So this past week the whole squad was together in Tivat, Montenegro. We call this time Debrief. It is a time of reconnecting with everyone, a time to rest both physically and spiritually, and it is also a time to just have fun. I did all three, and Montenegro will go down as one of my favorite weeks of all time.
The week began with a five hour bus ride. In the US, we could have covered the same distance in about 2 hours. But here in Albania/Montenegro, we wound our way through the mountains on one lane roads (in a charter bus), forced to pull over periodically to let cars going the other way pass. The upside of this drive was the view when we got to the sea. The road wound along the coast, and I enjoyed the scenery a lot. When we got to Tivat, we walked to the Hostel, which turned out to be the perfect place for our debrief. The people were friendly, the food was great, and we really loved spending time there.
Throughout the week we had the chance to do many different activities, ranging from wake boarding, hiking, trying out different restaurants, and just enjoying being around the whole squad. We did play a ton of cards, particularly Rich Man Poor Man and Euchre. One day the whole squad chartered a boat and traveled to Kotor, which was located on another part of the bay of Kotor. While we were there, we hiked up to a castle, which offered incredible views of the mountains and the bay (picture below).
We spent a lot of time walking around Porto Montenegro, which is essentially a harbor set up for super yachts, complete with a five-star hotel and shops with prices that made us laugh. We did, however, have a very fun time just walking around the docks and looking at the yachts and stuff. On a couple of the nights we were in Tivat we went night swimming. This was super fun because the water was crystal clear, and it felt so good to jump in after a hot sweaty day.
On the last night, a few of us decided to stay up all night and do a little exploring. Eventually, we ended up on a beach at 4 in the morning watching the moon, which was huge and orange, set over a mountain ridge. It was amazing how quiet and serene it was in that moment. We were all exhausted the next day, but it was so worth staying up just to see that. After we watched that we went back to the hostel and made breakfast at like 5:30 and then waited for everyone else to get up. It was really a great moment, and one that I won’t ever forget. Overall, Montenegro was an awesomely restful and energizing week.
I miss all of you back home, and hope everyone is doing well. Right now I would ask for prayer that God would continue to reveal to me more ways I can serve the community here in Tirana, as well as my team. Also, as a side note, I still have a little more than $1000 to raise before I am fully funded. I am so close! Would you consider donating? Any donation is appreciated. Love you all, and God bless!
