Albania in Snapshots

God has been showing me more of who He is, and He has been helping me become more like Him.

With so many thoughts of ministry in Albania, so many truths that have been revealed, and many simple moments running through my mind I decided this blog would just be full of “little moments”. Here is a few photos to see Albania and what God has shown me through a glimpse of my eyes.

Lios! A little restaurant right down the road from our house. We love to eat there occasionally on a busy night! We can get sufllaqe (first pic… pita bread with chicken, veggies, and French fries inside) and a crepe for less than $5! Not the healthiest option but it is pretty yummy and a great place for time together.

Chicken and dumplings! Our team rotates on who cooks each night and one of the times I cooked I wanted to bring a little piece of home to Albania. I made fried chicken and dumplings because it’s one of my favorite meals my mom and dad make on a cold day!

Kids ministry! Jessie and I spend each day of the week at Hope for the Future with preschoolers in the morning and school aged kids in the afternoon. It is such a joy getting to be with these children. These will be some hard goodbyes.

Had the privilege of preaching at church one of the Sunday mornings! This was a huge growth moment for me as it required truly relying on the Holy Spirit considering a very short notice for preparation! Spoke on Psalm 27:4. God moved!

Came across a sticky note one of my friends put in my Bible before I left for the race. A day or so later came across 2 Samuel 22 during team time and was shocked it was almost exactly Psalm 18. Found out shortly after a friend/mentor had this same Psalm revealed to her. So I jumped in! If God was pointing it out to us I wanted to know more!

Learning more about Psalm 18 gave me a desire to learn more about David, which meant starting from the beginning of 1 Samuel to eventually get to 2 Samuel 22. God has been revealing so much to me in His Word! Just in chapter one I was mind blown with how REAL this is! What Hannah experienced was what I had just experienced the night before… remember Gods words, cry out to Him, receive His peace, trust Him! There have been so many “aha!” moments like this reading through Samuel! I am currently on chapter 13 with so much more ahead to learn!

American dinner with our Albanian friends! Each Sunday evening we have cooked some kind of American food and invited our friends over to eat and fellowship with us! This has been one of my favorite things!

Took a day trip to Durres, a city on the coast, to celebrate Emma’s birthday! When we got off the bus we were informed there would not be another bus returning back to our home that same day. This was a little shocking but required us to ask the Lord and trust Him! We did make it back, by a taxi!

One of the reasons Jessie and I love serving at Hope for the Future so much is the staff we work with! They are all so sweet and loving! Despite the language barrier, it is such a blessing to spend our days with them! These photos are from a day we walked some of our kiddos home and got to meet their caregivers.

12 year olds birthday party! We got to stay in a village one night after attending a sweet 12 year old girls birthday dinner! There was so much food, we ate until midnight… fun story behind that haha. We felt so loved and accepted into this family though, it was so fun!

Just some sweet views walking in the village and then around a lake on our way home!

Got to walk across a bridge that PAUL walked across on one of his missionary journeys!! So cool!! And again, the views are incredible everywhere here!

Watched the sunset from the tallest mountain in our city!!

Got sick again. Saw a doctor early this time (learned my lesson about waiting so long). Got some meds, feeling much better. Our house “brother” made me soup and fresh bread when I wasn’t feeling well. Seriously, these people are the best!

Travelled to another city for a weekend of children’s and women’s ministry. Yet again, the best people and most beautiful views! The yellowish building in front of the mosque in that second photo is the church, and house we stayed it.

Saw blue water and waterfalls on our way home!

Adventure days! Each week we get to take one “adventure day”, just a time to go out as a team and do something fun together while being open to the Lords leading. Coming home from our ministry time in another city we got to adventure to the top of a mountain and tour a castle!

Seriously, IN AWE OF GOD! The sky, mountains, and waters that we see daily truly reveal the majesty of Gods creation! It never gets old! I LOVE the views here!

The best is yet to come. If you read my last blog then you know God has been speaking to me about my future! This still remains the same, and I am so stoked for all that the rest of this World Race will hold. God is teaching me so much! With about half of the journey left to go I am super pumped to hear how much more the Lord will speak and see what all the Lord has yet to do!! Getting to gear up daily and rest in His promises! The best is yet to come!