Same

We ended our time in both Romania and Albania with two weeks of ATL (ask the Lord). The team came together and asked God where He wanted us to go, eat, and sleep. My team’s ATL week in Albania was awesome.

God asked us to be obedient and dependent on Him. 

So we did.

And He showed up. 

God asked us to walk along Paul’s road, the Via Egnatia. We took a bus to Durres, where the apostle started in Albania, and planned to head south over the next couple day. God also asked us to go to Vlorë, a county in the southern part of Albania. So we had a direction we were heading in, but this pilgrimage or trek would be focused on relying on our faithful God. 

Please go listen to an unedited recording of our updates throughout the trek: Unscripted Reality

We had our big backpacks packed with our tents, sleeping bags, and clothes. When we got off the bus in Durres, we decided to find a spot for lunch then start walking south towards Vlorë. We knew that God was going to work, so we were interruptible.

Within 15 minutes of getting off the bus in Durres, we clearly saw God at work. The team got food at a cheap kebab place, which we only would have found with God’s guidance.

A man asked me where I was from and what I was doing in Durres, so I boldly said, “we have been volunteering for a month, but this week we are relying on Jesus as He guides us on the road that Paul walked. We are allowing God to provide food, a place to sleep, and transportation. Everything is up to Him.”

and the man replied, “same.”

“even the whole Jesus part?” I thought in my head.

Throughout the next hour as we ate kebabs together, we learn that the Whitehead family has been doing the ATL lifestyle with their four kids for three years. God called them to Italy, so they went. They don’t have a home in New Mexico anymore, everything they have belongs to God. They don’t have a stable job yet, but they rely on the Lord and He has provided. They are currently in Albania to renew visas. I love how they have taught their kids to pray and rely on God. 

We end up having dinner with them because, “the Lord provides, and it’s not my money anyways.” I couldn’t have imagined crossing paths with this family. It feels like a dream thinking back. After dinner, we continued swapping stories in their living room. The next day we join their family in celebrating a birthday, helping with homeschool, sharing meals, asking hard questions, and playing games. We spent two nights with them then start walking south. 

They really did take us in like we were adopted. Both my team and this family needed each other. All the praise goes to God. I could go on for HOURS or CHAPTERS about the blessing this family was for the team and I. They spoke some wisdom that touched our hearts so specifically. God even used people in their lives a few months ago to speak about them ministering to 7 girls. God is awesome. This is what happens when we depend on Him and are obedient to His voice. 

The Lord continues to provide and prove His love for us. Here are just a few things that God blessed us with:

• free water, bananas, and cookies while we camped on the beach
• toilets for a team member who was sick and ended up unintentionally fasting for the trek
• strong and healthy bodies after walking 6 hours and sleeping on the beach
• lunch spots where God consistently provided people to house us
• a lovely oregonian couple who housed us for two nights 
• the man who lead us to a local coffee shop in a deserted tourist town
• an instant friend i met on a bus
• hot showers
• sunsets (imagine what they will be like in heaven!)
• deep theological conversations 
• discernment to know if opportunities were from the Lord or the enemy 
• and so much more

I learned how to be obedient to God as an individual and also with the team. God’s timing is so perfect. I need to be bold in my faith to make each conversation meaningful. If I don’t mention the name of Jesus, then what is the point? 

I want to give God more room in my life. I want Him to continue to write these awesome stories. The 10 days of ATL in Albania were very stretching, but so worth it. I have a different perspective of relying on the Lord, and I hope you do too. 

Not my will, but His,

Sarah