Ckemi! (thats “hey” in Albanian; one of the 5 words I’ve retained). This is our 7th day in Albania. The country is beautiful and the people have been super welcoming. We’ve been staying at a children’s camp for the whole time we’ve been here. I’ve had a bed and shower every night so I am super grateful for that!
So what was traveling to Albania like Nick?
Painful. We got to the Atlanta airport around 10am on August 8th but our flight didn’t leave until 11pm. After 13 hours at the airport we got onto a flight to Istanbul, Turkey that landed at 10am (August 9th). Our connecting flight left Turkey at 12pm and we landed in Tirana, Albania at 2pm. We got to our ministry site at 5pm but it turns out it was 11pm local time and it was time for bed (feels like August 9th never even existed to be honest). Needless to say, our bodies were super confused and we were jet-lagged for the next few days.
What has ministry been like Nick?
Thanks for asking! Y’all rock. We have been working at a kid’s camp run by the organization LightForce International. For the first few days we got acclimated to the new environment and time zone. Our ministry host, George, let us rest and get unjet-lagged. Once we got settled George put us to work. The kid’s camp is also a farm. The ministry is self-sustaining so they don’t have to rely completely on donations. The farm makes an income by selling animals and most of the food we have been eating is grown or raised on the farm. We have been serving by getting the place ready for a group of kids that are coming in a week and a half. We have been lime washing the walls, gardening, cleaning poop, pulling weeds, moving big heavy things, etc. It’s basically all been hard labor. I feel like it is really setting the tone for the next 9 months of the trip. It isn’t going to be easy and we are going to have to work together as a team.
What’s some cool stuff you’ve done and seen in Albania Nick?
I appreciate your questions and interest!! We’ve had 2 days off since we have been here and one day we went to the beach and the other day we went to some castle ruins! Man, it was so beautiful. It was really nice to get to go and see what the rest of Albania is like outside of the farm. 8 months ago I didn’t even know Albania existed and now it is one of my favorite countries.
I can already tell that this season in life is going to be a time of great spiritual and emotional growth. I am learning more and more what it looks like to live in a christ-centered community. This is knowledge that I will keep long after the World Race. I’ve gotten to speak to and pray for a number of different locals and these are experiences I will never forget. I love the culture in Albania (and not just because the espresso is 30 cents here). I am so excited for these next few months here!
If you’d like to support me you can click the donate link on my page! I currently have 10,540 dollars raised! I need 3,300 more dollars to be fully funded and to complete my journey. I appreciate you guys all so much for partnering with me on this journey! I’ll keep you updated as the journey continues!
