Miremengjes!
We are one week into our ATL (Ask The Lord) month here in the beautiful city of Sarande, Albania. ATL month is where we enter a country with no ministry host and our team prays about how the LORD wants us to serve. We have spent a majority of our days on prayer walks. Prayer walks are a useful practice to get immersed into the community and to build relationships with the people who live here.
On one particular walk, a couple of my teammates and I wanted to go to a local Mosque. Our intention was to enter the Mosque and lift up prayers to the LORD. However, when we got to the Mosque we were greeted by three homeless children: Antonellia, Mario, & Simon. Through minimal English and hand gestures, they let us know that the Mosque was closed and wouldn’t be open for another 2 hours. What happened as a result was impactfully precious.
The three children proceeded to ask for hugs, kisses, and to be picked up; they were longing for physical affection. After several minutes of loving on these kiddos, they started playing with my watch. Let me tell you…these kids are SMART! They immediately knew how to work the watch and were able to open up ALL of my apps (including the Wallet App, lol!). Antonellia found the Music App, pointed at it, and started dancing. My teammate Natalie then played worship music on her phone and we all danced. Three Americans…three Albanian children…1 Incredible God.
Before leaving, we prayed, took pictures, and gave them many more hugs. I stepped back onto the busy streets in amazement. Every few steps I kept repeating “We just danced with three homeless children on the steps of a Mosque to worship music; praise God!” I continue to be amazed at how the LORD moves when I give Him the opportunity. Where I once was nervous about not having a strictly scheduled day, I now pray that each day is like THAT day. Please join me in praying for these three angels.
Lord,
Thank you for operating outside of our expectations. Thank you for closed doors that point us to open courtyards. Life is full of surprising opportunities to experience and share your love. Please watch over and provide for Antonellia, Mario, and Simon in abundance. Keep them safe. Keep them full, both physically and spiritually. Please continue to open the hearts of everyone who reads this to keep their eyes open for similar experiences around them. You are incredible! We love and praise your name!
Amen
