A Glimpse into My Life in Albania

Hi friends and family!

Our time in Albania is coming to an end so quickly! In exactly 3 days, I’ll be headed to Guatemala, our last country of the World Race! So, it seemed like a good time to update you all on everything I’ve been up to in Albania!

A Glimpse into Ministry Here! As I shared in my last blog, our main ministry is partnering with ICF Tiranë, a local church here! This has included helping out and joining in with so many different things! Here are some pictures of some things we’ve been up to!

Making crafts for children’s ministry with Fabi!

Joining the welcoming serve team on Sundays at church! 

Helping out at young adults service every Thursday night! A very fuzzy and hectic photo of us playing cup pong, and the snacks me and Gabi made for Valentine’s young adults night!

Teaching English! Me and Liv have the privilege of teaching Eleni! The connection and friendship that we’ve been able to build with her has been so special! 

Helping out with youth group ministry! Sometimes this looks like playing Just Dance, running around the church playing hide-and-seek, making waffles for everyone, or playing sports at the park!

Night to Shine! A couple weeks ago, my team volunteered at Night to Shine, which is basically a prom night for special needs people! It was such a special night! Before the event, we helped to make posters to hold up while we cheered for all of the guests! At the event, for the first hour and a half, we were lined up around the edges of the red carpet. Each Night to Shine guest had their name individually announced, and they’d walk down the red carpet as we all jumped around and cheered! The joy and excitement on their faces was so beautiful; I even started to tear up with sweet tears after the first couple of guests walked down the red carpet! Laughing about my teary eyes, I reminded myself to keep jumping around and cheering! It was awesome!

A Glimpse into Life Outside of Ministry! Albania is such a beautiful country! Here are some of the fun things we’ve done and gotten to see and experience here!

Lots of hiking! Albania is absolutely gorgeous!

Playing soccer with our Albanian friends! Us Americans got destroyed!

Galentine’s Night with my team!

The cobblestone streets of a mountain town called Kruje!

Lots of pasta, pizza, and some traditional Albanian food!

A beautiful sunset!

Sweet time spent together as a team! Cooking, playing games, watercoloring and scrapbooking, and just hanging out and laughing together!

Learning to trust in God’s faithfulness and that He is always moving! During my time in Albania, God has been teaching me so much about trusting Him through the good times and the hard times. I’ve been reading through a lot of the Old Testament lately, and one thing that has continued to stick out to me is that God makes so many promises to Israel, so many of them being huge and seemingly impossible! Yet, every time, without fail, he comes through on his promises! He is a faithful God, and He always will be! So, in every season, we can trust that He’s working things out for his plan and purposes, and also for our best! One of my favorite verses lately has been Philippians 1:6! And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ. This verse has been so encouraging to me, and I hope it also encourages you!

Prayer Requests! Here are some ways you can join me in prayer!

• Pray for safe travels for our squad to Guatemala!
• Pray for the church, ICF Tirana! Pray for continued growth and boldness for their members and leadership!
• Pray for willingness and readiness for myself and my team as we move to Guatemala and a new ministry there!
• Pray for peace and clarity as I am beginning to make decisions about my plans to go to college next year!

So, that’s all for now! Thank you all for your prayers and support! I am so thankful for all of you! Love you all!

Until next time,

Alia