Newletter

                     Spring 2019

Girls in and out…

In spring people like to enjoy the revitalization of the nature. We put forth our efforts in this wonderful process, but in truth, it is better to enjoy the wonders of God. It is a relief that the best we can do for our girls in home is to represent our God and Jesus the Savior with words and deeds, pray for them, and then wait on good results. Sometimes we may not see results as we want them to be.

In this update I wanted to start with Rebeca. She had been rescued from a terrible situation saved before coming to Eagles Wings at age 14. We had raised the bar of expectations for her life; frankly, she could not understand it when she was with us. However, she has never been trafficked; now an adult, she has created a safe family with her husband and their little daughter.

Next we’ll consider Teresa. As a child she was begging at the city cemetery, living with an abusive father who tried to sell/marry her off at age 11. She lived with us at EW for a couple of years and although she struggled with our expectations, she learned much in the way of social and life skills. She also became a Christian. Now a young adult, she is married and expecting a baby.

Nadia has now been with us for almost two years. About a year ago she had some serious struggles with her behavior to the point that we had to give her a warning letter. She did not trusted in EW’s ministry and just compared it tothe state orphanages. Then, her father attempted suicide and was in critical moment for his life. All our staff visited him in hospital and prayed for his life. He survived, thank God! Both Nadia and her older sister Brikena (who lived in our home several years ago for a short time) expressed their gratitude for our support “above and beyond” the call of duty, and they expressed the belief that God spared their father’s life. Now Nadia is obedient, responsible, and respectful toward our staff and in the community. Even in her most difficult moments, she does not complain (as she often did a year ago); instead, she is ready to accept her responsibilities and frequently seeks the staff’s advice and feedback in any important decisions.

Sophie, a quiet girl who comes from a broken family, now is a Christian believer who participates many local church’s events. We praise God for the growth we have seen in Sophie!

We are working hard to discipline Annamarie, the newest girl in our home, and we are trusting God that her life will be changed so she may walk with faithfulness.

So, we praise God for His ministry through Eagle’s Wings! Although at times it seems we may not be doing “big” things, as Mother Teresa stated, we are doing “little things with big love.”

                                     
I inserted this picture again because Fatima, the girl in red shirt (far left), decided to leave the home. We regret to say that she made that decision as an adult (as she turned 18) but against our will. We encouraged her to finish the school year, find a job, and rent a home before leaving us. We tried to convince her to change her mind by giving our rationale but she had clearly made up her mind to leave. Actually, when she first came to us two years ago, she said that when she turned 18, she would leave. Fatima insisted that she will make it to live in her own by joining her friend (from a State Orphanage ) who now lives in Tirana. We helped her with transportation and got to know her friend’s family. They are a normal family comprised her friend and her mother, step-father, and brother. We told her that if she changes her mind, our door is still open.

Fatima is thinking that as an adult, she has to make every decision on her own; in her opinion, we have been a constraint on that. We have taught her many life skills, and if we compare Fatima of today with the Fatima of two years ago she has changed a lot, by gaining many skills and growing in self-esteem. Deep down, we think the main reason for her poor decision to leave now is the lack of a Christian commitment. We will continue to pray for her and to offer support differently to the degree that she allows us.

We do not know if we can call her story a success, but for sure we will not call it a failure. Fatima gained much education and skills for her future life from her two years of staying at the EW home.

Ilir Lika
Executive Director


Always we remember, Why we do what we do? Because of the issue:

Albania is primarily a source country for men, women, and children subjected to sex trafficking and forced labor, including the forced begging of children. Children were exploited for commercial sex, forced begging, and forced criminality, girls were also subjected to prostitution or forced labor after arranged marriage.

And because of the command in scripture: Give justice to the poor and the orphan, rescue the poor and helpless. Psalm 82:3-4.

Our mission continues. Thank you for joining us

Mission Statement

To provide a culturally sensitive, safe and nurturing home where at-risk youth can reach their potential spiritually, intellectually, physically and relationally.

To view our older newsletters please click on the links below:

Autumn newsletter_2018

Newsletter January 17

December Newsletter 2016

September 2016 newsletter

2015-december-newsletter

Eagle’s Wings May newsletter 2014

Eagle’s Wings December newsletter 2013

Eagle’s wings August news letter 2012