Coming to Albania has been a new experience. The first day here I was gazing out on a rooftop overlooking the city of Tirana. I was quick to notice the Soviet-era buildings with that air of sameness. Those buildings however have been painted different colors since the fall of communism to make them look a little distinct. It is an interesting mix of an old Eastern-bloc communist past but with its own distinct cultural identity and modern progress. The religious mixture of Islam, Eastern Orthodox Catholicism and Atheism all mixed together in this Adriatic corner of Europe.
This ministry has a lot of being involved in sports, games, and teaching English classes. We even do small skits or dramas for the kids. It is definitely a community outreach. Cold is the one word right now for my initial time in this country. There is such a difference in this climate from our previous place in Africa. This is the coldest place yet on the race. Most of us had to rush to get winter clothes our second day here.
After coming out of Africa, my team is stronger than ever before. We learned how to stand strong together a pray together for one another and I’ve seen our prayers working in other’s lives and have seen the effects of consistent praying. Mainly in the lives of people in families back home. That is the great other half of our ministry and it is awesome to see.
