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| 02.08.2000 |
No other word describes what has happened. Wow! Thank you for your gift — it did more than just make the Albania trip possible. You can image Susie's feelings when she heard that I'd been invited back to teach at CCL (Center for Christian Leadership in Tirana). It didn't improve matters when she learned I would be travelling alone.
More than a dozen years of marriage is gradually teaching me to listen to her, since God can often speak through her intuition. I asked her to check if these misgivings were from the Holy Spirit, because I felt a clear calling. After some thought she concluded that it was just simple apprehension because of the risk and a natural reluctance to the upcoming separation (the longest since we've been married).
When the gifts came pouring in she came to me and told me "This is
God's way of telling me that He wants you to go." Where He guides, He
provides. Even though the God of all comforts is comforting her, please
keep her in your prayers. My absence will not only be an emotional strain
on her, but the practical as well (believe it or not, I do some
work around the house!
Your gift also encouraged my heart as well. I never doubted that God would provide. I never doubted that I was called. What I prayed for was not a "calling," but a "sending." Just last month I told CCL that I could not come, even if finances were a moot point, unless WPBC sent me. Scripture is clear on this issue of commissioning, so some form — any form — of sending was a prerequisite. Your gift was part of an overwhelming confirmation that preempts any hint of doubt.
As I write this I am trying to fit several hundred pounds of luggage into a few suitcases! No exaggeration: I am bringing a trunk weighing at least 70 pounds, a suitcase full of gifts and materials for the school (books, tapes, etc.), and I still need to squeeze in a box of household items that Matt Wright had to leave behind when he moved to Albania. On top of this I need to bring my clothes and teaching materials. Please pray that God will make straight the way for all of this excess baggage: that the airlines won't be difficult, that the penalty fees won't be exorbitant, and that customs officials won't give me grief (Eastern European culture often considers it normal to demand bribes).
I will be leaving Chattanooga soon and won't be back for nearly three weeks. The flights will be uncomfortable for me due to an old back condition, so keep me in your prayers as I drag all this heavy luggage through airports. I will have a couple of days to adjust to the time change before class begins. I also have one day off from work so I can re-adjust to EST (very important since falling asleep at my job is a "class four offense:" immediate termination, no questions asked. Same category for murder, rape, assault, etc. Go figure).
While in Albania I will be teaching a class based on Jesus Christ, Disciplemaker by Bill Hull (except with all the Americanisms removed). For those of you who didn't have to suffer through this course in Timothy School it is a chronological study of Christ's life that gives insight into important discipleship principles that aren't apparent when studied non-synoptically. I also use A.T. Robertson's A Harmony of the Gospels for Students of the Life of Christ to help balance any over or under emphasis. It probably sounds as dry as plain toast the way I've worded it, but it is an exciting class that I have a true passion for. I will be teaching through an interpreter, so this will be a totally foreign experience (pardon the pun) for me! Pray for God's anointing for my interpreter and for me that I'll be an effective communicator and won't confuse everyone with my American paradigms. Also pray for the students that their hearts will be persuadable, their spirits discerning, and their minds Berean.
It's possible that I might be able to get to my email account while I'm in Albania. If you'd like any updates, email me and I'll put you on my list. If you have any questions about any aspect of the trip, you can email me at that same address or corner me at church. There's also an excellent resource if you'd like to learn more about Albania or the CCL at the CCL website: http://www.ccl-al.org
May I be found a faithful servant, Craig
P.S. Since Albania is primarily a Muslim country, I've had to remove specific dates and names for safety reasons.