journeytoalbania.com

Okay… so now that we have our feet on the ground, you might want to know where we are and what we are doing? Click on the Wheelis Summer Tour to see specific dates on our itinerary.

We spent our first two weeks in CO with family and recovering from jet-lag. Both of our parents live there as well as my (Jenny’s) brother. I got to meet my new niece for the first time (cutie) and see my brother and sister for a day (don’t worry, we’ll be seeing them again).

Robert’s sister and family came up from Arizona for a few days and all the kids LOVED their cousin time. First thing the boys said to me after their cousins left was “We’re bored!” It was wonderful to be with our families and spend some QT together.

We also had the chance to share about Albania with the pastors of the church where we grew up and also Robert’s parents’ small group of 20+ from their church. Many of them are faithful supporters and several others expressed interest in being a part. Praise God!

So this week, we are in the Chicago area with our long time friends Brandon and Beki Grissom! We have not seen each other for 3 years! We are here meeting with all the old Okies in the area (Tyler, Devon, Scott and Brooke, Adam and Laura to name a few) and spreading the news about what God is doing in Albania. We had a great BBQ last night with old and new friends and the food and fellowship was awesome. God is good!

Had to share this post from a fellow missionary in Albania.  David and his family live and minister in a smaller city about an hour from Tirana. 

Once upon a furlough, a sweet but naive man told me, “I bet it’s so incredible to be a missionary, to have nothing else to do but evangelize all day long.”  (At this point my missionary readers are chuckling audibly, because they all know that sometimes the simplest tasks can be all-day events in developing nations.)  Yesterday, as I must do each summer, I re-registered my Ford Transit van–and that’s about all I did yesterday.  Here was my day:

Step 1.  Drive out of the city to the police station with all the documents that were required of me last year for the same process.

Step 2.  Wait in a line for an hour in the sun (OK, I’m being generous — this is NOT a line, it is a mob of other sweaty, stinky men, all mashed upon you, jockeying for position, elbowing into one another’s ribs in front of a small barred window, behind which one man is processing what seems to be the whole world’s vehicle documents, by hand.  Three other employees are sitting with him, drinking coffee but, predictably, doing nothing.)

Step 3.  An hour later, when I finally elbow my way up to the window, I learn that this year I need to go to get a pre-inspection, down the road, so they can make sure my van isn’t stolen. My first hour in the sun amidst the aroma of body odor has been in vain.

Step 4.  I wait behind other cars for pre-inspection, and after 30 minutes, it is my turn.  But the people need to see my passport and visa.  I have in my hand the originals and photocopies. But no, they want a notarized photocopy.  Logically, there is no notary nearby.  I must drive back into town.

This resembles our life. 

On our way back from Kruja yesterday, I saw what tops my list of oddities in Albania.

A white trailer with the words (in English) “FAST FOOD,” spray painted on the side.

This is what was tied to the back of the trailer.

(Note: These are not actual pictures… I could have kicked myself- we did not have the camera!)

How fast is that, do you think?