One of the first Albanians I talked to told me that her 15-year-old sister had been trafficked into the sex industry; thank God she was found in Italy six months later. It is hard to imagine that poverty can make people so desperate that they would sell their child to survive.
I was visiting with Mission Without Borders Albania, it was my first visit. We met with families who live in a very poor area in Durres. It was once a swamp and regularly floods. Members of the MWB team come every week to visit families. They provide practical and spiritual support, and ultimately help them to get out of poverty.
I remember we met a welder and you could see the pride in his eyes when he told of the difference between being unemployed and now being able to support his family. As a father and husband myself I could relate to that, it was wonderful to see.
At one home, when the coordinator came into the room, you could see the love she had for this family and they for her. I remember one of the boys, who has a diagnosis of autism, held on to her until the moment we left.
I could see these families were being helped out of poverty, but more importantly, they were experiencing God's love, mercy and care.
Thomas, Pastor of Open Church Copenhagen, Denmark
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