March 15, 2015

On Fridays we have half a day of school at Lezha Academic Center, so as Elsie and I were dropped off near our apartment I noticed the qofta (pronounced, "ch-long O-fta") man was on the street with his cart. So two qofta sandwiches were my lunch. Were they ever tasty!! 

My Qofta Sandwiches--Ready to Eat (13-Mar-15; © Richard L. Bowman)

For our evening meal we went to the Grande Stella Restorant. All of the food was very good. The fish was moist and flaky without a lot of bones. And its presentation was a thing of beauty.

The Grande Stella Restorant, Lezhë, Albania (13-Mar-15; © Richard L. Bowman)

Kocë on Display on My Plate (13-Mar-15; © Richard L. Bowman)

(L-R) Phil and Betsy Moyer, Elsie and Me, Dini Shahini, Josh Kirkman, Klementina Shahini, Katrina Schmid, and Justin Rittenhouse (13-Mar-15; © Richard L. Bowman)

Across the road from the restaurant is a large lumberyard. It is quite the contrast to the small shops that are prevalent in the center city area of Lezhë. This was more on the edge of the city.

The Lumberyard across the Road from the Restaurant (13-Mar-15; © Richard L. Bowman)

Earlier in the day, just before lunch and the end of school, a truck brought a load of dirt to be used with setting out new plants for Spring and revamping the flower beds at LAC. Most of the teachers dressed casually for their classes that day so they could help out in the afternoon. Due to the pain still from my hip replacement, we headed home instead, but we would have enjoyed sharing in the fellowship of working together.

Several Women Staff Members Wait for the Dirt to Be Dumped (13-Mar-15; © Richard L. Bowman)

Last week David W. and Grace Shenk, and Jonathan Borman came to Albania. All three are members of Eastern Mennonite Missions' Christian/Muslim Relations Team.

The group arrived in Lezhë over the weekend and on Sunday, March 8, David spoke to a joint service of the Baptist, Brethren and Mennonite churches. On Tuesday, March 10, they spoke to our students and the faculty and staff. That evening Elsie and I hosted all of the Virginia Mennonite Mission personnel in Lezhë at Jolly's Restaurant for dinner with our visitors.

The Team of Visitors Shares in a Student Assembly about God's Grace (10-Mar-15; © Richard L. Bowman)

After School the Team Shared with Teachers and Staff (10-Mar-15; © Richard L. Bowman)

Tuesday Evening All of the VMM Team Ate with the Visitors (10-Mar-15; © Richard L. Bowman)

The visit of these three members of EMM's Christian/Muslim Relations Team. was a wonderful time to renew and deepen relationships and to begin new ones.

Backing up to Monday, reminds me that we have had a fair number of electrical power outages in Lezhë over the past couple of weeks. Where we live these have only lasted for several hours at a time. However, LAC was once out of power for a half day or more. The last time Dini tried to start the school's generator, it would not start. So he contacted two mechanics and they finally got the diesel engine and generator working.

Dini and Two Mechanics Fix the Generator(9-Mar-15; © Richard L. Bowman)

At noon on Monday, Alba (one of the Albanian teachers) dropped me off on the street by the church on her way home to care for her baby, Mia. So as I walked through the park near our apartment building, I met two school girls out walking and playing.

The Park Next to Our Apartment Building (9-Mar-15; © Richard L. Bowman)

Two of the Young Girls in the Park(9-Mar-15; © Richard L. Bowman)

Sophia, Rafael's and Solenge's young daughter, turned one Saturday, March 7 and they invited all of their friends to a big celebration at the church. There was a lot of chatting and laughter--a good time had by all. We met new and old firends.

Sophia's Older Brother, Paulo, Plays on the Church Floor (9-Mar-15; © Richard L. Bowman)

Xhilda and Elsie Exchange Greetings (9-Mar-15; © Richard L. Bowman)

RafaelÇukaj Takes Lots of Pictures and Gives Lots of Laughs (9-Mar-15; © Richard L. Bowman)

Xhorxhina's Spring Break from LCC International U Allowed Her to Attend (9-Mar-15; © Richard L. Bowman)

 

Birthday Girl Sophia Sits on Her Father's Lap (9-Mar-15; © Richard L. Bowman)

Me, Elsie, Sophia, Solenge and Rafael Pose Together (9-Mar-15; © Richard L. Bowman)

The Whole Group of Celebrants Pose for a Group Photo (9-Mar-15; © Richard L. Bowman)

On Thursday, there were two events in the first floor of the LAC building. One was a table displaying mock-up magazines constructed by at least two classes and was set up in the library. Each student was then encouraged to vote for their best magazine. Stuffing the ballot box ended up being the name of the game. :) Elsie also continued with her work in the library.

Students Display The Magazines They Constructed (12-Mar-15; © Richard L. Bowman)

Elsie Works at Entering Library Books into a Database (12-Mar-15; © Richard L. Bowman)

The other event was the displaying of and offering for sale items made by children with special needs in a dedicated school in Lezhë. There were many quality items for sale. In return, the LAC students provided snacks for the children who had travelled along with the display.

Items Made by Special Needs Children (12-Mar-15; © Richard L. Bowman)

At lunch time the students (and teachers and staff) pay for their lunches at Mona's desk and give the tickets to Morela so they can eat what they ordered.

Mona Collects the Money and Write Out the Tickets for Food (12-Mar-15; © Richard L. Bowman)

Students Line Up to Buy Their Lunch Entree (12-Mar-15; © Richard L. Bowman)

Another week has passed and with it a lot of relationships were renewed and new ones begun. We thank God for bringing us to Lezhë and the people here.

--©2014-15, Richard L. Bowman

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