literature

Pray for Albania

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Literature Text

Albania a mountainous Balkan state in Southeast Europe.
It is bordered by Montenegro in the northwest, Kosovo in the northeast,
Macedonia in the east and Greece in the south and southeast.

The population is 3,000,000
Tirana is the capital.

INTERESTING FACTS
Albania has a lot of eagles and one name for the country
is Shqiperi, "Land of the Eagle."

Mother Teresa (1910-1997) was Albanian.

DEMOGRAPHICS
82.58% Albanian
0.12%  Balkan Egyptian
0.87%  Greek
0.30%  Romani
0.30%  Aromanian
0.20%  Macedonian
0.11%  Montinegrin
0.11%  Other

58.79% Muslim
10.03% Catholic
6.75%  Orthodox
0.14%  Protestant
2.50%  Agnostic/Atheist
22%    Other

Muslim populations live throughout the country
Orthodox Christians are concentrated in the south.
Roman Catholics are concentrated in the north.

HISTORY
Albania is part of the region called Illyricum and Dalmatia in the Bible.
The Apostle Paul and his friend Titus both made missionary trips to the area.

Albania was under (Byzantine) control until the 7th century, and was
integrated into the Bulgarian Empire in the 9th century.

The area was conquered by the Serbian Empire and passed
to the Ottoman Empire in the 15th century.

Albania was under Ottoman rule until 1912 and was the only
Muslim country in Europe.

After 1912 Albania had a series of short lived monarchies and republics.
During WWII the country was annexed by Fascist Italy and Nazi Germany during WWII.

After WWII, Albania was ruled by a Communist regime until 1990.

The Communist Regime persecuted and suppressed religious observance
Albania was officially declared to be the world's first atheist state.

Under the Regime 700,000 people were killed or imprisoned.
Thousands of people lived in poverty.

The Communist Regime collapsed in 1990
The Republic of Albania was founded in 1991.

During the 90's Albania suffered from economic collapse and great social unrest.

In 1997 an armed rebellion, led to a mass emigration of Albanians to other countries.

In 1999 the country was affected by the Kosovo War.
A large number of Albanians from Kosovo found refuge in Albania.

CONDITIONS
Agriculture is the most important economic sector.
Most agriculture is primarily limited to subsistence farming and small family plots

The country has some deposits of petroleum and natural gas.

Tourism has also been increasing.

For years Albania suffered from poverty and it is still poor by European standards.

Albania is still struggling to transition from Communism's closed market
to a more open, modern economy.  

The country suffers from energy shortages due to reliance on antiquated hydro power

The country is still struggling to regain a sense of peace and order.

Many ethnic Albanians live outside Albania in Kosovo or Macedonia.

SPIRITUAL CONDITIONS
60% of the population is Muslim
Superstition and folk Islam are common

16% claim Christianity
For many church attendance is cultural/traditional.

The church is growing
Believers are starting to become involved in missions.

Rapid growth has created a vital need for leadership training
There is widespread Biblical ignorance.  

Many towns and villages still lack an evangelical presence

PRAYER NEEDS
Pray that wider-Balkan religious tensions will not grow in Albania.

Pray for Albania to continue to crack down on terrorism financing and to
work with other countries to combat terrorism.

Pray that the country's leaders will work for a lasting peace

Pray for those who suffered during the wars.

Pray for those suffering in poverty.

Pray that the Lord strengthen the Church.

Pray for a great spiritual awakening and revival in this nation.

Pray for the strongholds of all false religions being practiced in Albania
to be torn down.

Pray for the Gospel to be proclaimed throughout this nation.

Pray for Muslims and atheists to put their faith in Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord.

Many ethnic Albanians live outside Albania in Kosovo or Macedonia.
Pray that they would have opportunities to hear the Gospel.

Prayer update: Albania

All of the following info comes from these web sites.
This stuff isn't mine; I'm just trying to raise awareness.

Wikipedia
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Albania

Operation World
www.operationworld.org/

Global Prayer Resource
www.globalprn.com/prayer-for-t…

Prayercast
prayercast.com/albania.html

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Comments7
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dashinvaine's avatar
I was reading about Albania in Lord Byron's letters recently. He deemed it more beautiful than Greece in terms of scenery, but little visited on account of the fierceness of its inhabitants. They also had very splendid national costumes. There are also some very fine Byzantine monasteries surviving in the country.