With one week left in Albania, I wanted to share more about our time in Kotodesh. If you read my last blog, I explained about our ministry with Living Waters church. To recap, my team worked with LW ministry for 3 weeks. We worked with several different age groups, young children, youth and elderly women. We did events for the children and youth and had Bible studies with the elderly women. We also had the opportunity to ask the Lord for ministry opportunities in a bigger city Pogradec.
This season in life was so special and close for several ways. During these 3 weeks we got to be hosted by Ardit and Ranja and baby Roi. Our time with them was so special because we got to have them over several times for dinner. We got to create a connection with them, laugh with them, hear their testimonies and share the love of God together. The staff/volunteers we were with loved on our team by making us traditional Albanian food!! It was also sweet because in those 3 weeks, the children, youth, and women we met with each week, we got to go into deeper relationships. There was one little girl in particular that I got to love on and get excited each week to see her. The youth got to trust us and open up to the team. By the end of it, they were teaching us how to dance and I could not stop smiling that day! The older women allowed us to share our thoughts during the Bible study and they felt like our Albanian grandmothers. The closeness I felt with the people was so sweet.
It was also special and close because we got to be in a small village, Kotodesh. The place we live in was above the church and it was a place for our team to gather together. The moments we spent cuddled up on the couch, or having a kitchen to bake and cook, as well as just the quietness and views outside of our balcony. By the end of our time, we loved village life!
It is crazy to think that we have a couple days before we head off to Turkey. Although our time in Albania seemed to fly by, I will forever cherish this season and the people in it. Please be in prayer for Living Waters church. Pray for their sponsorship program and everyone in it. Pray for more volunteers and teams to come alongside them. Pray for our host family, I loved our time together!!
Well, I guess I will be back once we are in Turkey!!! Pray for safe travels for the squad.
Blessings,
Joana Quintana
Your Albanian grandmas !! The Lord is so evidently using you Jo, thanks for sharing moments from your time with Living Waters Church through this sweet blog. Yay to month seven!