Total travel time to Albania: 49 hours
Language: Albanian (how appropriate)
Currency: Leke ($20=2000 leke)
Time difference: 7 hours faster than CST
We were told our first month would be Ireland. Then, we were told our first month changed to Turkey. Lastly, we were told that our first month changed again to Albania.
We were told that we would fly into Amsterdam, then catch a flight to Turkey. Then, four of us were told that there wasn't enough room on the plane, so we had a different route. We were told that we would fly from Atlanta, Georgia to Frankfurt, Germany and then catch a flight to Istanbul, Turkey to meet with the rest of our squad.
We were told that it would be an 11-hour bus ride from Istanbul to Albania. Then, as we were loading the bus, we were told that it was really a 22-hour bus ride. It actually ended up being 28 hours, but we drove through Macedonia and Greece.
We were told that we would be living in tents for our first month. As we were pulling into our ministry site, our contact informed us that we would have our own beds with warm showers. Praise. The. Lord.
One of the very first things you learn when you sign up for The World Race is to release all expectations. You don't realize how literal that is until it's your only option. Our ministry site is wonderful. We are far more blessed than we deserve.
We partnered with World Vision this month, so we get to help with a summer camp that teaches the gospel to kids. The kids get to enjoy a rock climbing wall, swimming pool, soccer field, bouncy house, and all sorts of games. A new group of kids comes in on Monday afternoon and stay until Saturday morning. I cannot wait to be able to start fresh with a new group of kids. Y'all, our God is so stinkin' good.
