This was an exciting summer in Lushnja, Albania.
Tom Bonner (local missionary), four American teachers, and a young Albanian brother joined forces in a four-week WEI teaching campaign—a campaign that resulted in nine people being born again of water and the Spirit.
On Sunday, July 27, I shared in the excitement. That morning, thirty-nine people came together for a heartwarming worship service, and three people (Gëzim Killoli, Julinada Meço, and Hoze Davidhi) asked to be immersed into Christ. Gëzim and Hoze had been studying with Dr. Bob Threlkeld of Knoxville, Tennessee. Julinada (Juli) had been studying with Tom.
Following the morning worship service, we hired four vans and headed for the Adriatic Sea, located a few miles to the west. There, in the surf, Bob and Tom baptized their students into Christ.
I wonder how many people the apostle Paul baptized in the Adriatic Sea when he preached in Illyricum and western Macedonia (Albania) in the first century (Romans 15:19).
During the final two weeks of the campaign, six more people were added to the kingdom of Christ: Altin Koçi, Erselda Xhumari, Arten Dyrmishi, Erges Toshkezi, Orieta Llupo, and Marsella Nesha. Some campaigners sowed the seed. Others watered, and God gave the increase (1 Corinthians 3:6).
In his September newsletter, Tom wrote, “We made two trips to the Adriatic Sea, with four rented vans, to baptize three people each time. Another trip required only one van due to the lateness of the hour. Two others have been baptized in the bathtub at my home, which is not a very satisfactory arrangement.
“At today’s service (8/17), eight of the nine previously baptized brothers and sisters were present, and the tenth was baptized today. This was quite remarkable considering that the temperature today hit 40 degrees Celsius, about 105 degrees Fahrenheit, and the tendency is to head to the beach under such circumstances.
“Please be praying for these new brothers and sisters, for their faithfulness, growth, and their influence on their families.
“In addition, we have two young ladies who were previously baptized by immersion for the forgiveness of sins who have asked to be a part of our ministry. They are Irena Gogu and Ermira Bano.”
When the campaign began in July, the new church in Lushnja consisted of three members: Tom Bonner, Eriona Çuko, and Besmir Bërboti. Now, their number has grown to thirteen.
Praise God for the wonderful things he is doing in Lushnja.
Tom Langley, missionary in Oradea, Romania, conducted another WEI campaign in Oradea this summer. In his August newsletter, Tom wrote the following:
“On Friday, August 8th, we rejoiced in the first fruit of our WEI summer campaign. Leventes [Levi] Peres, a 23year-old WEI student of Madalina Kiss and Buck Dukes, was immersed in the waters of baptism and put on Christ. Levi’s kind nature and seeking spirit had already endeared many of us to him. It was a wonderful evening of singing and giving thanks to God for our new brother in Christ.
“Like most WEI students, Levi originally came to us interested only in improving his English skills. He confessed that in his teenage years, he was involved in a street gang and was generally an angry young man. Being a very good athlete, Levi’s involvement in sports was the only thing that kept him from serious trouble. He finally made the decision to change his life for the better, and some time later he discovered our WEI ad in the paper.
As he read and studied the Bible with Mady and Mr. Buck, he began to discover a peace in his life he had never known. He realized that his deeper knowledge of God and Jesus was the source of this peace. He said that his decision to be baptized was simply a natural step toward a fuller peace and a deeper commitment to God.
“He never misses a meeting of the church, and he even brought his mother last Sunday.
Another WEI student has expressed the desire to commit her life to God and be baptized. Her name is Magdalina Luchici. She is a very intelligent 14 year old WEI student of Cara Waiswalos. She cannot stop smiling and keeps telling us how happy she is. She told me this morning that she wants to be baptized on Sunday September 21. I told her, “When you are ready, we will be here.”
“Every time the church meets, we see the faces of several students who studied in the summer campaign. The seed has been sown, we will continue to water and ask God to give the increase.”
Civil war has torn the heart out of Liberia in recent years, and thousands of people have fled to neighboring countries for refuge. One of the largest Liberian refugee camps is located near Accra, Ghana.
Several months ago, we received an email letter from John B. Travis, coordinator of evangelism in the refugee camp. In a single day, he and his fellow workers had signed up 185 WEI students, and he was sure they could enroll 1,000. Local Christians could teach the students and do the follow-up work, but they needed materials.
Thanks to the generosity of several people, we have been able to ship WEI materials to Accra, and these materials are now being used in the camp. But we are just beginning to begin. John needs more materials, and we need to raise $1,000 for every 100 new students to cover the cost of printing and shipping the materials.
Recently, we received the following letter from John: “It is my pleasure in the Lord to extend thanks to all who have contributed to the availability of lessons for the Liberian refugee camp in Ghana.
“This Buduburam Refugee Camp has close to 60,000 persons, 75 churches, 65 elementary and junior high schools, one senior high school, 10 entertainment centers, and one Church of Christ of which Rebecca and I are members.
“Our work plan for the months of September-December is to use the above areas to enroll students, conduct Bible studies, follow up, and baptize those who are converted by the teaching of the gospel, especially with WEI.
“As we speak, applications continue to come in for more WEI lessons, and we now have 215 persons who have been accepted [as students]. More are to come when the lessons are available. We want to win 10 -12 to Christ by the 31st of December 2003.
“We join you in appealing to all for support. With WEI materials, we, as volunteers, can continue to work in the vineyard of Christ. We will continue to pray for materials.”
If you have a special interest in Ghana or in teaching Liberian refugees, please help us grasp this opportunity while the hearts of the refugees are turned toward God
We tried something new in Tirana this summer. While WEI students were studying with teachers in one section of the classroom building, a dozen or more Albanian Christians were studying the Bible on a college level in another section of the building. Christians who took these advanced courses experienced great spiritual growth.
During the first four weeks of the campaign, Bill Morgan taught a two-hour class each morning and another two-hour class each afternoon—one on Ephesians, and the other on Principles of Christian Living in the Sermon on the Mount.
During the last two weeks of the campaign, Ron Clark taught a NationsUniversity class on Jesus and his relationship with people as seen in the gospel of Luke. This course made a tremendous impact on the life of the church.
During the campaign, no more than four or five WEI teachers were teaching students at any given time. Yet, the Lord blessed our efforts, and eight people were baptized into Christ.
Last summer, my student Anola Braçe was baptized into Christ. This summer, I had the privilege of teaching and baptizing her younger sister, Oldiana. Both are exceptionally bright students.
Everyone could see the joy and happiness on her face. She said that she felt so good and happy inside.
“Lindita and her family had experienced the oppression of the Communist regime in Albania. Now, she says that she is experiencing a new peace and freedom in her life that could only come from Jesus Christ. Now, she understands what true freedom is.
On August 17th, Alfred Zike had the privilege of baptizing Doriana Deliaj, the daughter of two of his old friends at the University. Doriana was a WEI student who had been studying with Lyn Hunt.
On August 27, Alfred baptized his son, Aldi. Alfred says, “Our family rejoices abundantly with the decision that our son, Aldi, made to follow Christ. We are so thankful to the Lord because our constant prayers about our kids are getting positive answers. Words cannot explain our thankfulness and happiness on this occasion. Praise Him!”
“I would like to tell a true story about Aldi. Aldi was only 5 years old, while we were two years old in Christ. He was going to kindergarten in Tirana. There, he and the other kids were asked to tell in class new stories they had learned on Saturday or Sunday. Every Monday, Aldi told Bible stories to his teacher and friends or sang to them children hymns that he had learned at Children’s Bible Class.
“This moved his teacher to approach us one day and ask us about the church we were part of. While talking with her about the church and our belief, she asked us if she and her daughter might come to the church services and if her daughter could be enrolled in WEI courses. Now, her daughter is one of the faithful members of the Tirana church.”
Virgil writes, “Hava has been encouraged and influenced toward faith for many years by her daughter. Several times this summer, we had intensive studies with Hava and Alida. What seemed impossible a few years back, finally happened—the daughter of a Muslim hoxha [priest] acknowledged that Jesus is the Christ, God in human form! We are still amazed at what prayer, love, and persistence can accomplish when partnered with the Holy Spirit.”
Help! We Need Teachers
At this moment, we have people in various countries waiting for someone to teach them. Some prefer to study through the mail. Others would rather study on the Internet.
If you are willing to teach people about Christ through the mail or on the Internet, please let us hear from you pronto.
Thank You Dear Friends
God has blessed us with the dearest and most generous friends in the world. Every time there is an urgent need, the Lord stirs people to action and provides exactly what is needed. We praise him, and we thank you. Moreover, we love you.
If you are a church leader, please consider including WEI in your church budget in 2004. Your church will be blessed by being involved in world evangelism through WEI.
God bless you. –Dick & Maudine Ady
