Season for Giving

I suppose it is kinda late to talk about Christmas and New Years but I need to give you an update on my absence. As most of you know I was home in Pennsylvania for the break. It was a blessing to see my family and catch-up with friends. I was only wishing I could've seen everyone on my list but I ran out of days. It was a real time of refreshment and encouragement for me.

I have been wanting to share with you something cool that happened at LAC before I left. We had our very first food drive! Giving non-perishable food items is a practice we all have participated in at one time or another in the States. We have many charities that make it simple and as painless as possible. You can even drop your cans off only a few feet from where you buy them in some of our grocery stores and someone else will take it from there.

However, in Albania there is no such system and the food drive was a new idea. Klementina and I really were not sure that the students would participate. However, we sweetened the appeal by offering a prize to the class that provided the most food/money. I hope that doesn't sound like a bribe but hey it worked! We were able to provide a sizable amount of food for 15 families and 15 students showed up on a Saturday to help distribute it. We ran into a few snags though since people do not have street addresses here. We were faced with a lot of people in need claiming to be the persons named on our list(which was given to us by the mayor). I guess it is obvious that I am a rookie since I went into the poorest neighborhood in Lezha and asked around while driving a car full of food. It did not work and soon Klementina looked like the "Pied Piper" and we had to abandon the mission after only locating 2 of the families. We later needed to come up with a plan B with the Mayor. This is what I am calling a learning curve, not a failed mission. We were successful in starting a new concept and giving students an opportunity to help those less fortunate then themselves. I was encouraged by their involvement and believe that LAC will continue the tradition with a few necessary improvements. The biggest success was probably seeing those students volunteering their time to help others. Honestly, that is what the Thanksgiving and Christmas Season should be all about. GIVING and being Jesus's hands and feet to those in need!

I hope that you and your family had a joy filled Christmas! Thank you for your love and support of me and LAC! Blessings to you!