Its the Village Life for Me

The first 4 weeks in Albania my team was in a small village named Kotodesh. 

I have discovered that I LOVE the mountains but I would now classify myself officially as a beach person. Mainly I would classify myself as a warm weather person with a small winter season. But regardless of my surroundings and landscape I have always known (and the race has confirmed) that I enjoy the simpler, small town (or village) life! 

Kotodesh did not disappoint. I was glad to be back to a quaint dwelling with a host family we got to spend intimate time getting to know. I also loved learning that Kotodesh had a bridge in it that the apostle Paul more than likely walked. In Romans 15:19 the Bible references the path Paul walks which includes this bridge which was the only passageway back in that day from Jerusalem to Illyricum (modern day Albania and surrounding northern countries).

Dinners around the wooden table of our lovely abode were my favorite. I love being on a team full of talented chefs and cooks! We also had the privilege of having our host family over for dinner and some rounds of the game mafia. My favorite was when they came and made us some traditional Albanian food. It was delicious and the laughter and sharing that took place, I will never forget. 

I also loved our little wood burning stove. We had electric heaters but we couldn’t have the room heaters and the living room heaters going all at the same time (we tested our host’s theory once and indeed all the power did go out and he had to call someone to come fix it, sorry Ardit, we tried not to be dumb! – more on that featured in my friends podcast: click here to give it a listen). But I am an early riser and so I spent many a quiet, peaceful, chilly morning huddled by the wood burning stove (if I could get it started). It was just a month full of simple pleasures and finding the joy of the Lord in the little things!

When we were told our new teams before we arrived in Albania our leadership spoke “simmer” and “settle” over us. And that is exactly what we did in Kotodesh. We were not allowed to go outside of the confides of the church we were both serving in and living above. We were told it would be unsafe and not a good reflection of the church to have so many women just walking around the village. But I was fine with staying inside the church gates. We were able to do a lot together as a team in-between our formal ministry meetings. We did a Bible study on Romans, we worshiped together everyday, we worked together to prepare for our ministry duties, and we had a lot of talks and laughs within those walls.

Our ministry consisted of a full week of events with the church in Kotodesh and the surrounding villages. On Tuesday we had a gathering with young children, Wednesdays were women’s bible study and another gathering of young children in another nearby village. Thursday was a youth gathering and sometimes another young children gathering in a village up the mountain. Friday was our sabbath and Saturday was the church service in Kotodesh. For a few weeks we had another gathering with the youth after the church service on Saturday. Then Sunday we loaded up and went to a town about 45 min away called Pogradec, there we helped with the church service and then used the afternoon to go out into the community and talk/pray with people. Monday was our day to get brought back to Kotodesh and prepare for the week ahead! 

I have so many memories from my time in Albania but the ones that stick out are:

• The waitress and restaurant owner we got to know because we ate there every Sunday in Pogradec
• Picking out clothes for the kids from their adopt-a-child sponsors
• Unloading the 18 wheeler FULL of donations for the adopt-a-child program
• 4-corners, crafts and dances with the rowdy little kids
• The skit we put on for the youth
• A house visit with a church member
• Learning the traditional Albania dances with the youth and our host
• Hiking to the top of the mountain in Pogradec for a spectacular view
• Sharing my testimony with the little kids

Albania was a really sweet time for me and a perfect place to reach the middle of this journey! Albania was country 3 out of 6 and we celebrated the 5 & 1/2 month mark in this country! Home is closer than I think but I still feel so much peace on this crazy race I get to call life right now!