End of conference and off to Albania!

Kya had a lot of fun with her new friends.
One was the daughter of a field leader in Italy.
Another was a part of an American family going to Tajikistan.
Sorry about the lack of other faces in these pictures.
Because so many workers go to parts of the world that are restricted,
we are not allowed to just post people's photos freely.

This is a wonderful couple. He is Dutch and she is Albanian
- the only Albanian we met here. A couple days before we left,
she told Jamie and another missionary going to her country,
"Thank you for going there, because if it wasn't for people like you,
I wouldn't know Jesus." With tears in her eyes,
she told us how missionaries had led her to Christ.
What a great reminder as to why we're going.
If we ever doubt our calling from hardships, we can remember this moment.

more beautiful Holland

The conference has fed us well, but we still feel the culture differences.
Here's a little example - mystery meat... yes, that's meat

This is a very good friend named Ira from Ukraine.
Jamie had a real connection with her and learned how God
will provide close friends for her even if she doubts sometimes. : )

We're off to Albania.
Emotions couldn't really be put into words to describe
what went on in our heads after so much thought
and preparation and prayer went into this moment.
Here, Tim is resting in the London Airport from being sick.
He got a bad stomach bug that drained him for days. : (
Kadence took her first real steps here!

On the flight, we knew people had prayed
because the girls were exceptionally good. Thank you!

Our new home!!!
We arrived around 11 pm and were greeted warmly by our new landlords.
They are great! Before we even were able to introduce Kya,
the landlady - her name is Nico - scooped her up
and kissed her all over her face. I was afraid Kya would freak out
because she's never seen her before, but she couldn't stop smiling.
Then they insisted we come to their place (they live on the second floor
of the same building) to have something to drink and some sweets.
So, even though we had traveled since 7:30 that morning, we went.
It is the tradition in Albania and we need to conform to it.
We were blessed by their generosity and hospitality.

bathroom
One thing we didn't think about when thinking of the comforts,
luxuries and loved ones we'd be leaving behind while trying
to prepare ourselves for the field is a little thing called storage.
There is none here. May seem like a strange thing to miss,
but you just wouldn't think of it. They don't have any closets here.
We live on the 3rd story, so there's no garage or attic.
So, where do you put things? Even in this bathroom,
there's no medicine cabinet or chest. They have a few open shelves
which we can put our toothpaste and things on,
but it's just interesting thinking where will we put medicines,
holiday things, photo albums, toys, winter clothes, etc. Right now,
the girls don't have a dresser yet. Hopefully,
we can use some of that space when we get one.

All of the light "fixtures" are the same. : )

Our new kitchen - much nicer than we expected.
Mostly furnished with even a toaster, dishes, pots and pans,
even a muffin tin. Yeah!

There was a box of toys left for the girls - how exciting!

Here are some views from our flat.