Hey Everyone! 

This a blog I wrote a few weeks ago, and am posting now! Enjoy(:

Today is the day that the Lord has made. Let us rejoice and be glad in it! I encourage you right now, no matter your location, situation, or emotion, to thank the Lord for His goodness. Just take a second before continuing to read, to show the Lord gratitude, and rejoice in Him! 

The past two months in Albania have been a reflection of this verse. Each day here is a day that the Lord has made! I get to rejoice and be glad in that simple fact! 

This week Jackson and Emily Foster joined our squad. Jackson is the social media guy for The World Race, so they get to hang out with us for the next two weeks! On Tuesday we walked to town for ministry, and the Fosters interviewed a few of us girls. My question was: “How are you making an impact in Albania?” 

My thoughts went twenty different ways at once. We are making an impact in lots of ways! But one thought shined through. Literally SHINED. We are being a light for Jesus! This theme has shown up in all of my blogs, and countless conversations. But how could it not! The Lord is revealing to me my purpose, which is being the light of His kingdom. I answered my question to the camera honestly and joyfully. It went something like this.

 “We are making an impact in Albania, by being a light for Jesus. Whether it’s playing volleyball for hours in the church courtyard, braiding hair, dancing to Albanian songs, or giving countless hugs. But it’s not just us impacting the kids, it’s the kids impacting us!”

There is a girl named Hevena, who comes to the youth group in Kotodesh. I call her Ena for short. She is fifteen years old, and SO smart. Ena is growing in her love for the Lord, and has grown up hearing about Christ. She speaks incredible English, and is very mature. We got to talking one Wednesday after youth, and I asked about her home. She told me about her family, their cats, and their dairy cow. Everyday she walks the cow home, and was headed to do just that after church. I asked her if I could come with her, which she thought was a little funny, but said yes of course! I grabbed a few of my squad mates, and we left with Ena and her sister, to get the family cow😂

We walked and talked, and met their sweet cow named Sparkles. They had a calf and another cow in the barn that were so cute! It made me think of our cows back home. One of my favorite memories from home is seeing a newborn fluffy calf out in the pasture. It’s like a little surprise when you look outside! Ena and her sister hugged us goodbye, and invited us to come again to their house. 

A fun fact about me is that I’m not great at being spontaneous. I like to think through my situation and choose the most mature path. It’s a blessing and a curse, that comes with being one of the oldest with lots of siblings! But in that moment, talking with Ena at youth group, I chose the adventure! It really wasn’t all that risky, but it turned out to be an incredible memory and ministry opportunity. Asking Ena to walk her cow home, went beyond our usual time at youth group. I showed her a desire for a relationship and friendship. Since then I have been to her house twice! The first to see her sweet kitten, and the other to hang out after church with a few others from my squad. We even met her mom, who I was able to talk with through Ena's translation! 

Writing this blog is helping me take a step back. To see how the Lord is blessing me, and how he is blessing others through me. Ena and I are now friends. Really friends. When we talk, I’m not telling her Jesus loves her, I am SHOWING that Jesus loves her. She knows that God loves her, but finding genuine friendship in Muslim culture, as someone who loves Jesus, is difficult. Me and Ena get to laugh, talk about our families, debrief the day when she comes to church, and challenge one another. 

In all honesty serving in Albania has been a challenge for me. To release control of my situation to the Lord, and accept that I am doing enough. Stories like the one I just shared remind me of my purpose. Which is to be the light of Jesus! To shine so brightly that every Albanian I pass on the street can’t help but notice. So for that reason, I rejoice today. I rejoice in the Lord for every day my squad has spent in Albania. Our time here is coming to a close, but we have fulfilled a beautiful purpose. Which is to love God's people. Any religion, age or background. We get to love. What a gift that is! 

So as I end this blog, let’s rejoice in the Lord together.💗

Psalm 118:24 

This is the day that the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it.