A Lamp for the New Generation
“You never know what God is going to do with these children.”
Donika was raised in an intellectual family that encouraged her curiosity and passion for learning, which was perhaps unusual for girls raised in 1950s Albania. She excelled in school, but it wasn’t until one summer that her dream for her future solidified.
The book Two Orphans is about a character, Doctor Herbert, who healed people not only physically but also spiritually. That book changed her worldview. “I fell in love with Dr. Herbert and medicine,” she said.
Her dream became to be a doctor and help people.
She threw herself wholeheartedly into her studies and schoolwork. She was so talented and successful that the local Communist leaders gave her the opportunity to teach for a year in a village school. She leapt at the opportunity and came to love the children in her class. Many of the children in this community were coming from poor families, and Donika saw many of the issues that they were facing, and she felt a budding passion for helping them.
In 1971, Donika celebrated being accepted into the College of Medicine at a local university. She was living the unfolding of her dream for those first three years, but her life abruptly took a turn. She was in an advanced anatomy class, and she was appalled when she was notified that she had failed an exam in the course. The rules of the college were exacting; her failed class meant she was dismissed from the College of Medicine. Her dream of becoming like her childhood hero Dr. Herbert felt like it was slipping away.
When she returned home, her father turned away from her.
None of her family was sympathetic to her emotional struggle with this turn of events. Her father mourned as if someone had died. Relatives blamed her for ruining her chance at a golden future. “I can’t explain everything that happened,” Donika said; “but I think people were envious of my opportunity.” Rather than letting disappointed hopes or family resentment crush her, though, Donika began volunteering in the community. Soon almost everyone knew her and would quietly consult her if they had health problems or needed help.
After COVID lockdowns, the local church opened an after-school program to help children who had fallen behind in their classwork. Donika was one of the first to volunteer. She explained to our team what drives her.
I really want to help children. This has been my dream since childhood. When I come here, I see the next generation as a gift that God has given to us to take care of, to guard, and to teach the Word of God. In this way, we pass on the command that God gave to Moses in the desert: teach the Word of God to the new generation.
Every day, about 25–30 children come to the center to learn. Donika comes daily to help the children, whether teaching a single letter to those who never learned to read or passionately explaining chemistry formulas or biology terms to those who are struggled with high school courses.
When she isn’t working with the children, Donika can be found doing health awareness work in the community. She teaches people too poor to see a doctor how to take care of themselves at home without needing to go to the hospital. She visits new mothers, teaching them how to handle issues with breastfeeding or address diarrhea or identify early signs of malnutrition.
Throughout it all, she shares the Word of God and how God has transformed her life.
Part of that testimony is her lost dreams. After college, she married, but she and her husband were never able to have children. Her husband passed away, and it was God and his people who have Donika hope for the future despite all that she had lost.
“After my husband’s death,” she said with tears in her eyes, “I faced anxiety and loneliness. Often, I woke up at night and was afraid, but God appeared to me several times, and I felt his presence. He promised I will never be alone. Today, I’m no longer lonely. I feel complete in Christ.” Every time she comes to church, she says, “I want to inspire the new generation to dream big dreams and work hard to achieve them. There is no greater pleasure and joy than coming and spending my time with these children. They give me life. You never know what God is going to do with these children. When they grow up, I am sure their dreams will come true, and God will use the new generation to glorify his name among us.”