October 24, 2007
Ellen Walker reports that three people have recently been baptized in Tirana, Albania.
Everybody wondered, “Who will be the first to be baptized in the new building”? They thought of several Albanians, but God is full of surprises.
As it turned out, the first person to use the new baptistery was a young American man working with the Peace Corps in Kukës, a small city about 100 kilometers northeast of Tirana. He had been dating a Christian girl in the States, and she had taught him about God. When he found the Tirana Church of Christ on the Internet, he made the long, five-hour trip over crooked mountain roads in order to be obey his Lord in baptism.
Ellen writes, “Also, during the campaign, we added a new sister to our number. Diana Blaka studied with Michael Matthews, Bev Hines, and Mom. She was baptized into Christ on August 10th.
“The last baptism that I want to tell you about is definitely the highlight. Shirli Samara is the daughter of Artan and Beki Samara. She is the first of our children that are growing up in the church [in Tirana] to ask to be baptized.
“It was a tearful occasion. Her father stood before us and told how Shirli came to him and said she wanted to make things right with God before they left on vacation the next day.
“As she buried her face in her daddy’s chest hiding her tears of joy, Artan tearfully told us that this was the happiest day of his life. It was a wonderful day for us all.”
