24 June – Tirana Update

We’ve just wrapped up our first day of events here in Tirana, and it’s already been full of powerful moments!

The day kicked off with a press launch at the Marriott Hotel, where we invited local media and press. Andrew and Wendy spoke alongside Alessio Sema, General Secretary of the Evangelical Alliance in Albania. Each of them shared their heart and vision for the festival.

Andrew opened by reading Psalm 68:3–8

“But may the righteous be glad and rejoice before God; may they be happy and joyful. Sing to God, in praise of his name; rejoice before him—his name is the Lord. A father to the fatherless, a defender of widows, is God in his holy dwelling. God sets the lonely in families, he leads out the prisoners with singing; but the rebellious live in a sun-scorched land. When you, God, went out before your people, when you marched through the wilderness, THE EARTH SHOOK….”

It was only after reading this that he found out Tirana had experienced an earthquake at 5 am which he slept right through! How stunning that God would confirm His word like this. God goes before us even in days of great challenge. He and His ways remain unshakeable!

As a result of this press conference several other media opportunities have opened up to us so there will be a couple of TV interviews to follow.

Later in the day, we were finally able to start setting up the festival site in the main square—though not without a few challenges and some red tape still to sort out. Please keep praying for smooth progress here. The space has great potential, and we’re excited to see it come to life.

We ended the day with a beautiful dinner for business and civic leaders. It was a really special evening—great food, a celebratory atmosphere, and meaningful conversations. Wilson Smith, former head designer at Nike, spoke about how faith has shaped his career. Then Andrew shared the Gospel and gave an invitation for people to respond. It was amazing to see 46 people indicate a response—9 made first-time commitments to Jesus, 20 recommitted, and 17 asked to learn more. Local church leaders will be following up with each of them personally.

It’s such a joy to see people so open and hungry for the Gospel.

Tomorrow’s another full day with prison visits, a TV interview, work continuing on the site, and a special Women’s event featuring music from Elle Limebear and a Gospel invitation from Wendy.

Thanks for standing with us in prayer—more to come!

Andrew and Wendy Arrive in Tirana Ahead of TiranaFest
23 June 2025

We’re excited to share that Andrew and Wendy have safely arrived in Tirana, Albania, ahead of TiranaFest! They are joined by members of the Palau team from both the UK and the US, ready to begin a powerful week of mission and ministry.

Listen to this special message they recorded from the heart of the city—Skanderbeg Square—right at the festival site. It’s a glimpse into the anticipation and hope we’re carrying into this week.

Please be praying with us for the many ordained moments ahead—opportunities to share the Gospel in meaningful ways across Tirana.

The mission week officially begins tomorrow with a press conference, followed by an outreach dinner for business and civic leaders in the evening. Let’s cover every step in prayer!

An out-door festival in the heart of the city
27-28 June 2025 in Skanderbeg Square

It’s been 13 years since we last held a festival in Albania. Luis shared the Gospel reaching more than 20,000 people. Reflecting on that time and recognising that there hasn’t been as large an evangelistic effort since 2012, the local churches in Albania felt it was the right time to invite our team back to put on a massive Gospel endeavor in the heart of their capital city, Tirana.

In a country where evangelicals are a minority and churches have small congregations, word of mouth is not the primary way we are sharing about the festival. We have the main public square set for the venue—a completely open space where anyone can just drop in or listen as they walk by. With this, we have an opportunity to reach not only locals but also many tourists. Pray with us that foot traffic around this area will lead many people to attend the festival and accept the Lord as their Saviour.

This is a movement bigger than the moment

We don’t just facilitate an evangelistic moment; we partner with local churches and evangelists to spur a long-term evangelistic movement in the region. As part of Palau’s investment in a city, it is always our aim to establish a local evangelism team composed of pastors and leaders dedicated to elevating evangelism in the local church through encouragement, training, and ongoing outreaches. But in this instance the vision has grown! So far we have interest in establishing 7 of these E-Teams (evangelism teams) nationally!

We also help connect, encourage, and train Albanian evangelists, linking them to one another and to Palau’s global network of evangelists. This strengthens their commitment to winning their nation—and the whole world—to Christ.

Renew

In March our UK team went out to Albania to host Re:new – a prayer and worship event for Christians to launch TiranaFest. This was a hugely encouraging time meeting with leaders and key comity members. The lasting impression we have is the community of believers are desperate to share Christ with their nation.

Final Preparations Underway for the Mission Week and TiranaFest
We're in the final stages of preparing for the mission week and TiranaFest! Starting June 24, we'll be sharing daily updates right here—bringing you along each step of the journey. Stay connected for event highlights, prayer requests, and progress reports as we carry out our mission work in Albania.