Historic Albanian FireBible Dedicated

Kurt and Stephanie Plagenhoef are AGWM missionaries to Albania and the Balkans.

On Oct. 4, the Albanian translation of the FireBible was dedicated, marking the completion of the first study Bible in the Albanian language.

Over 80 pastors of various evangelical and Pentecostal churches, as well as many believers, gathered at Evangelical Theological College in the capital city of Tirana to celebrate this historic event and to receive complimentary Bibles.

We are grateful for the partnership of Life Publishers (AGWM’s multiplatform publisher which has supplied Christian literature for over 60 years) and of the Georgia District of the U.S. Assemblies of God. A combined team of 20 from those ministries attended the dedication.

At the dedication participants shared testimonies of past obstacles to the spread of God’s Word. In the early 1990s, before Bibles were available in Albanian, believers would pass around pages or portions of Scripture. It’s a new day! The famine of God’s Word among the Albanian people has ended.

The Albanian FireBible is an invaluable, one-of-a-kind study tool for local believers, Bible school students, and pastors. It will be a powerful evangelistic resource to explain and open up the Word of God to the unreached in Albania and the Balkans, and to Albanians worldwide.

Over our 24 years of service in Albania, we have seen God’s mercy on this nation, evidenced by a spiritual awakening and outpouring of the Holy Spirit.

Just this summer, 25 Albanian youth accepted Christ at youth camp, several were baptized in the Holy Spirit, and many others rededicated their lives to Christ. Three hundred ladies attended the national women’s meeting, and 25 made decisions for Christ. Our pastors were ministered to and refreshed at a pastors’ retreat. At the national men’s meeting, many men came forward and humbled themselves before the Lord at the altar. Reaching men in Albania is challenging, so we rejoice for every man who stands for Christ.

Across the Balkans, there is a desperate need of a move of God. This will only come through prayer, fasting, and spiritual warfare. Over 99 percent of the 42 million people in this region have no adequate witness of the gospel — no access, no opportunity, and almost no presence of missionaries, believers, or churches.

Please pray with us for victory over spiritual opposition and for the Lord’s anointing upon the newly published FireBible. Pray that a shipment of Bibles currently en route to Albania will arrive safely and pass through customs without any hindrances. Pray for God’s blessing upon those who have committed themselves to His call. Pray for many more workers to come and serve in the Balkans.

For more information about the Plagenhoefs in Albania, please see Bought by Blood — the August 2019 edition of Worldview magazine.