Because he experienced Jesus' love at a young age, Flori saw the need to share this love with the children and teens in his village.
When Flori was 10 years old, his sisters told him about a special event happening in town. The Jesus Film was playing, and they invited him to watch.
Flori was born in a small village in Albania and grew up in a big family that followed Bektashi, an Islamic sect. He was only seven years old during the civil war, which was a time of uncertainty and economic distress. Flori remembers how his parents struggled to provide for the household; they were worried, which often led to tension and conflict in the family. For Flori and his siblings, there was not much hope until the day of the movie.
While watching The Jesus Film, Flori was touched by the character of Jesus. His love for people — and especially children — gripped Flori and he never forgot the moment when he first experienced Jesus’ love. Not only did Flori see the love of the character of Jesus, but he describes that this love was radiating from the people who brought the movie to his village. At the end of the movie, about 30 people moved forward to accept Jesus into their lives; one of them was Flori.
Facing opposition
Flori attended the children’s meeting in his village and read the Bible. He proudly shares that he knew most of the stories, understood the gospel and was baptised at the age of 11. But it was not an easy journey. Flori’s parents forbade him and his sisters from attending church, and he was told he’d be sleeping outside with the dogs if they ever saw him there.
When Flori started high school, he realised Jesus followers were often insulted and bullied. Afraid to share his faith with his friends, Flori lost his identity and faith in Christ. He felt weak and unworthy and came to one of the darkest places in his life. At this crucial moment, he cried out to God, received forgiveness and slowly saw some change in his life.
A call to share God’s love
In another city, Flori began attending church. He felt safe there, and his faith grew stronger. After university, he returned to his village as a teacher. Now he was ready to share the love of Christ with anyone, even if it meant persecution. Because he had experienced Jesus’ love at the age of 10, Flori felt a call to share this love with the children and teens in his village who often faced violence and hopelessness.
Flori started by playing soccer after his teaching job with young people in his community, and by sharing his testimony and stories from the Bible. Many children and teenagers accepted Christ, and Flori began to save money to buy a place to meet weekly. Today, with a small team of local Jesus followers, he regularly meets children and teens at the centre. Every Saturday, they meet to read the Bible and do a Discovery Bible Study. During the week, the centre is open for children and youth to drop in to spend time together and play sports. Flori also visits other villages in the area to share the gospel so that everyone has the opportunity to hear about the love of Christ.
Encouraged
In September 2025, Flori, his wife and their four-month-old daughter attended the Ichnos children’s ministry training provided by OM. The training reminded him to serve the children with God’s love, to fellowship with them and to disciple them by reading the Bible together. He was encouraged by stories from children around the world who stood strong amid persecution and suffering, through their hope in Christ.
When asked what Flori could share with others who seek to bring hope to children in distress, he shares that, “We always need to start by sharing God’s love and taking time to connect with children. We should show them that there is hope and that they are not alone. We also need to show children that they can trust God with their future through sharing testimonies and stories from the Bible.”
Praise God for Flori’s life and the hope he is sharing with children and teens in his area. Pray that young people — in Albania and across the globe — will experience the love of Christ for themselves and grow strong in their faith.