Hello, all. Here’s a little info about my time in Europe. Month 6 and 7 were jam-packed with tons of memories, experiences, and growth. Time is flying, and I can’t believe we are already on our final continent, Asia!
Month 6: Albania
We were in Pogradec, Albania next to Lake Ohrid. Our ministry was Christ for the Nations (CFN). CFN is a discipleship school for people interested in going into formal ministry in the future. The ages vary from young 20somethings to retirees who want to serve the Lord. It was a great ministry to partner with. It was incredible to build relationships with people who have similar interests to us. We mostly cleaned during ministry time, but we were able to preach, teach and share throughout the month. It was one of my favorite months so far.
On our days off we stayed busy. Our first day off we hiked a mountain with a gorgeous view of Lake Orhid and the Alps in Macedonia. On our second day off, we decided to boarder-hop, and we took a day trip to Macedonia. World Race Rule: One cannot simply be less than an hour away from another country and not visit it. Do it for the passport stamp. Just kidding, actually, do it for the amazing cultural experiences, new foods, and memories that can come with boarder-hops; even if it is only for a day. And, finally, our last off day we spent in Thessaloniki, Greece.
The Lord taught me about leadership, and really walked with me though team leading that month. I grew so much in my ability to trust the Lord in situations where I did not have control or didn’t know the answers. Albania is modern-day Illyria found in Paul’s letters. We visited Thessaloniki, Greece, the recipients of the letters to the Thessalonians. We walked where Paul walked, and did ministry where Paul ministered. It was an awesome experience to realize the places mentioned in the Bible, even though they are vastly different, are still in existence today, and the Lord is still moving there. It was interesting to get to visit places that are a part of Biblical history.
Month 7: Bosnia and Herzegovina
Month 7 was our first ATL/UH month. That is World Race acronym speak for Ask the Lord/Unsung Heroes, which means we didn’t have a formal ministry host. Our task was to ask the Lord where to go and what to do while finding new contacts for the World Race. We moved from city to city within the country meeting with ministries and churches in Bosnia. For the sake of the safety of people serving in the ministries there, I will not include their names or locations, let me tell you, they are awesome people, and it was a pleasure to get to meet and work with so many of them. I’m not going to lie, it was a hard month, but from struggle, comes growth. Hard places are where the most work needs to be done. Those are the places we need to be the most.
We had a lot of control over our schedule, so we saved our days off until the end of the month. We did a whirlwind tour of Bratislava, Slovakia, Vienna, Austria, and Budapest, Hungary in four days of intense exploration, 2 flights, 3 trains, a handful of busses, 30+ miles on foot, and very little sleep. Bratislava was a huge question mark in my head before we left, but it turned out to be an awesome place to explore. Vienna was gorgeous, but impossible to see in a day and a half. Definitely in the “must return” list of places. Budapest is probably the most beautiful city I have ever been in. Great food, much cheaper the the surrounding countries, gorgeous scenery by day and night: 10 out of 10, would recommend.
I was really convicted by the number of people who still need Jesus in the world. The concept of unreached people groups is something I have always been aware of, but it is different when your team of 5 walks into a city of thousands, and there are no other believers. Let me say it louder for the people in the back: ZIP, ZILCH, NADA, NONE, NO OTHER PEOPLE WHO HAVE A RELATIONSHIP WITH JESUS. It was not uncommon to go to towns with one or two believers. The weight of entering a country that was so predominantly unreached was daunting, and the thought of that many people dying and going to Hell hurts my hearts. It is a constant reminder of the urgency of the Gospel message.
Stay tuned, because I’m writing this blog from the airport in Phuket about to board a flight to Malaysia, meaning we have already completed Month 8 in Thailand and Month 9 is starting. So, Month 11 is just around the corner!!!
