Miraculous Turnaround at Lezha Academic Center
“When you walk through fire, the flames will not set you ablaze.
For I am the Lord your God; the Holy one of Israel, your Savior.”
Isaiah 42:3
By Jessica Hedrick
We have been through our share of fires this year at Lezha Academic Center. The first months of our ministry here were full of conflict. Struggles with communication and cross-cultural misunderstandings left us feeling frustrated and defeated. Each of us had days when we felt like throwing in the towel, but somehow we made it through.
No words can capture the miraculous turnaround we experienced at LAC. Relationships went from strained to supportive, and the future looks bright and promising. With God’s help, we turned an empty building into a school and developed trust with students and their families. The loving community at LAC is unlike anything our students have previously experienced. It is amazing to see the way God’s love in us is transforming the lives of the students. There have been significant changes in some of our students, because for the first time they have teachers who care enough to invest their time, energy, and resources to help them reach their potential.
The people of Albania are starved for God, and we believe that God is going to use LAC to grow his Kingdom here in Lezha. There are an abundance of opportunities for ministry in the context of a school. We recently started meeting with the mothers of our students monthly, for a time of fellowship, and we meet with students every other Friday in a youth group like setting. Our goal is to allow students and their parents to explore what it means to follow Christ in a safe and unintimidating context.
We don’t know what the future holds for LAC, but I believe God used this year to refine and prepare us for what is coming. There will be more fires, and we will face them together, knowing that God is working through it all and that He will bring us through, just as He did in the past.
Jessica Hedrick serves as a tranSend intern teaching at Lezha Academic Center.