Life with Laney – July Reflections from Albania

‍ Seflee

This month, I had the incredible opportunity to get to know and spend time with Miss Seflee Foster! Seflee has been part of the AIM world for a long time—growing up in Lubbock around the program and eventually becoming an AIMer herself. She was part of the first team to go to Mexico City and serve the Lord there.

This past year, Seflee worked all over Europe as a traveling sous chef. Through her AIM connections, she ended up spending the summer here with us in Berat! She was such an encouragement and an absolute joy to be around. We were truly blessed to have her, and I’m very excited for her next journey.

Lushnje & Berat VBS

Lushnje is a small town about 45 minutes from Berat. Every year, the Lushnje church hosts a 3-day VBS, and this year they invited us to help! Their approach is a little different, which took some getting used to—but I ended up loving it.

They begin each day with 30 minutes of fun activities like face painting, nail polish, temporary tattoos, stickers, games, and dancing. This time of welcoming helped us build real connections with the kids. I’m so grateful for their leadership and hospitality—it was a great learning experience!

This summer, we’ve traveled all over Albania helping with various VBS programs, but this month we prioritized hosting one in Berat! We spent two weeks preparing, and each AIMer had different responsibilities:

• Jayden and Chloe organized crafts

• Daniel led games and activities

• I created slideshows for the lessons and helped with fun skits

Berat hadn’t hosted a VBS before, so we passed out flyers and encouraged families to come. We didn’t know what to expect, but ended up with 10–12 kids each day! I’m so grateful for how engaged and patient they were. Even though everything wasn’t perfect, the kids were encouraging, and I’m so proud of them all!

Prayers

It’s wild to think that this time last year I was just starting my AIM journey in Lubbock! As the new AIM class begins their adventure this month, please keep all the students in your prayers.

All AIMers have officially arrived at their fields—please pray for us as we navigate culture shock and time away from home.

Kampi Veror Bunec 2025

All summer, the church in Albania looks forward to their big camp in Bunec, located on the southern coast along the Ionian Sea. It’s a true community effort, with churches from all over Albania involved.

Getting the kids to camp is always a bit chaotic:

• A small van picks up kids from Polican, Berat, and Fier

• A large bus collects kids from Tirana, Durres, Vlore, and others along the way

Despite the confusion, everyone arrived safely with great attitudes and eager hearts! The campsite is surrounded by trees and full of places to explore. Campers and staff stay in old refugee tents—even the kitchen is tented!

Week one was for ages 5–13, and it was honestly so fun! The kids were excited about everything, never complained, and were just happy to be there. As someone still learning the language and expectations, I was grateful for how welcoming and helpful everyone was.

Week two focused on ages 13–18. It was a bit harder for me—many of the teens didn’t speak much English, so connecting was more challenging.

The theme for both weeks was Dashuri Poshte Dallgeve (“Love Under the Waves”), centered on Jonah’s story—his running from God, facing consequences, and returning to Him. The leaders did a fantastic job teaching and challenging the campers.

Each day included devotions led by young men, beach time, and evening keynotes.

At the end of week one and start of week two, a large fire broke out near Bunec. It came within 0.3 miles of the camp. Leaders debated evacuation, but helicopters began dropping water from the sea, and thankfully, by Monday night, the fire was gone. It was tense, but we were able to continue camp safely.

Tournaments

During free time, staff hosted tournaments in volleyball, basketball, swimming, football, darts, and even chess! Jayden and Daniel ran the chess tournament, which lasted all week and had 14 participants. It was a blast and gave us great opportunities to connect with campers.

I’m incredibly grateful for these two weeks of camp and already excited to return next year!