This week, I will plan on posting one blog on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, in the hopes of playing “catch up” with all that I've missed out on sharing. I had this blog fully written and the page reloaded and deleted it all so needless to say, it was quite frustrating but here we are! I digress, training camp in Pogradec.

We arrived at our location in Pogradec with little to no expectations about what ministry, community, or living situation would look like, but to be honest, that added more to the fun of it. The week consisted of getting to our peers, leaders, the town, and townsfolk in the local area. We were placed on the very south end of a lake called Lake Ohrid which is known as one of, if not the oldest, deepest, and largest lakes in all of Europe and it was absolutely breathtaking. We also outlined our daily schedule with what it would look like regarding our wake up at 6 AM, classtime, etc… Each day, we followed our usual schedule, but we also had plenty of free time to travel and explore the nearby small town. We spent a lot of time at local coffee shops and restaurants, getting to know some of the people who live there, which made the week even more memorable. One of our favorite spots was the pier—about a 45-minute walk from our house—where we went swimming, jumped off the pier into clean and clear water, and played endless games of beach volleyball. The cover picture of this post was taken after a long and much needed “pier day” in front of our house and in front of the lake. I also had the opportunity to lead worship almost every night and play guitar with any of the SIX people that brought guitars. It was an incredibly fulfilling week getting to spend time with what would become a new family for the following 7 months or so. 

I could tell a hundred different stories from this first week but I'll just focus on a few different aspects of the week that were very important in the structure of how this trip would function and where my time would be spent. Firstly, I have played more guitar in this amount of time than in any other time of my life. Whether it be leading worship, focusing on original pieces, or practicing harder pieces with the intention of learning and understanding more theory, I have absolutely thrived in the music department. Secondly, we had the opportunity to spend amazing time with various mentors who offered much insight into how we should navigate this trip, but in particular, the difficult times. The founder of the entire program, Seth Barnes, came for the week of training camp and was very intentional about getting to know each and every one of us.  He’s incredibly wise and shared so much insight about how to navigate this season of life, using great stories to help us understand. Beyond his wisdom, he treated us to an amazing steak restaurant where we enjoyed some of the best food I’ve had in a long time—steak, lamb, salad, ribs, and more—all for just $14 a person. Needless to say, Albania is incredibly affordable—I’ve spent only about $150 over the past month and a half, covering coffee, snacks, a few clothing items, and even the occasional nice meal. Like I said, this barely scratches the surface of all the stories I could share—it was an incredible week filled with countless memorable moments.

I think the main important thing, at least for me, was reigniting my flame of passion for a relationship with the Lord. I feel like I fell into a basic and lifeless routine in my pursuit of the Lord when I lived at home and especially during my first year at college. That week was BY FAR the most I have felt the presence of the Lord in years, and I am so grateful for the people in this group and the leaders who have guided me to a closer relationship with Christ. The Lord is still working through me and this incredible group, and I cannot wait for the upcoming moments and experiences that I get to be a part of. I’m furthering my walk with a renewed sense of purpose and a deeper hunger to seek God daily, not just in big moments but in the ordinary ones too. I truly believe this is just the beginning of what He’s doing in me and through this community.