The SON Albania Team is leading two separate camps this week.

The team turned into two focused on serving children in the village of Kastriot and teens in the Peshkopi area.

English Camp in Kastriot

The setting for Kastriot is very different from the previous week. Hosted at Kompleksi Dani, a local restaurant and recreation center, the English Camp is engaging in teaching English, using texts from Proverbs. Kastriot is a predominantly Muslim community, where Americans are still quite a rare sight and their Christian views are suspect. So, it is a genuine blessing that approximately 15 children are being allowed by their parents to participate in a SON camp, where biblical texts and ideas are being explored and children are encouraged to practice English while discussing ideas about a God who extends the promise of grace, love, and mercy to all people.

Teen Life Retreat in Peshkopi

Teens in Albania face the same challenges and struggles with life choices as teens in the States, along with the added complications of having a former communist past and present shame-culture of a quasi Muslim identity. How do you discern Truth when there are so many conflicting messages received from your cultural identity and the thousands of globally produced images, videos, and media viewed each day, through social media?

This week the SON Life Retreat for teens is grappling with the impact of media, money, words, anger, self control, and what really matters in a society that functions in a way that many of the teen participants have identified as “toxic.”

Teen Retreats are different from English Camps in that the experience is highly relational and includes activities like going to coffee, large group discussions, small group discussions, recreating together, watching a movie tied to the theme, and breaking bread together. All the while, connecting though conversations, debate, and sharing about things that really matter.

Few of the teen participants are believers and so exploring biblical perspectives to these real-world issues has been eye-opening and is the catalyst for amazing conversations and opportunities to ask questions that many have not been able to ask before. God is moving in, around, and through this retreat and we are prayerfully optimistic that many might be encouraged to seek a closer relationship with a God who loves them.

Missions includes experiencing the host culture of Albania

Albanians are gifted hosts who enthusiastically invite visitors to experience the best Albania has to offer. This almost always includes incredible food, vibrant music, and COFFEE! When not dining together or having coffee, playing a game of European football (soccer) or volleyball are always popular options! All of these activities are done with a stunningly beautiful backdrop of rugged mountains, lush gardens, and amazing sunsets. An occasional rainbow is thrown in just to make the views even more unforgettable. The team is blessed over and over by our ministry partners and the opportunities to experience this place of wonder!

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 Kastriot, 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.