It’s hard to know where to begin – this month has been one full of unmet expectations, in the most humbling of ways. I came to Albania, knowing that it was all squad month (i.e. all 7 teams are together in one place, serving at the same ministry site… 49 people). My team had a whole lot of anticipation, and a little anxiety about what coming together as a squad would be like. Would we be able to maintain our hard worked for closeness? Would there be enough work for us to do? Would we be okay being in one ministry place the whole month (after moving around week to week in Bulgaria)? The answer to all of these questions was “no”. We kind of sucked at staying close, work was much slower and sporadic than we hoped causing us to become restless, and being in one place consistently was hard!
With so many different people around to interact with, we found it hard to intentionally find time together as a team. I was expecting to have a desire to really only spend time with my teammates, and I found that I was actually being pulled in the opposite direction. It was quite convicting for a while! But, I believe that there’s a purpose for having a squad of so many different perspectives all in one place at one time. I have been blessed with wisdom from so many people that I probably wouldn’t have gained if I just secluded myself to my team. I can’t say that the first few days of trying to find the “social balance between squad and team” wasn’t tough… we had to have numerous conversations, but I finally feel like the seven of us are at a place where we are spurring one another on, rather than being bitter about the fact that we don’t get to spend time with each other in the same way that we did last month (or, at least, we’re getting there…).
Our second week in Albania we hosted an environmental camp run by the Peace Corps. This upcoming week we are hosting a camp for a nearby Baptist Church. When I heard that we were living and working at a camp for the month, I laughed! One of the hardest decisions between me staying or going on the race was missing out on a summer at Mount Hermon, a camp near Santa Cruz, California. I had the privilege of spending 9 weeks there last summer, showing junior high and high school kids the love of Christ and ushering them forward as His followers. I released my dream of working there for a second summer in order to go on the race, so, when I heard that we were doing camp ministry, I felt that it was the Lord’s way of telling me, “Amberly, I still know the desires of your heart. All you have to do is trust me!” Although I will not get a chance to work with the campers directly, it is such a joy for my spirit to get to experience the camp atmosphere! I am working in the kitchen, alongside a handful of other race friends and two permanent staff members named Duche and Flora! They speak hardly any English, so these past few weeks have been full of charades. To any outsider looking in, I’m sure our gestures and mumblings look ridiculous. Duche, especially, disapproves of the way that I mop the floors or do the dishes quite frequently, and we laugh and laugh as we try and figure each other out. I have discovered that I have a whole new appreciation for french fries, as one day we spent literally 5 hours peeling potatoes and cutting them into fry shapes for a dinner that was consumed in under 30 minutes.
The mosquitoes in Albania are ruthless, and I must have at least 40 bug bites on my body at any given time. We live in bunkhouses, 16 to a room. We awaken each morning to the sound of pigs squealing (and they actually sound more like dinosaurs than that cute *oink* that you’re probably picturing). We use squatty potties, and our showers are actually right over top of them (kind of ingenious if you think about it… just don’t think too hard). I’ve been going a little stir crazy, being on the compound for so long. It can occasionally get claustrophobic, especially with so many people around. There’s a beach about 45 minutes to the right and the city (aka a mall with wifi) 30 minutes to the left! I’ve had the privilege of venturing out to nearby places on our off weekends, and I even got to go to the country of Montenegro (which I didn’t know existed until we were on the bus there). I am daily, daily, DAILY amazed at the Lord’s provision, and I am continually reminded that He is a God of abundant blessing!
I’m glad that He is a God who breaks my expectations. A God who consistently has to remind me that He is in control, and He knows that He is doing. He’s a God who isn’t afraid to answer “no” to my questions, because as long as I embrace that answer that He gives me, I will be blessed.
