Mr. Ben - Tirana, Albania

Mr. Ben was our short-term host in Tirana.  He was very kind and offered us amazing hospitality which is referred to as “besa” in Albania.  Besa is associated with honor, keeping a promise and is often translated as protection or faith.  This is an attitude that has been passed down for generations.  It is something that has withstood different governments, trials and tribulations.

We asked Ben to pick us up from the airport. He was very kind and engaging from the start, pointing out landmarks and areas along our drive.  When we arrived at our apartment, Ben showed us around, told us the best place to buy groceries, the best barber, etc.  While we were in the apartment, he asked us to settle up.  I thought he was asking for the Euros we agreed to, for transporting us from the airport to the apartment. But he quickly told me “no”, you need to pay me your month’s rent in Euros or Lek. Confusion quickly set in 😊.

Normally when we book a place, our credit card is charged and I don’t think about it too much.  Apparently, I did not read the fine print on our accommodation.  The fine print that says “no prepayment needed”…I did not realize this meant I had to pay cash on demand!  We had arrived from Italy and we had not gotten Albanian currency out…even if I had, I would never have pulled out the large amount that was required for a full month’s rent!

Ben told us he knew where an ATM was and he would take us to it.  You know this is where we started to panic…you read and hear about scams on tourists…my mind could not keep up with all that was happening.  Ben’s broken English, our use of Google Translate (which does not work the best in Albania) and the crazy thoughts of “I am not going to an ATM and pulling thousands out of dollars”, were all jumbled in my head.  In addition, it was a holiday weekend in Albania so banks were closed.  Anyway Ben kept insisting he would take us to the ATM so we went, we did not know what else to do!

We went to the first ATM and our card did not work.  We went to the second one, my card would not work and that ATM ate Tim’s card!  Finally, I told Ben “no more”, he would have to wait until the banks opened or we could pay him immediately via credit card.  After much back and forth, he all of sudden proclaims “no problem! I will wait until Tuesday for the banks to open!”  Oh my goodness, I was worn out and just wanted to go back to the apartment and settle in.  But Ben said, let’s go for coffee 😊.

Tim and I were frantic,  whispering to one another “we have no cash, how are we going to go for coffee”…everything was still chaotic in our minds.  While waiting for Ben to park the car, we tried to send him a message saying we would do coffee another day…nope!  He insisted on buying us coffee.  I am so thankful we went to coffee, he was so incredibly gracious and open about sharing about Albanian culture and history.  The besa he offered us was beautiful...especially after such a stressful start.

As we spent our weeks in Tirana, Ben checked on us regularly.  He invited us to coffee again and ended up spending the entire day with us. He drove us up into the mountains to show us the land that used to belong to his family, which is now a national park.  We had a lovely lunch up on the mountain at a very isolated restaurant that had spring fed trout ponds right outside.  Throughout this day, Ben shared about his family and the trials his family has experienced over the generations.  Ben is in his 70’s and grew up during the Communist era of Albania.  His family’s trade was making watches and when the Communist dictator took over in the 1946, at the end of WW2, they were stripped of their land and business. They were put in prison because they did not support the leader. Some of his stories of survival were incredibly difficult to hear about.  The family’s resilience throughout the Communist Era is incredible, to this day, he said the trade of watch making is still be passed down.  He has taught his children the trade.

Spring fed trout ponds at Gurra E Perrise Restaurant

Ben says that he is a Muslim.  He told us stories about how his family became Muslim back when the Ottomans ruled. They wanted to avoid taxation and therefore became Muslim.  We asked about his faith but it is clearly in name only.  He is married to a Catholic woman.  We asked how that works and he declared “all Albanians accept one another’s faith, we live peacefully together”.  During our lunch after a particularly vivid discussion with another man, Ben made the sign of the cross on his chest.  It was heartbreaking to see the confusion about God.

This confusion on faith and religion is very common for many that we speak to about God here in Albania.  During the Communist rule, all religions were banned.  One missionary that we met told us that his father never spoke of God during his entire childhood because of fear of the political leaders.  He did not find out that his father knew Christ until he was an older teen after the fall of Communism.  Another man proclaimed he has a Christian first name and a Muslim surname. He is very proud that he represents both religions.  In Tirana, a large mosque was recently completed, it sits next to an Orthodox Basilica and a Catholic church.

City of Tirana

Would you please join us in praying for Ben, his family and this beautiful country of Albania? God is moving, we heard many stories of people coming to faith but it is a slow process.  People lack hope and see themselves as resilient because they have endured many struggles through history.  There is a lack of trust due to corruption and lies from the government over the past century.