A
Mountain Hike
 Valentine's
Day has never been of any significance to me.
However, this year it came as a day that I will always remember.
It started out to be a normal day, waking up on the bustling city of
Tirana, but ended in a remote mountain village, hours from the nearest road.
If anyone spends time with me, he or she will find that I love being
outside, preferably in the mountains and wild areas.
I had the opportunity to minister at a church with Edmond
Kamberi, who
works with the Sower team and also for the International Church in Tirana.
Every Monday he travels to Derriere (the village) and shares a sermon in
the evening. This Monday I decided
to go with him.
After we had bought our food and fuel for the 30 year-old Willy's jeep,
we headed out of town and started a two-hour road trip.
After many hole-dodging and sheep-crossings, we finished our first leg of
the journey and began our second, by foot.
It was mentioned that this hike is not for the timid in spirit, but I
didn't let that stop me. We went
through fields, on foot paths and deserted roads, and even down a river bed.
It was a step back in time for me because this was not a hike for
recreation. It was a mode of
transportation, a necessity.
Despite the steep climbs, I thoroughly enjoyed the herds of mountain
goats and the natural springs that we passed along the way.
The sky was bright blue and the dirt was bright orange, contrasting as
much as the world we had entered compared to the one we had left.
After an hour or so we arrived in the village and the children welcomed
us right away. I managed to bring a
soccer ball for them to use and they had it broken in within minutes.
A family nearby the church prepared a meal for us and I had an
opportunity to practice my Albanian even though Edmond had to translate it all
for them.
I asked him when the service started and he said, "OH, whenever it
gets dark." This is a common
feeling in Albania, that time is relative and no one is in a rush to get things
done. However, once it was dark,
everyone appeared out of nowhere and all around the same time.
I was afraid I wouldn't understand the service and sit there like a bump
on a log. I was the only
English-speaking person there besides Edmond, and he was in charge of leading
the service. He wasn't able to
translate for me. As it turns out,
I didn't know what everyone was sharing but I knew the Lord was king of their
lives and He was present in that building that night.
I shared a story out of a children's book after we had finished singing
praise songs. It was the Christmas
story from the perspective of a crippled lamb and how the Lord used him despite
of his situation. The Lord used this story to encourage me that day because I
had no idea how He was to use me in Albania. But He did! I realized how important it was that Edmond ministers to
these people who have no other means to worship together, since there is no
pastor in the village. My heart was
opened to this need of remote mountain ministry that day. The Lord just so happened to speak to my heart on Valentine's
Day!
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