My name is Stela Viso. I am a very happy mom of a 14-year-old boy. We have entered together as a family into a beautiful new phase with many changes related to adolescence.
I was born in Tirana, but I grew up, got married, and live in the city of Korca, a city full of traditions and hospitability. Throughout my life, I have faced various challenges, which undoubtedly have strengthened and helped me to see myself as a very good catalyst for those around me, for those whom God puts in my path.
Early Life Challenges and Their Impact
Having said that, let me share a brief story about a girl who, nine months after birth, was separated from her family in Tirana and raised by her grandmother in Korca. My family, specifically my mother, had to make such a difficult decision because my father had health problems and soon passed away when I was 3 years old.
Undoubtedly, this story has left a deep mark on me and has influenced my thoughts and my approach to dealing with friends, the world, and life itself. This story has had an impact for years, making me a closed and frightened girl, believing that no one could love me. Isn’t that painful?!
“there is air, light, and sunshine.”
However, I overcame all my negative thoughts about myself, life, and about society and emerged victorious. I have been blessed to have very special people in my life, who have helped me navigate through difficulties and situations and see that there is air, light, and sunshine.
One of these people is my husband, who, with great patience, helped me grow my self-confidence, and self-worth and filled my every day with the joy that I so appreciate. I began to give of myself, to help others, and to have an impact on the lives of those who needed support.
Battling Thyroid Cancer and Helping the Needy
In 2012, I was diagnosed with thyroid cancer. It was a year that I experienced unimaginable agony but emerged victorious from that battle. And this battle made me decide that I would always be by the side of the needy, by the side of those who need to come out on the surface of the deep waters, of those who need to be heard and understand that they have VALUE.
And during these times, MOPS appears. How, you might ask?
Discovering MOPS and its Mission
One day I saw some posts on social media that emphasize that such meetings encourage mothers to realize their full potential and help them strengthen and use their talents in their family, social circle, and the entire community.
“I SCREAMED, ‘THIS IS FOR ME! THIS IS MY KORCA!’”
I SCREAMED, “THIS IS FOR ME! THIS IS MY KORCA!”
So I contacted Bona Miekley directly. A mother, a daughter, and the best friend of many Albanian mothers who brought MOPS to Albania. She immediately understood my enthusiasm, but with her kindness, she brought me down to earth and gave me the necessary time to decide if this was a project I wanted to join. I had to wait a while, actually from 2014 to 2015, when our first discussions and long-term planning began. 😊
In 2015, we started our first group. We began with a few churches, and I was very convinced that through MOPS, we would change the lives of mothers in Korca. In our family, UNITY is one of our objectives, and MOPS is one of our goals. We worked towards achieving this vision. We joined together with a few churches and some church leaders. There were four churches in total. The journey took its first steps.
Later, we participated for the first time in the conference “Fierce Flourishing.” At this conference, we received encouraging and empowering words. It was a full room, maybe 300 mothers gathered together. And for a small place like Albania, and the years that MOPS has had in Albania, it was an outstanding achievement. The audience today in 2023 has multiplied many times over because Bona Miekley has worked hard to promote this program on many prestigious TV shows in our country.
And so it happened, I immersed myself in MOPS and brought it to Korce, and now we have three groups in our city.
Building Others Up & Keeping an Open Mind
I would like to conclude this brief writing with the personal and professional growth and empowerment that participation in MOPS has given me.
Discover Talents
I have learned to discover my talents and multiply them. With MOPS in Korce, we have been able to develop several activities to help the community. MOPS mothers are involved in initiatives such as Community Gardens, Christmas Cookies, food drives, and initiatives that focus on vulnerable people.
Build Others Up
I have learned how valuable it is to build others up. And MOPS has given me this lesson. One of MOPS’ objectives is to equip mothers and help them understand their potential. I thought for many nights about what I could do to make a valuable and long-term contribution to mothers who did not have education, and who hadn’t even finished junior high school. And God gave me the opportunity to enroll them in night school or correspondence school as it is now called. It this school was not only attended by those mothers but also their spouses. It was fantastic to see this.
“…success is something you share together.”
Keep an Open Mind
I have learned that being a leader means keeping an open mind. It is not easy to manage people because everyone is unique and has their own approach to how they behave and act in society. And bringing people together and creating work groups to have an impact on other mothers has not been easy.
I have learned that success is something you share together with others. You only achieve success as a leader when you give people access to the direction you are moving. You achieve success together when those you lead have access to decision-making, when they are involved in the evaluation of the work, and even when they can critique the work. Success is achieved when there is accountability and transparency.
Get Your Hands Dirty
I have learned that as leader, if I’m not ready to first get my own hands dirty in the mud, it is unlikely that others will follow. So, in MOPS, I have learned to serve first, to set an example, and to be with moms, side by side.
MOPS is a ministry that has been entrusted to me in the city of Korca only through the grace of God and people who have believed strongly in me, such as Bona Miekley.”