The Orthodox Christian Mission Center (OCMC)
The Orthodox Christian Mission Center (OCMC) St. Augustine , FL – Since
December 2004, the Hoppe Family has been in the United States as Lynette
received treatments for her stage 4 breast cancer. On May 18 th , 2006
the family returned to Albania to resume their ministries. They hope to
stay as long as Lynette’s strength continues. Here are some reflections
from Lynette on their first few days back in Albania .
I''m sitting at Nathan''s desk in Albania and am looking around his
office. Everything is so familiar—the computer, the book-lined cabinets,
the maps on the walls. It''s as though we were never away. Our old
habits are still in place, too. In the kitchen, I still keep walking
over near the stove to throw things in the trash, but the trash can has
moved. The last residents moved it, but I haven''t caught on yet. The
children are rediscovering their old toys and all the creatures that
live in the court yard—the ants, the snails, the lizards. This morning
they found four snails of different sizes and made up a family: a
father, a mother, a sister and brother. The snails went into a box
called “home” and were doused with leaves to eat. The children are
playing as though a day hasn''t passed since they last went hunting for
bugs in this place.
The sounds are familiar, too: the ringing of the doorbell, the
neighborhood children calling to each other, the chirping of the
sparrows in the orange trees next door, the whine of the water pump, the
click of the electricity coming back. We are home and it feels so
comfortable.
We knew we were back the first morning when our crippled neighbor, Maro,
who is 76 years old and scoots herself around on a small stool, came
banging on the gate early in the morning before we were awake. “I''m
sick,” she said. “Open the door.” It was so familiar.
People have been stopping by to greet us, welcoming us with sincere joy
and enthusiasm, and bringing gifts of chocolates, flowers and ice cream.
We feel loved and needed. Everyone is offering help, whether it is for
house cleaning, meal preparation, shopping, or babysitting. My
housekeeper is back with us, and she is a huge blessing. I couldn''t do
anything without her help before, and I am in much greater need of it
now.
We've jumped right into the work. Our first Saturday was spent driving
to the seminary to see the university students who were attending their
spring conference. We went with them to the beach for the afternoon. The
kids played in the water and built sand castles while we visited. It
was a glorious afternoon. I loved feeling the sea breeze tangle my hair
as I listened to the girls express their needs and concerns over coffee
at an outdoor, seaside restaurant. I understood most of the conversation
in Albanian and was glad I had not lost all my facility in the
language.
Nathan is holding meetings to organize the children''s camps in Kosovo
this June and is working to hire more help for the national children''s
office so that day camps can be held around Tirana this summer. We feel
the urgency to try to accomplish something while we are here, but things
take time. Nothing is ever simple.
We thank God for the opportunity to be back. I have been feeling quite
well and have been able to rest a fair amount. Tristan and Katherine are
still adjusting to the time zone. They are falling asleep late and
rising late, but that will change gradually. They don''t have to get up
for school now, so I''m not worrying about the late hours. Tristan is a
bit fearful at night and we would ask you to pray for him, that he would
overcome his fear and be able to fall asleep more easily.
We are especially in need of your prayers here. We feel ourselves to be
on the front lines. Satan held this place in his grip for many years
under the old regime, and he does not relinquish his territory without a
fight. Thank God, he is already defeated, but he opposes mightily the
work of our Lord. Pray that we will be faithful and will do the will of
God in all things with grace and joy.
We ask for your continued prayers for the Hoppe Family. Funds to help
support and encourage them can be sent to the Orthodox Christian Mission
Center , designated for the “Hoppe Family” in the memo line, to P.O.
Box 4319 , St. Augustine , FL 32085-4319 . To find out more about the
Mission Center ’s missionaries, visit www.ocmc.org . or contact us at
missionaries@ocmc.org .
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The Orthodox Christian Mission Center: Helping Orthodox Christians
respond to Christ''s call to preach, teach, baptize, minister to the
poor and make disciples of all nations as the official international
mission agency of the Standing Conference of the Canonical Orthodox
Bishops in the Americas (SCOBA).
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