Albania, a beautiful country slightly smaller than the state of Maryland, is located in Southern Europe and situated along the shores of the Adriatic Sea, the Strait of Otranto, and the Ionian Sea. Albania is bordered to the north by the countries of Montenegro and Kosovo as well as Macedonia to the east and Greece to the south. This mountainous country with its cool wet winters and hot, dry summers is home to nearly three million people comprising of native Albanians, Greeks, Vlachs, Roma Gypsies, Serbians, Macedonians, and Bulgarians. While English, British English is widely spoken, the official languages of Albania are Albanian (with two dialects: Tosk and Gheg; Tosk being the most prominent of the two), Greek, Vlach, Romani, and some Slavic dialects are also spoken.
It was to this country that in May 2012 I travelled to, partnering with Operation Renewed Hope and Missionaries Mike and Jennifer Fiocchi to conduct medical clinics and evangelistic services for the Albanian people.
