Winter (kind of)

I’m writing this in shorts. That’s all I’ll say about this Albanian December weather.

GDQ’s semester ended on December 21st with a K-8 Christmas Program at a local church. Countless memories of my own Christmas productions have been flooding back the last few weeks- the choir warmups, dance rehearsals, my 2 minutes of fame in 5th grade as a Bethlehem innkeeper singing an outstanding solo of ‘I’m Booked Up’… nothing quite compares to the building excitement for winter break that culminates with the Christmas Program. I felt that again this year and am savoring the later mornings, longer coffees, and valued time with friends and family returning for the holidays.

There is plenty I could say about how God has been at work this December, but I’ll do my best to give you the highlights:

1. In 7th grade World History we covered the early Middle Ages of Europe and how the spread of Christianity was largely driven by the work of independent missionaries and the popularization of monastic orders. Although a large portion of the class has grown up in the missionary world, it sparked some great discussion on the impact of missions and the larger motivations behind why people would dedicate their lives to sharing their faith. We spent a while learning about the Benedictine Rule and what a life devoted to Ora et Labora, prayer and work, really meant. Very grateful to be teaching a class that has allowed for some awesome Biblical integration that these students seem to be receptive to. One of my great joys from the 7th grade class is their eagerness to recite the Magnificat at the beginning of every class. We’ve made it a habit to repeat it together before every lesson, and we’ve said it enough times that it’s beginning to be memorized. My prayer is for Mary’s Song to become the song of their hearts devoted to Christ. Please be praying that for them as well.

2. Once a week I sit in on the 11th grade Bible class covering Wisdom Literature taught by my TeachBeyond team lead, Peter. They were finishing up Proverbs and right about to dig into Ecclesiastes, and Peter invited me to teach the book to the class over the course of a few class periods. Ecclesiastes is a book that has been pivotal in my own understanding of the value of wisdom and helped me develop a much more intimate relationship with Scripture in general. I jumped on the opportunity, and taught the first 6 chapters before the break. I’ve found Ecclesiastes to be a spot-on book for growing up in the postmodern secular age and it’s been encouraging to see these students begin to chew on the arguments Ecclesiastes makes for themselves.

3. A personal highlight from my month: My dad is coming to the end of his term on the Albanian Inter-religious Council and we had the Council over for an end of year meal a few weeks ago. Albania might be a relatively insignificant country on the world stage, but I can’t think of any other place where the Muslim/Orthodox/Catholic/Protestant religious leaders routinely share a meal together and it was an honor to sit, eat and listen amongst them. All except one grew up under the communist anti-faith regime and it’s a fascinating sight to see these men who have since dedicated their lives to religious work in Albania and their unified desire for Albania to be a nation that is spiritually alive. On the 23rd, the Catholic, Orthodox and Protestant churches held a joint carol-singing service at the city center. Only in Albania!

   

   The Interreligious Council (with me and mom)

   

   The joint carol service at Skenderbeg Square in Tirana

4. A handful of my old schoolmates are back in Tirana for the holidays and it’s been a special treat to catch up with them, some of whom I haven’t seen since high school. I’ve been reminded many times this week of just how unique of a situation we were raised in. Not many people can say they graduated with a class of 13, half of whom I’ve known since preschool. A few days ago I helped facilitate a GDQ Alumni forum for GDQ seniors who are beginning to think about the transition into post-grad and higher ed. To my knowledge almost all of the current senior class will be leaving Albania after this year. Knowing how nuanced the spiritual, emotional and physical transition to a new environment can be, my hope was to at least start the conversation for some of those that might not have thought about those first steps after graduation yet. Excited to see where this might lead for some of these students.

The GDQ Alumni Forum

Looking back on 2022 I am so encouraged to step back and see the beautiful (albeit, messy) story of how God has been at work in Albania and in my life. Reflecting on where I was this time last year and the year before, I’m filled with this profound sense of calm in the simple truth that God knows what He’s doing. The day-to-day anxieties might still be present, but I’m growing in confidence knowing that all things are working together towards the fully whole, completely beautiful Good.

Please keep me in your prayers as I prepare to enter the next 6 months at GDQ. I’ve been asked to consider teaching in the 2023/24 year and am hoping to decide by the second week of January. As usual there are plenty of unknowns but my prayer is for patience as I discern and continued presence in the work that is at-hand. If you have any questions, are interested in learning more about GDQ, the work I’m doing, or just want to catch up, I’m always open to a chat!

With much gratitude,

Aaron