Posted on November 3, 2008 by Robert
I sent in my absentee ballot a couple of weeks ago. it’s amazing how much the American election has captivated the attention of the world. The first question my Albanian friends and neighbors have asked me lately is, “who is going to win?” and quickly followed by, “Who do you like?”.
As a one-time aspiring politician (granted I was in high school), I have long believed in the privilege and responsibility to vote. When I think of my Albanian friends who have only had this privilege for the last 16 years, it makes me appreciate this even more today…
However, I’ve also long believed that the government cannot change hearts. Therefore, it is limited in what it can accomplish. No laws or economic policies or health care initiatives can provide the “audacity of hope” that God alone can provide! This is why when I became a Christian, my political aspirations began to die a slow death and my loyalties moved to a much wiser authority! As I’ve gotten older, I find myself believing more in more in the power of the church and less in less in the power of the government or it’s leaders.
No matter who you vote for tomorrow, remember these words by the author of Jesus for President,
“WHAT IS MORE IMPORTANT THAN HOW WE VOTE ON NOV.4 IS HOW WE LIVE ON NOV. 3 AND NOV. 5. WE VOTE EVERYDAY WITH OUR FEET, OUR HANDS, OUR LIPS, AND OUR WALLETS…ULTIMATE CHANGE DOES NOT JUST HAPPEN ONE DAY EVERY FOUR YEARS.” –SHANE CLAIBORNE
AMEN!
Filed under: Culture | Tagged: election, jesus for president, McCain, Obama, politics, Shane Claiborne | 4 Comments »
Posted on October 2, 2008 by jwheelis
So we have been slowly making over the Loft! As you may remember, we started with white walls and empty space. I posted a few of the before pictures below… it is quite a change! It is a process to create a friendly and welcoming space for teens on a tight budget! Look at some of the changes that have happened over the last few months! And this is only surface stuff… it doesn’t even touch the colors that are being painted on the walls of hearts!
Filed under: Youth Ministry | 1 Comment »
Posted on October 1, 2008 by jwheelis
The month of September is Ramadan (Ramazan in Albanian) in the Muslim faith. It is a month of fasting for devout Muslims, who only eat after sundown each day. During these 30 days, we have seen little change in our Albanian friends because none that we know personally are devout Muslims, though they would all call themselves Muslim as a part of their heritage. Yesterday, however was a national holiday in Albania known as Bajram Ramazan (the end of Ramadan). After sundown, families gather to eat a feast as a celebration of the end of the fast. For many, it is just a family tradition to gather and eat. Most families eat lamb, some slaughtering their own (maybe even in their bathtub!). The slaughter of the lamb is symbolic of Abraham’s slaughter of the lamb that God provided to Abraham for his sacrifice instead of his son Ishmael (Christians believe it was Issac who was saved from slaughter). Our neighbor Bona shared this wonderful traditional dessert she made for her family with us yesterday. Baklava! Yummmm.
One of the things we have seen more of during the month of Ramadan is drummers and musicians in the street. They are beggars who are appealing to Muslims who give alms to the poor as one of the pillars of their faith, one way they can earn their way to heaven. I took a picture of these men just outside of our gate. You could hear them coming for 5 mintues before they arrived. 
We continue to pray for our Muslim friends who don’t know Christ and His hope! Please pray that we would have opportnities to share about the hope we have in Jesus and to speaky BOLDLY! You can read more about Albanian Muslims here.
Filed under: Culture | 2 Comments »
Posted on September 10, 2008 by jwheelis
Yes we are still here! After a few days of getting settled, recovering from the outreach and getting back to the world after several days of sketchy internet and then a few of NO internet, we are back among the land of the living.
The outreach was a BIG success! We know that stories of God’s faithfulness and movement will really only come to us after several months of getting to know students and being a part of their lives, but it is so fun to watch the beginning of the process.
After 5 days of sports outreach and English Cafe, we ended the week with a BBQ hosted by our church staff. Von, Toni and Xhelo (pronounced Jay-low) came out as awesome servants to cook hotdogs for the 50+ that showed up at the Loft Friday afternoon. There was quite a buzz around the room “Did you hear there is something here tomorrow? Yeah, tomorrow there is a meeting here at 11! Every week this place is open. We can come. Yeah, let’s come tomorrow.”
And so a new year begins! Here are some photos from the week(click on an individual photo to see a larger view).
Filed under: Youth Ministry | 2 Comments »
Posted on September 1, 2008 by jwheelis
Well we have arrived home now we are off and running! Beginning today we are hosting a week of sports ministry outreach at the youth center, The Loft! Nothing like playing sports in the heat when you are still jet-lagged. :-) Every night this week from 5-7pm (10am-noon CST) we are playing soccer, volleyball, basketball and Ultimate Frisbee with kids who come out from the neighborhood near the youth center. We have posted these cool posters (thanks for the design Evie!) all over the area and can’t wait to see what God will do! Pray with us to see God reach a generation of Albanian teens! More photos and stories later this week!
Filed under: Youth Ministry | 1 Comment »
Posted on August 22, 2008 by jwheelis
6532: The number of miles we have put on the car since June 22.
6: The number of days left in America before we return home.
Returning to blogging soon!
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Posted on July 28, 2008 by jwheelis
Well,
It has been a great couple of weeks. We have had lunch or dinner with some one or a group of someones everyday this last week. We have shown our slide show pictures and talked about Albania and youth ministry and everyday life and kids and language and people until we think our voice boxes are going to fall out! And we have sleep-confused kids and suitcase weary parents. But God has been faithful and good.
It has been hard to even find time to blog. We went to New Covenant today and enjoed SO MUCH seeing the sweet New Cov family, hugging necks and talking with many of you. We missed others and it is so hard knowing that the time is so quick! We are here in OKC for just a few more days and it is going to fly by.
Would you pray for our kids this week? We have literally just worn them out! This week they are going to VBS at Edmond Christian and I am not sure they are even excited about it. While they have gotten to do lots of fun things (like today, swimming with AC and Bev’s giant schnauzer in the pool for 4 hours!) they have had very little consistency or routine. So… we could use a little extra covering this week for their mental and emotional health!
That’s it… I’m going to bed!
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Posted on July 22, 2008 by jwheelis
Well, it is a great day when you get to celebrate the man you love! So here is mine! Today is Robert’s birthday and honestly in the midst of our travels and meetings this week, we weren’t sure we would even have an evening to ourselves to celebrate. So here is my top ten list of things I love about my hubby. Help me out by commenting or sending him an e-mail, telling him what you love about him…. I know the list is long!
10) He calls me beautiful (even when I am not).
9) When I text message him to pick up something on his way home from work (like diapers or milk), he automatically says yes.
8) When I was learning to cook during our first year in Albania, when I told him we were having French toast (again) for dinner, he ALWAYS said, “sounds great!”
7) He always rubs my neck and shoulders without complaint when I have a headache.
6) He is always looking for ways to be a better husband. When he reads or listens to something that causes him to think about how to make our marriage better, he shares it with me.
5) He is young at heart, young in spirit, and goofy like our kids. He makes me laugh out loud.
4) He has a HUGE heart for people. He loves to be around people, talk with people, and see people be all that God has created them to be.
3) He loves our kids with an amazing tenderness. He desires for the boys to be all crazy boy that God created them to be and our sweet girl is just the apple of his eye. He is a great dad.
2) He is a man of vision and impact. God is doing big things through him.
1) He loves Jesus with his whole heart.
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Posted on June 25, 2008 by jwheelis
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!
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Posted on June 22, 2008 by jwheelis
As we mentioned in our previous post, we are in America this summer for our Home Ministry Assignment. The last month in Albania has been a great time as we have finished the chapter on our first two years and to see the fruit of our labor.
- We finished language lessons at the end of May. It is amazing to see the progress we have made and yet still so frustrating to not be able to communicate all the ideas in our heads! Please pray that our time in the US would be restful for the mind! They say that a significant language break at this point in our study will actually allow all the information to “settle” (come on what does that really mean?) and we will come back and find we are actually able to communicate more clearly than when we left! We can’t wait!
- We attended the graduation ceremony for students at the HS Homeschooling Co-op for Missionary Kids. Robert spoke at the ceremony and shared a few words of wisdom for the graduates. There are five students from our ministry graduating this year. Daniel and Josiah will be heading back to the States this month in preparation for college. Erin is staying in Albania to continue doing ministry before going to college in another year. Elda and Ola are Albanians and will be staying here to serve their families and community over the summer before starting college next year, one in Tirana, the other maybe in Italy. We also had a special celebration for all of them at The Loft, the youth center we rent, and it was great and we started some fun traditions as we send our students out!
God has been amazingly faithful over these last 2 years and we feel so blessed to continue to be a part of His movement in Albania! We’ll be posting the Wheelis Summer Tour and when we’ll be in your area in the next couple of days.
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