Albania Day 2 : Work Projects and Abandoned Babies

We started early with a language lesson after breakfast and then began working on two projects. First the storage area underneath the center needed to be organized, Then we would need to paint the center's front gates.

We started with the storage area. In order to create a space for the shelving we first needed to pull everything out from the storage area. We would have more time later in our visit to build the shelves.With that finished, we started on the gate.

With our kids along side us we went to work brushing off rust and debris. Then we began the tedious job of painting every nook and cranny of the gate, all the while trying not to spill any of the black paint on the white concrete walls.  Our children never complained but worked diligently to make sure the job was done right.  We finished one of the gates that morning and would paint the second one later on during our visit.

While the boys were finishing the gate, the girls got cleaned up and headed to Tirana.  Jen and our girls along with Cydil and her daughter, rode the bus to go to the maternity hospital.  We did arrive a little early, so we stopped by a coffee shop and Cydil introduced us to Albanian hot chocolate (think thick like pudding, hot and yummy - dessert in a coffee cup that you eat with a spoon!).

We then went to the hospital.  We were greeted by Ms. Claudia, who started OSAAB (the Organization for the Support of Albania's Abandoned Babies) in 1996.  She and Mira, the social worker at the hospital, explained more about what they had done over the years, as well as showed us before and after pictures of the nursery. They told us the rules for going in and holding the babies and then immediately brought us in to love on the babies.  Two of the babies had just been born the week before.

We held the babies and prayed for them.  It was hard to know they were abandoned, and Jen really had to hold back the tears.  The girls loved holding them and rocking them.  We thanked Claudia and Mira for allowing us the privilege to love on the babies.

We found out before going that this is where the Waggoner's daughter was born and spent her first several weeks of life before going to an orphanage. This was also the first time Cydil brought her to visit, so it was extra special for us to be a part of such a sweet moment.

The girls arrived home just in time for the Friday night church service at the center.  Everyone worshiped together at the beginning and then the younger kids went and did a lesson while the rest of us stayed for the message.  

After church the Waggoners invited the Pastor and his wife to come and spend some time with us. It was a real treat to close out the evening listening to them recount their testimonies of how they first even heard the name Jesus.  It was very encouraging!!!