We set foot on Albanian soil one month ago. We arrived exhausted, homeless, and clueless. We’re now leaving behind small comforts of home – a bed, warm shower, and new friends. Our team leaves Albania tomorrow morning. I’m spending today packing my crap, eating my final meal at the Stephen Center- a massive hot dog filled with cheese, fries, salad, Coke, and cheesecake (I definitely splurged), and processing the last month.
I won’t lie- this month has been hard for me. It’s been like roller-coaster. I’ve been the happiest I’ve been on the race, as well as the saddest. I’ve felt the most peace, as well as the most uncertainty. Homesickness is starting to rear its head. I miss my family. I miss my friends. I miss going to see movies and climbing rocks. I miss little things like oreos and Chick-fil-A. The honeymoon phase is starting to wear off. It’s still hard to believe we’re already three months in. It scares me that the year is flying by so fast. I’ll be heading to sweet home Alabama before I know it. (PS: I heard that song being played in a cafe yesterday!) Don’t get me wrong- I’ll be excited to come home. I just want to be able to soak everything in during this trip. I know there is still a long road ahead, and I’m looking forward to our next transition.
I’ll try to wrap up our ministry from the month. Since we partnered with Campus Crusade, we’ve gotten to spend quite a bit of time with its staff and students. These people were truly an inspiration. Communism fell in Albania less than 20 years ago. Under communism people were pretty much told where to live, what profession to have, and how to live their lives. These “pre-ordained” lives didn’t include religion. Communism ended in 1991, which freed people to pursue what they wanted. Albania is now predominantly Muslim. Christianity is a very new concept for them. Because of this context, Christianity is so different here. In America (especially the Bible belt), everyone is a Christian. It’s the cool thing to do. It’s cultural. Kids usually go through the “Is this my faith or my parents’ faith” phase. If you’re not specifically atheist, agnostic, Buddhist, etc., you’re a Christian. It barely means anything anymore. The term “Christian” should be filled with passion, but we now have to distinguish between being a Christian and being a disciple. There shouldn’t be a difference. And for the Albanian people, there’s not. To be a Christian is to go against the flow. To be Christian is to be dedicated. The friends we’ve met here are mostly 1st generation Christians– the first people in their families to follow Christ. This is coming from people in their early 20’s. Many of their parents were apalled that they would leave Islam to become a Christian. However, many of them have led their parents and siblings to Christ as well. Their fire and passion is so exciting. They really like to go out for coffee here. I mean they really like to go out for coffee. Twice a day. Normal conversation consists of telling each other their testimonies. They are serious about their faith and what it means in regards to how they live their lives. There is so much to learn from them.
To view all my pictures from Albania, click HERE.
Please pray for us as we begin traveling again tomorrow. The plan is to catch an eight hour bus ride to Greece, followed by a twelve hour train ride to Istanbul. We’ll spend four days debriefing there before heading to Israel. We’ll be in the Middle East for the next two months, so my blogs won’t contain much detail about our ministries. We also ask that you be sensitive when commenting while we’re there. Basically, just try to avoid Christian-ese words and phrases. Don’t worry too much – we just want to protect our contacts and AIM’s ability to continue to send teams in. Better safe than sorry.
Speaking of comments, they really are greatly appreciated. I feel so disconnected from home sometimes. It’s nice to log on and see that I haven’t been forgotten quite yet. Till next time…
