Albania….What do you think of?
I hardly knew what/where Albania was when I found out that it was the country I would be spending three months in. When I got here, I had done all kinds of research about what it would be like, but that had no good results. It is so different than what I expected. However, in the past two months I’ve begun to understand much more about these people than I ever thought I would. I remember saying that I loved the idea of 3 months because it was actually enough time to invest in someone, but now I’m completely invested the whole culture. Let me tell you a few things about Albania:
1. During the dictatorship, Albania was the only country in the world to have written Atheism into their constitution. That doesn’t just mean they weren’t allowed to be Christians, this means they weren’t allowed to worship any god at all. The churches were destroyed, the priests were killed, and anyone talking about any god could be put in jail. This only changed 23 years ago. Even then, those years were filled with anarchy and small wars. When I ask why I was never taught this, I was told “because it’s just Albania”….as if this one small country wasn’t important. It’s been hard to live in a place where you don’t feel important. And even then, I’m more important because I’m American. What is that? – Privilege.
2. After many years of suffering, I see hardened hearts here in Albania. The country and these people have been forced to fight for everything they have. Every woman over the age of 30 has experienced pain in a way I could never understand. They remember not being allowed to pray and having “there is no God” taught in school every day. Even now, it is so difficult to get/keep a job, and the young men have little motivation.
3. Communism hasn’t been all bad. In some ways, communism taught the people to share, and the Albanians are some of the gracious people I’ve met. They’re also a million times more open to relationship-building than anyone I’ve ever met in the States. However, each of those things has been balanced out with something negative, which has made it harder to reach people. So many of the people are more concerned with pleasing you or saying the “right thing,” so our evangelizing could really make no difference.
4. Albania is a source country. This means that it is a source for prostitutes, drugs, weapons, and more. Because Albania is directly across the channel from Italy and is the closest point to Western Europe, men go out to the villages, offer women jobs and husbands, and take them across to western Europe to traffic them. The saddest part is that the women are too naive to know what could be happening until they’re already gone. Where are the sex-slavery “abolitionists” in Albania?
5. Racism is very real here. Each week we go out into the Roma community and bring them food and play with the children. The Roma’s are gypsies, and are basically a much harder version of a homeless person in America. Their full time work is begging on the streets of Tirana, and the Albanian’s are so racist toward them that their situation will likely not change for a long time. Things like this make America feel like a joke. Our “sexism” and “racism” may be real things, but they are so much smaller than in so many other parts of the world. It makes me feel selfish for never knowing it.
Altogether, I’m speechless because of how little understanding I had about the rest of the world. Even then, it’s only been 2 months and I’ve only been to one small country. I’m just in awe of the world that God has made.
On a more personal level, Albania has been hard. These past few weeks have made it feel like home, but I still miss my home. However, Albania has made some things more obvious to me. I see myself thinking more deeply, spending more time in prayer, being more vulnerable, being more conscience of myself, and many more things. In some ways, there are just too many things to say. While I kind of feel like the exact person I was when I left, I see the product of God shaping me and sharpening me. I am often challenged and pushed outside of my comfort zone. The ministries and the people here do so much good, and I can’t even tell you what a blessing it is to be with them for just three months. I could spend all nine in this one place. Whether I make any small difference in this country, I believe with all my heart that the Lord has a plan for Albania.
Please be in prayer about all of the things I talked about, and also me! I’ve really seen the power of prayer while here, and I feel more comforted and confident when I know that people are praying for me. Also, if you feel like emailing me, my email is [email protected] , and I love to get them! 🙂
Lastly, I am still in need of $2000 to reach my final goal!! I am so glad to be where God has called me, and so thankful to see how He has provided. If you feel called, please don’t hesitate to donate or get in contact with me.
All my love!
