In September 2011, OCMC Missionary Anastasia Pamela Barksdale led a group of children and teachers in training on a pilgrimage to a monastery in Ardenica, Albania. Thirty of the children were baptized during their visit.

OCMC Missionary to Albania Anastasia Pamela Barksdale is back in the United States. She is spending time at the Mission Center and will also be sharing the apostolic vision for the Church in Albania with several communities across the country.

While at the Mission Center, Anastasia shared with the staff a beautiful story of a pilgrimage last September 8th to the Monastery of the Nativity of the Theotokos in Ardenica that she made with 31 children, nine parents, and four of the Albanian students she is training to be teachers. They made the journey to celebrate the Feast of the Nativity of the Theotokos. All of the children brought gifts to give to the monks for the birthday of the Theotokos and they were very excited to be able to offer something to their faithful brothers in Christ. Thirty of the children, ages 6 to 16, received Holy Communion.

As the Christian Education Instructor and Field Work Supervisor for the Resurrection of Christ Theological Academy in Durres, Anastasia is working with the blessing of His Beatitude Anastasios toward the continued growth of Orthodoxy in a country that had known unprecedented religious persecution under communism.

Please continue to pray for Anastasia, and everyone working so hard to share the faith with our Albanian brothers and sisters, that they may continue to be guided and strengthened by the Holy Spirit.

Anastasia will be speaking and offering mission seminars at parishes across the Bay Area in northern California, in San Diego, Phoenix, Portland, and in Colorado to name a few. Please check our events calendar at http://www.ocmc.org/resources/events.aspx for dates, times and locations.