This month my team and I have been given an incredible opportunity to live at the University of Vlora and work with Campus Crusade. We are living at the girl’s dorm here in Albania, but before you get too jealous about my second college experience, let me introduce you to our lovely living conditions:
We have actually been quite blessed to share a few different rooms, so we have a good amount of space. This is where Olivia and I sleep. However, my favorite part of the day is the famous “turkish toilet”! That’s right, it’s squatty potties for us this month…complete with rat infestation and pipes that drip on you while you squat. It took some getting used to, but now I’m pretty much a pro.
We eat in the cafeteria at the University where we often play charades to communicate with the kitchen ladies. I pretty much eat pasta and tomato salad every day, but its really not so bad. Lately, we have even enjoyed a few impromptu dance parties with the staff, and it has definitely become a highlight of our meal time!
In all seriousness, I LOVE ministry here! At first, it was incredibly challenging and overwhelming trying to connect with a University full of Albanian-speaking students, but as soon as we asked the Lord to intervene, He answered our prayers in many unexpected and incredible ways! In order to connect with students, we usually spend our afternoons hanging out in the quad on picnic blankets playing guitar, cards, or just talking. At first we weren’t sure how the students would respond (since this isn’t exactly normal behavior here), but since the first day we starting opening up, people have continued to respond. I mean, wouldn’t you want to approach a bunch of random foreigners hanging out on your college campus?
So how open are the students to our purpose here? Well, Albania is currently 70% Muslim. However, this is mostly by heritage, not by faith. In the 15th Century, the Ottoman empire took over the country, forcing the citizens to become Muslim. If people did not convert to Islam, they would either be put to death or forced to pay a large tax. Therefore, many died while others became Muslim simply by name, and Albania now claims to be a Muslim nation. About 20 years ago, Albania opened it’s borders and is now an open country. Therefore, we are free to come and share the good news here, but we are also quite the spectacle.
However, as I mentioned, my team and I have been covering this Nation in prayer since the day we arrived, and the Lord has clearly been faithful to answer those prayers. It has been such an honor to spend time with students who are truly interested in a Savior and Father who longs to have a relationship with them. Of course it’s not always easy, and we are certainly not welcomed by everyone here, but it is evident that the Lord is moving and working here in Albania!
“…for He says, ‘At the acceptable
time I listened to you, and on the day of salvation I helped you’;
behold, now is “the acceptable time,” behold, now is “the day of
salvation ” 2 Cor. 6:2
time I listened to you, and on the day of salvation I helped you’;
behold, now is “the acceptable time,” behold, now is “the day of
salvation ” 2 Cor. 6:2
