Do you ever have those moments where you are just overwhelmed by this reality that is called your life? I had one of those moments when I was watching the sunset overlooking the beautiful town of Korce Albania. This is a town that our team decided to travel to because one of my teammates and I met an amazing woman, Caralee Loring, and wanted to see the ministries that her and her husband are part of in Korce Albania. We came to this town not knowing what to expect and were warmly greeted by a 15 year old boy and his mom who welcomed us into a missionary house that we were able to stay in and were later greeted by a man that we would have been lost without in our stay, Klodi. Unfortunately we didn’t get to spend much time with Caralee and her family because they were enjoying a much needed vacation and family time together in Greece but that didn’t stop Caralee from making sure we were completely provided for. She did SO much for us to make sure our stay was comfortable and enjoyable- from making sure we had a place to stay and someone to welcome us, to booking dental appointments for teammates, to suggesting barbers in the area if we were needing haircuts and so much more. The hospitality that she showed my team and I is a testament to the way that she sacrificially loves people and wants to do whatever she can to make them feel welcomed and comfortable.
We were in Korce for about four days but I would have gladly stayed much longer. Korce has become one of my favorite towns in the world, which says a lot because by this point I have traveled to a vast number of cities in multiple countries. There is a peace and calm about this town that is refreshing and people just seemed to have a calmness and willingness to slow down and enjoy life. Every one of the ministries that we got to be a part of I absolutely loved and Caralee and her husband have done an excellent job at providing a holistic ministry that accurately seeks to meet all the physical and spiritual needs of the community. Two ministries in particular I loved were a seniors center that we spent time at and a safe house that was created to house girls rescued from sex trafficking.
The senior center is about a 30 minute walk up a mountain providing an incredible view of the town and is surrounded by mountains on every side. The people at the senior home were full of smiles and just the most cheerful group of seniors I have ever seen in my life. Although most of them understood very little English that did not stop them from engaging in conversations with us and laughing with us as neither knew what the other was trying to say but having a great time none-the-less. This senior home is one of two senior homes of its type in Albania but there is a great need for more centers like this one. The home is almost always at max or even above maximum capacity. Many young people in Albania try to immigrate to other countries for work and as a result the seniors are often left alone with no one to care for them- so although children are often willing to help financially care for their parents they cannot be there to physically and emotionally provide for them. This senior home creates a warm comfortable environment for these people but much more than that it seeks to tell these people about Christ. People that were raised in a generation were religion was illegal so many know very little about the gospel.
The safe house is a home that can house up to 10 girls and currently has girls ages 5-17. These girls were either rescued from human trafficking or at high risk of being sold by their families into the sex trafficking business because of lack of money to take care of them. We passed by the house on our second day in Korce and were able to briefly meet a couple of the girls and then on our last day some of my team and I were able to take the girls out for ice cream. These girls are energetic and full of life and I am so happy that these girls were brought to this home when they were so that they can be raised in the truth and knowledge that they are cherished and beloved children of a loving heavenly father. They can grow up into the truth and knowledge that they are loved, valued and beautiful and can grow up with a hope for a bright future. We were able to sing and dance and laugh with these girls and I wish I had more time to spend with these precious little angels.
Korce was definitely a town that I didn’t want to leave. God is so evidently working in this town and the Christian movement in Albania in a large part started in this town. I hope and pray I can return to this town in the future and spend more time with these people that have quickly captured my heart. I am excited to hopefully watch future world race teams be able to spend time with this amazing ministry and continue to watch the ways God moves in this town to bring more people into a relationship with him.
For the last month of the race my team is in Lviv Ukraine working with a family from the United States that came to Ukraine about 20 years ago and started a church and recently opened a house used as a retreat center with a focus of reaching the Jewish community in the area. We are helping doing finishing touches on the house, helping in the large garden, working with orphans and putting on a VBS (along with various other things here and there). I am already in love with the family we are staying with and think this will be a great end to the race. Thank-you so much for your prayers and support and I cannot wait to be home in just over a month and share all my adventures and stories of what God has been doing in me personally and the ways he is moving throughout the world.
