Përshëndetje! I am sorry for the delay in updating you all about Albania. I hope you have all had a wonderful holiday and are staying safe and warm. I have finally had some time to sit down and write about my experiences. I hope you learn something about Albania and get to see all of the amazing ways the Lord is moving there!

Brief History, Culture & Religion

Albania is a beautiful country in the Balkans with a very interesting history. The entire Balkan region is often deemed unstable due to frequent changes in governmental power. In fact the “Balkan powder keg” was deemed a cause of World War I. Albania has several influences of culture due to the changing rulers throughout the decades. There are strong influences of Turkish and Soviet culture embedded in Albania. Albania was a communist country until 1992 and locals compare the strict nature of the previous regime to that of current day North Korea. There were many infringements on freedom including but certainly not limited to only being allowed to wear darker colored clothing and not being able to drive. In fact roads were only created in the last 30 years and there are still many unreached regions due to the lack of infrastructure. You can imagine the lack of driving skills this creates, we had several close calls. The communist regime had a lot of spies sent out within communities to strictly monitor people and all of their actions. This caused a lot of distrust and secrecy that still impacts their culture to this day. The people are not unkind by any means but they can be described as colder and less emotive than other cultures we have encountered. There are strict expectations about not interacting with the opposite sex including not making eye contact. 

Economically, Albania is the poorest country in this area. There are few jobs mainly due to the lack of infrastructure. The jobs that are there are in tourism and agriculture. That means the majority of jobs are seasonal. Due to the tough life that this country provides most younger people are leaving Albania in troves. There are few young people staying there and locals consider it an epidemic. Most work in Germany, Switzerland, Greece or other neighboring countries where they can find stable work. Many people who work in a different country send money home to their families.

During the communist era religion was not allowed. After communism fell in 1992, missionaries from the Christian and Muslim faiths invaded the region in high numbers. They restored old churches and mosques that still stood from before communism that had been converted into government buildings. Currently the country is about 51% Islamic, 20% agnostic/ non-religious, 7% Orthodox Christianity, 10% Roman Catholic and about 2% Protestant Christian. This country is known for their religious tolerance and it was beautiful to see the peace between the different faiths. It was amazing how receptive and kind people were about their different beliefs and how they were willing to discuss things peacefully. During the communist regime there was so little freedom that now Albanians really respect each other's freedom and choice. We learned a lot from their evangelism. When sharing about Jesus they offered it as a peaceful gift that was available to them and there was never any offense on either side. While evangelizing we met one woman who had never heard the name Jesus before and one woman who was really in need of hope and turned to Jesus for salvation. It was beautiful to be able to share hope and pray for these people. 

Ministry

We stayed and worked with Christ for the Nations (CFN). This Bible School focuses on teaching and discipling all generations. They have a heart to meet the needs of the community by planting a church in the main city, Pogradec and pouring into the women’s, youth, and children’s ministries as well as doing humanitarian outreach. While we were there we got to pour into the ministries by teaching lessons to the women, youth and children’s groups. We got to really dig into the community by doing house visits and helping some of the elderly clean their house. It was beautiful to make connections with the older women even though the language barrier was a challenge, it certainly wasn’t a hindrance and we are so thankful for all of the translating that CFN helped with. 

I really got to see myself and my team grow in giving a message with clarity, confidence and the guidance of the Holy Spirit. We got to see so much breakthrough with the women as we fought the strongholds of the nation. A lot of the women really fell into believing the lie that they had to have it all together or be perfect to follow Jesus. Culturally they don’t share any troubles with each other due to the impact of communism. It was beautiful to be able to break down this misconception and really explain the character of Jesus as loving, accepting and forgiving. We got to share our testimonies and let the women share theirs with each other. We let them know that He loves them so much especially in their mess and they don’t have to clean themselves up to come to Him. 

One sermon I got to share that was especially impactful was about prayer. I got to read through the Lord’s Prayer and talk about how the Lord calls us to intimacy with Him and how we see this in our instructions on how to pray. I got to lead the church in a listening prayer and gave them an opportunity to hear the voice of the Lord, it was beautiful. 

We also got to pack and hand out Christmas boxes (similar to Operation Christmas Child in the states). It was so fun to pack these and pray over them for the recipients. Every box was a little different but they all contained some variation of personal care items such as soap and toothbrushes as well as scarfs, gloves, toys etc. There were several spots that we got to pass out these boxes. We had a couple different trips to different schools to pass these boxes out to kids who live in extreme poverty. The kids were so excited and I will never forget the joy on their little faces. We also got to pass out boxes at a center for children and young adults with special needs. They were so appreciative and even prepared a song for us, it was so sweet. There were several other locations we got to pass out boxes in church groups, neighborhoods, women’s prison and houses. These boxes gave some necessary supplies to families in need and gave us a chance to share about the hope of Jesus that is the reason for Christmas. We got to pray with the families and provide hope and show them love. 

There was one family in particular that really touched me at this time. The mom had been abandoned by her husband and she was a domestic violence survivor. She had two kids under six and two young teens. The house needed many repairs and a lot of the freezing cold air was getting in. The young kids were shivering like crazy with only ratty old coats on. They were out of food and hungry. The mom was working hard and I believe one of the teenagers but there is not a lot of work to do in the country and certainly hard to make it last for her and the four children. We brought the children warm clothes, blankets, stuffed animals, cleaning supplies and food. It brought tears to my eyes to see the kids all bundled up in their new clothes and blankets as the mom whipped up some rice on the wood burning stove. This family had faced so much adversity and it was such an honor to get to deliver the stuff someone else donated and pray for them. The stuff was more than stuff to them, as the mother teared up she pointed to the sky and said “Zoti eshte mire” (God is good!) It was so beautiful to see her thank God and acknowledge where the blessing came from. She still had faith and felt provided for whilst in a state that we would not consider liveable in the states.

Personal Lessons & Spiritual Aspects

Albania was a beautiful season of getting to know Jesus more intimately and specifically as the bridegroom. The Lord really healed me in a lot of ways during this season through spending time in His presence. I really had such a sweet time getting to know Jesus as my husband and He healed a lot of the misconceptions of what love is and isn’t. In Albania I had two different friends send me money for a date with Jesus. I got to have such a sweet day spending time with Him and got to see first hand how He provides and how a bridegroom treats His bride. This season really helped me grow in meekness, gentleness and femininity. I think because I felt safe and protected by the Lord I could let go of a lot of the striving to be the strong one and just relax and be myself without fear. 

In Albania I was the team leader for my small team. I learned so much from these amazing women and could write a whole book full of what I learned. I loved stepping into leadership as it also scratched my teaching itch in a lot of ways both logistically and through empowering people. It was such an honor to shepherd this group while the Lord led me in everything. After leading this team I was selected to be a squad leader for the rest of the race. A squad leader leads the whole squad and empowers them to grow to be more like Christ. I am so honored to be in this new position. Our squad is truly full of so many fiery leaders who will be world changers and it really is an honor to lead them as the Lord leads me especially as we begin to enter deeper into the 10/40 window. (Keep praying!)

While in leadership I had to encounter some pretty big challenges. One major challenge was helping navigate some of the behavioral concerns of one of my squad mates, implementing a growth plan and helping the team through these challenges. I want to honor her so I will not go deep into the concerns but essentially a toxic environment was being created. I had experienced a lot of these patterns before and the Lord really used this experience to help me grow in how to handle these things with love. I had the misconception that love is timid but in fact love doesn’t leave you where you are at and is sometimes really bold. Sometimes loving someone is seeing them and loving them and helping them not stay stuck in their actions by speaking truth. I learned a lot about how to be a peace maker and not just a peace keeper. In my marriage I often chose to be a peace keeper and avoid problems and then let them snowball. It was very impactful to learn how to make peace by speaking up in love. Ultimately the girl was sent home and this was also very challenging. I really had become friends with her and didn’t want to see her go, but I know this decision was the Lord’s and the best option for the team’s health and her healing. This situation really brought up a lot of emotions from my divorce throughout and really allowed God to give me deeper healing in a lot of ways, especially peace in letting go when someone isn’t ready to change and causing others pain. 

The Lord also opened my eyes to the spiritual realm during this time. I don’t think it would be fruitful to get into every detail but feel free to give me a call if you want to hear some crazy stories! Long stories short, God is so powerful and still moving in miraculous ways today! He loves us so much and protects us from so much that we don’t even realize. He always wants us to turn back to Him and have a relationship with Him. He gives us strength and fights our battles for us with the power of His presence. He will never leave us or forsake us. God is our loving father and just wants time with us. Time spent in His love is transformative. The enemy doesn’t want us to realize our identity as children of God because with that identity comes authority over the enemy. Stand firm in the Love of the Father, let Him fight your battles!