This month we are serving in Tirana, Albania with the church of the Nazarene. We are teaching English during the day to the church youth and the high school kids down the street. At night we attend church meetings and invest in the youth of the church as much as possible.
The Youth are amazing kids. It's a different community that I've never seen before. They are all best friends. They all hang out together at the church every night instead of going off and getting into trouble. Not only are they great kids who love and support one another, but they love their heavenly father like you wouldn't imagine. They are teenagers with spiritual maturity beyond their years. It's been really cool to be apart of.
I'd like to tell you about some of the youth, and the stories that they have told me about their lives, but right now I want to tell you about Amanie. She's 18. She is strong, bold, compassionate, caring, and a powerful servant of The Lord. She attends all the church youth events faithfully, and invests all of her time and talents into the church. She's at church bright and early every Sunday morning to lead the children's service and bible school. Her spunky personality jumps around the front of the room to get the children engaged in song and prayer. Her love and passion for people is SO incredibly evident.
She has 4 siblings. Their father is out of the picture, and their mother passed away 3 years ago. Amanie and her siblings lived on their own for years and collected trash as a way to make mone and fend for themselves. She took on a lot of the responsibility in caring for her younger siblings…… actually, she took it all on. They have recently moved in with their oldest sister and her young children. They may be physically poor, but they are completely rich with love and compassion.
Last night after an amazing night with the youth worshiping and encouraging one another, we ended the night holding hands in a circle and praying while the boys played some songs in the background. The setting was beautiful. Amanie stood next to me, while another young girl, Yeta, stood on my left. I held both of their hands and the prayers begun. As the prayers went on the holy spirit was clearly flooding the room. Yeta praying next to me in Albanian, while the rest of the youth proclaiming to their nation, "Let it Rain, Open the floodgates of heaven." It was such a beautiful moment.
With only minutes into the prayer, the hand that was holding Amanie's started to become extremely weak. I would try to grip onto her hand and I had no power or strength to hold her hand tight. I felt a warm sensation go up through my fingers and into my arm. I was so relaxed and so at peace. I've never experienced anything like this in my life. I looked over and saw Amanie crying. As tears streamed down her face, I knew I needed to pray for her. I grabbed her tight, and began praying and speaking truth into the beautiful daughter that she is to our heavenly father. I prayed for her strength and joy for The Lord that she radiates so well. I suddenly had a girl wrapped in my arms who was weak…… just as weak as our hands that were intertwined.
When the lights came back on and the music was over, I asked her if she felt that warmth and sense of peace while we were praying and holding hands. I looked into her eyes and the only confirmation I got were two small tears flowing from her eyes. I looked at her and said, "Amanie, when you were holding my hand I felt a feeling that I've never experienced before. My hand became weak, and my arm was warm and relaxed. Jesus is inside of you, and he was holding my hand."
Heavenly Father, thank you for breakthrough. Thank you for flooding this place with your spirit and your presence. Thank you for living inside each and every one of us. Because of your spirit that lives in us, we get to proclaim your truth and existence in every place our foot lands. Every step that we take for the rest of our life, you have already taken for us. You have already won, Jesus. Thank you for loving Amanie, and creating the perfect, beloved, and beautiful daughter that she is. You have great plans ahead for her life, and I praise you for the ways you are already moving. Continue to move in her life that seems so broken and heavy. Help her pick up the pieces, and walk in freedom knowing that that you have already won the battle she is facing. Give her confidence…..give her peace. Lastly, I praise you Jesus for bringing this precious girl into my life. Teach me every possible way that I can love on her, and give me the words to speak truth into her life that only comes from you.
Amen.
