"Rain, Rain, Go Away, Come Again Some Other Day"

(Shpresa, tour guide, tells the history of the amphitheatre.)
Eating our picnic lunch inside at the center.

This was a day to be full of photo ops, great insights, sharing past history lessons, and much conversation. We had scheduled to go to Durres to visit a 1st century amphitheatre and to go for a picnic on the Adriatic with several of the ladies of the village. But the rain detoured our great plans. With great optimistism we loaded up the two vehicles and headed for Durres, but upon arriving, the rain still had not subsided. Therefore we ended up running for shelter anytime we could inside the amphitheatre and thus our pictures are terrible. For several of the ladies this was their first exposure to this great site. (It is only 15 kilometers from where they live) What a privilege it was to share with the ladies that this site tells us that Albania was a Christian nation before it was Muslim. As Americans we owe a debt to the martyrs that gave their lives here for this was a prelude for the gospel being spread throughout Europe and thus to the west. It was so great to see the smiles that came on their faces when they realized that we appreciated their country for giving us our faith. A certain twist that they had never heard before. When we left, soaked and cold, we decided to stop for a hot coffee in a warm and cozy coffee bar to decide what our next strategy would be. It was concluded the rain had settled in for the day and we might as well take our picnic lunch inside back at the center in Vlashi. Even though we didn't get to enjoy Durres as we anticipated, it was worth it all just to share the day with the ladies and to let them know their country has played a part in our spiritual heritage.