Albanian arrival

The journey was amazing! 

The flight to Boston was funny because I learned that people definitely have accents in Boston.

From boston to turkey took forever but a met a girl from Ethiopia named Tsega and she was on her way to Israel to investigate their health policy for her thesis.

Arriving to turkey was like walking into another world. So many Muslims!!! the airport reminded me of a giant inside street market! it was really cool. 

I waited about 4 hours in turkey and met an Albanian family on their way home. they helped me with the language a bit, their little girl Ana was the cutest little thing and kept asking me questions.

Arriving to the Albanian airport was fun. SOOOO cold. I was expecting someone to be waiting for me but, that didn't happen. turns out my boss forgot which day i was going to arrive. Thus I arrived at 8:30 PM and slept on a bench haha around 8 the next morning the bishop found out i was there and came to pick me up. 

The Bishop and his family are all gems! his wife speaks broken english and he none haha but he talks to me like i understand him.... no problem. He got me fed, got me a temporary phone, and all set up. I ate, took a shower, and crashed the rest of the day. 

The Elders showed up to take me to institute where I met the YSA. everyone is a returned missionary.! and they all speak english! haha but they helped me with my Albanian. 

Three girls took me out on the town and showed me around. we got some "drinks" haha Fantas that is. Guys if you ever find Fanta exotic .... it is amazing

Once again, I feel so immensely blessed, it is as if the Lord prepared people to meet me because I get such a sense that I am exactly where I am supposed to be and that these people are become essential parts of my life. 

LOVE Albania, good food, good people!

Everyone is Muslim! it seems anyway, but they are like catholics in latin america, "creyentes." They are muslim by tradition but no one really practices.

Albanians love Americans! When the US intervened in the Yugoslavian conflict to push back the Serbs we helped Cosovo and Albania a lot, so people in Cosovo LOVE America. 

The girls were giving me a brief history lesson on the conflict and told me how Cosovo nationals were flooding into Albania because the Serbs were slaughtering them back home. After the US came and Yugoslavia fell apart, there is still a lot of hurt between the three countries, because less than twenty years ago many Cosovo people lost their whole families to Serbians who also are still alive. I remember talking to the bishop's wife and I said, "Now there is no more Yugoslavia." and she threw her head back and said, "thank goodness!"

A hurt came upon me, 

history is a brutal teacher. 

I felt a cry from the bottom of my soul, a desire for everyone to just be humble enough to say, Sorry. 

Sorry for what my country did, sorry for what my family did,

sorry for our ugly history, sorry for your loss,

sorry. 

what a different world we would have. 

One thing is forgiveness, 

but another, just as important, 

is the ability to say sorry.