Much to tell

Sorry it’s been so long since I’ve posted. We got back from Vlashi Village last night and when I was trying to post the internet went out. I stayed up until after 1 am but it never came back on.

Staying in the village really gave me an insight to the Albanian people. They are very kind hearted, humble, and thankful. Every home I entered brought us drinks, snacks, and they would move so that you could get by the heater. They wanted to hear all about us, our southern hospitality is nothing compared to the hospitality they showed. I think you can tell the pictures above which ones I am doing the home visits. All of them were so happy for Jason and I adopting. I wasn’t sure how they would react to that but when the translator told them they all had questions about it of course but each one said what a blessing it will be for our son to be with us. One lady told me that if she was still young she would have a child for me that Jason and I could adopt, she showed me the picture of her grandchild so I could see what he/she would look like. It was very sweet. I could go on and on about the home visits we made but then you might get tired of reading!! But they were so awesome, I am going to have much to tell our son about the country/people that he came from. I am getting to experience things that I wouldn’t be able to do when we come to adopt, this trip is such a blessing, there’s not too much I would trade it for.

While in Vlashi we also worked with the girls. They did 2 crafts, they really enjoyed it. Our kids at home would have probably complained about doing it, but for these girls it gave them a chance to laugh and escape the oppression they had to return to so quickly. Life for a girl in the village is very heartbreaking. Most of the time their marriage is pre arranged by their parents, they can be married when they are around 16 to a man they don’t even know. Could you image not being able to fall in love? Once they are married they usually move in with their mother and father in law and become their slave. They get beaten by them and do all of the labor. Here the women are the laborers plus they take care of the kids and home, so sad. I was asking the girls about their future plans, I wanted to know their dreams. One said she knows her fate is to get married and keep the house, I wish she knew the love of my Jesus. If these girls could realize that life doesn’t have to be this way, that they can dream and achieve it. It may not start with them, but it could with their children, they could raise them differently. This is the first generation to not be under communist rule, they could really change some things. But women are just property here, they are to labor, cook and clean, and have babies. One of the girls told me she loves to run and she would like to be able to go out and run but she’s not allowed. They are not even allowed to go out and really play. The translator told them how Casey and I were raised to believe in our dreams and that we could do anything we put our minds and hearts to. Before I came here I really couldn’t imagine this and probably wouldn’t have believed it. They need so much prayer and a Savior. Planters Org. is doing great things, some of the children have accepted Christ I’m sure there are many more to come. They have to be careful in this culture about how they go about things, if they came in here aggressively preaching the gospel the people would want them having nothing to do with them or their children. So slowly they make their way into their homes and hearts.

There was one little girls named Ada who sat and talked with me for quite a while, please pray for her. She has taken 5 years of English so we were able to talk without needing the translator too much. She is a Christian, praise God, she has big dreams. Her parents are different, they do love each other, so her home has been better than a lot of the other girls. She wants to be a judge to help the women and children of her country. She plans on leaving the village when she gets out of school to come into the city and go to the university. Big dreams in her world of oppression. She told me she knows with God’s help that she could do it!! I told her she can do it, one person can make a difference. She gave me the biggest hug I think I have ever gotten!
I know I have had a lot to say, but there’s one more thing. You women reading at home…I know that sometimes we think we have it rough. We cook, clean, you run the kids here and there and you don’t feel appreciated. These women here would probably give their right arms for a day of that, we have it easy really. When you lay down at night next to your man, just love him with all your heart and be thankful that you have a wonderful husband. We may have bumps in the road but it’s nothing compared to the ditch that these women liv