wfn.org | Refugee Adventist Pastor Tells Her Story

["Christian B. Schäffler" <APD_Info_Schweiz@compuserve.com>]

June 13, 1999
Adventist Press Service(APD)
Christian B. Schäffler, Editor-in-chief
Fax +41-61-261 61 18
APD@stanet.ch
http://www.stanet.ch/APD
CH-4003 Basel, Switzerland 
 

Refugee Adventist Pastor Tells Her Story

Tirana, Albania.   Dijana Daka, a female pastor 
working for the Seventh-day Adventist Church in 
Kosovo, was forced to flee the violence and find 
safety in Albania. Now she can begin to tell her 
story.

"Personally, I didn't plan on leaving Kosovo," 
says Daka in phone interviews completed on June 
7.  "I wanted to stay and help my people. 
However, the bombings and shootings became really 
bad.  Many dead bodies lay in the streets and 
every so often they would be moved out and 
buried. It was during this time that I was told 
by Serbian troops to leave."

Daka, along with other people, some of whom were 
her friends, left Kosovo and headed towards 
Albania on a bus May 3. She chose not to usse her 
own car because of the trouble she might have 
encountered as a woman. Instead she with her 
companions were escorted by a Serbian army 
troop. The travel went well until they reached 
Macedonia.  

To their dismay the border was closed. "I wondered 
how God would provide when our escape route 
was blocked," says Daka.

"Macedonia's border was at one point open for 
refugees to enter," explains Caleb Bru, president 
of the Adventist Church in Albania. "However, the 
wave of refugees led to the Macedonians becoming 
concerned that the numbers would destabilize 
their country. As a result they closed their 
border."

"I prayed, knowing that God would help us," 
reports Daka. "Moments later we changed direction 
and made our way to Kukes and used it as an 
alternate route. Our journey was once again 
halted when, ten kilometers from Burrel, the 
troops asked each person for money." 

In comparison to others Daka was treated with 
respect, according to Bru. Most of the troops are 
Orthodox and respect Christians. They noticed she 
was carrying her Bible and asked whether she was 
a Christian.  She was still forced to give them 
money so she gave them some of the money she had 
stowed away with her things.  This was not the 
end to the troop's demand for money because further 
down the road more money was solicited.

"I gave them what I had," says Daka. "If I didn't 
we would have been beaten."

On May 19 Bru went to the information desk of the 
refugee center in Tirana and asked if Daka was 
there. He had heard of her flight from Kosovo and 
wished to open his home to her. To his 
satisfaction the person at the desk gave him the 
information he needed and within moments the two 
were united. From there she went with Bru to stay 
with him and his wife at their house in Tirana.

After a few days she left Tirana to find some of 
her members that were currently in Elbasan and 
stay with them. Most of the members of her church 
had escaped from the violence and threats to 
which they were subjected in their former Kosovan 
homes and now are located temporarily in Elbasan.

Daka is continuing her ministry in Albania.  She 
meets with members in Elbasan for Bible studies. 
She is presently staying in the Global House, 
which is owned by the Church and also used for 
worship seminars. Once the current crisis is 
over, Daka says she plans on moving back to 
Kosovo and continuing her pastoral work there.