Christmas greetings from Nathan and Gabriela in Albania

Fixing our eyes on Jesus

the pioneer and perfecter of faith
Heb. 12:2 NIV

Dear Fr. Harry,
On the Sunday before Christmas we reflected on the faith of all of those who have prepared the way for Christ through the lectionary readings in Hebrews 11 and Matthew 1, leading up to the exhortation in Heb. 12 that we fix our eyes on Jesus as we continue to run the race set before us. Christmas is a time for fixing our eyes on Him so that we do not grow weary or fainthearted (Heb. 12:3). The text from Hebrews reminds us of the great cloud of witnesses that we have in the Saints that have gone before. The author also exhorts us to spur one another on to love and good deeds (10:24). We are deeply grateful for each one of you who provide this support for us. We are blessed by your prayers, your financial gifts and your encouragement. Thank you! Our continued ministry here in Albania would be impossible without you. We also pray for you and thank God for you each day. May we all fix our eyes on Jesus again this Christmas and throughout the coming year!

During communism in Albania celebration of Christmas was illegal. Each year we seek to find new ways to help families celebrate Christmas in their homes. This year Gabriela organized a Christmas wreath craft evening.

Puzzles

We are always searching for ways to connect the Bible with the lives of our children. In order to do this Gabriela has created a beautiful set of puzzles. There are eight different images with Bible stories from the Old and New Testaments. Each picture is available with cuts appropriate for different ages including 9, 20, 30 pieces. The package also includes a card containing the Bible story. These puzzles will be used in our children's programming and are available for sale to families this Christmas.

Earthquake in Albania

On November 26, a 6.4 magnitude earthquake occurred just north of the city of Durrës and about 20 miles from our home in Tirana. Widespread damage occurred with a number of buildings collapsing causing 51 deaths. We thank God that we suffered no serious damage in our home. Thank you to all who have reached out to us and been praying for Albania during this time. As the initial shock passes people are gradually returning to normal, but with a new layer of cynicism and loss of hope for the future. Almost all of the deaths occurred as a result of corruption in the building industry. Buildings were built without proper inspections, and without following building codes in order to enrich those in power. Drastic steps have already been taken to cover the trails of these people. Within 10 days almost all of the buildings that collapsed were completely demolished to remove evidence of wrongdoing. Please pray for Albania; for the comfort of those who have lost loved ones, for those who have lost their homes which represented their whole life savings, for those struggling with fear and despair that they would find hope in Christ, and for us that we would know how to comfort and encourage those in need.

Make a year end donation supporting the Hoppe family

Please remember to designate for Nathan and Gabriela Hoppe

Podcasts

San Diego Parish Life Conference

Sermon at St. Spyridon's
Getting out of the boat August 18
Bible study with father Evan
About the first half of the hour is an interview with Nathan.

Please pray

+ For Archbishop Anastasios, that he would have good health, wisdom and vision as he continues to provide inspired leadership for the Orthodox Church of Albania.
+ For the developing parish families at St. Prokopi, St. Gjerasimos, Holy Transfiguration that the love of God would be evident in these communities and that many would be called to salvation.
+ For Katherine and Tristan as they continue their studies at Wheaton College that they would feel God's guidance. Tristan will be graduating this spring and needs to make decisions regarding employment. Katherine is in her sophomore year and needs to make important decisions regarding her ongoing studies and future career path.
+ For our ministry team in Albania, that they would be filled with zeal, faith and love as they seek to proclaim the gospel and foster transformation for children and their families. Especially, pray for those in leadership roles that they would have wisdom and courage as they learn to lead.
+ For Nathan as he works to complete his D.min degree at St. Vladimir's seminary,that he would be disciplined and productive.

Ordination to the diaconate

On Sunday, December 8, longtime Central Children's Office staff member and participant of the leadership team Ervin Mihali was ordained to the diaconate. We are excited to see him take up this new level of responsibility. Please pray with us, that he will be filled with love for Jesus and for all those that he serves. We also ask your special prayers for the leadership team that we have been working with. We feel that the development of leadership is one of our most important tasks, but also one of the most challenging. Because of his new responsibilities as a deacon Ervin will have less time and energy to devote to children and family ministry. This fall we have seen two other members of the leadership team transition to new jobs that have better long-term professional prospects and compensation. They are still working at the Central Children's Office on a limited part-time basis, but they no longer have the time or ability to truly focus on this ministry. Please pray for wisdom how to proceed and that God would bring capable people to fill these important roles.

Following the earthquake children in Tirana had about a week off of school. This presented a serious challenge for parents who were still required to go to work. In order to support these parents and minister to these families we organized special activity with games,crafts and Christmas practices. One day we experienced a special blessing, when 2 monks, Father Andrea and father Peter from the Deçani monastery in Kosovo who were visiting Albania to bring aid to earthquake victims, visited the activity.

Building deep intentional community

One year ago we started a supper club for families. We had two groups that met once a month for dinner in one of the participants homes throughout the winter and spring. These were great times of fellowship and building deeper relationships in the body of Christ. For the relaunch of the supper clubs this year all the participants met in our home. We drew lots, dividing into two groups that will carry on with monthly supper gatherings. Please pray that these will be times of deep Christian Fellowship.

On Friday evening Gabriela meets with women at the Cathedral to pray together for their children. Prayer is followed by time of fellowship with tea and snacks.

We had scheduled a pilgrimage for families from Tirana to the ancient city of Berat for the Albanian Independence Day weekend in late November. Following the earthquake on November 26 we decided to go ahead with the pilgrimage. It was a good day of fellowship with visits to many churches. It was also good for the families to be away from Tirana and the stress of continued aftershocks from the earthquake.

Christian Witness : A Life Worthy of the Gospel of Christ

The 2019 Lausanne-Orthodox Consultation

Nathan was in Egypt November 5-8 to participate in an LOI regional consultation bringing together Orthodox and Evangelical Christians from the Middle East and North Africa around the theme of Christian witness in times of persecution and suffering. It was a blessed time of sharing and building relationships. His Holiness Pope Tawadros opened the consultation with a reflection on the importance and methods of building deep relationships between Christians of different traditions. A highlight of our time together was the tour of the fourth century Monastery of St Bishoy led by Archbishop Angaelos of London who spent many of his formative years as a monk there. To see more photos from the consultation and transcripts from some of the talks click here.

In November Nathan participated in a meeting of the Coordinating Committee of the Catholic Orthodox dialogue held at the monastery of Bose in northern Italy. To read the communiqué please click here.

Contact and support information

Tax-deductible gifts in support of the Hoppe's ministry in Albania can be made through the Orthodox Christian Mission Center (OCMC). Please clearly designate all gifts for the Hoppe family.

OCMC address:
220 Mason Manatee Way, St. Augustine, FL 32086

Field address:
Nathan & Gabriela Hoppe
Rrg. e Kavajes 151
Tirane
Albania
Nathan cell phone: +355-698524045
Gabriela cell phone:+355-698524047
e-mail address: nghoppe@gmail.com
Skype address: nvhoppe

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Nathan Hoppe · Rrg. e Kavajes 151 · Tirana - · Albania