As Zaku stepped into the river, I thought back several years to the day of his father’s funeral. His father had been an honest man, a man of peace, and father and son shared an uncommon closeness. The father’s name was Ramadan Hoxha, a very Muslim name. His last name was also the Albanian word for his vocation—imam or Muslim priest.

Ramadan loved God, but he began to separate himself from his mosque in his later years as he became dismayed at the foreign extremism that threatened to overcome the faithful. Greed and corruption had replaced mercy and peace, and it broke his heart. He not only retired from his duties, he also stopped attending services.

Yet Ramadan never left God. He prayed for God to intervene for his family and his people. He was an old man. He had lived through some of the most severe and brutal religious oppression in history during the dictatorship. And now, when Albanians at last were free to pray openly, when they were trying to pick up the pieces and rebuild their faith, foreigners from the East came in with their money and extreme teachings. Rather than rebuilding the traditionally tolerant and peaceful style of Albanian Islam, they imported their own radical brand of Islam, which seemed ill-fitted here. All Ramadan could do was put the matter in God’s hands.

Then some kind-hearted foreigners from the West, AFM missionaries Ben and Amanda Shupe, moved in next door. They were a curiosity in the neighborhood. They didn’t drink alcohol or eat pork. They believed in God and prayed to Him. They were Christian, but unlike any other Christians Zaku and Ramadan had ever known.

The Shupes were out of their element. They didn’t know the language or how to do things in Albania, so Zaku’s family took them under their wing, and their amazing Albanian hospitality warmed Ben and Amanda’s hearts.

One day, Ramadan became very sick. He had been struggling with heart problems, and the extreme heat of the Albanian summer was making matters worse. Amanda asked if she could pray for him. Amanda was unaware that Ramadan was an imam and that it wasn’t permissible for a woman to pray for him. Ramadan appreciated her kindness and didn’t want to offend her, so he immediately declared her his adopted daughter. A daughter is permitted to pray for her father. After Amanda’s prayer, Ramadan recovered rapidly. Meanwhile, Zaku helped Ben learn the Albanian language and culture. They became good friends.

Some months later, when the Shupe family left Albania, they asked us to stay close to Ramadan’s family. Sean began helping Zaku set up his shop at the bazaar in the mornings as Ben had done, and their friendship grew until they were like brothers. Our two families became close, and Ramadan told Zaku that these Adventists may be foreign, but their faith was more like his own than any other faith, at least in the most important aspects like love for God and love for others. As Ramadan struggled for breath in his final hours, Zaku gave permission for Sean to pray for him, and God heard his prayers. The family was amazed and grateful as Ramadan’s labored breathing eased immediately, and he was able to rest peacefully for the first time in days.

At Ramadan’s funeral dinner, an imam asked Zaku about Sean who was sitting at the place of honor at Zaku’s right hand at the table reserved for the family of the deceased. Zaku stood and boldly answered that Sean was his closest friend and that he was a missionary working to raise up a church in Berat. Months later, Zaku asked Sean for Bible studies and prayer.

Now, looking back over this history and knowing more details, we are awed at how God has worked for years to bring us to this point—to Zaku’s baptism.

Albania has been a tough field to plow. The mission president commented that one baptism in
Albania is like a thousand in his home country. So you can begin to see why this is such a high point for us. Zaku was the first to be baptized in Berat, immediately followed by his wife Eli, the granddaughter of an Orthodox priest. (That is another story.) Zaku’s son Merlin and his daughter Sabina also made the decision to follow Jesus and were baptized. Angels rejoiced with us at the simple ceremony at the river’s edge. Others in our Sabbath group answered the invitation to be a part of future baptisms.

Zaku is looking forward to working side by side with Sean to build up a church in Berat. Many of you made this day possible with your prayers and financial support. Thank you from the bottom of our hearts. One day you will meet Zaku and his family face-to-face in heaven, and he will thank you himself.

We are still researching, but we are sure God has a place all picked out for our future church building. Our living room is not big enough for our growing group. Will you also lend your support to fan this small flame into a movement that will set hearts afire in Albania and beyond? Zaku has caught the vision. Will you?

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