really so thirsty for the Word of God and I want
to see the church grow. We have the youngest church in Europe, probably in the world
in terms of our membership. We are very encouraged to see a growing active lay-membership
movement and we are so thrilled to continue to work here. To have Church in
every major town and then to extend all around the country and where we can take the three
angels messages.
Fantastic, thank you so much and please continue to remember church leaders, pastors, lay people here in
Albania in your prayers. You know they have many challenges and they need a world church
that is praying for them.
Next up, let's go to the country Belize.
On this Sabbath in northern Belize, police have set up a checkpoint in front of the Adventist
Church. Their church sits right along the busiest road in town. A group of church members
a plan something special to reach out to their community and the traffic stop plays an important role.
It's not a big city but this is where the most cars and pedestrians pass by.
Since this is the traffic hot spot of the area sometimes the police have checkpoints. They will check
for seatbelts, registration, and anything else regarding the
driver safety. But this is not an ordinary traffic checkpoint. The church members use
this as an opportunity to share about Jesus. As the police stop the cars, the church
members pass out Christian magazines and books. Young and old take part in this activity.
Drivers are pleasantly surprised as they stop and receive an unexpected gift.
The drivers also have an opportunity to pull over and enjoy a free concert put on by the church's pathfinder club.
Many enjoy this unique event and the cars are piling up.
The Adventist group working alongside the pathfinder's is called Manos Del Rey or Hands of the King.
Manos Del Rey was started as an outreach group in Belize. They build churches, hold community
events, and do whatever it takes to share about Jesus.
The members in this group range in age groups. Rinaldo, Jeremy, and Rodolfo are cousins.
They love being part of Manos Del Rey.
During the week they love to swim, play soccer, and be a part of other events like these.
These boys have fun passing out magazines to drivers.
It doesn't matter if it's a small car or a huge truck.
Rinaldo is eager to make sure people have the opportunity to hear about Jesus.
Even though some people refuse to take the magazines, Rinaldo is not discouraged.
He continues to work with enthusiasm. He even makes sure the police officers have
magazines to take home with them. This is just one of many events the group plans.
It involves everyone in the important task reaching the hearts of the Belizian people.
As a result of the events like these many people have come to know Jesus and are attending the local church.
Once they hear the message a lay church member will visit their home and study the Bible with them.
The churches here get so full that new churches are needed throughout Belize.
That's where Manos Del Rey comes back into the picture. They help them build a new church.
They work tirelessly to fill the demand a building requests. Shortly after one building is finished, construction begins on the next.
Church members throughout Belize are constantly looking for opportunities to share God's love.
Please pray for the members in Belize. Pray that they will continue to reach their community
and teach them about Jesus. And thank you for supporting mission.
Well, I hope that you've enjoyed today's 360 degree view of mission around the world.
From small villages in countries such as Belize, through to major cities such as Johannesburg in South Africa,
the light of God's love is touching the lives of men and women, boys and girls.
But of course huge challenges still remain. And please continue to pray for frontline mission workers,
global mission pioneers, church planters, missionaries. It can sometimes be discouraging work,
it can sometimes be lonely work but it is so encouraging for them to know that there
is a World Church praying for them.
We would like to send you a free gift, the 2015 Global Mission calendar is full snapshots of
faces of mission around the world. It's a daily reminder that we need to pray for God's mission around the world.
Well that's it for today's program and I hope you can join me next time right here on Mission 360.