The experience, vision, and fortitude to make changes.

My dedication to serve where I am needed

In 1990 communism finally left Albania. A very close friend and decorated former Worcester Police Detective, Chris Dakas had a vision and plan to serve the people of Albania. With a heart to serve I joined that journey with him 20 years ago and began serving on the Board of Directors where I remain to this day.

Photos by Frank Beshai while serving in Albania.

Read the Telegram and Gazette article about my trip.

My first trip there was complete and utter culture shock for me. The poverty of the poorest country in Europe, made me realize how good we have it here in the United States. There were no automobiles, running water for 2 hours a day and electricity for about the same.

The Albanian people are a strong and resilient people, with a desire to become like the rest of the World.
The dictator at that time was the most horrific man in communism. The building we purchased was used just a couple of years before to listen in on the phone conversations of the Albanians. If you were thought to be suspicious or if a neighbor said you were acting suspicious, the whole family would be put in refugee camps for life.

A lot of the people I met at that time, (grown men and woman) were born and raised in those camps and had only been released a couple of years earlier.

The airport was buried between mountains for fear of being invaded by the west. Streets were lined with bunkers and hillsides covered for miles with concrete posts with steel arrows at the top to prevent the west from parachuting in. The dictator had the country in a state of paranoia.

He had died a couple of years prior to my going over, his death allowed opportunity for democracy. However, at the time of my first trip no government yet existed. Upon arrival I thought I was in the wild west. Just when the resilience of the Albanian people started to make headway, a civil war broke out. Chris and his wife, Laura, were the only missionaries able to stay in the dangerous environment. He had won favor from the government and had been given a special consideration by them. We were even the first two people to have a meeting in the conference room at the Presidential Mansion, at the time I thought, this is a day to go down in history.

Chris and Laura built a restaurant, library, and church in the building along with an apartment for visiting volunteers to stay in. Remember, this building was once used as a phone tapping headquarters for the government. Countries from all over Europe began to catch the vision and contributions began to flow in. Warehouses were rented to store aid and supplies, orphanages and medical buildings were taken to be managed, churches were opened throughout country and aid was being delivered along with supplies to schools in the mountains by helicopter because there weren’t any roads. I could go on for hours how things began to change because of that vision.

Then the war in Kosovo came. President Milosvic of Yugoslavia began the genocide of ethnic Albanians in Kosovo. This was one of the worst cases of genocide know to mankind. The call for help came clear around the world. Serving on the board of directors of Balkan Mission, I had a major interest in what was about to happen there. I was honored and blessed to be able to work on the front lines with organizations from around the world, including NATO and UNHCR as this was happening.

Today we have added a radio station and a factory for the disabled to work. The worked there continues as Albania continues to westernize and grow. It has been hard, but a fulfilling 20 years to be part of it.