In the States, especially in the city of Seattle, people come and go from their communities quickly, and often times without notice. At my church community at All Saints, for example, we lose people on a regular basis to other cities and it will not be until some months later that someone asks broadly “where is Joshua? I haven’t seen him lately.” To which someone will reply “don’t you have Facebook? He moved to San Francisco/ New York/ New Jersey/ Los Angeles last year for work.” To which the first person will reply “oh, I guess I haven’t been on Facebook for awhile.”
In Seattle we connect like people who expect to eventually lose the relationships we are forming. The city population is made up of individuals who are not easily satisfied with their jobs, education, living situations, or life experience; a population constantly set move and to change. In Albania the people are equally had to satisfy, but most people understand that where they live and where they will live is with and around family. Therefor, if they do get an education, it will be near-by, if they do have work it will be near-by; the relationships they form and are forming will follow them for as long as they live.
Perhaps that is one of the reasons why initial encounters with strangers are held to such a high degree of importance and involve so much ritual and posturing. If this relationship is going to last forever, it is best to set the right tone from the beginning. The Albanian culture has many Christian attributes which exist, right on the surface for anyone to see. Relationships are important to God, because every human is one of His children. Yesterday, on my way to the airport, I received four telephone calls from my good friend Visi. As I stood in line to check in for my flight to Brussels, I spotted Fatjon walking through the airport. He, Visi, and Alban Daci had hired a taxi to bring them to the airport; to see me one more time, and to show their love and respect.
I do not believe we lose anything when we invest in the people we love, even though those people may one day move away and will certainly, one day, die. The Body has been a part of this world since Christ first formed the Church. The Body is timeless, and will not die. When we love each other, we participate in a timeless building.
albaniacalling 