The Way to Home Sweet Home

It's Tuesday, July 20, and I'm sitting on my Home Sweet Home couch as I write this. Since I last wrote on Friday SO much has happened.

Friday evening was the last day of camp, not only for me, but for the 12-14 year old campers who had attended all week. After the normal evening program - singing, skits, speaker - the campers started giving testimonies and thank yous. They spoke in Albanian but it didn't take a rocket scientist to figure out what was being said as there were tears everywhere. This hadn't occurred on the last night of the previous two camps of younger children but this particular group was very emotional about leaving their new friends, saying good-bye to the loving relationships they had formed with the staff and volunteers, and for so many of them, the acceptance of Jesus Christ into their lives. After sharing the campers left the meeting hall and gathered in their groups for one last time. There they prayed together, gave special thanks to their group, and received a book "First Bible Words" that was filled with bible stories both in Albanian and English. Afterwards everyone gathered for a huge bonfire, and believe me when I say HUGE (over 12' tall, shooting sparks, intense heat). The previous two camp's Friday night bonfires had been large, but manageable, and everyone had stood around the bonfire pit and sang songs. But not this night as the heat was so intense everyone backed off, covering their faces and turning their backs. Many of the campers walked around in search of various staff and volunteers. I was particularly touched when a young Albanian boy sought out four of the Hollywood Presbyterian high school boys to emotionally hug and thank them. It's doubtful those four young men had any idea of the impact they had made on this camper's, and I'm confident other's, lives.

Now, here is when the fun starts (just kidding). The bonfire died down to almost nothing, the area was unlit, and the dark sky was full of beautiful twinkling stars when I walked to the end of the two foot retaining wall I was standing on. I stepped down with my left foot, totally misjudged the distance to the ground, landed on uneven sloped grass, my left foot twisted out from under me, and I went down hard landing on my left elbow. I immediately grabbed my arm confident I had broken it as the pain was so intense I felt like I was going to pass out. I probably laid there, rocking and moaning, a couple of minutes before I even realized my foot was also really hurting. When I reached down to touch my foot I felt an egg sized lump on the left side and the entire foot was swelling by the minute. Oh great, my last night in Albania, I start traveling the next day, and I'm going to end up in the hospital unable to make it home. Well, fortunately, that didn't happen but I did go to bed in pain, wondering what condition I would awake in.

Saturday morning found my swollen, black and blue foot wrapped in an ace bandage but able to hold a bit of my weight and an aching functioning arm that wouldn't fully extend. I threw stuff into my suitcase and after saying my good-byes to the Hollywood team and the Stoscher children, Mark drove me to where the fugon (mini-bus) was waiting. The very old faded brown Mercedes Benz 12-passenger mini-bus was already full with 15 people when I arrived. I made 16. My suitcase was thrown on the floor and I did what I could to protect my foot. I couldn't even guess how old the van was but there was nothing "nice" about it as the interior was all exposed metal except for the seat cushions, visible duct tape and ropes held things together, there were no seat belts, and the speedometer didn't work. I quickly said a prayer and off we went. Fortunately within fifteen minutes enough people had gotten off at various stops that we were no longer squished. I was traveling with Liz, the camp nurse for the past three weeks, Emily, a 15-year old camp volunteer, and a camp staffer along with various Albanians. Liz and Emily, both Americans, lived in Tirana and Liz was fluent in Albanian. After an hour's drive we arrived in the city of Korce where we changed fugons. Liz handled everything and soon we were on our way, just the four of us, to Tirana in a VW 9-passenger van which, although old, was in much better shape than the previous fugon. Given my injured state I was given the front seat which I greatly appreciated. Unfortunately sitting in the front seat afforded me the opportunity to witness how Albanians really drive. Remember in a previous posting I mentioned that laws were merely suggestions or guidelines? Well, that definitely held true when it came to driving. To put it in a nutshell - the road was one lane in each direction and mostly through the mountains. Drivers pass when and where they want - around corners, within inches of other vehicles, and do not slow down or stop for pedestrians (no right of way there). Other drivers stop and park wherever they want so moving traffic (us) have to swerve and maneuver around them. It was amazing I wasn't a nervous wreck when we arrived in Tirana four and half hours later. Oh, did I mention Albanians think air conditioning makes them sick so most of our trip we were dripping in sweat and when we arrived in Tirana it was 95 degrees with a heat index of 120? Oh well, just another part of the adventure.


Emily's father picked us up at the fugon station and took Emily and I to their air conditioned (yes!) Tirana flat which was very nice. Tirana is large with about a million people all hoping to be a hip western European city. The fashion was FAR less conversative than I had seen previously, lots of traffic, crazy drivers, tall buildings, parks, billboards - well, you get it, a city. After resting a bit I went to Saturday evening church with Emily and her parents, enjoyed a pizza dinner, repacked my suitcase since everything had previously been tossed into it, and hit the hay about 11:30 p.m. Then it was up at 4:00 a.m. to get to the airport for my 6:00 a.m. flight. Emily's dad drove me and got me settled in at the airport. I could limp on my foot but at a turtle's pace so I really appreciated his help. They were wonderful people to take me in and I surely appreciate the security and safety I felt being with them.


I know this posting is quite long so I"ll quickly summarize the rest of my trip home. I arrived in overcast and chilly Munich at 7:30 a.m. Sunday morning but my flight to San Francisco didn't leave until 4:15 p.m. so I had a day to kill. I had originally planned to leave the airport but given my handicap state, and the fact I didn't see even one motorized transport that would normally help passengers who can't walk distances, I decided to spend the day in the airport. I found an out-of-the-way spot, propped my leg up, watched a movie on my netbook, read, enjoyed a German lunch (and beer of course), hobbled my way out to the gate, and watched another movie until boarding time. The flight was 12 hours and I was able to stretch out my leg and prop it up on my carry-on bag as I had changed my seat assignment when I first arrived in Munich. The flight was fortuneately uneventful and I arrived in San Francisco at 7:00 p.m. Sunday evening. It took me forever to walk from the plane to baggage claim and through customs (where are those motorized transports when you need them?) but I finally hobbled out of customs dragging my suitcase with my good arm to see Rod standing there with a huge smile and a beautiful boutique of roses. I was so happy to see him and so tired from traveling and dragging my foot around that I fell into his arms and started crying. I was so glad to be home!

Every aspect of my visit to Albania stretched me way out of my comfort zone but I loved it all. I learned a lot about myself, my ability to be flexible (not everything has to be planned to the ninth degree), and how to truly serve. It was a faith building experience that I was both blessed and privileged to be a part of and one I will never forget. Thanks be to God for putting Albania and the Stoscher's ministry there in my mind and on my heart.

As a side note - I had my arm and foot x-rayed on Monday and there's no broken bones. Just damaged nerves in my arm and torn muscles, tendons, and ligaments in my foot. Nothing that won't heal in time. Thank God!