It is noon on Sunday here in Tirana. It is a beautiful day. I'm sitting in an Internet cafe with Albanian teen boys who are playing soccer and Counter Strike on the computers with Albanian music playing in the background. Our time here has so far been great. Our team is now beginning to feel rested and adjusted.
This morning President Bush flew into Tirana. I watched on TV as his procession pasted along the streets here. Security is high so we stayed inside. American flags are everywhere. Here in Albania there is much support for the US; which is weird considering the amount of Muslims here. Bush will be here until late this afternoon. I was commenting to my host family that he will do nothing fun. He won't meet the locals or eat their great food.
Yesterday I was able to eat on of my favorite Albanian dishes, ferges. It is a meaty stew type dish in which you dip bread into. It can be served as an appetizer or main dish. I was able to introduce the team to this and they enjoyed it.
Yesterday our team met with the youth of Emmanuel Church here in Tirana. The kids ranged in age from 8-15. Alex and Kyla shared their testimonies. I shared a little about our trip here. We played some mixers with the kids. One game was Bear-Hunter-Trap, a game like Paper-rock-scissors. We also played shuffle your buns and attempted to play some worship songs. It was a very positive experience for all.
Last night we gathered with the older youth to play volleyball. This age group consisted of high school/college students and their parents. We went to a village just outside Tirana. About 30 people attended. This was very fun. We had a game youth vs. adults. The Albanian men are passionate. They argued many calls. But in the end everyone hugged and was happy. The Albanian culture is one that expresses themselves. While it can look dramatic to us Americans, it looks to be healthy in the long run.
This afternoon our team will reconnect. Tonight we have church. I will be sharing a brief testimony and introduce our team to the church.