A Full House and a Free Tattoo

There have been very few months on the race where we have been able to see the fruits of our labor. We know that we plant seeds and share God's love with all kinds of people, but it's normal for us to leave countries month after month never knowing what real impact we had. And because of that, I think it's easy for me to blog about seemingly insignificant things. My adventures. My perspective. What it's like to live in places where the only means of communicating is via charades.

Months where it's harder to see that we have made a difference are hard, but we have faith that God continues to work after we leave. However, I'm excited that this is not the case for us this month. We have been so blessed to build great friendships and watch God move through the most unlikely of people.

Donnaldi, Gerti, Seldio, and Fjoralbi are a few guys out of the many men that our team has been able to minister to this month. They are a little rough around the edges. Some of them have tattoos, which is quite frowned upon in their culture. They don't have jobs and they fill most of their time in cafe's, smoking cigarettes, playing cards, and watching futbol.

One day in the beginning of the month they played ping pong with us, and who would have ever thought that two days later we would be in Donnaldi's bedroom getting free tattoos!?

Tattoo ministry is absolutely real, by the way. And praise the Lord because we were able to connect with these guys on their turf. They were able to see Christians who do things a little differently, and God was able to open their eyes, and eventually their hearts, and we became great friends. Never did I ever expect to be in a position where I would be offered a free tattoo in someone's bedroom if only I bought my own tattoo needle (for $1!). It sounds way sketchier than it actually was, I promise! But God totally used this opportunity to pour into this group of men.

On Sunday I sat in church and watched as every single chair filled up. In a church where maybe three people in addition to our team attended a few weeks ago, sat 15 twenty-somethings that we have built relationships with this month. They were hearing the Word of God. They were praying. They were being loved by Christians in their own community. And I hope more than anything that they continue going after we leave this week.

A few nights ago Jen and I had coffee with the guys, and I was able to share my testimony with them. "You used to smoke pot?" they exclaimed. They couldn't believe it. But through that I was able to share Jesus with them and teach them that they are loved and they are capable of loving others. TYJ!

I'm so grateful to see the impact we are having here in Albania. I'm so glad to be a part of what God is doing here. A full house in a church in a small village in Albania is so encouraging for our team to keep pushing forward.

I have absolutely left my heart here in Albania. With the high school girls, the children from Sunday school, the farm animals, the young men, the beautiful countryside, and most of all with our awesome host family. I love it all. And I hope and pray God brings me back here someday.

Please pray for the men AND the women here. Unemployment is a huge problem, and men are viewed as superior to women. Many women feel trapped and under-appreciated. This country needs prayer!

The story of my tattoo

Last year as I was leaving Guatemala, my heart ached and I cried out to The Lord. I was angry that He gave me such a big heart. A heart that loves so deeply and breaks often as a result. "God, why did you give me a heart that loves so much that it hurts?"

His response was so clear.

"Lindsey, I want you to love until it hurts, because that's how much I love you. And whenever your heart breaks, I will heal it."

I knew then that I wanted to get a broken heart tattoo as a reminder to always love until my heart breaks. I decided to get a tree in the middle because out of everything in nature, nothing represents how I view God more than a tree. He is my shelter. He protects me. He helps me see things from a different perspective. And trees also represent seasons of life and the fruits of the spirit. So I decided to get this tattoo here in Albania.

We recently passed the halfway point of the race, and I caught myself closing off my heart to people. It is hard to leave friends month after month, and I was trying to protect myself. I knew it was the perfect time to get this tattoo so I could remember to finish this race loving just as deeply as I did in the beginning. And I'm definitely leaving a piece of my heart here in Albania.