Saturday, my team landed in Albania. I absolutely loved Asia, but Europe has been such a breath of fresh air. I am entering this month and season of the race feeling refreshed and with a clearer mind in a lot of different ways. I’m eager to see what the Lord has in store for these next 3 months.
I have not had the chance to do a ton of kids ministry on the race thus far, or at least not in a way that has allowed us to work with the same kids in a consistent way all month. This month gives us that opportunity. We are partnering with a church to do a variety of ministry in Kombinant- a small area right on the skirts of Tirana. We are helping teach children in the morning, run a VBS, renovate a kindergarten, teaching English, and forming relationships within the community. We are also partnered with another team for the month, so there are 16 of us living and working together- the month is FULL in so many ways.
Part of my team has been assigned to help teach children in the morning. During the school year, this is a service the church provides to help the kids in the neighborhood who don’t get homework help at home. Now that school is out, it’s a time that they come to get extra practice or just have a chance to be loved on and to be served a hot lunch. These kids embraced us from the moment we entered the room and have quickly stolen my heart. Let me introduce you to some of my friends:
Meet Sophia. We had an instant bond when she found out we share the same name (for the sake of the race my name is Sophia…it doesn’t matter where I am, that’s what it gets translated to). She’s got quite the attitude and loves to play hand clapping games. She always looks for me when she comes in the room and shares so much joy. Sophia interrupts most of our interactions with sweet kisses on the cheek that are precious.
Meet Alaina. She is the best teacher and has taught me how to count from 1-20 in Albanian. She loves tickle fights and mimicking/making fun of the things that I say. She likes to sneak up on me and has the best laugh.
Meet Paloma. She’s quiet but loves to snuggle up next to me during our lessons. She tries to teach me Albanian words as we eat and loves to laugh at my mistakes in pronunciation. She has such a sweet heart.
Meet Ocilda and Alvie. These are two of the younger kiddos and they are quite the little firecrackers. They started off as a little reserved, but here is a pic of them dancing on their “stage” to a worship song. They never fail to run up and greet me with a loud, “Sophia!”
This is part of the crew that lives near our house. They love to come by at night and hang out. Sometimes they even have dance parties. They’re learning our names and won’t hesitate to call them out as they see that people are home.
These are just a few of the kids that have touched my heart in these past few days and I know that they will only continue to steal it piece by piece. Some of their stories break my heart, but I am so thankful to have the month to spend with them. To get to know them, to laugh with them, to love and be loved by them, to see Christ in them, and to share Christ’s love for them. It’s not always the easiest, but I asked God to break my heart for them and now that he has, I’ll gladly give them my heart. My prayer is that this month they will know how much they are valued and loved…not only by me and this team, but by God.
Please join me by praying for these children, for Albania, and for our two teams working here this month- Pearls of Faithfulness and Relentless. More updates on what I’ve been learning and what ministry looks like in Albania to come soon.
Thanks to you all, I am FULLY FUNDED! Your support has been phenomenal and I would not be having these experiences without YOU! However,there are still plenty of opportunities and need to help support me with misc. personal living expenses and funds for me to use to bless the ministries and people I’m working with. The race has proven to require more personal funds than I had intended for ministry wardrobe purchases, equipment, food, and in being able to bless others. Pray about how and if the Lord would have you partner with me in this way! If you are interested in helping me with this, send me a message or you can donate through https://www.paypal.me/SylviaBarrett.
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