I know I’m in month seven of the race now, but sometimes this whole blogging thing is still hard to keep up with. I realized after writing my last blog with the update about Greece that I never actually told all of you what last month in Albania looked like.
Week 1 > Baltez/Fier, Albania
When we arrived in Albania, we were told that we would be living in a Roma (gypsy) village for the first week. When we got there, we were blown away by the beauty of the farmland and the mountains. We discovered it was more like being at home on the farm with grandma and grandpa (also known as Pharoah and Latif, our hosts for the week). We did random tasks each day and each evening we hosted VBS for kids in the community. I also cooked meals for the six women on my team each day using two pots, one knife, one spatula, and one propane burner. It was interesting, but so fun! VBS started out rough as we had no idea what the expectations of this time were, but by the end of the week we were finally able to keep the kids attention as we put on skits, presented the gospel, did crafts (my personal favorite), taught songs, and played games. We always ended the evening by serving snacks and juice. I loved loving on these kids, and seeing the Lord work through each member of my team to provide what the kids needed that week.
Week 2 > Vlore/Tirana, Albania
We made a couple day pit stop in the beautiful coastal city of Vlore for a on our way to the capital city of Tirana. This city is absolutely stunning! We got to stop at our host, Ylli’s, church and meet his family. We did a children’s time at the church and then attended Sunday service the next morning where my teammate Allie shared encouraging words with the church. Saturday evening, Ylli and his family took us for a walk out by the beach and we watched one of the most beautiful sunsets I’ve ever seen!
We arrived in Tirana and settled into our new digs. We had a small office to keep all of our things, and a room where church was held to sleep in. Though it was small, it was one of the cleanest places we’ve rested our heads on the race, so I was more than happy. Week two and three, we worked with new hosts who were absolutely amazing and have huge hearts for the Roma communities around Tirana. Week 2 of our ministry consisted of running another VBS in a new community in the mountains of Tirana. We had about 60 kids in attendance all week and just as the week before the Lord totally moved while in and through us to reach these kids. We operated under the same basic format as the week before, except the Lord gave my teammate Sara verses to have the students memorize every day. Now, even if they don’t yet fully understand what they mean, they have the words of God in their minds.
Week 3 > Tirana/Durres, Albania
This week we hosted new kids from a different Roma community in Tirana. This time there were students of all ages instead of just elementary age, and instead of hosting VBS like we thought, we simply took them to the beach for two days. We had fun with them, laughed with them, chatted with them, played volleyball, built sand castles, and played soccer (well, not me, but my teammates. We all know soccer was always my weakest sport.) Those two days were an absolute blast!
Wednesday, we got an unexpected break from children’s ministry and got to go to a women’s small group meeting instead. Before we arrived, we were told the struggles of the community and asked if anyone who related to those struggles would share their testimony. I ended up sharing parts of my walk to freedom in the Lord with the women as well as several other people on my team. The women then began to open up to us and share their stories. We talked about struggles, forgiveness, love, and mercy. Then, my teammate Caitlin got a word of encouragement from the Lord and shared it with the room. As we all departed, I could feel a peaceful spirit of “I’m not alone” enrapture the room. That Lord definitely moved in those two hours with the women and were were all so thankful for what he had done.
Thursday as our final day of ministry in Albania. We were all set to do another day of children’s ministry with many of the children of the women we had worked with the day before. When we got to our ministry site, we had to wait for an hour and a half before we started ministry and in that time I got really sick. My teammates were gracious enough to let me go home for the afternoon so that I could rest. My team and I then headed on to Budva, Montenegro for a couple of days of rest before moving to Macedonia for debrief with the squad.
As you all know, my team and I are now in Greece doing a month of ATL (ask the Lord) ministry. God has already provided so many incredible opportunities for my team and I, and we are excited to see what else he has in store for us this month!
*At this point in the race, I have gotten sick at least once per month every month. I would love if you all would join with me in prayer for my health. I do not usually get sick at all in the states, so dealing with all of this abroad has been incredibly frustrating for me.*
