International Student Spotlight: Martin from Albania

By Sam Sofio

Born in Tirana, Albania, sophomore Martin Kita has seen the love of God gently lead him both to salvation and to pursue Psychology at Cedarville University.

Despite the impact the Gospel has had on Albania through the Apostle Paul, foreign countries began to occupy Albania and hinder the advancement of the Gospel. The most recent country to occupy Albania was Germany during the 1940’s.

“We were a communist country,” Kita said. “We had no religion, and we were basically worshipping our dictator.” 

It wasn’t until the 1990s that Albania finally gained its freedom.

“Both of my parents used to be Muslim,” Kita said. “When the country opened up, a bunch of missionaries came to Albania, and my parents heard the Gospel.”

Before Kita’s parents met, God directed missionaries to share the Gospel with both of them independently. 

When Canadian missionaries met Kita’s mom, they explained the sinner’s prayer, which she had been unknowingly praying each week as she learned English from a TV program. In response to the Gospel, she believed and was saved. 

Kita’s dad was saved through a Swedish ministry called Helimission. These missionaries travel on helicopters to remote villages to drop off food, clothing and most importantly – Bibles. 

“My dad got his hand on the Bible, and he started reading,” Kita said. “At the end, there was a sinners prayer, and my dad believed.” 

Today, Kita’s dad is a pastor in Albania and leads a church planting network. 

After Kita was born and raised, at the age of eleven, his parents shared the Gospel with him, and he also believed.

Kita’s family has seen the faithfulness of God orchestrate their lives and bring not only their family to salvation but also Kita to Cedarville University. To do that, God used Kita’s friends to help persuade him to study abroad in the United States.

“They were like, ‘If you are ever looking to study abroad, you should think of Cedarville. It’s a good Christian school, and you can be with us,” Kita said. “I didn’t really want to leave Albania, but then I was just like, ‘Let me apply and see if this is what the Lord has for me.’ So I applied, and then I was like, ‘Okay, I guess I’m going to Cedarville.’”

With such a big transition, Kita has adjusted well. 

“It hasn’t been that crazy, maybe just the weather,” Kita said. “In the beginning, classes were a bit tough just because my brain still wasn’t used to reading everything in English.”

Thankfully, Kita realized he was not alone, and his brothers and sisters in Christ were there to love and support him. Through Cedarville’s International student organizations – MISO, GSO, MuKappa or Cedarville’s International student services, Kita has found friends who have their own stories of how God has saved them and brought them to Cedarville. 

Now, as a Psychology major, Kita is pursuing a degree he loves. 

“I thought about it and prayed,” Kita said. “I always wanted to help people somehow. I just never knew what it was.”

Kita hopes that Cedarville students will be encouraged to take the Gospel around the world to countries like his own. Countries that don’t have as many churches as the United States.  

“Consider going on mission,” Kita said. “It doesn’t have to be a full-time ministry; you can just do your job in another country,” Kita continued. “That’s how I got to hear about the Gospel. Because of my parents, because of missionaries, maybe someone else like me can hear about the Gospel.”

Sam Sofio is a sophomore Professional Writing and Information Design major. He enjoys conversations about the love of Christ and aspires to write for a Christian organization.

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