We slept hard on the boat. We never even felt it moving, but woke up pretty well rested. We arrived in Durres at 8 a.m. and after going through customs the Waggoners were there to greet us with breakfast, which was so thoughtful of them. We were so glad to see them. It was wonderful to see familiar friends who knew the area and know the language, and to know it was no longer up to us to find our way.
After we left the dock, we visited the Durres amphitheater. Outside was the "Rruga Egnatia." This was the Roman Road that ran from the Adriatic Sea through northern Greece and up through Turkey. It was most likely the road Paul used to reach Phillippi, Galatia and Thessalonica. The most preserved parts of the road today are in Albania.
Inside the amphitheater we were able to explore the stairs and corridors. Originally the amphitheater was able to hold 15,000-20,000 people. Debris from a tsunami buried the ancient site for centuries until it was discovered in the 1960s. The amphitheater was used for entertainment, especially the gladiator games. Christians were put to death here as well. On the right is the area believed to house lions. Nathan shared the scripture in Hebrews 11 about those who had died before us, having not seen what was promised, but now we are the fruit of their sacrifice. He then took a moment to pray for our time in Albania. 
We also were able to see a fresco from a chapel dedicated to the Christian martyrs that was built in the stadium after it was no longer in use.
We arrived at the Waggoner's home, had lunch, and then helped Nathan map out a 4 square court. The village kids arrive every day at 4 to play basketball, 4 square and volleyball. When the kids arrived our kids did not hesitate, they jumped right into the thick of things. The language barrier was never an issue. Hand gestures and charades worked just fine. The village kids were excited to have a new 4 square ball that we brought over for them. The Waggoners let us know before we came that they had just recently taught the kids how to play, but that they only had a plain plastic ball to play with.They played until 5:30 and then we hiked to the water tower that overlooks the village. Along the way we inadvertently gathered kids from the village. Once there we prayed over the village and for our time there.
Nathan and Cydil had things to do back at the house before dinner, so we went to the lake above the village with the kids we had gathered along the way. They helped us with our Albanian. We enjoyed getting to know them as well.
We got back just in time for dinner at 7. We then spent time with both of our families debriefing. Having only been there for half a day, we already felt at home and part of the family. We were so excited to finally be in this country we had longed to see for so many years.
It had been a very long day; however, so it was off to bed.
The Village of Vlashaj
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