In Tirana, Albania, Sonila and Gazmend Bejtja live out their commitment to Jesus through quiet faithfulness in their everyday lives.

Sonila, an ordained minister who works in finance, serves with honesty and integrity in a field where corruption is common. Small actions, like accurate reporting and honest invoicing, build a reputation over time—one of courageous commitment to the truth. When faced with the choice to do what is easy or what is right, Sonila finds encouragement in 1 Peter 5:8-9: 

“Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour. Resist him, standing firm in the faith,” Sonila reads. “As a finance person, this is very important It’s important to stand firm in what God is saying and not be afraid. There will be difficult times that come in life, but I think with Jesus, we can overcome everything.”

Gazmend shares his wife’s conviction that commitment to Christlikeness in the commonplace is key for believers. As a project manager for the World Health Organization, Gazmend’s career in public health provides opportunities to show the love of Christ through empathy, humility, and compassion. “I just pray that the Holy Spirit guides me,” he says of his interactions at work. He prays for courage and faithfulness, for the strength to do the next right thing with the love of Christ.

The same holds true for Sonila. In 2020, she learned that a former colleague, Vera*, had been diagnosed with breast cancer. Sonila supported and encouraged Vera through prayer, fellowship, and scriptures. Vera’s health declined over the following months, and she started using a wheelchair, often alone in her home. For Sonila, her next small step was simple: Vera was isolated, so Sonila would bring her back into community.

Vera’s husband began transporting her to Sonila’s office, where Vera could work with Sonila’s support. Vera was ablte to experience the comforting normalcy of working among colleagues until she passed away in 2023.

Sonila was following where Jesus led. Her coworkers were watching.

“I think the people here understood,” Sonila says, reflecting. “The love I have for people is not because of me. It’s because of God…I cannot be a person with two standards,” she adds. “I cannot be one person in the office and another person in the church.”

Both Gazmend and Sonila believe that their faithfulness is one piece of God’s larger plan for those around them. They are happy to play their role, planting seeds and cultivating a life rich in faithfulness to their calling.

“I don’t think you collect fruit immediately,” Gazmend said, noting that it’s a process.

“Just like the Bible says—someone will water, someone will pick,” said.  “Show Jesus in your actions, in the way you talk, in the way you treat people. Then people will start wondering…What makes him or her different than the others? Then they will understand that it’s not this human being—it’s Jesus.”

--Church of the Nazarene Eurasia Region