As I look back on 2024, I’m deeply grateful that – because you helped us, we were able to fulfill our mission to reach Albanians for Christ, to equip the Local church and to impact our communities.

High school students and University students have been in the focus of our counseling ministry for over 15 years. Today we will talk to you about Delina and how she found hope and healing through our counseling center. It was that time of the year again and Delina’s heart was thundering in her chest. Two years in a row though she studied hard and did her best, anxiety and stress were so intense that she did not do well on her final exams. What about this year? How do I control exam season anxiety? Is there anything I can do to save myself from this stress? Discouraged and with tears in her eyes, Delina requested help and direction, at the nearby Hope Center.

The week after the first individual session Delina participated in an event organized by the Hope Center in her University Venue. Delina and 11 other University students learned together how to manage stress and anxiety, especially during the exam season. Many of them just like Delina experienced unrest caused by too much stress of not being able to meet all the deadlines. Though they all studied hard the test results were much lower than they had expected. Some of the girls were born-again believers and they had prayed a lot for better results. Some others were not believers and they didn’t know that God would care about unimportant things like exams.

Together these young students learned what the Bible says about stress. They learned that the enemy wants to overwhelm them with unrest, but the Lord wants them to overcome with His rest. They were reminded that God is with them in times of stress and yes He CARES. Isaiah 41:10 says, “Do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand” During the meeting, our counselors taught these students different practical techniques to help them manage exam stress and anxiety and how they could make a personalized stress management plan. At the end of the session, each one of them wrote the most important thought they would take with them from this meeting. One of the participants, Inesa wrote, “Stress is inevitable, but hope is available. This is what gives me strength and clarity of thought. Hope is available and Jesus gives PEACE.”

Another participant Sara wrote, “ I’m so thankful I will go home with a personalized plan on how to manage stress. If I had to choose one thought from our meeting, it would be, “Keep Things in Perspective” and remember that my stress is temporary. God has promised me a future full of hope.”

Delinda shared her thoughts as well. She wrote, “It is hard to mention just one thing, but since I have to choose the most important teaching I received today is how to identify triggers of my stress and how to replace all negative thoughts. But most important of all I accepted Jesus in my heart as my Savior.”

Our counselor reminded each participant that their identity is not in their performance at school, work, or accomplishments but in their identity in Christ as a beloved child of God.

In 2024 we helped hundreds of University students find hope through many events and one-on-one counseling. Here at Media 7, we are very thankful for our partnership with Hope for the Heart. Hope for the Heart provided all resources and equipped our counselors to give real hope and practical help to people going through different life challenges.

If you want to support the work of our counseling center among University students you can donate here.