I have 4 more days left in Albania.
I have experienced so much, yet at the same time I feel like I haven’t done much at all. I’ve experienced many frustrations and self-doubt but also amazing moments where I have seen God work through other people these past weeks. Normally, with updates and blog posts, I want to reassure you and encourage you that God is doing mighty things in other countries and that I am a part of that process. And while that is very true, I want to share the good and the bad. I have many strengths but also many weaknesses.
At the start of my time in Albania, I had some sincere doubts about how capable I was of serving God and if I could realistically be a missionary. I can fall into apathy and self-reliance pretty easily if I am not putting God first.
I need to continually seek His will for my life. Just because I am over in Europe for a month serving, does not mean my life plans and calling are all figured out. Even with these weak points in my life, God is faithful and does not give up on me. This is a verse that brought me assurance:
With my weaknesses being laid out there, I hope that Christ will be all the more glorified through it! No one could look at what I do and think it is me. I need to rely on God’s grace and remember it is sufficient.
So far, in Albania, I have visited what feels like almost every house in the neighborhood! We’ve visited with members of the local church, with people in need, and other missionaries. I would say at least half of those people are professing Muslims. They are all very friendly but they are missing so much.
They will say; “We all have one God. What does it matter if you go to a mosque or a church?”
That can sound very innocent and reassuring that they are accepting of everyone, but how can one say we are the same when anyone without Jesus is hopeless?
We can’t fix this problem just by inviting people to church or spreading the love of God. In their eyes, they know God. What they are missing is the most important: Jesus. Why should we deny them the chance to know God’s loving Son?
I have shared the Gospel before with either girls in my cabin during summer camp, or with people on the street in Detroit. There is always an underlying urgency behind it. You may never see these people again and you may be the only person to plant that seed of hope in them.
Here in Albania, I can see a very practical and loving approach to sharing the hope that we have in Jesus. You can take things slowly and with intention. Almost any conversation is a good time to talk about Jesus. People are very accepting and will hear you out. I know that several members of the local Church used to be Muslims and through sharing a bible story or sharing how Jesus has changed your life, people can come to believe.
Some people can have conversions as big and impressive as Paul becoming a Christian on the road to Damascus, but remember that God can work in the slow and seemingly mundane of everyday life. He can slowly work and change someones heart.
I’ve learned a lot from this trip already and I’m hoping to be able to apply it in all parts of my life. We all need to take the time to praise God for everything he has blessed us with, both big and small, but also to thank him for the best thing of all: Jesus.