Living Water

These first two weeks in Albania we have been partnering with Living Water Adopt a Child Albania. This global ministry started in 1980 and has been in Albania for over 25 years. 

The heart of this program is for “children to experience the love of God through Christ-centered ministries, nutritious meals, and medical and dental care.” They accomplish this mission through the sponsorship of $30 a month. While the main emphasis is on the children, there are sponsorships for widows, single mothers, the elderly, and those in need. 

In Albania, there are over 1200 children currently in the program, while only about 800 are currently sponsored. There was a drop in sponsorships during COVID and they are now looking to get these children sponsored again. 

We’ve had the sweet privilege to partner in telling these kids stories. We get to take the translated updates and tell the story of that child’s life in the village. We get to hear the passions of the children, their schooling, their families, their living situations. How sweet we get to not only tell these stories but intentionally pray over these kids and their families!

Each of these updates are sent to the current sponsors or put on the website with the hope to find a sponsor for children still needing one. 

On Tuesday, a few of us were able to join Living Water with the delivery of the food packages to the 7 villages surrounding Pogradec. 

For context about Albania, the country is predominately Muslim. The economy is pretty poor and poverty is not uncommon. The job opportunities are so minimal that there are more Albanians living outside Albania than in the country itself. People are constantly applying for citizenship in other countries for better opportunities. A majority of fathers in the villages emigrate to Greece or other nearby countries to work for several months in order to provide for the basic needs of their families each year. Of course, this past year COVID made that almost impossible for many.

Our host grew up in poverty and was a Muslim himself. The pastor we will stay with next month grew up being sponsored in this program, came to know the Lord through it, and now spends his life sharing about Jesus. What a testimony of how God is using Living Water for His Kingdom!

By meeting the physical needs of the children, doors are constantly open to meet the spiritual needs as well. With that, there are now Muslim families a part of the Living Water program who are attending classes each week and receiving the gospel right in their homes. 

The staff at Living Water LOVES these children and families. It was so sweet to witness the children running up and hugging the staff. They are people who are constantly investing and pouring into their lives. They even encourage sponsors to come to Albania to visit their children and have a facility to host people. They are all about relationships and it truly shows.

Next week, the team will move to one of the villages and partner with the church there to host some of these programs for the kids there!

For me, tomorrow is my last day here in Pogradec with Living Water. As part of squad leading, I will be transitioning for the month of September to a new team and new ministry about three hours from here. 

If you are interested in sponsoring a child or learning more, you can check out their website here: https://us.adopt-a-child.com/sponsorship