Update for Spring 2010

(get this update on PDF in this LINK)

Greetings Family and Friends,

Have you wondered about us? The Kona family is still alive and well as Winter has come and gone and April showers have brought on our May flowers here in Durres, Albania. We continue to miss you all very much and covet your prayers especially when you have not heard from us in a while as we regret was the case this time. The Lord is good to refresh our hearts and minds in Him even as we find ourselves knocked down and quite weary from time to time while “fighting the good fight”, especially given the unique challenges that come with church planting. Please take some time to read and rejoice with us in light of the Lord’s bountiful blessings, not forgetting in the end to enjoy your own blessing as you take part in His work here in Albania by praying.

Praise God from Whom All Blessings Flow . . .

in answer to your prayers

· All Christmas, New Year, and Easter services were quite a blessing and well attended. Jenny was greatly blessed as her mother spent a couple of weeks including Easter week with us in our home, delighting in her daughter’s home away from home and more so in her time with “Bitty Bella” granddaughter.

· The Christian Medical Student Society Retreat in December that we helped to finance was excellent with about 20 students attending. As usual there were many questions and profitable discussions concerning the topics – discipleship, evangelism, and idols of the heart as expounded from the book of Jonah.

· I continue preaching through Galatians every Sunday Morning though writing the expositional-theological commentary as I go along is quite a challenge, taking much more time than expected. I am about to finish teaching on Reformed worship during Sunday School and plan to begin a study on Covenant Theology. This past Thursday evening I began an expositional study on the Gospel of Mark prior to our corporate prayer time.

· Thank you for praying for elder Scott and family (Laura and Lexi) from Midway PCA who DO plan to join us for 7 weeks beginning June 5^th! Pray for their quick adjustment in the country; that their service will be blessed and profitable (Scott with teaching, Laura with the women, Lexi with children, etc).

· Translation of PCA’s The Book of Church Order has been completed by Nardi Doka of our church body. His current project is Murray’s Redemption Accomplished and Applied.

· We always delight in new visitors, recently enjoying a young couple – a dear brother in Christ and old friend, Albi, whose unbelieving wife is expecting their first child (pray for her, she is open and occasionally attends church as well). Praise the Lord for the apparent conversion of a young man named Behar. He was converted through several regular meetings in the local café’s. If you think that out church membership increased by one by his addition to our congregation then you are wrong because immediately after his conversion he moved to Greece! God’s ways are as usual mysterious and we are just happy that he was been added to the larger Kingdom.

· Jenny is singing again! She gave her first post-grad recital here just a couple of weeks ago, enjoying a varied program of 11 songs all accompanied by a string quartet, which was such a neat experience for them all. You may listen to select pieces on youtube using “bertikona” to search. She may have future opportunities coming!

Specific Prayer Needs

· Please pray for the body of Kisha Reformuar, Durres as several of these dear believers have various struggles in the areas of health and work. Please pray for the Agolli family. Their struggles have been many in the areas of very poor health and poverty. The church has helped them a lot until we found them to become dependent on us and not on their own labors. Since we adjusted our policy, they have almost stopped coming to church. Please pray for their conversion/sanctification.

· Pray for faithful and fruit-bearing teaching and preaching of God’s Word as I expound Galatians on Sundays, Mark on Thursdays, and prepare to begin a new Sunday School study on Covenant Theology. As well, pray for almost daily opportunities for counsel and discipleship.

· Pray that we would all have zeal for Evangelism and outreach to our community, redirecting our practices once again toward parish ministry.

· Pray for us personally in our strength and encouragement, passion and perseverance as we continue in this call to church planting and ministry here in Albania. Annabella has now doubled in age since our last contact – now 10 months old and growing healthy and strong! Pray she will finally kick this slight cold after her weeklong bout of fever. Jenny is well, delightfully growing as mother but in need of your prayers not only for fellowship and overall contentment but also as there is some adjustment again with culture and language now that a little one is in the picture. Pray that in her loving obedience to the Lord, all fears would be subsided. Also we need to tie up loose ends in Jenny’s residency paperwork and pray as well for her continued joyful serving to the ladies of our body.

· Pray for my added studies by distance to complete my ThM with Whitefield Theological Seminary and continued family responsibilities.

For Christ and His Church,
The Konas