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Anila Zeneli Pinnow

 I am from Tepelena, a small town in the south of Albania. I come from a Muslim background, although my parents were actually atheists because of the impact of the communism in Albania. I was in high school when I heard about Christ. Some Christians from Holland came to my town to share about Jesus. They told me some things about God and gave me a Bible. I began to read it, but nothing changed in my life because I had a wrong idea about God. I imagined God as a strict, angry person that was far away from me and wanted to punish me if I sinned. I simply believed God existed and I thought that was enough. I read some psalms and proverbs once in a while when I had free time, but I still didn’t know God. As a teenager my biggest dream was to go to college to Tirana, the capital of Albania, to study social work. After I finished high school, this dream became reality but didn’t give me the joy and happiness I had hoped for. I often felt lonely, sad, and worthless. Deep inside me I longed for something more. I longed to have someone that would love and accept me for who I was. One day two women from New Life (Campus Crusade for Christ's name in Albania) came to my dorm and shared with me about Jesus’ love and his sacrifice on the cross for me. They told me about the free gift of forgiveness in Christ, and that all I needed to do is to accept that I was a sinner and accept Jesus as God and Savior in my heart. I had so many questions and uncertainties; still I was drawn to this God of love and grace. Even though, I was not 100% certain, I decided to accept Jesus in my heart and prayed with my roommates that day. I started reading the Bible every day, and I started to attend a Bible study and the students’ meetings that New Life organized. Day after day I learned a lot of things about God and I grew in my faith. I understood the importance of having a personal relationship with God and following him. From a distant, angry God, now God became my close friend and my loving father. My life started to change, and my priorities started to change. From that day until now, more than anything else I want to please God and do his will. Following and serving God has becom my first priority in life. The Apostle Paul encourages me to consider my life as worthless compared with the infinite value of knowing Jesus Christ my Lord (Philippians 3:8). This is my desire and calling, to help make Christ known to the nonbelievers in Albania and beyond.

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