ALBANIA, YOU STOLE MY HEART!
Albania has been a GREAT, HARD, WONDERFUL and REWARDING month. I cannot tell you what life was like here in a way that you will be able to understand it, it’s just a place that you’d have to live in to get fully! BUT I do want to strive to give you an idea of what this month is looking like so you know what you supported me through. ?? First off, ALBANIA IS GORGEOUS. Albanians are gorgeous. Albanian cuisine is gorgeous. 0_0 This place is SO GORGEOUS. The Sufflaq, gyros, pizza, pasta and caffe/kafe is delicious (and Papusas have been officially dethroned as the best food on the Race). The combination of Adriatic Sea, Mountain slopes, castles and far away snow-capped Mountain peaks equals movie like scenery. THE PEOPLE HERE BELONG IN MOVIES!!! I am not exaggerating when I say that the men and women here look flaaaaaaawleeeesssssssss. I get startled everyday by how attractive the men are, I have to catch myself sometimes because I am literally physically startled sometimes by how beautiful the men are (as in I will jump a little and have to double take). It’s crazy! Because appearances are so important to the people here in Vlore we have made actual efforts into looking like our ordinary done-up American selves (as in clean clothes, make-up and we actually brush our hair hahaha). It’s been a refreshing change where it ALMOST feels like we’re home. Almost.
But it’s been a really hard month too. I have had terrible insomnia, as in staying awake until dawn or staying up for two days because your body or mind refuse to allow you to sleep. I’ve had nightmares or weird dreams and have woke up 2-4 times most nights that I do fall asleep. I’ve struggled with physical pain A LOT, my shoulder injury from the Marines has brought me to tears more than once; my neck and back pain has left me with days-long headaches and pain, and just last night I sprained my ankle playing basketball. I was sick after our first week here. There’s been a lot of spiritual warfare. My quiet times haven’t been easy to find because of living in close quarters and all the coffee shops here play LOUD music. I’ve really struggled in my personal life this month, but ministry has been great!
This month we are working with IJR (know as CRU in the states) aka Campus Crusades for Christ. We host events with them at our church here and do games, ice-breakers, life-maps, Albanian and American dances, ping-pong and just give them a safe place to talk together or with us. We make coffee dates, sit down and talk to the students (HS & University) and hear their stories, share ours, and answer their questions about Christianity and share the gospel. Two students I know have accepted Jesus the last two weeks! Meggey and Clitj (Meg-E and Cleat-E) are awesome and YOU ALMOST CANNOT RECOGNIZE THEM! They have a glow, hope, and BOTH HAD IMMEDIATE AND DRAMATIC SHIFTS IN THEIR LIVES IMMEDIATELY! One had a really damaged and broken/non-existent relationship with a parent that THE DAY OF radically transformed and they’ve been inseparable! The other was looking for a job and THE DAY AFTER got offered a job despite no experience on the spot! It’s hard to catch a break and get a job here so THAT IS DRAMATIC. Just wow God, WELL DONE.
Albania struggles with recovering from the long-term effects of Communism, civil-war and corrupt government. There is a lot of resentment against their neighboring countries, and a lot of cultural divides. Albania is a land of ‘cultural’ Muslims, meaning most people claim Islam despite not practicing or believing in Islam itself. Before communism it was under the Ottoman Empire, before that it was a Christian nation, but centuries of Muslim rule has engrained into the traditions and so it’s a very unique nation for being a ‘Muslim country’ and is unlike other Muslim majority places. There is a very high-rate of unemployment, and everyone here tells me most people make a living by growing and selling drugs (Marijuana especially) and there isn’t much hope for the youth right now. That’s where we are here, working with the youth helping them to find hope and trust their futures to the God who sees them, loves them and has plans for their lives. We use the four-point Gospel a lot, and the kids click with it. 1) God loves us and has a good plan for our lives. 2) Mankind sinned and that sin separates us from God and his love. 3) God provided a solution for the separation because we cannot be god enough to bridge the gap on our own, so God sent Jesus to die and conquer death so we could have new life with God and experience His love now and forever. 4) The only thing left is what are we going to do with that gift? It’s sparked many great conversations.
Long story short: God is working all over the world. I love to see Him moving everywhere we go, and this is the first month I’ve actively been able to do some evangelizing stuff (so that was terrifying) but it’s proven easy and beautiful. I don’t have to force anything on anyone, I just share and trust God to do the work in their hearts. It’s beautiful and I am so happy I’ve experienced this place and these conversations. Please keep the youth of Albania (especially Vlore) in your prayers.
