It’s finally here! It finally happened! My bags are stuffed full, my passport has been stamped, and I’ve already survived a 14 hour overnight layover.
I’M ON THE WORLD RACE, EVERYONE!!!
It is hard to explain all the feelings I have been through the past few weeks. Months of preparation for the World Race dragged on for so long that it felt I would never be doing anything but making REI runs, getting vaccinations, and repeating my shpeel a thousand times about what this crazy trip is about. Now I’m sitting in an adorable cafe in Albania, covered in layers of sweat, and absolutely loving this country. I have had so much built-up energy since I signed up for the Race, and now that I am finally living this dream, it feels a bit surreal. I am all in.
I arrived in Atlanta last weekend for our official launch. We stayed in a hotel and had endless sessions and meetings to prepare for our first destination. The first day or so we were told what our ministry for this month would be and I could’ve dropped to the floor from the excitement/nerves. For the month of July my team Arm the Masses will be participating in the ministry called Unsung Heroes. I am so pumped to share what this is!
Unsung Heroes month is different from all other months on the Race. Normally we would be set up with our contact in each country and work alongside them doing whatever we can to bless them, help with whatever they need, and work together to further the kingdom of God. On UH month, we have no contact, no pre-arranged living accomodations and must live day to day on a strict budget. The whole point of this month is to seek out more of these contacts to partner with Adventures in Missions. What does this look like? Let’s just say it takes some flexibility and being in tune constantly with the Holy Spirit for every step we take. We will be networking, setting up interviews, traveling from city to city as the Holy Spirit leads, and talking to anyone and everyone about what we are doing.
What’s especially unique for our team’s UH experience is that we are beginning the Race with a giant leap of faith with no choice but to jump in. We have zero prior experience with a normal month to ease into this adventure, and we had zero pre-existing leads to start with. However, I think this is the perfect fit for our team. I fully believe that each one of my teammates and I are together because there is an anointing on each of us that multiplies when we work together. We all have some awesome giftings, but most of all we are excited to lean on the Holy Spirit in a radical way to see things shift in the atmosphere of Albania.
During our prayer for the people of Albania and for direction, I happened to stumble across a passage (while looking for something entirely different) that I believe is a prophetic statement for this month: “Hungry and thirsty their soul fainted in them. Then they cried out to the Lord in their trouble, and He delivered them out of their distresses. And He led them forth by the right way, that they might go to a city for a dwelling place. Oh that men would give thanks to the Lord for His goodness, and for His wonderful works to the children of men! For He satisfies the longing soul, and fills the hungry soul with goodness.” Pssh, ya! Super good! God is heading up this thing. We believe that there are men and women of God in Albania who have been ministering faithfully in their community for years but have maybe reached a point that they have been praying and crying out for God to send help their way. This is where our prayers are for God to give us these people, our unsung heroes. Our desire is to pour out blessing and become a means of answered prayer for them. We want to see established ministries flourish right where they are at and we want to demonstrate the power of the body of Christ in partnership. We have already sensed that this nation has an incredible hunger for God the Father and we are so thrilled to see what unfolds this month.
I have to be real and say that I have already shed some tears over the beautiful people of this country. For those who know me at all or have even just seen me at church this isn’t a surprise- I bawl during baby dedications, haha. But I prayed for God to give me a heart for the people in this wonderful nation. He has already started moving in me just with the simple interactions I have had with people on the street and in cafes the last couple days. They are some of the most kind-hearted and generous people I have ever done life with. We are invited into their daily lives everywhere we go and made a part of their circle. It is truly humbling and heart-warming to be here and love these people as well as I can.
It’s only been a few short days here in Tirana, Albania but Holy Spirit has been so faithful to lead us and provide us with incredible new friendships and provisions along the way. I have so much to share about our experiences, so stay tuned!
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I am also SO AMPED to share that I am currently at $13,352 in my fundraising goal of $16,277, which means I am 82% percent funded!!! Woohoooo!!! Thank you SO MUCH to all of my faithful supporters in prayer and donations. I’m here because of your obedience to the Holy Spirit and the faithfulness of my good, good Father. I love you all!!!
