When I started my month in Albania, I had my ideas of what ministry looked like on the World Race. I was, in part, expecting to always be in poverty stricken areas where basic needs were unmet. While some locations have been like that, these past two months have been different. Being in Europe, most physical needs are already met, but I learned that there’s so much under the surface that you can’t see.
When we got to Albania, there was a familiarity to being back in the U.S. Many people spoke English, dressed like we did and lived life like a first-world country. People liked talking to Americans to practice English and learn about the culture. While we were building relationships through conversation for most of the month, it was hard to see if what we were doing was making a difference.
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When we told locals we were staying in Patos, Albania, the response was almost always something like, “oh, I’m sorry” or “why”. Patos is a small town in Albania, which compared to much of the country, is pretty rural. I personally liked it, but after seeing other areas of this beautiful country, I can see why locals would say that. During down time, our host, Ylli, took us to see multiple ancient ruin sites and castles nearby. We also spent time in a coastal city, Vlorë – all so beautiful!
Our team stayed at a house connected to the church in Patos. This was the first month of the race where I’ve cooked meals for myself. It was surprisingly harder than I thought after having made minimal food decisions for the past 5 months. This had also been the coldest country so far (especially coming from Africa). Albania was coming out of a harsh winter, so we lit a wood fire stove every night to keep warm. Also, this was the first month of the race where I had hot running water in the shower and to do laundry. Praise!
My team worked with three churches, did children’s ministry and taught at multiple English schools all across 6 towns and villages. At the churches, we shared our testimony and short devotionals. We also led a Saturday morning, VBS-type program for the kids. We’d sing songs, play games and give a bible message. In the gypsy villages, we did a similar program with the kids and then did worship and a message with the adults. For the teens, we did more of a youth group set up with games, a lesson and discussion. We attended a women’s day celebration at a church in Fier, shared a message and learned Albanian dances (see my blog on Learning to Join the Dance).
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It became real to me this month that God is in everything. Much of my life this month was like life back home. I would spend time working on administrative things and logistics for my squad (much like going to work) and then help with the church outreaches during scheduled times. I’d cook, clean, do laundry and spend time with my team (who are more like family). I got to a point in the month where I didn’t feel like I was on a “missions trip” anymore. At first I was concerned I wasn’t “serving enough” or that I needed to do more “ministry”. But, I was reminded by several people that we are living a life on mission. Ministry is our testimony, our worship, our preparation, our actions and reactions, our conversations, our rest. The big awe-inspiring moments and the everyday interactions can have an impact in building God’s kingdom if we choose to abide in the Lord in all of it.
Some months, you can see the impact and fruit of your work right away. The reality of most months for me has been that I cannot see if I’ve made a difference until my last days there or until after I leave. Even then, we won’t know our full impact until we leave this earth. To God be the glory!
