What am I learning here?   Early to bed Early to rise.  By 8:30 pm I am dragging hoping I can make the muddy street walk to our shtepi our house….  6-6:30am comes so soon!   Our members often take naps during the day and are revitalized in the evening.  You can certainly tell which ones work all day and those who don’t and are bored.   The hardest thing to watch here is the lack of employment.  Get this, you have to pay a big price of money quarterly to your employer to be allowed to work.  Yep, you have to pay to work here.  So anyone that wants to get ahead has to leave the country to work and get paid!  Crazy!  So anyone who has work ethic and skill wants to leave!  We want them to stay!We want them to build up Albania!

The most difficult thing for me to watch is WASTED POTENTIAL!  We have a man here who goes to the gym everyday-- his dream is to be a trainer. He will train anyone and everyone even if he doesn’t get paid.  He has the potential to really motivate and encourage.  He motivates me to be the best English Teacher I can be and to learn Shqip!  His time is running out before his optimism drizzles away--- the sad part is ….Why???  It doesn’t need to be like this.

We have another man who speaks quite well four languages, he is a fisherman, waiter, or  will do any work he can get- a hard worker but would like so much to teach languages or use his languages he has worked so hard to learn.  He goes to night classes, he comes to our class, he walks miles back and forth to do this. His greatest dream is to have a big family that he can support.  He is starting to feel hopeless.

We have a Nurse here Greta, She has her degree, she is qualified and always holding everyones hand taking care of those in need.  But she can’t afford to work at the hospital because she doesn’t have the money to start working!  CRAZY!  People here need her, to be comforted by her, and to have her skills used before she forgets or is out of practice how to put in an IV, give a shot or use any of her skills.  She is now in her 20's  she deserves a job to help others!

We have a room full of people in our English class trying desperately to learn English so they can leave the country and qualify for a job outside of the country.  

I do not want them to leave Pogradec!  We need roads, nurses, fitness instructors, teachers, firefighters, businesses to open that have materials so you don’t have to drive to Tirana to find things.  The potential is here, the desire is here! 

Truly the people here are honest, open hearted.  You can leave your bike in front of the church and it will go nowhere.  You need someone to paint or repair your house—five men will show up at your door.  They are so hungry to advance and to build something.  The men have GREAT desire to get married and have families and they would be great parents.  They are kind and generous.  I have learned so much here about taking time out for people and being open to wrap my arms around people to support them as they support each other.  If they do not get established quickly this beautiful town will become Northern France or Mexico where you trust NO One, you become selfish, dark and lawless.  There is nothing worse than seeing Potential Wasted!

We see just a glimpse of hope lately.  The government is cleaning up the beach area.  Roads are just starting to be reconstructed.  Trees are being groomed in government areas.  A major construction of a freeway is being created just outside of Tirana.  

We as a church branch have offered to repaint graffiti off the walls in some major neighborhoods like the stadium where everyone plays football (soccer) and basketball.  In the city next to us Korce, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has a medical humanitarian project to donate equipment for eyes in April 2017.  The Albanian government will also donate another important piece of equipment to help out with the project.  So there is some help and progress happening, but it is slow.  We are here for a year and our time is limited—we wish to see the progress NOW! We are willing to help make it happen!

However, I almost never see people on the streets sleeping or homeless at night.  I do not know where they go, but that is great.  Daily we have people begging, but at night no one seems to be completely homeless.  Also, I know they have drugs here, but Never do I see people completed drugged out.  Alcohol is a bigger problem —I have seen men completely drunk but not drugged out and dangerous.  So this is Good.

Like I said, in the most part—I just see people here frustrated that there is no work or that only the women can get minimal jobs like cooking or cleaning or combing the beach for trash..  I see great potential and men desiring to learn new skills and advance in anyway they can.  

So this is my prayer!  My prayer for Albania is to have the chains of RESTRAINT be lifted from these men and women that they may fulfill their potential.  That those in power will focus on the future and see that if something isn’t done very soon they will cripple their country into destruction and ruin.  Bless Albania and its beautiful people.  We love them.

This is  something that I want my children to see— DRIVE and DEDICATION AND DESPERATION-- get on the phone several times a day and ask for a job!  Turn in a resume, stand in front of the office manager you want to work for until you get the job.  I see people willing to do anything day and night to land a job.  There is something about being hungry that motivates you.  And when you get a job, do your absolute best to keep that job!  To have work is a gift!

Sending Love from Shqiperia!   Mom