Hey everyone! After lots of troubleshooting, my blog is up and running. I am so excited to share stories and life updates while overseas, all right here on the blog! In this post, I want to share an overview and recap of the past month. I hope to post about specific stories and testimonies from the mission field in the near future, so stay tuned! 

This week marked one month of mission life. On August 29th, I walked into the JFK airport to meet thirty strangers, who I would be living with for the next nine months. Our group flew 9 hours to Serbia for a quick layover, then to Albania! We landed in the capital, Tirana. From there, we headed to training camp on Lake Ohrid. It is the clearest lake I have ever seen! Training camp was productive and necessary in many ways. We got to know one another, adjusted to the culture of Albania, and did a lot of walking. We worshipped nearly every night, jumped off the dock in Pogradec, and had some delicious cappuccinos. I learned and grew in my faith very rapidly that first week. God was revealing himself in new ways daily and showing me that I was exactly where I was supposed to be. 

Training camp concluded, and we headed to Kotodesh. A small mountain village where we are living right now! Home is a church outside of town. The first week in our new home was a big adjustment for our group, and I've chosen to call it training camp part 2. I quickly realized living in a community with thirty people is, in fact, not easy. Our team implemented cleaning, cooking, and laundry schedules right away, which have changed throughout our time here. When something doesn’t work, it gets adjusted. When something works well, we celebrate it! We are learning to communicate and live as servants to one another. It’s beyond me how 4 weeks can pass so quickly. Thankfully, we still have a month here in Kotodesh. So continue to pray over our time here!  

Weeks 2 and 3 in Kotodesh were spent getting into a ministry routine. We have been assigned to six churches in the area. Two of which are led by our church’s pastor. I ended up on a team with three other girls, serving the small town of Perrenjas. We help lead the kids' ministry there, as well as the church on Saturdays. The ministry has been going really well. This past week, our team helped lead two youth events in Kotodesh. The first was last Friday through Sunday. We planned worship, sermons, breakout sessions, and testimonies. All of us felt exhausted after, but it was such a fulfilling time. I am getting to know several of the girls better, and am starting to remember names, haha! The second youth event was a conference in Kotodesh the following Friday. There were over 100 students here from multiple villages. This was another awesome opportunity to meet and build relationships with the youth. The night began with worship and ended with a dance circle, singing Albanian songs with our new friends! 

It's been interesting serving here, especially during the youth conferences. In the US, during a youth service, there might be multiple altar calls and long sermons. But in Albania, services are a little different. Sermons are shorter, worship is very new to the students, and we dance a lot! A great majority of people are muslim in Albania. Especially in the smaller villages where everyone is raised muslim. Ministry here isn't just about preaching salvation; it's about getting to know each kid and building a relationship with them. We get to show them the light of Jesus through our laughter, friendship, and hugs. Yes, we preach God's word to the youth here. But beyond a sermon or testimony, we get to be the light of Jesus to the lost and broken! Before I left home, the Lord put this statement on my heart: 

Missions, in its simplest form, is an opportunity for someone to encounter the light of Jesus. 

My mission is to be the hands and feet of Jesus, illuminating His light. We get to show the light of Jesus every time students walk into church! Or we see them in town while we are getting groceries. Or we are playing volleyball in the church courtyard. 

As we love these kids, the Lord is showing his faithfulness. Just last week, a girl accepted Christ as her savior! She is the first person in her church to become a Christian. When I heard, I almost cried! She was telling me that the feelings of joy and happiness she felt were filling her heart. I just kept hugging her and smiling. But my dear friend accepting Christ wasn’t a one Sunday occurrence. Our pastor and his family spent nearly a year intentionally discipling and building a relationship with this teenager. They allowed the Lord to do the spiritual work in her heart. I appreciate their intentionality with her. Because I now have a new sister in Christ! 

September has taught me a great deal. The most prominent lesson I've learned is that relationships are the key to ministry. Discipleship cannot happen without building relationships. Understanding and growth cannot happen without building relationships. It is such a cool thing, how the Lord works through us, His children, in relationship with the lost! 

So, as I conclude this blog, I have a question and a challenge for you. 

Who can you build a relationship with this week? 

Maybe it’s asking a coworker how they are doing, or spending intentional time with your kids. Maybe it’s reaching out to a friend to meet for coffee, or building your relationship with Christ by sitting in His presence. Just enjoy the process and watch God work through your yes! 

Thank you for taking the time to read my thoughts. I can't wait to share more with you in the future! Bye for now(: