ALBANIA
Where Mission and Filmmaking Collide Caleb Haakenson, a recent graduate of Union College in Nebraska, United States, won first place in the 2018 Adventist Mission student film contest, My Story, My Mission. His prize was to join Adventist Mission on a trip to develop his skills as a filmmaker and to learn more about mission work around the world. Watch Caleb’s winning film at AdventistMission.org/filmcontest.
Hi, I’m Caleb Haakenson! For a week and a half in September 2019, I traveled with Ricky Oliveras, a video producer from Adventist Mission. Filming and photographing mission stories in Albania and Cyprus, I discovered firsthand how truly active God still is in the world around us.
Pictured here is the first Adventist church in Albania, which was built in 1994. Religion has been polarizing in this country. In 1976, Albania became the first atheist state in the world. Most Albanians are very nominal toward any religion. They have lived for so long without a focus on religion that outreach and evangelism are very difficult tasks. Many of the Adventist churches in Albania have started outreach programs in their communities to show Jesus’ love in a way that a typically nonreligious community can relate to. Slowly, things have improved, and this small Adventist congregation has been growing in exciting ways! 24
The Need
There are only 456 Adventists out of nearly three million people living in this 10/40 Window country. The 10/40 Window is a region of the world that represents one of the church’s toughest mission challenges. Stretching from northern Africa into the Middle East and Asia, it is home to two-thirds of the world’s population, most of the world’s least-reached countries and people groups, and the fewest Christians. It’s a high priority for Global Mission church planting. Please pray for the ministry of our Global Mission Urban Centers of Influence and support them at Global-Mission.org/giving.
