1. Facebook
2. Wii
3. American Idol
4. Panera Bread
5. The Euro
6. iPod
7. Toyota Prius
8. The nation of Kosovo
9. BlackBerry
10. Freedom for Albanians to speak about and worship God openly in public.

20 years ago, what we did yesterday would have landed us in jail…

…as thousands of Christian believers celebrated Easter in a public manner! More amazing, was that the police force blocked the main roads from traffic so that we could walk from Skanderbeg Square in the center of town to Mother Teresa Square to have a public worship service.

So much can change in a span of 20 years!

20 years ago, Albanians feared imprisonment for even mentioning the name of God.

When Albania opened up in 1991 after 40+ years of Communism under a strict dictatorship that sought to stamp out every trace of religion and faith, there were only 16 known believers in all of Albania.

Yesterday, several thousand Evangelical believers from a variety of churches from all over Albania gathered at Mother Teresa Square in the capital city to worship the Risen Christ.

Historical moments like these are to be cherished!

Thankful that it’s not 1989.

Happy Easter!

Photos 2, 3, 4 courtesy of Andrew Lang

“Albania in NATO: We secure our freedom and our future”

April 4, 2009 will go down as the second most historic day in Albania according to Prime Minister Sali Berisha at ceremonies held in Strasbourg, France. He said it comes second only to Albania’s independence from the Ottoman Turkish Empire declared in 1912.

Indeed, it is a significant milestone for this nation, considering how just over 18 years ago Albania was pulling out of a strict Communist dictatorship which had severely isolated it from the rest of the world. Now it is part of a military alliance with 27 other countries.

The weekend was marked by government sponsored festivities including two nights of concerts in Skanderbeg Square and a breath-taking display of fireworks on Sunday evening.  Albanian & NATO flags dotted the main boulevard and key streets along with several large banners hung on bridges like the one picture above.

Being a part of NATO means greater security and protection for Albania and hopefully is the first step down the path of Albania being integrated into the European Union.

How do Albanians feel about all of this? I’d say there’s a mix of feelings and opinions– some feel that all the government hoopla is only propaganda in light of elections that are to be held this June and that the actual standard of living doesn’t match up to the ‘amazing progress‘ that is proclaimed to the press and by world leaders. Others see the significance of such an alliance as far-reaching by providing military security for future generations as well as hoping that potential foreign investors will see Albania’s inclusion into NATO as a safe opportunity for business investments and trade.

I personally congratulate my Albanian friends on the progress Albania is making, though painfully ’slow’ in some regards. I don’t, however, embrace the banner title above proclaiming that entrance into NATO will secure Albania’s freedom and future. There’s only One who can bring true freedom and a secure future- the One for whom we were uniquely designed to have a personal relationship with, who out of great love for all of mankind suffered on the Cross 2,000+ years ago to set us free from the grip of sin and to provide a secure, peaceful, and joyful eternity forever in His presence and love.

“So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.”
(John 8:36, NIV)

In Jesus, we secure our freedom and our future!