Emily and I travelled to Albania towards the end of October, staying there for 10 days in the city of Vlorë. It was there that we met our team who are responsible for doing outreach to Roma and Egjiptian kids, along with Melissa, who was also participating in the short term outreach with us. The theme that the team chose was “Kids Love Books!”, encouraging the kids to study and stay in education for better careers, as well as reading the Word. Additionally there were home visits to different individuals during the week, checking up on how they are doing and how we can pray for them. Prior to travelling to Albania I didn’t have many expectations, since it was my second time doing outreach abroad, as well as doing it in a small team. On top of that, there were a lot of worries going on in my mind, thinking about preparation, travelling and the team.
Albania is a beautiful country for its culture and history, however it struggles with corruption, as well as many families being influenced by Islam due to its history. Throughout the week, the team has been very open to each other, expressing their vulnerabilities, and how we can pray for them in the time that we are serving to the kids, and outside of the mission. Along with the prayer walks that were done throughout the short term mission, it gave me a bigger picture of what the country is struggling with, as well as the needs the team requires. The Vlorë team will be down one member but they are hopeful he will return to serve in the future.
Despite only having around 1-2 hours to spend our time with the kids per day, God has shown me throughout the week was a team full of patience and love, serving and teaching them with the little time we had with them (it was currently the school term for many of the kids attending). One of the main challenges I encountered was the language barrier, which caused a few issues along the way, such as setting boundaries between ourselves and the kids, and gently disciplining them. Towards the end of the week however, they were better behaved compared to when I first met them. I thank God for working in their hearts and listening to what we had to share from the Bible stories, as well as participating. Some young teens have gone beyond this; they started asking questions about the Word, and even answered an altar call, wanting to know more about Christ towards the end of the week!
During the house visits, we would visit women in their own homes and listen to their circumstances. Most, if not all, were out of their control, causing them to struggle with what they have now, some of their close family being out of the country to work. Hearing what they are currently struggling with, I am thankful to God that they are more than willing to open up to us to their vulnerability, giving that opportunity for us to pray for them.
In the middle of the week there was also a monthly meeting for the whole OM Albania team that was held in Durrës. We encountered different ministries there (church planting, special needs, resources), and each ministry took turns to talk about what is currently going on and what prayers they need for their group. Additionally, a small team from France were also there for short-term missionaries that were attending the meeting. During this meeting we were able to pray not just for the groups, but also for countries that are currently struggling in war or natural disasters. After the meeting was over, we had lunch and stayed behind for the music workshop, which Eija (she is part of the special needs outreach) is responsible for hosting.
Coming back home from Albania, God has assured me during the short-term mission that all the worries I had going into this trip, He will take care of them. And no matter where you may go for your mission, there will always be a small group of Christians ready to pray for you, doing God’s work! I thank God for giving Emily and I this opportunity to serve overseas and look forward to what we can do in the future.