Lasts, firsts, and transitions

OK – so there is a whole raft of emotions going through me right now and I really just need to sit down and get some of them written down.  Tomorrow morning, very early, I will be head to the airport with Caleb.  We are headed back to the US – but his ticket is a one way ticket.  I’ll be there for 3 weeks then I will leave him behind and return to Albania.

Folks have been asking me for the last several weeks how I feel about our kids growing up and moving away from home.  Honestly, we are very proud of our kids and believe that they are reaching that point in life where they are ready to head out into the “big bad world” on their own – at least into the still somewhat sheltered world of college.  I am especially sure that Caleb is ready for the transition.  I am so proud of the young man he has become!

God has blessed Caleb with some pretty incredible musical talent (if I may say so myself).  He plays guitar and piano and percussion, he sings, and he is writing his own instrumental pieces.  His walk with God is solid. He has his head screwed on pretty well. He loves people, has an infectious laugh, and is quite athletic too.  He loves climbing, cycling, swimming, and just about anything else that involves sports and being with friends.

I love my son.

I am proud of my son.

I can’t wait to see what God is going to do with him in the days ahead.

But I sit here at my computer, eyes filling with tears, because he is headed out on his own now.  I am not worried about him, but I can’t approach this milestone without being at least a little sad.  The next time we play on the Xbox together it will be through the internet using Xbox live – not sitting together on the loveseat in our living room. Our chats will no longer be at our favorite “man meal” spot here in Tirana, but over skype.  Our lives are changing.

As a missionary, I am used to life changing.  It seems like something is always changing – in fact I have often said that the only constant in our lives is change.  But this one hits pretty close to home.  Erin has already ventured off to school.  Caleb is setting out on his own now.  By the end of this summer, Emily will be out of the house and in college too.  That is a lot of really big change in a relatively short amount of time.

So I sit here, sad, excited, curious, and yes, a bit tearful. I know that God will take care of my kids.  He has been taking care of me since before I was even born, so I know I can trust him with my children.  As a dad, I know the transitions ahead will be challenging for all of us.  But I am confident that Caleb is up to the challenges ahead.  I’ve been watching this last week as he has gone through a series of “lasts”-- the last worship team meeting, the last church service, the last coffee with the guys in the youth ministry, etc.  Next up is the series of “firsts” he will be experiencing on the other side of the pond. 

(photo by Joanna Linderman)

Caleb, 19+ years ago, when God gave you to us, your mother and I dedicated you to Him.  It has been an incredible privilege watching you grow into a man. I love being your dad. I love being your friend.  God gave us the awesome responsibility and privilege of raising you, nurturing you, training you, and loving you. It has been an honor. Walk with Him daily. Remember His love for you in every situation. Follow hard after Him with your whole heart.  Never forget that we are here for you no matter what.  Nothing will ever diminish the love I have for you.  At the risk of sounding corny (but when has that ever stopped me- right?) – GO FORTH AND CONQUER!  I’ll be cheering for you from this side of the pond, or wherever God moves us in the future.

Help?

Hi folks!  I am trying to plan a trip back to the US for April - most likely April 10 through May 1 or so.

I am doing this for several reasons -
1) we need to get our US Based Non-profit set up - or at least get the ball rolling fully on it.
2) We need to start doing some fundraising so we can move closer towards purchasing the future home of  "The 631 Solution"

3) It will enable me to accompany Caleb back to the US and help him get some of his stuff back.  He will be working this summer at a camp and then starting college in the fall.

In an effort to maximize my time I am trying to set-up meetings with people before I return.  We have gotten some great emails and encouragement from folks who have read this blog and believe in what we are doing.  The next phase will be for us to put down some "earnest money" to show our seriousness to the owners of the property and to enable them to begin the legalization process.  Until the house is legalized, there can be no sale.
 
Here's how you can help:  
1)  If you know of Christian investors or family foundations who would possibly support this type of ministry by giving toward the purchase of this house, I would love to be able to talk to them and share the vision.
2) I will most likely fly into Chattanooga, TN and will need to borrow a car in order to do the traveling I need.  If you know anyone who has a spare vehicle that they would let me use for a couple (or 3) weeks, that would be incredible!
3)  PRAY!!!  Every step of this journey needs to be covered in prayer! As I told someone else the other day, we believe that God owns the cattle on a thousand hills, the hills themselves, and all the oil and mineral rights to anything under the hills!  This is not a daunting task for God, but we want to be sure that we are following Him each step of the way.

If you have any contacts you can send them to me at mattalbman@gmail.com

Here's what is going on!

I figured it was time to put something up on the blog again since it has been a little while.  I have to say we are very encouraged by the positive responses we have gotten from those of you who have read it.  To say that this process is a bit out of our depth would be a major understatement! Cindy and I have never owned a home, and the biggest thing we have ever purchased is our vehicle here in Albania! 

Just to catch you up on recent activities regarding the house – we had a Civil Engineer do an inspection of the house (something that is required in Greece, apparently) and found out a few things.  First of all, as it stands now, the house is not legal and cannot be legally sold.  Apparently when they built the house, they did a few things “off plan” – made some additions that were not in the blueprints and were not approved.  All of these things can be legalized so that the house can be legally sold, but it involves some significant costs (about 10,000 Euros or $14,000).  Additionally, according to the engineer’s evaluation, there is significant work needed on the house itself to bring it up to where it would be livable.  We expected this, since the house has been empty for a long time.  The costs for updating and repairs fell into the range we were expecting.  When we made a counteroffer to the seller deducting the costs of legalization and the costs of repairs, they offered to pay for the legalization and a slight decrease in the asking price of the house.

Your prayers for this process are greatly appreciated!  We know that things will go back and forth a bit while we nail down prices and who pays for what.  We are also closely watching the situation with the Greek economy.  Close friends who know more than we do are predicting that Greece will be kicked out of the Euro Zone and if that happens the price on the house could very well go down significantly.  With lots of variables in play, we really need wisdom on how to proceed.  The good news in all of this has been that the current asking price is well below the estimated real value of the house. It looks like we would be getting a real bargain, even factoring in the cost of repairs.

In other news, our oldest daughter, Erin, will be coming home for her Spring break!!  We are very excited to be able to have her come back for a visit.  During her time here we will go back down to Corfu and let the kids see this place we are asking the Lord to give to us.  None of them have seen it yet, and since they will all be off in college when we make the move we thought it would be good for them to see first-hand the house we hope to use for ministry.

We bought Caleb’s plane ticket last week.  He will return to the US on April 10.  He’s already got lots of plans for his first month back, hopefully including him getting his driver’s license!  Since driving here in Albania is a little bit different – ok, A LOT different – from driving in the US, he has not yet gotten his license.  Pray with us that he will be able to take care of this before he starts his summer job.  Lord willing, he will be working at a camp again this summer prior to starting school at Bryan College in the fall.

We are praying through the details of how and when the rest of us will return to the US later in the summer.  Emily will also be starting college in the fall, and our hopes are for all of us to be back in the US for a while. Cindy and I will be sharing the new ministry direction with our current (and hopefully some new) supporters.  This will mean lots of travel.  If we are able to spend Christmas 2012 with the kids in the US, it would be the first time since 2004 that we would celebrate with our families in the US.  As the Lord provides the funds for the purchase of the property in Corfu, we would then return to get started in the work there.  Erin will graduate in May 2013, so we are trying to figure out how to best manage time and finances and still be able to be there for her.  Again, your prayers are appreciated!!

If it sounds like we are on a wild ride, it is because it is true!  We are always encouraged when we hear that friends are praying for us, so don’t be afraid to comment on this blog. Feel free to spread the word as well.  If you have other friends who are mission-minded let them know about our ministry. We want to be a blessing to as many Christian workers as we can, and for that to happen, we've got to get the word out.  We’ve seen it all through our ministry – when God’s people pray, amazing things happen!

Could this be the place?

Now that we have kind of laid out the whole case for the need for the ministry and the reasons we have chosen Corfu let me share with you some info on a specific place we have found and tell you why we think it would be perfect for our needs.

We are looking at a house (over here they call them Villas) on the southwestern coast of Corfu.  The 30 year old house sits on a lot that is 4000 square meters (about 1 acre). The western border of the property is the Ionian Sea.  It is perched on a bluff that looks out over its own private waterfront.  There is a path down to the sea, but it is very overgrown so we have not yet been able to get down to it, but it looks like there is a small pebbly beach.

The Villa itself is quite large – the upper portion has 5 bedrooms, 3 bathrooms, a good-sized kitchen, and a large open room that has dining room, living room and a sunken area in front of a fireplace.  Below this main portion of the house are two self-contained apartments and a large central common area.

This house sits at the end of a narrow road, and to get to it you have to drive through some magnificent old olive groves and past an old fortress.  It is about 40 minutes from Corfu Town (driving gently) and about 30 minutes from the airport.  About a 15 minute walk to the south is a long (about 5 KM) sandy beach and a saltwater lake.  To the north are more rocky outcroppings and small pebbly beaches.

It is quiet. 

It is peaceful.

It is spacious enough for us to have multiple families at the same time, if necessary.   It offers privacy both to us and to our guests, yet is homey enough for great fellowship and encouragement.

The asking price is 400,000 Euros (currently about $525,000).  We are told that a year ago it was listed at 800,000 Euros but the price has fallen due to the economic crisis in Greece.  We currently have a lawyer and realtor checking out the property to ensure that all of the legal documents are in order and have a civil engineer look at the property to determine what repairs will need to be done.  The house has been sitting empty for about 4 years now, so there will be some “fixin’ up” that will need to be done.

Just to offer some comparisons for you, here in Tirana our 3 bedroom apartment (1200 sq ft) on the 4^th floor of a building near the center of town would probably sell for about 200,000 Euros.  A 300 square meter villa (3 bedrooms only) outside of Tirana towards the mountain is listed at 400,000 Euros, an empty piece of land in the south of Albania, near Saranda, is listed at 450,000 Euros for only 3000 square meters.  Those are Albanian prices and not on the sea! 

Everything that we have seen tells us that the price on this property we are looking at is excellent.  The house itself would allow us to live on site and have room to host up to three families at the same time in a peaceful environment that still offers activities for all ages.  Will you join with us in praying that God will give us this property?  We have a burden and now we have a potential place where we can see that burden met.  Now we need prayer partners and donors!

SO WHY CORFU??

Some of you may be asking that question right about now.  “Why not stay in Albania and do this retreat center there?”  We have a few reasons for that, so let me share them with you.

Can you hear the waves?

Reason #1 – We wanted to be near the sea. In order for our refuge to be as restful as possible we tried to think of what helps us to rest and relax.  We found that being near the sea – or some other body of water – was very relaxing.  In fact, just watching the water is peaceful.  As we took breaks we caught ourselves just sitting on the balcony watching the water.  Now think about it – when you reflect on your most restful vacations or retreats, how many of them were near water?  See what I mean?  We thought about trying to find something along the Albanian coastline, preferably down in the south of Albania as the water there is much cleaner and it is less developed.  Ideally we wanted something that was easily accessible from anywhere in Albania (since our primary experience has been with workers here).  But the more we learned about buying property here the more we heard that…

Reason #2 –Buying land in Albania can be very difficult!  Buying land or buildings here in Albania can be a real challenge.  First of all, it is hard to find out who actually has the title to the land.  You see, when the communists took power after WW2, they wanted to make some “adjustments” to the class structure, so they confiscated land from the wealthy and forced them to work in communal farms.  Then they took poor villagers and placed them in the properties that belonged to the wealthy.  Once the communist system collapsed 50 years later, it is hard to determine who actually owned the land.  That puts us into a situation where multiple people have “claim” on the property making negotiations very difficult.  Add to that a system that is so corrupt that it is possible for several people to have “legal” documents for the same piece of property.  I heard of one instance in Durres where as many as 7 different people have “fully legal” documents showing they were the owners of one plot of land.  We had no desire to get involved in something that messed up, which led us to realize…

Reason #3 We needed to look outside of Albania. We talked and thought and talked some more.  We have had the pleasure of hosting the AEP Conference the last several years and a couple of those have been held in Montenegro.  Montenegro has a stunning coastline with incredible clear water and gorgeous mountain ranges. It is one of the most beautiful countries I have ever visited. However, prices there are really high – they are pushing it as a big tourist destination and the prices reflect that.  Additionally, we would, more than likely, have to learn another language – Serbian/Montenegrin – in order to fully function there.  You can understand how the thought of learning another language was less than thrilling to us.  So we started looking south instead.  When we did we saw that…

Reason #4 Corfu speaks English! Because of its history, and because it is also a major tourist destination, almost everyone on Corfu speaks at least some English.  English nobility has had a presence there for generations and English tourism is a large part of the island’s economy.  We will probably still need to pick up some Greek since that is the primary language, but we will still be able to get along nicely without it.  That also means that those who come to visit will not have any issues getting around on the island using only English.  Ask any missionary what contributes to culture stress and they will tell you that one of the factors is language.  When you don’t know the language, can’t read the signs, can’t ask for help, etc, the stress level rises pretty quickly.  Being able to get around easily in English will help make this retreat center more restful.

Reason #5 The Greek Economic Crisis.  Just in case you missed it in the news, Greece is experiencing a major economic crisis.  Rather than go into detail here, suffice it to say that this is creating a large market for properties as people are trying to get rid of tax liabilities or are facing personal financial difficulties and need to liquidate their property holdings.  We have heard stories that many foreigners who had retired to Corfu have found that they could no longer afford to maintain multiple residences and have decided to leave the island.  Because of this it is somewhat of a buyer’s market for properties right now.  Cindy has been diligently searching online listings for properties and flagging those that looked like possibilities and we recently made a quick trip down to look at 3 of them.  Before we tell you about that though we need to point out that…

Reason #6 Corfu is very accessible!  Virtually anyone serving in Albania can get to Corfu in less than a day.  Particularly in the middle months of the year (April through October) there are budget airlines that fly into Corfu from all over Europe and the Mediterranean basin opening up the possibility to serve literally thousands of Christian workers.  Now not everyone will need a place like ours, but for those who do need it, it will be pretty easy for them to get to us.  Even in the winter months there are daily ferries from Italy or the Greek mainland as well as flights from Athens and other parts of Europe, just not quite as often.  For those who come from places that are less developed, Corfu has great infrastructure – good roads, good electricity, and some American restaurants (McDonalds and Pizza Hut) for a little taste of “home”.

Hopefully, this will help you to understand more of our reasoning for choosing Corfu.  In the next post, I will tell you about a particular property we are looking into – we don’t know everything we need to know about it yet, but we are in the process of finding out what we can.  Even if this does not end up being the property we are able to purchase, it can serve as sort of a model for what we would like to have and how it could be used.

“What’s in a name?”

Like I said, we have been thinking about what to name this ministry.  I never really thought about what all is involved in choosing a name for something like this, but in today’s internet-connected world there is a lot you have to think about.  How will it show up in search engines?  Does anyone else use the name? Is the name licensed or registered? Etc., etc., etc.

Cindy came up with the name we will use for our ministry (yes, we are going to start a charitable organization, but I’ll come back to that in a bit) after reading another great Bible passage that often gets overlooked because of its surroundings.

In Mark 6 there is a ton of stuff happening.  In verse 7 Jesus sent out the 12 on a “mission trip” of sorts, in verses 14-29 we have the account of Jesus’ cousin, John the Baptiser being killed, then in verse 30 the disciples come back and tell Jesus all about their trip.  In verse 34 we have the beginning of the story of the feeding of the 5000 men.  All of these are great and important stories but tucked in there in verse 31 is a verse that often is overlooked, practically speaking if not theologically.

After the disciples reported back to Jesus all they had done and taught (a debriefing , if you will),  Jesus says to them, “Come away with me by yourselves to a quiet place and get some rest.” That verse also notes that there were so many people coming and going that the team (Jesus and his disciples) didn’t even have time to eat.  So in verse 32, they get in a boat and go to a “solitary place”. Unfortunately for them, the crowd figured out where they were headed and followed them, so they did not exactly get the rest they were looking for – I think the same thing happens to many workers today. However I still think that Jesus’ invitation to His disciples, His co-workers, echoes across the years, “Come away with me by yourselves to a quiet place and get some rest!”

We need to be reminded that God’s first and primary call to us is to BE WITH HIM.  As we are with Him, He then puts work before us to do, but we do that work WITH HIM as well.  Too often though, we get all caught up in the work, and then the burden becomes heavy and the work becomes hard.  We forget that in the middle of the busy-ness, from time to time Jesus calls us to “come away… and get some rest.”  Our desire is that this place would be a place where those involved in full-time ministry would be able to do just that.  It will be a place where Christian workers can get away to a quiet place for some “alone time” with Jesus and to get some rest.  And so we will call our organization (drum roll please...)  “The 631 Solution” – a solution to the situation found in Mark 6:31.

We are beginning the process of registering as a charitable organization and will pursue tax exempt status in the US in order to receive gifts and donations.  We’ll keep you updated on our progress.   In order for us to purchase the place we want, we are going to have to see God work in pretty powerful ways.  We are talking about more money than we could ever come up with on our own, so it will have to be God doing the providing.  We need prayer warriors to join with us in covering this whole project in prayer. As we talk to missionaries and other Christian workers, the need for such a place is obvious to us.  As we share this vision, almost everyone says “When will you be open?  When can we come?”  Just as God is Lord over the finances, He is also Lord over the timing.  Will you pray with us that we will see this vision become a reality sooner, rather than later?  Will you share this vision with others and ask them to join with us in prayer too?

In the next post, I’ll tell you a bit more about the place where we believe we should open this refuge, and why we feel like it is the right place.

Sounds great - but is it really needed?

In the last post I talked in general about the vision.  This time around I want to share a little bit about our rationale for doing this.

Though I don’t know for sure, I doubt too many missionaries are familiar with the lyrics from an old Def Leppard song (I probably shouldn’t be familiar with them either, but I wasn’t always a missionary, you know…), but many of them are ministering like they have heard them – “Better to burn out, than to fade away”.  It is almost like it is expected that you go to the mission field and burn yourself out for God, going out like Elijah in a blaze of glory.  The problem with that is that it was Elijah’s chariot that was on fire, not Elijah!  In fact, when I look at Elijah’s life I see a different story that serves as a bit of a basis for some of what we want to do.

In 1 Kings 18 you have that awesome story of Elijah’s “showdown” with the prophets of Baal up on Mt Carmel.  I have always loved that story!!  Then in chapter 19 you have this incredible man of God running for his life because of Jezebel’s threats.  He literally runs out in to the middle of the desert, sits down under a tree and asks God to kill him. Isn’t it great that James tells us that Elijah was a man with a nature like us (James 5:17) - not some Biblical superhero, just a man like us that God used in a mighty way?  But I digress…

In chapter 19, when Elijah goes and lays down under a tree asking God to kill him (suicide by Deity?) what is God’s response?  Does He send Gabriel with a flaming sword to carry out Elijah’s wishes?  Not quite.  He sends an angel alright, but that angel wakes Elijah from his sleep and gives him some fresh baked bread (can you smell it?) and a jug of water, then lets Elijah sleep some more before doing it all over again.  Two hot meals, something refreshing to drink, and an encouragement that God is not done with Elijah (by telling him he needed to eat again or the journey would be too much for him, it is implied that God still had work for Elijah to do).  This is how God responds to His tired, dejected, depressed servant.  Not judgment.  Not punishment.  A hot meal.  A good night’s rest.  Encouragement.  Then, in the mouth of an isolated cave, in another desolate place – new instructions for ministry.  Wow.  Who’d a thunk it?                                                

We have met so many missionaries who are tired, worn out, dejected, and depressed.  They don’t need to be judged – they need a rest and a reassignment.  We have been there ourselves! We want our “place” to be a place of refuge.  A place where some good sleep and some good hot meals can lead to a refocusing and reassignment and refreshing which in turn will lead into a new period of successful ministry for those who come.  We want to be those ministering angels who are able to come alongside workers who are weary and pray with them.  We want to see them revitalized and redeployed by God, instead of burned out and cast aside.  I have a feeling that this is what God wants too.  God met Elijah in a deserted place – just not in the way Elijah expected.  But when Elijah got away from the “noise” and the threats and then stopped looking for God to speak through bigger means (the wind, the fire and the earthquake) he heard God’s gentle whisper telling him what the next phase of ministry would hold.

We toyed with the idea of calling our new ministry “The Broom Tree” or “The Juniper Tree” in reference to this story, but there are other ministries who have already used those names.  Instead we have decided on a name that comes from another great Biblical passage showing the need for God’s disciples to take a break.   More on that in the next post…