November 26, 2019
Strong Earthquake Shakes Albania
Çimi Kafexhiu, minister of the church in Durres, Albania writes, “The city of Durres was hit by a strong earthquake of 6.4 magnitudes on November 26th at 3:55 in the morning. The earthquake has left great damage to the city. There were 7,900 damaged buildings countrywide. Over 6,000 homeless are being sheltered in hotels, public buildings, tents, and with relatives. More than 3,000 people were injured, and 51 people lost their lives. Forty-five individuals were rescued alive from the rubble, and 40 people are still in the hospital. It was the world’s deadliest earthquake in 2019.
“We praise the Lord for sparing our lives from such a deadly earthquake. This earthquake brought lots of damages to our city but we praise the Lord for using us to serve people. No Christian was hurt, but many families from the church have had great damage in their homes or have left their apartments because the buildings were considered not safe or livable until they are repaired.
“The church in Durres opened its building to welcome church members and those who were left without homes in the community. We used our church building as a relief point in Durres. For two weeks we provided food, shelter, and care for many people of our community. . . . We became the hands and feet of Jesus for our people.”
Cimi reports that churches of Christ in Albania quickly responded to their needs. The church in Tirana provided beds, food, and a water heater so that people could take showers. The church in Lushnja provided a washing machine so that people could wash their clothes. The church in Korca brought clothes and food.
Cimi says, “God has opened new doors to witness Jesus at this time in our city. I’m confident that, in the future, we in Durres will not remember November 26th as a terrible day, but we will remember it as a demonstration of the goodness and mercy of God. It will be a day to celebrate God’s faithfulness and grace among his people.”
We praise God that not one of our Albanian brothers and sisters was killed or injured by this horrific earthquake. May God bless them with food, clothing, water, and shelter during the winter.
