The first week of English Bible Camp began in Peshkopi on Monday.

The first two days of camp seemed to zoom by, with a lot of songs, sports, crafts and English lessons from the Book of Psalms! In addition to Peshkopi, children travel from several remote villages to join the camp each day, for a total of 70 students!

Every morning we gather at Alfa Omega Church where camp begins with a lesson about the theme of the day and joyful SONGS…

After the Open, we walk the short distance to the newly renovated technical/vocational high school, where the rest of camp takes place.

Albania is unique in its Muslim-based culture and so the curriculum we teach is tailor written for the context of this amazing people group. Team Leader, Carolyn is the author and this year we are teaching: God’s Wisdom – Proverbs for Daily Living. Each day a specific theme is presented in a way that opens the door to discussions about God and how the Bible teaches about important concepts. This week, Humility, Trustworthiness, Patience, Learning Wisdom from Small Creatures, and Trusting God are the themes for each day. They provide important topics for a culture that is traditionally shame-based and still functions in many of the demoralizing ways learned during their communist past.

Each day is jam-packed with fun and engaging ways to build relationships, encourage boldness and creativity in learning English, and inspire conversations and questions about the things of God and to consider the possibility that He actually loves each and every one of us in Christ Jesus!

An Afternoon Mini-camp for Younger Children in Kastriot

Not far from Peshkopi is the village of Kastriot. It is a very traditional setting where relationships and building trust take a great deal of time. The Hope for Diber SON ministry partners and hosts, Denis & Ela, and Enio & Ina are making amazing inroads to this still suspect community. While the SON team will host an English Bible Camp there next week, this week we have been invited to co-host a brief, 2-hour, mini-camp for the youngest members of the the Kastriot community. These are children who’s families are growing to trust the Hope for Diber team and the message of Good News they share through genuine relationship, caring, and nurture throughout the year. On Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday of this week a brief and engaging biblical message is shared by our Albanian hosts, along with music, crafts and games with members from our SON team. We are truly blessed to be invited as a small part of this important ministry outreach. To God be the glory!

Call to Action

Here’s how you can stay involved and what you can do!

Pray Continuously: Set aside time each day to pray for the mission trip. Pray for the team’s stamina and health. Pray for the people we are serving, and for the work God is doing in, around, and through us in Peshkopi and the Dibër region. Pray especially for the more remote village children and their families, who are joining us. We hope many will be positively impacted by the camps. Pray for people to grow in curiosity toward Jesus and His Good News.

Stay Updated: Follow along on our ministry blog for more updates and inspiring stories from the camp. Your comments and encouragements are greatly appreciated and help us feel connected to our church family back home.

Get Involved: to learn more about the Spiritual Orphans Network, navigate to: https://sonetwork.org/learn/connect/ and fill out the form to request more information.