Where in the world is Albania?! Many ask this question when they first hear about this country. Located on the west side of Greece and separated from Italy by a small body of water, Albania sits as a part of the Balkan region. Albania was under Ottoman rule for five centuries but got their independence in 1912. As a result of this, they remain predominantly Muslim. The statistics say that it’s approximately 10% Catholic and 20% Orthodox. The Evangelical community is about 0.6% of the overall population.
Travelling all the way across the Atlantic, there are presently three missionaries from OM Caribbean serving in Albania. Ernica from the Bahamas, and Garrick and Christine from Trinidad and Tobago. They all feel very privileged to be a part of the work that God is doing there.
Christine has been serving the Roma and Egyptian people group since she went to Albania almost 12 years ago. She only intended to serve for two years but God called her back and she obeyed. It has been quite a challenging but rewarding ministry and she celebrates even the smallest signs of progress. You can imagine that it was a real blessing when Garrick joined her ministry team two years ago!
Garrick, apart from serving in the Roma and Egyptian Ministry (REM), holds the role of IT Officer for OM in Albania. He had the privilege and joy of developing OM in Albania’s website and spearheaded its translation into the Albanian language. Within the REM, he brings a fresh perspective to the ministry's approach and within the local church that the team attends, he has been invited to help develop the worship team.
Ernica came to Albania in October 2023 and joined a team in Lushnjë for the Church Planting Ministry. She spent her time during the first few months learning the language and building relationships with local people, as well as with her team members. Being a lively and outgoing person, she was able to help with teaching English and telling Bible Stories at a church in that city.
The rich and varied history of the Caribbean allows these missionaries to serve with a warmth and ability to easily connect with people from all walks of life. Their presence in these teams brings an interesting diversity to OM in Albania and to the people of Albania. It also brings many curious stares and comments which they learn to handle in culturally appropriate ways.
Ernica, Garrick and Christine are at different stages in their life on the foreign field, but by God’s grace and help, they are remaining focused on the work that God has called them to do, counting it a privilege and desiring to be a blessing where they are. They need the prayers of all of us for bringing in the harvest, freeing people from centuries of oppression and bondage and for making vibrant communities of Jesus followers.