In November 2025, Jeremy Sensenig, Austin & Kara Musser, David & Joanne Shank, Jeff Martin, and Brent Stoltzfus traveled to Europe to visit ministry partners, Radio 7 in Albania and Petra Media in Turkey.
The team hoped to connect with ministry partners in Albania and Turkey, see the facilities of Radio 7 and Petra Media, and hear stories and testimonies of how God is working in these regions of Europe.
This trip helped HOH to strengthen partnerships with our contacts in Albania and Turkey, and to see firsthand the radio stations broadcasting Hope for Today into regions of Albania, Kosovo, and Turkey.
Jeremy Sensenig, Austin & Kara Musser, David & Joanne Shank, and Jeff Martin (later to be joined by Brent) departed DC airport on November 5. A long flight carried them toward Albania, with a layover in Frankfurt, Germany.
During their layover, they explored the town of Frankfurt, sampling German coffee and an authentic German meal, and visiting an old church (built in 1150) where Martin Luther spent time.
Austin Musser shared that this visit to the church was especially meaningful to him. Standing in a place once occupied by Martin Luther, he reflected on the long and complex history of the Church.
“Here is a centuries-old church, and throughout the ages God has used imperfect people to accomplish His purposes. Despite the many wrongs that have been done in the name of the Church, His Church remains, and His work continues today.”
Upon arrival in Tirana, the team was warmly welcomed by Radio 7. They toured the facility where Radio 7 produces radio programs, and sat down in the studio for an interview (available to view on Radio 7’s YouTube channel). Click below to watch the full interview and hear from Austin and Jeremy about Heralds of Hope’s mission and goal!
Jeremy Sensenig, speaking on the history of Albania, says, “The country of Albania has very low levels of Christian influence. Since communism fell in 1991, Christianity has never really made a comeback. It sits at around 1% Christian. Most believers do not have a Christian heritage, something most of us take for granted. It was a privilege to meet with fellow believers of the Radio 7 team.”
The team was blessed during their visit to Radio 7’s Kosovo branch, where they met the local pastor and his two daughters, who shared how they serve Christ in their community.
This region emerges out of a formerly communist context, and with the surrounding area being predominantly Muslim, the team found the testimonies of the pastor’s family very powerful. Despite years of discouragement and setbacks, this pastor remained faithful in preaching and sharing the Word of God. For years, only one person attended this pastor’s church, yet he persevered in his ministry. Today, the church has grown to a congregation of 40-50 believers.
His daughters also shared their stories. Even though they had opportunities to leave their home community to pursue further education abroad, they chose to stay and follow God’s calling to reach and disciple the people around them. Their stories of sacrifice and faithfulness were an encouragement and challenge to the team.
“It has been a long, powerful, saddening, and energizing day. We trekked into Kosovo, a war-torn country that is a strange anomaly. Its recent war history involves being attacked by people bearing the “cross,” many of all ages being murdered and women being raped supposedly “in the name of Jesus Christ” from the neighboring Serbian Orthodox… We have a window of time to speak into this culture, and workers are needed. We met with a pastor and his two daughters and heard the miracles that Christ performed in bringing them out of Islam and into the service of Christ. It was a powerful story.”
Jeremy Sensenig
The team then travelled to Ankara, Turkey, where Petra Media hosted them. Their goal was to strengthen personal connections, establish clear expectations for growth, and explore new partnership and language production opportunities. They also hoped to meet some of the partners and listeners on the ground. They had the opportunity to fellowship with Josh and Sara Wibberley, and learn more about what Petra Media is doing in the area.
They were able to experience a local bazaar, and visited the Ataturk Mausoleum, and were struck by the formalism and ceremonies, guards and crowds, and the rich history-paintings and artifacts from the dictatorship of Ataturk, the founder of modern Turkey. They enjoyed touring Ephesus and seeing artifacts, mosques, and ancient structures.
The bustling outdoor market in Ankara included many different types of food, including cabbages, fresh fruit, fish, spices, and more.
Kara Musser, reflecting on the country of Turkey, says: “One of the things that struck me was our Adversary uses all sorts of methods to undermine the spread of the Gospel. In much of this country, this comes in part by severely prejudiced taxes and laws that impede the growth of churches and other Christian groups. And yet again, we’ve been confronted by the fresh, raw history of evil and hatred in the name of Christianity that has led to the reputation of Christ being tragically misunderstood. My takeaway: the way disciples of Jesus live now is critical to how future generations will understand who Jesus is.”
After lunch with a local Turkish believer, Jeremy Sensenig says, “He related the reality that God is in control even though at times the battle is very intense, and disappointing things happen. He explained that essentially all of the foreign workers that had been in Turkey have been kicked out in the last 6 months or so. Pray for him and the work in Turkey, that the church could mature and fill in the holes left by removal of those long-term workers.” (Note: because of security concerns, no photos of the interaction with this local believer will be shared with donors.)
Austin Musser shares, “This trip has riveted a number of things in our minds. We live in a broken world, with hurting, broken lives. We were also reminded through observation and through testimonies of the believers that God is faithful. We’re inspired by sacrifices that many are still making in order to live godly lives.”
If you’re curious about the reality of being a Christian in Turkey, check out this video.
Throughout this trip, the team was inspired by how God works through imperfect people and in imperfect situations. Heralds of Hope is immensely grateful for partners and ministry teams that work hard to broadcast Bible teaching in areas where other beliefs dominate the culture. During the trip, the team was reminded of why this ministry of Heralds of Hope exists: to disciple believers and share the hope of the gospel in regions where people are desperate for hope.
“30,000 feet above the Atlantic, we are headed home. As I ponder the lessons of the trip and spend time fellowshipping with Jesus, I am profoundly impacted in several ways. We observed such brokenness through lessons of history, through observations of governments and cultures (both “Christian” and Muslim). We are in a spiritual war and the battle is brutal. There is a profound sense of grief in my heart over the chaos and pain. Yet, at the same time, there is a much deeper joy because of Jesus and the things He has done for me and others… I had the opportunity to experience many people passionate about walking in step with our Lord through deep personal humility and service. Jesus has become very real over the years, and very precious. For each of us, He will only be as precious as He is real. Let’s experience Him deeply. Only then can we really offer Him in His fullness to a broken world.” Jeremy Sensenig
Pray for Radio 7 and Petra Media, and for the people of Albania and Turkey. Pray for continued openness to the Gospel and for strength and encouragement for ministry leaders. And, keep an eye out for testimonial videos, which we plan to share to encourage you in your faith in God’s faithfulness.
