Anisa’s Story: Finding the True Way
Images have been changed to protect the identity of individuals in sensitive regions.
In a forgotten corner of a Roma neighborhood in Tirana, a quiet but determined 15-year-old girl named Anisa is discovering that even in the midst of hardship, Jesus is the true way, the truth, and the life.
A Childhood Marked by Responsibility
Anisa lives with her parents and five siblings in a two-room, tin-roofed home along the muddy banks of a polluted river. When it rains, the roof groans and the floor grows bitterly cold. Every morning begins before dawn as Anisa helps her younger brothers and sisters get ready for school before going herself—if she is able.
In many Roma communities in Albania, more than half of adults cannot read or write, and children are often pulled out of school early to care for siblings or work for survival. Many Roma girls are pushed into early marriages and cycles of poverty that stretch across generations. Anisa’s life reflects these struggles, but her story is also one of resilience and hope.
“This is my normal, but in my heart, I have dreams.”
Seeds of Faith in Hard Soil
Years ago, Anisa’s father encountered Christ and was baptized together with his wife. Though he could not read or write, he longed for God’s Word. Anisa began reading Scripture aloud to him, helping him fight depression while deepening her own faith.
When the family spent four and a half years in Germany seeking asylum, they could not find a church community. Yet Anisa kept reading and translating Bible verses, clinging to the truths she discovered. After returning to Albania, her father was briefly imprisoned, leaving Anisa once again to carry the heavy burden of caring for her siblings.
One day, tragedy struck when their hut caught fire. Though her siblings were safe, Anisa rushed inside to rescue her most treasured possession: her Bible.
A Community That Walks Together
The local church responded quickly—providing food, clothing, and school supplies. This care gave the family strength to start again. With the support of the church, Anisa’s older brother has received a scholarship to train as a barber, and Anisa herself has joined a children’s committee where she learns about education, relationships, and how to serve her community.
“If anyone asks me what path to follow, I will tell them this is the true way, Jesus. As it says in John 14:6: ‘I am the way, the truth, and the life.’”
Anisa dreams of becoming a nurse, but she also plans to take a vocational course so she can help support her family immediately. More than anything, she prays that her siblings will grow in faith and trust in God.
Our Team’s Partnership in Albania
For the past ten years, Compel team members have partnered with CHE Albania to strengthen the work of local churches in reaching their neighbors. CHE Albania exists to equip indigenous congregations—like the church that came alongside Anisa’s family—to serve Roma communities and many other unreached or impoverished groups across the country.
Compel’s role is to stand alongside them: providing funding, encouragement, and strategic direction so that local believers can bring the gospel where it has not yet taken root. Together, we are pursuing the vision of multiplying Christ-centered, transformed communities in Albania, beginning with one child, one family, and one neighborhood at a time.