Shannon Buckner, AGWM personnel ministering at the Mattersey Hall Bible School in the United Kingdom, led a mission team of students to Fushe-Arrez, Albania. She. along with seven students worked together with a Great Britain missionary, Rachel Wilson and a team from the church of Fushe-Arrez, King’s Church.. Rachel, a Mattersey Hall graduate, serves to reach the children of Albania. They took a precarious bus ride up to the mountain town of Fushe-Arrez. The team did practical ministry such as painting the inside of the church as well as outreaches to the youth and children. This small village of about 4,000 people touched the hearts of the team in a deep way. Shannon relates, “We were first struck by the poverty and barrenness that was left by years of communism. However, with each passing day, the friendships we developed with the church members and community allowed us to see the tender and sincere hearts of the Albanian people. While we could only speak a few words of Albanian, the love of Jesus allowed us to communicate His love to those we came in contact with.”
There is a great deal of unemployment in Fushe-Arrez which leads many of the men to fill their time with gambling, alcohol abuse, and domestic violence. The team was led to pray for these heads of households. Most of the kids that attended the youth and kids outreaches do not live in homes that know God. However, these young people are hearing the Gospel through the ministry of King’s Church.
Shannon continues, “We visited one house where the mother did not want to meet us and was resistant to our coming to her home, but did finally allow it. She was not present when we visited. By the time we left Fushe-Arrez however, the mother had given hand-made gifts through her children to us - a sign of friendship and openness to what God was doing in the lives of her children. These are very special kids and God has a tremendous plan for their lives.”
Shannon Buckner, AGWM personnel ministering at the Mattersey Hall Bible School in the United Kingdom, led a mission team of students to Fushe-Arrez, Albania. She. along with seven students worked together with a Great Britain missionary, Rachel Wilson and a team from the church of Fushe-Arrez, King’s Church.. Rachel, a Mattersey Hall graduate, serves to reach the children of Albania. They took a precarious bus ride up to the mountain town of Fushe-Arrez. The team did practical ministry such as painting the inside of the church as well as outreaches to the youth and children. This small village of about 4,000 people touched the hearts of the team in a deep way.
Shannon relates, “We were first struck by the poverty and barrenness that was left by years of communism. However, with each passing day, the friendships we developed with the church members and community allowed us to see the tender and sincere hearts of the Albanian people. While we could only speak a few words of Albanian, the love of Jesus allowed us to communicate His love to those we came in contact with.”
There is a great deal of unemployment in Fushe-Arrez which leads many of the men to fill their time with gambling, alcohol abuse, and domestic violence. The team was led to pray for these heads of households. Most of the kids that attended the youth and kids outreaches do not live in homes that know God. However, these young people are hearing the Gospel through the ministry of King’s Church.
Shannon continues, “We visited one house where the mother did not want to meet us and was resistant to our coming to her home, but did finally allow it. She was not present when we visited. By the time we left Fushe-Arrez however, the mother had given hand-made gifts through her children to us - a sign of friendship and openness to what God was doing in the lives of her children. These are very special kids and God has a tremendous plan for their lives.”