Përshëndetje Albania!

Përshëndetje! (Per-shin-debt)

I know …. that is quite a mouth-full for the simple greeting of Hello. Albanian is an extremely difficult language and the people here in Albania take pride in it. I’ve only picked up about maybe 10 words/phrases during my time here, and most of them are too random to be useful in everyday conversation.

So, my team and I have been in Tirana, Albania for a little over a month now, and it has been a blessing to see the Lord continue to work and change hearts around the world!

A favorite thing of mine has been the continual relationship-building with the people here in Tirana. This has been so fruitful and life-giving to each of us as we have been simply loving others as we are called to do!

Another favorite thing about this month has been seeing my teammates thrive as their giftings are activated in our different forms of ministry. Our goal is to encourage and empower each other to walk in their gifts as well as gently pushing each other into pursuing new giftings that we may desire or that God has been equipping us for.

And one more favorite has been the Albanian ice cream – two scoops in a waffle cone for about a $1.20. What a steal! The snickers flavor is the absolute best, and we go often enough that we’ve made friends as the ice cream stand!

Here is a list of some of the ministries we’ve been doing here! God has been very purposeful with our time here as well as out interactions, and it has been such an honor to be partnering with Him in these ways!

Vacation Bible School

We’ve been blessed with the opportunity to plan and put on a VBS twice during our time here! I cannot even begin to tell y’all how much I’ve loved doing these! Building relationships with the kiddos over the past month has been so sweet, and our goal was just to smother them with Truth.

God has been so evident in His pupose for these children, and it has been such a blessing to see Him come alive for the children!

Our ministry hosts had asked us to set them up well for after we leave, so we’ve created an additional two sets of VBS for them to use. We’re hoping that the spiritual flames that have been ignited in these children will continue to grow!

Specific Prayer Requests:

• The children’s hearts will continued to be softened and receptive to the Truth of who God is and what Hes has done for them.
• The parents of these children as they go home and tell their parents about what they’ve been learning. Pray that doors will be opened for further conversations grounded in faith and truth.
• The church is looking to raise up a leader to take over teaching VBS on Sunday mornings. Pray that Lord is already starting to prepare and equip the new teacher’s heart to shepherd and love these children well and that He will give a clear answer and confirmation on who the new leader shall be.
• That the Lord will be sought in every decision regarding this ministry and that hearts will be aligned to His purpose.

Outreach

We do outreach about four evenings a week, and they look different each night depending on what the Lord calls us to do during that time.

It has looked like building relationships through sports, coffee, and ice cream. Sometimes, it’s worship, praying, and/or dancing in the park. We’ve also evangelized and shared testimonies as well as had people over to the church for fellowship.

Specific Prayer Requests:

• That we will continue to seek out the Lord’s desires during our outreach time. May we clearly hear His heart for the city of Tirana and may He lead us to the divine appointments He has set.
• For the hearts of the people that we interact with, for the planting of seeds, and for the softening of hearts.
• We have an “outreach bucket list” of sorts that we want to do here before we leave. Please pray for those interactions as well as clarity in the timing of them.
• That the Lord will continue to provide us with opportunities to reach the people in Albania.

Prayer & Worship

Once a week, the church we are partnered with hosts a prayer and worship night. This has been a sweet time to just sit and be with our Father and praise Him for who He is! We also take this time to pray for the people, the city of Tirana, and the country of Albania as well as anything else the Lord lays on our hearts.

In addition, my team and I take time to pray in the mornings for anything and everything the Lord puts on our hearts. If there is anything you’d like prayer for, please reach out, and we will be happy to pray for you!

Specific Prayer Requests:

• That the people who attend these events are filled with the love and peace of our Father.
• That the Lord may be lifted up and praised for simply what an amazing God He is.
• That the Spirit will lay specific prayers on our hearts to be interceding for specific desires of the Lord’s heart.
• That the Lord continues to meet His children where they are at and that their hearts will be constantly ready to receive a new part of Him.

Food Program

This program is once a month, so we’ve only done it once since we’ve been here. But it is a wonderful program in which bags of food are packed and given to people in need. They come to the church, receive a bag of food, are prayed over, and then exposed to a quick Gospel-centered message.

Specific Prayer Requests:

• That the Lord will continue to bring the people who are both physically and spiritually hungry to this ministry.
• That the Lord will continue to provide the money and food needed to offer this program.
• That the Lord will have the hearts of these people opened and receptive to His love.

Roma Community

Tomorrow, we get the opportunity to go out into the Roma community for the day to love on the village children and work with people with special needs.

The Roma community is usually considered outcasted from society, and they are in need of the love and hope that Jesus has to offer.

Specific Prayer Requests:

• That the Lord’s presence will be known and felt tomorrow.
• That hearts will be open to the Gospel and to the love of the Father.
• That we seek the Lord’s heart in each interaction as well as direction in the activities for tomorrow.

Thank you so much for all of your prayers so far! I cannot stress the power and importance of prayer enough, so y’all have no idea how much your prayers mean to me and my team!

In a few weeks, we will be heading to South Africa and Lesotho for our final leg of the race. Please be praying for us and the people we will encounter as we prepare for what the Lord has for us there!

Much love and praying many blessings over y’all!

But God intended it for good, to accomplish what is now being done – the saving of many lives. – Genesis 50:20