We’re in Albania!!
Shortly before month one debrief in Durrës (a time to rest, reflect and process), we had a week of on the field training with our squad mentor, Ari. She taught the squad on different topics ranging from Old Covenant and New Covenant to gossip/slander to deliverance to soul ties to Gifts of Holy Spirit. We had 2 days full of confession and repentance and ended up down on the shore of the Adriatic Sea washing each other’s feet; which then turned into hours of baptisms in the sea (both water baptisms and Holy Spirit baptisms; refilling, healing, deliverance and crazy cool freedom took place)!! We looked like crazy people and got a little lesson in what the disciples must’ve felt when people accused them of being drunk.
That was how we started our first debrief and our second month on the field!!
Albania (month 2) is what we call ATL (Ask The Lord); we don’t have ministry hosts or partners this month, teams follow the guide of Holy Spirit about where to go, what ministry will look like, and how to spend our time. Each team has had a different experience this month and it’s been really fascinating to see how God has moved through the squad.
My team has been in the city of Sarandë, Albania; a city at the edge of the Ionian Sea and is a pretty touristy place during the summer (which is ending).
Most of our time so far has been prayer walking and meeting people while out and about. The people we’ve connected with have mostly been people working in the shops, restaurants, and on the boardwalk and its been nice to see them regularly (like our vegetable lady at the market, Barda, or Marietta who owns a souvenir shop); waving hello and greeting each other as we pass; being the light before even mentioning the name of Jesus.
The majority of Albania is Orthodox or Muslim and there’s a mosque not far from our apartment that does prayer calls multiple times a day. One day, Natalie, Bradon, and Claran decided to go find it and see if they could check it out; well, it was closed but there were these kids outside that they got a chance to dance to worship music with!! It was amazing to hear the stories after they came back from ministry (Claran wrote a blog about it; check it out https://clarancollins.theworldrace.org/post/i-cannot-deny-what-i-see-got-no-choice-but-to-believe).
We’re wrapping up our time in Albania and I’ve fallen in love with this tiny, hidden gem of a country; it’s beautiful and I can’t wait to hear of the future revivals that are going to happen all over this place. We head to Kosovo very soon and I’m excited to see what the Lord does this next month!
Jesus, I ask that you use the seeds we’ve planted this month to begin an extravagant harvest.
I’m still support raising for my time Team Leading! Would you prayerfully consider partnering with me?
Prayer Requests:
- Funds for myself and a couple people on my team that are still support-raising; we serve a God who doesn’t call people where He won’t provide and I know He’s going to come through!
- Endurance to keep choosing intimacy, community and mission and staying present with my team while also preparing to leave the field; the balance is a hard but precious one.
- Spiritual, physical, and mental protection as my team wraps up a month of ATL and prepares for international travel (next stop: Kosovo)!
- Deeper connection within my team; we’re slowly moving from a team to a family and I’m praying that connection continues to deepen and that we continue to choose each other even when it gets hard.
