HEADED FOR ALBANIA

Our family doesn't have anyone in school, but we still find our schedule ramping up as the school year gets underway. At the end of August we were both involved in Proclaim's International Council in Jacksonville. Then Jim has 2 men's groups that have started up again this week and he has been regularly scheduled for worship team in Sunday services.


Now a big focus for us is preparing for the Albania tour with Mercy Street band October 11-27. Most of the Proclaim-Jacksonville team will be part of that outreach as musicians or on service or tech teams. Jim is in the band, on tenor sax and clarinet. Kathie will help with administrative support and on the video team.

This will be Proclaim’s 4^th tour in Albania in recent years.  Mercy Street band toured in October 2006 and again in July, 2007.  Then Jim led the classical ensemble Virtuoso in the fall of 2007 concentrating in the city of Fier.  Proclaim has developed a strong and positive reputation among the churches and believers in the country.  They know that we want to serve them well and help them reach out with the good news of Jesus Christ.

Our tour in the capital city of Tirana includes 2 concerts with local churches.  Then 8 events are planned in partnership with New Life Institute (Campus Crusade) with a strategy of generating a national, long-term evangelism movement in the universities of Albania as the new academic year is gearing up. In past student concerts we have experienced significant numbers of students coming to faith in Christ.  Also, hundreds of response cards have been filled out by students, serving as the core group for follow up by NLI workers in the weeks and even months following a Mercy Street concert. In preparation Campus Crusade is publishing a magazine to distribute to all the students at their five campuses.  The concerts are the centerpiece of the magazine featuring five articles that were written by members of Mercy Street specifically for this publication.

A few days ago we put out an urgent prayer need for a sound tech for this tour -- now God has answered and that strategic position is filled!  

Please pray for all the details of preparation.  We also have a need of $3600 in special donations for airfare and tour funds for both of us. Because our regular support has not yet reached a level that covers ministry expenses, we are trusting God for additional provision for this tour. If you would like to have a part in helping with the funds for this ministry opportunity, you can respond through the donation link on this blog, or directly to Proclaim:

PO Box 56888

Jacksonville FL 32241