“Do no neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for thereby some have entertained angels unawares.”
Hebrews 13:2
I’m not sure what I thought coffee ministry was going to look like, but whatever idea I had originally, that’s out the window now. Coffee ministry is hard, it’s awkward, but it is oh so rewarding. I’ve made friendships with locals in these short months that no doubt will span over oceans and last a very long time. In the beginning, groups of two or three of us would venture out into the neighborhood where we live. We tried to go when we thought the cafes would be busiest, so early in the morning or late in the evening. We would wander the streets waiting for a tug towards a particular café or at least until one of us gave in and sighed, “Let’s just go to that one, I’m tired of walking.” The latter situation usually occurred first. We would shuffle into the café, scanning it, looking for an open table near a group of people that met our “criteria”. Our host told us to seek out people around our age, preferably girls, or groups of girls and boys, just so that the right message was conveyed, and finally, looked as if they could speak English. How you determine whether or not someone speaks English based on their looks behooves me still, but men on the street also get it right when they yell things at us like, “Hello, baby. How are you?” So it is possible.
The first time I ever went out wasn’t a total flop, but nonetheless, put a less than preferable taste in my mouth (and it wasn’t just because of the impossibly strong espresso I had ordered). Sydney and I sat across from each other under the awning of a small café near the church, but neither of us talked to the other, we were busy moving our eyes across the café, staring as newcomers walked in and others left. A group of two or three girls sat not too far away from us, but far enough so that one of us would either have to get up to speak to them or raise our voices from our seats risking the possibility of everyone in the café stopping mid-sip and staring at the two noisy Americans. “What should we do?” I asked as I folded and unfolded the sugar packet in my hand. “I don’t know, we should talk to them.” Sydney responded, she too was fiddling, neither of us was feeling particularly excited about talking to strangers. “Yeah, we should.” And then we sat there, sheepishly glancing at each other and at the girls, neither of us moved, save my fingers running over the sugar packet in my hand that was now starting to tear. Eventually the girls stood up and left the café, both Sydney and I let out a sigh that sounded more relieved than disappointed.
Since then, our team has forged close to probably twenty relationships with young Albanian men and women in cafes, in restaurants, in passing on the street… Over hundreds of cups of coffee I’ve listened to my new friends speak of the Albania they’ve grown up in. This is the generation that was born into a confusing transition from communism to a parliamentary republic (yes of course I had to Google that), it hasn’t been smooth, and they have far to go still. We’ve also learned that most of them are currently in university or graduated. Educational backgrounds span everywhere from economics, to civil engineering, to medicine. I am constantly surprised and inspired by their eagerness to devote themselves to their studies. Unfortunately, most of them that have graduated or are close to it are unable to find jobs relating to their major, or any at all.
Our goal in all of this was to invite them to a class at the church called “Christianity Explored” where we would take them through the Gospel of Mark in a three step process that spans over four weeks with classes twice a week. The long term goal was to introduce a younger generation to the church that is for the most part missing and through that, get a church planted and up and running. Though C.E. class attendance is spotty as work schedules, family obligations, and language barriers are constantly obstacles, interest in the class and in our faith in general is high.
Hebrews 13:2 sticks with me when I go into cafes unsure whether or not I’m really “in the mood” to ask a stranger to coffee, the author of Hebrews was absolutely right when they said that some of these people have experienced the Holy Spirit and not been aware of it. I can see it in their eyes when they speak about the hope of a better future for not only themselves but also their entire country, in their curiosity towards my team and our mission, and in the way they are hospitable to us loud and crazy American girls.
The first time I ever went out to do coffee ministry also motivates me to step out and at the very least just say “hi”.I robbed those girls of a chance they didn’t know they had, a chance to get to know a really important man named Jesus who, if they chose to chase that relationship, would’ve changed their lives. Now I have no way of knowing whether or not they were Christians, it’s just the same as wondering whether or not they spoke English, but what if they don’t. What if no one has told them yet who Jesus is, what if no one will, what if I was the one chance they had and all I did was sit and stare? That’s all very dramatic sounding, but what if? My time in Albania is quickly coming to an end, but the mission that I’m on, that we’re all on, doesn’t end here. I want us to all feel challenged to live out Hebrews 13:2 as much as possible. You never know who you’re talking to, why waste the chance of a great friendship and ability to be hospitable towards someone who may unknowingly be entertaining angels.
