As I reflect back on the last 6 weeks overseas, mostly in Albania, it’s been one of the coolest experiences of my life so far! Everyone tells us to avoid having expectations on the World Race because your expectations are bound to be blown out of the water. I tried to avoid those expectations but I at least expected to do the usual one ministry per month because that’s what the World Race is – 11 countries/ministries in 11 months… That expectation was broken literally the first day we arrived in Albania. In the first 6 weeks of the World Race I will have been involved in 6 different ministries in three different countries! Including short sightseeing adventures that didn’t include ministry, it makes 6 countries in 6 weeks. But I’ll avoid the obvious 666 reference…
I mentioned briefly in a previous blog that we were partnering with Hope for the World, Albania in Marikaj, Albania. We spent the first two weeks staying at a home for orphaned and abandoned teens where our main ministry was to build relationships with them and encourage them what it looked like to live godly lives as well as to help prepare them for life after the orphanage. They are able to stay at the orphanage until they are 18 and then they must leave and either go live with family or begin supporting themselves. We however could only stay there 2 weeks because our host was leaving to travel back to America for some time. So we had to relocate to Bajram Curri, Albania a different location of the same organization. There, my team was able to help out in many different ways. This was still mainly a relational ministry for us where we had opportunities to get to know young Albanian adults / teens and encourage them with their walks with God. My team also had opportunities to help prepare meals for their feeding center, teach English classes, landscaping, and I also had opportunities to do basic plumbing and mechanical repairs which was fun for me. We spent about a week in Bajram Curri when a need arose just across the border in Kosovo. Local American missionaries were working on building and developing a camp into a resource for local churches to hold summer camps and church retreats. We spent two days in Kosovo pouring concrete and also watched a christian movie with Kosovan teens and discussed the christian values and truths in the film with the teens. We then packed up and rode back to Albania and spent three days in Shkoder, Albania visiting several christian orphanages for orphans and the mentally handicapped. That concluded the first “month” of the World Race.
The second month is an all-squad month where all 45 members of my squad join each other in a large ministry setting. Our original ministry was in Lezhë, Albania working with Lightforce International. They have a summer camp that ministers and shares the gospel to thousands of young Albanians ever year. The founder of the organization, George Ridley, is a big proponent of self sustaining missions. He has started a farm at the summer camp and raises goats, sheep and pigs for income to support the ministry there. As a result, they haven’t needed any American funding in years! However it takes a lot of work to run the farm which is where our squad comes into the picture. This month our squad will be working on a farm doing demolition, pouring concrete, painting, shoveling lots of animal poop, and I’ve personally been given the task of fixing all the tools that break. And when you’re using 100 year old hammers to smash concrete walls etc. you wind up breaking lots of tools. This was supposed to be what our 2nd month looked like however in the last 48 hours we were reminded that things can change very quickly on the World Race.
Adventures in Missions has been looking for opportunities to respond to the Syrian refugee crisis in the Middle East. Our squad happens to be very close to the middle of the crisis, specifically in Greece. So on October 21st our squad will pack our bags at the farm and head to the island of Lesvos, Greece to help on the front lines of the Syrian refugee crisis. We will be helping Euro Relief, a Christian Greek organization who is partnering with the UN.
The following paragraphs are from the ministry hosts we will be helping out in Greece:
“The United Nations Refugee Agency has setup a camp between two beaches/landing points. They have invested heavily into this camp (tents, storage containers, bathrooms, fences, etc) and as of today (Oct 12th) decided to completely handover the entire camp and it’s responsibilities to Euro Relief. This is huge because we are the only NGO that is run by believers. We now have the opportunity to set the culture and interact with hundreds of muslims (which are seeking a new life), until they get bussed to the main town to get a ferry ticket and head to Athens.
In addition to the camp we have been given the responsibility of assisting boats that come in at one of the most remote and dangerous beaches. While it receives relatively less boats than the more “popular landing spots” it is quite possibly one of the most important spots because of how dangerous, rocky and remote it is. Passengers can easily get hurt and if there is a medical emergency it is a four hour walk uphill down a dirt road (that mothers and children are having to walk) after coming off of these boats completely wet and often in the dark since many boats are now coming in at night to avoid the coast guard.
Just today there was a man that was having a seizure and coughing up blood as he came off the boat and another that was having a heart attack. This happened on the more remote landing spot by the light house. Had a team not been present, these individuals would have had to walk 4 hours uphill in the dark (with no flashlights) to seek help.
Last week a mother and baby drowned. And another child was crushed on the boat and died of internal injuries a few hours after arriving. This is for real.”
And on Sunday the BBC reported that 12 migrants (4 children) had drowned trying to reach Lesvos.
We are told there are 3,000-4,000 refugees arriving in Lesvos, Greece daily. We will be helping receiving a portion of these refugees fleeing Syria, Iraq and Afghanistan. Our work will be working 12 hours shifts helping boats arrive safely on these dangerous beaches, preparing warm meals, beds, showers and rooms for refugee families. We’ll also be doing documentation and paperwork that the Greek government requires for the refugees that are passing through Greece.
So the first 6 weeks have been pretty intense in terms of moving around a lot and experiencing serval different types of ministries. Some ministries have been harder than others. I’ve learned more about what ministry looks like however and it doesn’t always have to look like walking door to door inviting Muslims to church or whatever they think church is. If you’re serving the Lord in some capacity and your heart is serving God then it’s appropriate ministry.
- Sometimes that simply looks like hanging out with the missionaries and pastors because it can get very lonely being a missionary or pastor in a town that’s 99% Muslim.
- Sometimes it looks like driving into the mountains to get clean water for the pastor and his family so he can spend more time with his family relaxing.
- Sometimes it looks like sharing your testimony through a translator to teens that are afraid to trust in Christ for fear their family and community will reject them.
- Sometimes it looks like helping devastated families (that just lost family members on a raft trying to cross the Aegean Sea) make the 4 hour uphill walk in the middle of the night to reach the refugee camp.
- Sometimes it looks like preparing warm meals, beds, and clothes
- Sometimes it looks like pouring concrete.
- Sometimes it looks like shoveling pig poop.
- Sometimes it looks like playing games with orphans and letting kids much younger than you beat you in soccer.
I’ve learned though that it doesn’t matter if it’s front line missions or behind the scenes missions, it’s still serving God and bringing glory to Him. Please pray for my 6 person team and my larger 45 person squad the next few weeks as we deal with countless refugees fleeing the Syrian civil war. Pray that we can be a light for them and that some good can come out of our time in Greece.
If you could also pray for me personally that I’ll soften my heart and be more receptive towards God. I really want to be challenged and grow closer to God and that can’t happen if my heart is calloused.
I’m also getting really close to being fully funded as well! I’m at $13,800 out of $16,267 (85%)! You all have been incredible and so generous! Your donations have and continue to make a difference all across the globe. If you wish to donate and help me reach 100% just follow the “support me” link on my blog site.
