Well, things have changed. By things I mean the country I’m in.
But before I get too ahead of myself, I want to say a more about Albania as that chapter moves to the background. I feel very good (read: a holy peace) about our month in Albania. I was up and down about it at times while it was happening, but looking back, it is clear how the Lord was choosing to push us and help us grow. Furthermore, upon leaving, our ministry hosts told us that our timing there could not have been better. They said this particular month they deeply needed the encouragement, extra hands, and energy we brought to their ministry and were blessed by the Christly light we brought into that place. I could not ask for better parting words than to know we had been used as a blessing.
The Durres Christian Center was absolutely a gift to us as well, and I am extremely grateful they were our first contact for reasons specific to me and our team. (The Lord is so good and is orchestrating this race with such individualized attention!) They became our friends, exposed us to many types of outreach, encouraged our gifts, and even invited us back! Two things really stick out to me about working in that ministry, and I will take both forward with me in my brain and heart, because my pack is depressingly full.
- They are steadfast. My team got tired, some days we weren’t as excited about work, some days we had less patience with each other, and we were present every day for 3 weeks. The backbones of this place have been showing up every day for years. And every day they are ready to love, be joyful, receive correction, and pour out. They show incredible dedication in how they meet to pray and learn, and commitment to the ministries they’ve begun or joined in on. The main reason I believe they are capable of this steadfastness is their dependence on the Lord. They daily remind each other that the work does not happen in our own power.
- But the second big thing they demonstrated, and another enabler of their steadfastness, is their community lifestyle. They showed me what genuine community looks like. The members of this foundation eat together, relax together, pray, laugh, and drink coffee together. They visit each other’s houses and know each other’s families. They love genuinely and they walk through life and ministry together, as God designed us all to.
So thank you, Durres Christian Center, for beginning my world race with your example. I pray that I remain as steadfast across continents as you have been across time. I pray that I love my team as thoroughly as you love your co-workers, and that we learn to be the type of family you all have become. I treasure the memories of our time, and will keep you–plural and individually– in my prayers.
Love,
Jenna
