Stepping through the plane door, I breathed in Albania’s cool and fresh air. I walked down the stairs and followed half my squad to the bus. (The other half of my squad got left in Turkey for an extra day). The bus stopped at customs which was one small line where I gave my passport and then the lady let me in. That was it. After at least 16 hours of flights and almost missing the last one, I made it to Albania.
I walked through the tiny airport and met our host, Pastor Barry. He had a sign for our team leader with our team name SONshine on it. Something about having people pick you up from the airport is so comforting!
After a brief ride through Tirana, we drive through the city’s center to the church. The church will be our home for the next month. Barry gives us a tour – there’s 2 cozy rooms with 3 beds with warm blankets and plush pillows. He shows us the “Hub” which is a fellowship room with modern couches, a coffee bar and bookshelves lining a wall. We walk into the “Club” building which is the kitchen where we will be cooking our meals. The sanctuary, prayer room, church’s kitchen, and bathrooms are all part of the tour.
Within each room and building, I thank God for this opportunity. I thank God for the cold weather and needing to bundle up. I thank God for people who meet you and love so freely right off the bat. I thank God for the mountains and the stone sidewalks. I thank God for freshly baked bread (He knows how much I’ve missed it)!
Only four days into month 6 and I already have this feeling that I am going to be blown away by God’s work here. This month our squad is choosing to focus on pursuit. Pursuing Jesus daily and following His lead. Pursuing our team and these relationships that God places in our lives. Pursuing deeper intimacy and connection with God and people.
What are you pursuing this month? Let me know! Let’s pray and pursue together!
