My time in Albania is coming to an end. I can’t believe that I have spent two months in this beautiful country! When we first heard that instead of another country, we would stay in Albania, I have to admit that I was a little sad. I knew that it was possible that we would not be getting 11 countries, but to have it be a reality was a little difficult to swallow. However, God always knows what He is doing, so of course, He used Albania for incredible things! Now that I am getting ready to leave, I know I will miss it greatly!
This has been a month of growth, though I still have a loooong way to go. I have really loved the ministry host that we have been working with during month 3. Two teams, C.I.A and The Early Birds, have the same host and are working together, which is a really cool experience! (Our new unofficial team name is “Birds Aren’t Real”) Our ministry host is a church in the city of Elbasan. They have English classes, youth groups, community outreaches, house visits, clinics in nearby villages, and so much more. I think everyone has really enjoyed coming alongside this ministry and have found something that uses us in our unique ways or passions. Thank you, God!! We have been living with a family that is connected to the church. The mom is extremely hospitable, self-sacrificing, and kind to us. She keeps calling us her American children! She is really sweet and a great cook. She also has two children, one of which is an 8 year-old girl. She instantly fell in love with us, and us with her. She is teaching us a lot, mostly about patience, boundaries, and parenthood! We are now on our last week here. I am excited to see where God takes us, but am so glad for where He has put us right now!
Here are just a few short stories that show what God has been doing.
Story 1- The Stranger
I am not comfortable with people I do not know. Walking up to someone on the street has never been my preferred method or forte. However, it is something I want to improve on, especially when it comes to spreading God’s love and His Good News. One such opportunity for growth came when we were doing personal visits with people that have connections with the church. We had two planned for the day. The first was at a house. We stopped by a market to get them some food and supplies and then headed over. The house belonged to a very sweet woman who invited us in, brought sweets and fruits, and made sure that all 12 of us had a place to sit. We talked briefly, invited her to church and Bible Study, and prayed over her and her family. We then left to go to the second person. For this one, we had to walk to the other side of the city, where he was working, selling cigarettes in a park.
I felt compelled to take the lead, which is not typically what I do. I would much rather let someone else do all the talking and merely encourage, listen, interceed silently, and support. However this time, I started asking questions and speaking to him. We talked briefly about religion and his faith. He mentioned that he tries to seek God and walk/work on the right path. I asked if Jesus was that right path. He said that he doesn’t know but wants to find out. I decided to leave it at that for now and invited him to Bible Study. I then asked if we could pray over him. Our translator and ministry partner said that prayer in public is seen as strange and uncommon, but after a few seconds of hesitation said that we can.
I asked my team if anyone felt led by the Spirit to pray for the man, but everyone said I should, so I did. I prayed for healing, his family, provision, but most importantly, that he would meet Jesus and be covered by His blood.
As of now, the man still hasn’t come to church or Bible Study and I don’t know if he will choose the truth, but I pray that God will open his eyes and touch his heart.
Story 2- A Hug
As uncomfortable as I am with talking to strangers, I am even more uncomfortable with physical touch. I even struggle with it towards my own family. But again, I want to improve in this and let God work through me, no matter what, so He gave me an opportunity.
Some of the guys spent a morning moving beds to our host home. We visited two houses briefly, grabbed the disassembled bed parts and then took them to where we were staying. At the first house, we met a woman who immediately asked our names and gave us a piece of candy, which is a very typical Albanian greeting. We didn’t spend much time there and left shortly after we got the bed. That seemed to be the end of it.
Almost a week later, we heard that one of our lunches would be provided by a woman in the church who wanted to have both teams (11 Racers) in her house. When we got there, it turned out to be the same woman. As soon as she saw me, she pulled me in for a hug and said, “Malakia”, which is how Albanians pronounce the book of the Bible. She somehow remembered me more than she remembered some of the other guys on the teams (which doesn’t happen very often to me). She then personally invited me to sit right next to her on a bench that we pulled into her house.
She served us a wonderful lunch of byrek, which Albanians call pie. It is a type of thin pastry filled with something, usually either cheese, spinach, onions, or some combination of those. During the meal, we asked her questions like her favorite Bible verse, worship song, etc. and she told us her story. Her son, who had been the worship leader of the church had died three years before. With tears in her eyes, she told us about him and how they had all come to know Jesus. It was truly beautiful. She was mourning, not out of a lack of faith in God but out of a never-ending well of love and emotion for the child God had blessed her with. It made me look at Christian grief and mourning a little differently. I felt led to hug her and even held her hand while we prayed for her. (Everyone, especially the people on my team, looked at me with excited disbelief, amazed that I was participating in physical touch.)
Over the weeks, I got to know her more. She came to church where we were able to talk about her life and faith. I was able to pray over her. On the last day we were there, she even got up during the service, spoke about me by name, and led a worship song in response to a question I had asked her during that lunch. All of this was extremely humbling. What an incredible learning experience God gave me!
The last thing to say about this was that God knew she needed someone to love her and remind her of God’s infinite, unconditional well. He chose to use the most unqualified person on the entire squad to do that. In fact, the only reason she gravitated to me in the first place was because I physically reminded her of her son, especially my stubble. The words that I hope never to forget are: “When I hug you, it’s like I’m hugging my very own son, once again.” Those words instantaneously broke my heart, filled me with joy, and made me praise God for His will and wisdom.
Albania was incredible, and honestly, I have a ton more stories from this country. Suffice it say, God is so good. He is teaching me things I didn’t even think I needed to know, putting me in places I didn’t ever know I would be, and showing me that there is so much about having a relationship with Him that I still need to learn about and experience.
I leave you with a question: What is God trying to teach, tell, or show you in the simple stories you gain every single day? You may be surprised with who or what He uses!
