What is your ministry?
Hands of Providence has two sides of ministry, which includes Spiritual and Social ministries. In the municipality in which we are located, there are 98 villages. As there are no other churches in these villages, the vision of our ministry is to plant a church in each of these villages. Hands of Providence also has Social Ministries, including a day center for children, a residential home for boys, and a food distribution program.
When did you trust Christ?
I grew up in New Jersey in the Catholic faith, so I understood who Jesus is but did not understand the true gospel. While I was in college, I was invited by a friend to a Bible study. I went to the Bible study regularly but still lived my "old" life simultaneously. During my last semester of college, I went to Washington, DC, for an internship. This experience taught me that this world cannot fulfill me; only Jesus can. Since I had only a couple of weeks left in the internship, I decided to start attending an Evangelical Church when I moved back to New Jersey. Even though I began to participate in church then, I did not truly understand the gospel and what it meant to be a believer until I attended a young adult's Bible study at a different church.
What have been the defining moments of your Christian walk?
First, when I moved back to NJ and started attending an Evangelical Church, the church was legalistic, and I did not have a proper understanding of the gospel. When I began to attend a young adult's Bible study called SPUR, the pastor was teaching on the book of Galatians. At this time, I understood the true gospel and what it meant to be a believer. Second, at the end of 2011, I moved 45 minutes away from where I grew up to be closer to my work. As a result, I had to find a new church. Before moving to Albania, the church I attended from 2011 to 2023 had excellent Biblical teaching, and I am so thankful for its impact on my Christian walk.
What do you hope to gain from participating?
As a Director of Communications, I look forward to using everything I learn at the conference to be effective in my new role, to help our ministry be more fruitful, and to grow in my faith. I also look forward to meeting and learning from others who have been working in ministry longer than I have, as I feel I can learn so much from them.
What is your leadership role or what were your past leadership roles?
Although I work in ministry now, I previously worked for an IT company, SHI International, for 16 years. I had several leadership roles throughout my career, including Accounts Receivable Supervisor, Services Accounting Manager, and Manager of Pricing and Contract Analytics. In each of these roles, I managed a group of employees. In August 2023, I moved to Albania, where I am currently the Director of Communications for Hands of Providence.
Why should someone invest in your ministry?
Individuals can be a part of evangelism to Albanians who have never heard the gospel. They can also be a part of helping the vulnerable and marginalised through our social ministries (the daycare center, the residential home, and our food distribution program).
