Testimonies

My name is Marjana, I come from Albania and I grew up in a small inland country village. I am the youngest of four sisters. In 1990, the year the Communist regime fell, and in the following years, Albania experienced moments of great upheaval that in some way affected me and my family. My parents were formally Catholic but in fact, like most Albanians at that time, we all did not know much about God, His work, and we did not know the Scriptures at all. Personally, I always felt a void deep in my heart and also a certain fear that pushed me to seek God. A God I did not know, but whom I was searching for.

Immediately after the collapse of the regime, many believers from various parts of the world, including Italy, Germany, and the United States, poured into Albania, all coming to preach the Gospel which, at that time, was an absolute novelty. In 1994, the Gospel also arrived in Rreshen, the city closest to our municipality. My oldest sister, who worked in the hospital in this city, heard about Jesus and brought home—with a certain curiosity and a fair amount of interest—the message of salvation she heard and some evangelistic booklets that we could read. It was in this way, hidden from my father who was opposed, that I was able to attend some meetings held in Rreshen. To avoid being noticed by our father, we took turns being absent and, walking the 16 km that separated us from the city, we went to listen to the Bible messages held by some Italian missionary couples: Tommaso and Anna D’Andrea first, and subsequently Massimo and Maria Ricossa and Salvatore and Beatrice Corcelli.

After a year of meetings, at the age of 22, I accepted Jesus as my personal Savior, deciding to serve Him for the rest of my life. In a short time, all four sisters gave our lives to the Lord. The joy was great.

Since that moment, trials have not been lacking, and I was even gravely ill to the point of asking the Lord to either take me or heal me, because I did not see my usefulness in that state; the Lord, in His grace, healed me.

From the moment of my conversion and that of my sisters, as a family, we suffered contempt and abandonment from relatives and friends. We went through moments of great need during which I even wondered if the Lord had abandoned us. But it was not so; at the right moment, we always saw His hand at work and His peace accompanied us even in difficult times.

In the meantime, our mother also converted. When she passed away in 2003 and the funeral was held, the village priest insisted on officiating the service because “it had always been done that way,” and no one had ever seen a different kind of service. Our refusal triggered further mockery toward our entire family. However, the Lord still had many joys and blessings in store for us, so after a short time, our father also converted.

Given the difficulties and the uncertain future one could feel, I arrived in Italy to look for a job. A few months here, a few months there, always with a certain precariousness but with an unchanged joy of witnessing for the Lord wherever I found myself. I first joined the local church in Pozzengo (AL) and, a few years later, after meeting my husband Andrea, the church in Santhià (VC). In all these years, I can testify to the faithfulness of the Lord and His constant love.

On my part, I have not lost the enthusiasm for witnessing, which I share with my husband, and which allows us to reach new people by hosting Bible reading meetings for both young and old in our home. Furthermore, the service in Bible camps for children gives me much joy, where for about 10 years I have tried to give my contribution.

Looking at how the Lord has worked in my life, I can only be grateful. Grateful also to the many missionary brothers who came to Albania and who, with an outpouring of love, presented to us the joyful message of the Gospel that changed my life.