In May we lost the founder of the military Christian Fellowship (MCF) in Albania, a retired Albanian Army Brigadier General. Please pray for his family - two daughters and three grandchildren.  Here are some highlights from his Christian service.

 

We praise God for this leader's amazing life and faith in God. Despite living and serving in the military in a Communist and atheist nation, he embraced faith in Jesus 1991 when he attended a Christian crusade with one of his daughters. He initially attended the event only to protect her, as he wasn't sure what the event was or who the people were. But God touched his heart while there and he accepted Christ as his Savior. 

 

They began attending church, and he told his daughter (who is now on the ACCTS staff), "We need to do something like this with the military conscripts, because if they learn about Jesus they can return and share Him with their families and friends." She recalls that in those days they couldn't do any ministry without permission of the government, so her father would go to the Defense Minister's office and sit in front of it, praying and waiting for a meeting with the Minister of Defense (MOD). He often stayed until midnight, waiting and praying for an opportunity. Finally he got an audience with the Minister, and said, "I'm here to pray for you." After trust had grown between them, he told the Minister about his vision of going to military bases to distribute Bibles and tell the conscripts about Jesus Christ. With the MOD's approval, he and his daughter, then an Albanian Army captain, began doing just that with help from their church.

 

In 1993 the Defense Minister received an invitation to attend a chaplains conference in Hungary, and he appointed this saint to attend, since he was the only one in Albania doing anything similar to a chaplain's work. His daughter attended as his translator. While there they met a Norwegian chaplain, who said, "So you began doing this military ministry with no idea other people around the world were also doing it! That's wonderful. You need to get in contact with ACCTS -- they're doing the same thing as you are." Not long after that, an ACCTS staff member visited them and encouraged them in their ongoing ministry. 

 

This servant's faith in God stayed strong throughout his life, despite suffering many health difficulties and other sorrows. He was a wise, tender-hearted, and visionary leader. Even in his final days, he was praying faithfully for other people. Praise God for this military Christian leader and others like him who follow God's calling to share Christ with the armed forces of the world!

 

His daughter came to the US as an ACCTS intern in the 1990's and stayed on with his blessing due to the civil war in Albania.  She now provides technical and administrative support to publish ACCTS' newsletter and promotional/educational materials. She also develops and maintains the ACCTS and AMCF websites and coordinates our annual Interaction-Rocky Mountain High leadership program. She also processes donor gifts and database changes, and her technical knowledge has been indispensable, especially as the office staff has transitioned to working from home during the pandemic. 

 

She noted that, "It is hard to pick among great moments I've witnessed in ACCTS over the years, but one of them was the 2009 North American AMCF Regional Conference, which ACCTS sponsored. My son was four and attended the conference with me. I wasn't aware that he was paying attention to the speakers, but while we were there, he hurt his finger. As I was helping him, with tears running down his face, he said, 'Mom, don't worry -- we need to pray like the speaker said.' He was absorbing the message of prayer, the theme of the conference! I know that if a four-year-old received that message so clearly, military men and women from many nations also grew as a result of that conference." She continued, "ACCTS has become like a family to me. In 1994 my father and I were hosted by ACCTS supporters in their home. Last summer, we  enjoyed time with those same people in the same location. They opened their homes and hearts to both of us, and it was like visiting family."

 

Upon learning of her father's death, she said: "Yesterday I lost the most wonderful man in the world. I will miss him so much - his kindness, his care, his love, his humility, his willingness to help with everything, and his love for his children and grandchildren. He was a man who made many sacrifices for his family,  a man who loved life, his family and Jesus so very much. I have lost my special prayer warrior. He assured me every Saturday when we spoke  that he was praying for me. I love you dad and I will miss you sorely."

 

Join us in prayer for this family as they grieve the loss of their faithful father.