Albania

     Entering into Albania gave the biggest culture shock I had yet experienced on the race. We took a bus from the Bucharest airport down through Bulgaria and North Macedonia into Albania, on the way over the border we stopped in what they called a “coffee shop”.  A haze of smoke filled the air inside, at each table sat around 3-4 Albanian men, a cigarette in hand, a small shot of espresso and a small glass that looked like water, but was actually almost straight alcohol. It felt as though every eye were on me as I walked in dressed quite differently simply looking for a bathroom. 


A view of the mountains outside Tirana

   This was my first experience with Albanians, looking tough on the outside, but as I would find were actually much softer on the inside.

On the way!

   We met our ministry hosts a couple days after being in Albania, two couples, Jacob and Hannah missionaries that had been there for around a year, and Florri and Priscilla, Albanian missionaries! Florri had grown up in a small village next to the town we’d be living in; Corovode. After hearing the Gospel from missionaries who came in the 90s when communism fell. He received a calling from the Lord to bring the Gospel to the other 100 villages in his district!

Corovode!!

    We helped to assist the kids ministry they had in Corovode, every Saturday kids would come down to a place we called “youth planet” a building they had bought where kids could come ‘be kids’, and hear the Gospel!

At Youth Planet, Florri is in front

This was pretty revolutionary because up until this generation little discipleship is happening in Albania, and it can feel pretty heavy. Albania has a rough history, from the ottoman Empire to Communism, they have been trampled from generation to generation. Most people in Albania call themselves Muslim, but most are deceived, not actually practicing. So to have kids come hear the Gospel and say they want to follow Jesus, is incredible because they’re changing the whole future of their culture!

At youth planet

After youth group snack: sausage

It was also hard, most parents were not receptive to their kids wanting to follow Jesus, I recall a girl crying as she talked to Hannah about it. But I pray that as they grow up many of them will really count the cost and give him their lives!

The Gospel 🙂

    Throughout the week we would go into town as a team meeting people, praying for some, or helping others. We got to be close with the people who made our lunches every day, Ill mention that more later. Also we would go up into the mountains to stop at villages and give out operation Christmas child gifts to kids, this became one of my favorite parts of ministry.

Us in one of the villages!

    God is so gracious and his hand is truly on Albania, the harvest is ripe as Jesus said, even though often it looks gloomy. One of my favorite stories comes from when we ran into a shepherd.

Village #2

We were driving up into one of the villages on a long bumby road when we ran into a flock of sheep crossing the street to graze. An old rougher man perhaps in his sixties held a shepherd staff as he called to his sheep (Jn 10:4), “why don’t we talk to him?”, Florri already ready jumps out of the car to go meet him. I had heard that being a shepherd can be quite lonely, at times shepherds travel with their sheep for weeks simply living in huts throughout the mountains. Florri had known all this from his experience being a shepherd when he was younger. So we go to talk to him and ask him if he has heard of Jesus. to my surprise he said no! the first time in my whole life I had met someone who had never heard. So we told him! we told him about the good shepherd, each of us sharing different parts and Florri translating. We prayed for him, gave him a New Testament and he called upon the name of Jesus! 

Not actually the shepherd, but young shepherd Florri 

The shepherd!!

    Our time in Albania was sweet, every day we ate at a local restaurant in town called Ylli’s, but to us it felt more like a home. we were greeted every day by a beaming old lady; Dhurata, “Mire mengessi!” she would say, which means good morning in Albanian. the restaurant was run by two older couples, Ylli and Dhurata, Ali and Shpressa, and they would cook the most delicious soup I’ve ever eaten. Usually something different every day that we’d of course never heard of. Our time with them was so treasured, I loved to practice my Albanian with them, and they even let me run their espresso machine. I remember saying goodbye to them was very emotional, Ali the man who had seemed so stern when we first met him was crying. The Lord was so good for leading us to be friends with them in Albania.

Ali and Shpressa

    As a team Albania was hard but so fruitful, we had to work together to fix conflict, and confront things we had ignored in Thailand. Having Ava as our leader during this season turned out to be such a blessing. she so often pointed out the problems that needed to be pointed out, and gave us honest feedback, also she taught us what it looked like to be gentle, didn’t think I needed that, but the brotherly love on our team those months flourished.

Brandon, Ava, Me and Caleb (right to left)

Are we cold? Or do we love each other?

    Truthfully though what brought us together and got me through this season was daily sitting at the Lord’s feet. We would worship most nights in our little apartment and I can’t recall how many times the Lord met me on our kitchen floor. During that time He taught me in glimpses what it truly looked like to surrender to Him, and how much he loves when we do give him ourselves open and abandoned. Jesus really was my good shepherd in Albania 🙂

The Boys, plus Jacob and Florri

Now he’s about to lead us into Guatemala!