As I sit in a tiny shared bedroom of our hostel in Kyrgyzstan, I am overcome with emotions.
I feel so blessed to have just spent the last month in Bar, Montenegro, and simultaneously feel so sad to have left. It’s like… I have the knowledge of knowing that Kyrgyzstan now is exactly where the Lord has me (and has our squad), and still I feel this sadness and longing in my heart for the people we just spent the past month pouring into.
With that, it feels only fitting to make a permanent spot for some stories and people on my blog, and so I’d love to share some of my experiences from Montenegro with you.
The biggest thing I’ve learned being on the field so far is: The Lord’s timing is perfect. This is something I’ve grown up hearing and said countless times myself. But never in my life have I ever seen this lived out as much as I have in Montenegro. Specifically, the story of God’s glory during a nail appointment.
Let me give some context. From the very first day we started ministry until the literal moment we flew out of the country, we divinely encountered so many people without even trying.
The very first day we drove into Bar, we walked down to the beach, and my teammate Steph walked into the first coffee shop she saw. Little did we know it then, but that coffee shop would end up being the place where we would meet our first friends, our ministry contact, and would spend many hours talking and fellowshipping with one another.
Here’s Ariana. She’s a woman we met on our very first day at said coffee shop in Bar. Immediately, Ariana took me & the women on my team under her wing. Upon first hanging out with her, she insisted on showing us the entire country in one day. So she did. She also showered us with friendship and hospitality in such a beautiful way, feeding us, clothing us, and taking us out to do fun girly things in the city.
If Steph hadn’t stopped for coffee, just a normal everyday routine for her, we wouldn’t have met Ariana. We wouldn’t have seen the country in one day like we did. And we wouldn’t have gotten our nails done.
Oh yeah… the nail appointment.
Okay so let me explain.
I have never in my life gotten fake nails. I don’t even normally paint my nails because I play guitar and rock climb. But seeing as we had no access to a guitar at the time or a wall to climb, I decided to give into Ariana’s request and get my nails done.
Except I had no idea what I was getting myself into.
Upon arriving at the nail place, Elina (my teammate) and I quickly realized it wasn’t an actual nail salon. It was an entryway to an apartment that was barely big enough to sit 3 people without touching knees. Our nail lady, Tanya, greeted us with a warm “zdravo” and gestured for us to sit down. To back track, it had been pouring rain and hail prior to us arriving at Tanya’s apartment, so Elina and I quickly sat with wet jeans and socks and wind-whipped hair in the seats provided for us. As Ariana and Tanya talked, Ariana explained to us that Tanya didn’t really speak english. Ariana then told us that she would be leaving as soon as her nails were done because she had errands to run, leaving us with Tanya, who to our knowledge, didn’t speak english. My initial gut reaction was to feel a little nervous. Would Tanya know what we wanted? Would our nails turn out well? Would we be sitting with her in silence for the hours it would take to finish our nails?
Elina and I kept chatting in English while Ariana and Tanya spoke quietly in Montenegrin. Soon enough, Ari’s nails were done and Elina and I were left with sweet Tanya.
After a few nervous and bumpy sentences, it became clear to us that Tanya spoke English fairly well actually! She was shy to practice because it had been a while, but we encouraged her to keep speaking.
After a bit of time had passed she asked us a question that stopped me in my tracks.
“Do you love God 100% or 50%?”
Elina and I, slightly taken aback, answered confidently, “100%! We love God.”
Tanya then expressed to us how SHE loved The Lord and how we were the first people she met in Montenegro who gave the answer we did.
And for the next three hours, Elina, Tanya, and I got to talk about everything the Lord had done for our souls. We got to jump straight into our life-stories, testimony after testimony (with a little help from Google Translate), and were able to encourage one another in love. It was such a sweet experience.
The next thing I know I look down and Elina and I had acquired long and dramatic fake nails that honestly shocked us. In the midst of talking about the Lord and all the good He’d Lavished on us, we didn’t even think about what was going on right in front of us. It was honestly hilarious. Elina and I could not stop laughing at how ridiculous and unlike ourselves we felt.
Yet I’m certain that if I was given the chance again to encourage someone and glorify Jesus for four hours straight in a nail salon, I would take it. And the nails that would come with it.
I love how ministry can look like anything. One thing our squad mentor Megan always says is, “ministry is life, life is ministry”, and that has never been more true for me than the past 2 months of my life. The Lord’s timing can be challenging for us, but it is always perfect. My encouragement to you today would be to seek His face through every moment of the day.
He loves you, He cares for you, He made you, and He wants to be with you.
I love you all so much!
Thank you for reading.
Love,
Kori
p.s.
Please be praying for my squad as we have changed countries, teams, and are just now figuring out what ministry looks like! I’m thankful for your prayers more than words can say.
Okay fine I’ll show you. These are the nails HAHAHAHA
(My nails, which I filed off exactly two days after getting them done hahahaha. I could barely tie my shoes.)
(Elina’s nails!)
(Our pants which were completely soaked by rain/hail. At least I can look back now and laugh!)
I love y’all! Talk to you soon.
