People have compared my husband, Sean, to many men, mostly tough, adventuresome sorts. He’s even been called a bear. Although he has a heart for serving people, I guess I never thought I would hear someone compare him to Mother Teresa. But strangely enough, here in Albania, this has happened several times.

When in need, people in this culture rely on their circle of extended family and close friends. It is expected that members of a circle will give whatever help is needed, whether time, money or something else. If the circle can’t provide help, the outlook is dim. Also, many people don’t feel motivated to help those outside their circle.

One evening, 16-year-old Romina called to tell us that her sister’s friend’s brother had a burn, and his family and their circle were poor. Could we give them some burn medicine? Sean decided to look at the burn himself to see how serious it was. He was surprised to learn that the wound was a week old and had already been treated at the hospital. The patient, Leo, was an 18-year-old soldier on leave who had accidentally spilled hot cooking oil on his foot, leaving second and third degree burns. Unfortunately, his family could not afford to give the doctors much money. The socialized medical system is supposed to provide free healthcare, but in reality the low-paid medical personnel expect money “gifts” and often refuse lifesaving treatment without them.

When Sean carefully unwrapped the dirty bandages, he was shocked to see how terrible the wound looked. The foot was swollen and inflamed, and the burned area was red, black, and oozing pus. Leo was in a lot of pain. His foot was obviously severely infected. If gangrene hadn’t already set in, it would soon.

Sean prayed for Leo and counseled him to go to the hospital right away. The family said, “They won’t help him at the hospital. We already tried and were turned away.”

Sean assured them that Leo would be treated this time. He called his good friend who is an OB/GYN doctor who in turn called a doctor at the hospital. The next thing we knew, Leo was being treated.
Sean visited Leo each day to provide follow-up care and to instruct the family about how to care for him better. Word soon spread about the American Mother Teresa. It is meant to be a supreme compliment. Mother Teresa was the most famous Albanian who ever lived. Although born and raised outside of Albania, she was ethnic Albanian, and is universally admired here for her willingness to invite everyone in need into her circle. It may be strange to compare a big, burly, ex-military Adventist man to a small, frail, elderly Catholic nun, but our Albanian neighbors have noticed the shared trait of service to the needy.

Leo is healthy now and back on duty, and his family is very grateful. Personally, I am proud to be married to a rough, tough Mother-Teresa-type guy.

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