A sweet lesson in Albania was that God can sometimes use desires He’s given us to point us in the direction He wants us to walk in. This came to fruition through what has been a significant part of my life up to this point-running. It has been a dream of mine throughout the Race to run in some road races in some of these other countries (bc how cool would that be?!!) A teammate and I were trying to find some that would work with the timing/country we would be in and found a 1/2 marathon in Pogradec, Albania. We found the race in April (while we were still in Guatemala) and wouldn’t run it until the end of July (when we would be in Albania), way before we knew what ministry would look like in Albania. As God had it, Albania was an ATL month (‘ask The Lord’) and as our team sought direction about what God had for us to do in Albania, we felt Him leading us to this little town of Pogradec. We spent the 1st week there prayer-walking, trying to make connections with local Churches we could serve with and encourage. The Lord led us to some believers of a local body who helped us understand the religious orientation of Albania and how communism (which fell only 30 yrs ago) means that Albania is literally in their 1st generation of Christianity.
Which means the harvest is ready.

Many Albanians are Muslim & the pastor we met had an incredible testimony of German missionaries leading him from Islam to Christ. It blew my mind that we were literally standing on soil that is in the initial stages of the spread of evangelical Christianity. My eyes were opened to the need for missionaries and Jesus-followers in Europe, specifically the Balkans (Albania, Romania, etc. who went through the fall of communism just 30 yrs ago). Pray for Europe!!!!

The day of the 1/2 marathon came around and it was the coolest experience ~ meeting so many people from all over Europe and making friends/connections with local Albanians. We had been praying that God would give us some ministry connections and serving opportunities through people we would meet at the race (we were willing and ready to move wherever we needed to if God opened the door-living out of 1 backpack makes it easy;). We were about to start the race and a random guy walked up to us, saying he heard we were Americans (our American flag on our race bibs got us a lot of attention-Albanians love America🤪). He boldly told us that he and his wife were also American missionaries in a city not far from where we were (Korçë). Long story short, we got to meet with them a few days later and witness the ministry they’re doing. They had literally just opened a student center 3 weeks prior to meeting us and were in the process of renovation/establishing the center. It was a beautiful space and as soon as I walked in, I felt a peace that affirmed the testimony of the owners & their commitment to use that building for the glory of God. Their vision for the center was to create a safe space for college-age students where relationships could be established and Gospel conversations had. While there, we had countless interactions & some sweet conversations with people about Jesus. I was really struck by the European culture in  terms of how they relate to the Gospel. Our ministry hosts & other missionaries explained the difficulties of doing ministry in Europe because of how people seemingly detach purpose from faith. You can share the Gospel Truth with someone but it seems inconsequential to them in terms of how it affects their life purpose & ‘reason for being.’ This was a challenging & convicting process to me, learning and praying through how to share the Gospel in a cultural context that resonates. Ultimately the Holy Spirit is the only One who can open a person’s eyes to spiritual truth, but I was saddened by the reality of lack of genuine Christianity in Albania & how the effects of communism and orthodox religiosity still have strong implications for people accepting a personal relationship with Jesus.

One of my favorite aspects of our time for ATL in Albania (& throughout the Race in general) is getting to meet local missionaries & trying to be an encouragement to the ones on the mission field long-term. The couple we served with in Korçë were an incredible testimony of faithfulness as missionaries & a reminder to me of how one of the most effective things we as Racers can do is to encourage the ones on the field long-term. We are only in spaces for a short time but the people we’re serving with are faithfully serving God consistently and the ones who get to follow up with discipleship & see the long-term fruit in their ministry.
God has laid Romans 12:13 on my heart throughout the Race:

“Contribute to the needs of the saints & seek to show hospitality.”

This verse makes me really passionate about pouring into the believers we meet along the way & encouraging them as they keep ‘fighting the good fight.’ In light of the unique ministry challenges in Europe, I was especially thankful to come alongside brothers & sisters who are battling it out for the long haul in Jesus’ name.

In addition to ministry opportunities, Albania afforded a lot of time to sit with God and dwell on what’s truly in my heart. I’m continually grateful for this experience in that being on the other side of the world gives me a unique opportunity to reflect on things in my life I need to give to God & get a redeemed perspective.

And as I sat with Him, I realized that the theme of tearing down idols was a theme He kept impressing on my heart. I have been in the Old Testament a lot lately and while in the Kings/Chronicles, there is a repeated flaw associated with the ‘bad kings’ of Israel. Some kings were just plain wicked. Some kings started out good but fell in the end. There were only a select few who are actually recorded as ‘good.’

A repeated theme I see as the difference between those deemed ‘good’ & ‘bad’ kings in the OT is one distinct line- “they did not tear down the high places.”

It stands out to me that it’s continually noted of ‘good kings’ that they not only tore down some of the mainstream idols, but they also tore down the high places. Sometimes kings would come along and tear down some of the idols the Israelites were worshipping but they failed to tear down the high places- hence there was still room for idol worship to be happening. Idol worship had to be completely eradicated– every single place that had served to worship another God must be torn down & no opportunity left for temptation (hence the necessity of all idol worship places being wiped out). God kept pointing out this idea to me- that He is worthy of absolute worship and reverence. He is a zealous God. Half-hearted worship won’t do.

And I realize that I too am guilty of ‘not tearing down the high places.’ There are several areas of my life where I have not taken the necessary drastic measures to completely tear down idols so that I don’t return to the temptation of giving my worship to anything other than God.

Idols take different shapes & forms for all of us, but the common denominator is that they vie for out attention and threaten to take away from the full and complete worship our King deserves. The distinction of an idol is anything we give more attention to than God. The One who wore a crown of thorns is the only One worthy of my whole devotion & worship. We are most free when we surrender our all to the One who loved us first. We relinquish these idols so we can have God Himself.

Freedom is rising as the idols are falling.

Albania marked another ‘stone of remembrance’ in this journey- providential encounters with Europeans who need Truth & personal encounter with the One who is worthy of it all. Boasting the most glorious views of crystal clear water, mountains, & gorgeous landscape- Albania proclaimed the glory & majesty of God.

May we be consumed with His glory.

 

keep on,

Kenz:)