ALBANIA
The Miracle of Albania: A Vision for Transformation
My passion for the unreached—the lost, the least, and the left behind—led Sam Scaggs to Albania in 1991, then considered the most unreached nation in the world.
After decades of communist oppression, Albania was a land where faith had been outlawed, and an entire generation had been raised without the Gospel.
Yet, even in the darkest places, God’s light can break through. Scaggs came with a burden to see this nation transformed, not knowing that this journey would lead to an unfolding miracle that continues to this day.
It all began with a radical shift in his missiological understanding. He had long believed that evangelism was about bringing truth to those who had never heard it.
But then he met Don Richardson, author of Peace Child and Eternity in Their Hearts, and perspectives changed forever.
In Peace Child, Richardson tells the story of a missionary reaching a violent, treacherous tribe. The people valued betrayal and deception—until a redemptive analogy within their own culture revealed Christ.
The tribe had a custom where two warring families could establish peace if one gave their child to the other. The Gospel came alive when they realized that Jesus is God’s perfect Peace Child.
In Eternity in Their Hearts, Richardson argues that every culture has been prepared by God with a “redemptive analogy”—a door through which the Gospel can enter.
These insights reshaped Scaggs’ approach to missions. He no longer sought to impose a foreign faith but to discover how God had already prepared Albania for the Gospel.
Back in Albania, he met two extraordinary women: Gesina Blaaw and Najua Diba. Najua’s story was astonishing. An unknown Albanian had fled communism, made his way to Brazil, and became a devoted disciple of Jesus. He received a prophetic word that would change everything:
“The key to the fundamentalist Muslim world is Constantinople, and the key to Constantinople is Albania.”
This prophecy led Najua to Albania in 1991, where we met. As Scaggs began planting churches throughout the country, he taught this vision to new believers. One day, a young woman named Klementina spoke up:
“I know what the redemptive analogy is for my people! It’s education!”
She explained that Albanians valued learning above all. If we established a school with excellence, it would open doors for the Gospel. In 2011, we started with just five students in a hotel—partnering with an unbelieving businessman to finance and build it.
Today, despite countless obstacles, the school, Lezha Academic Center and church stand as a beacon of light in Albania. But God is writing a new chapter. A $15 million campus has become available for just a third of its value. This facility will double enrollment, provide vocational and Bible training, and equip future leaders to bring the Gospel to Albania, Constantinople, and the Middle Eastern world.