When we started this journey we were not aware of all the challenges ahead of us. It reminds me of the story of the disciples in the middle of the sea when the storm rises and they are scared. Jesus sent them to go to the other side, but he did not tell them about the storm waiting for them. He does that in our lives as well many times, we do not know what obstacles are waiting for us when we are called to go to the other side.
We are almost at the end of our decision-making journey. After being admitted to 6 Christian colleges, we are close to enrolling at Cedarville University in Ohio.
We would like to share a couple of important thoughts about our process.
Why Christian colleges vs state colleges, when these last ones are less expensive?
Christian colleges have scholarship programs for missionary kids like Ema, making it less expensive for a family like us on the mission.
Ema has a GPA of 4.0 and she was awarded good scholarships when she was admitted, but also she had opportunities as a missionary kid to apply for other scholarship programs which were a huge help toward the main total cost.
Why in the USA and not Europe?
Albania is not part of the EU thus colleges in Europe are not cheap for Albanian families. Living costs also are very expensive, making it in the end more expensive than in the States.
Europe also does not have the spiritual climate that the USA has. Even though we are aware of the challenges that the church and Christianity are facing in the USA, the USA still has a stronger spiritual environment where Ema can be exposed to good models of Christian leaders who are well-gifted professionals.
My long-time vision: Since I became a believer, I was drawn to the example of Daniel, Esther, Joseph, and Nehemiah in the bible and how God used them in the history of Israel. God prepared them in exile and put them in such a strategic place, not just for their well-being but to use them to bless and preserve Israel.
Albania’s church is still young and we need good professionals who are grounded in their faith and who can serve their country well by bringing Kingdom values. Albania’s church is not strong financially. By raising up the next generation of Christian executives and professionals, we are contributing to impacting the culture with kingdom values faster.
These are our dreams, hopes, and prayers through the years for our children that despite where God puts them they will be Kingdom influencers and faithfully give toward God’s work if they will be called in the marketplace.
Saying all that, we would appreciate prayers as we finalize our decision and prepare all the documents for her visa.