Sunbeams

Look at the sky in a particular moment when the sun’s rays are seeping through the clouds. In one brilliant display, beams of light come crashing forth. It’s one of God’s marvels, and I cannot help thinking of Him when I see the sunbeams illuminating the earth before me. They are powerful- casting out the darkness and reminding us that He has indeed conquered death and darkness.

And so, here we are in Durres. For two weeks, we spent time in this beach city in Albania doing an extended version of debrief. Basically, we rested from active ministry on the Race to reflect on our happenings in Romania and focus on what is ahead for us in Albania. As a squad, we really pressed in and fought for unity together. Some days were spent on the beach and swimming in the waves. Others served as times of intense study as Ari (our Squad mentor) taught and prepared us for the month ahead. 

The Spirit continued to move- and on one particular day, we came before the Lord as a squad. That morning, members spoke up and a time of confession took place. It was raw, real, and we lifted up to the Lord and told each other deep, challenging things that were under the surface. Sin was exposed and dealt with, and seeing repentance break out in the squad was a beautiful sight to see. In the afternoon, we washed each other’s feet. This was a happy moment for me, and it reflected the same discipline that is talked about throughout the New Testament. It brought about a level of trust and vulnerability in friendships that are rarely seen.

Shortly after we washed each others’ feet, God went wild. I am just going to say that! People were delivered and set free, and others were baptized in the Adriatic Sea to profess their faith in Christ. It was a humbling moment for the Squad, and we were out there until sunset- pressing in with each other in the water and supporting one another.

One of the biggest themes during debrief is the Lord challenging me to trust Him completely. After we entered Albania on the bus, the song “Relentless Pursuit” played as worshipped the Lord together. And we are to relentlessly pursue Him. And the phrase that I continue to utter when talking to God in prayer is the phrase “I trust You”.

Throughout our Squad, members have different convictions surrounding baptism. Personally, I was baptized before yet did not quite comprehend the magnitude of completely living a surrendered walk in Christ. Having my life 100% surrendered to Jesus is a beautiful thing, and He is to take me wherever He wants me to go.

Albania has been a country that has been on my mind for 7 years- an unknown, wild place- waiting to be explored. Some World Racers call it a “Hidden Jewel of Europe”. I would agree with that assessment. And so when I found out that we were going there, my heart jumped with excitement. We were entering this special land to make Christ’s name known here! How awesome is that!

And so, I was in the sea and came to terms with what following Jesus really is. It’s a true dying to self and a complete destruction of the flesh to experience something far greater than that. And following Jesus is to put everything on the line- including my own life- to serve Him and make His kingdom known to a World that needs hope so much. 

As I reflected on my walk with Christ and approached a point of professing my complete “yes” to Him, I decided to get baptized. When I came out of the water, I felt so much peace. Later in the day, I walked on the beach and felt peace and freedom as I looked at God and what He has done.

Personally, I don’t look at this day or my time in Albania as the start of my faith journey- far from it. Yet I do see it as the culmination of something that was started long ago. My walk with Christ has involved many twists and turns, unknowns, refinement, suffering, and joy. As I prayed about Albania, I saw this as a time of freedom and walking into a new season of life. Everything that happened before led to this moment on the sea- which symbolized living a completely surrendered life to Him.

As a Christian, I am not perfect and will mess up in the future. Yet as things come to pass, I hope to look back on this moment and my time in Durres. It is living for the Lord and continuing to run to Him. And as hard things take place, I plan to say to the Lord “I trust You”- even when things do not make sense.

As the sun set on the beach and the baptisms wrapped up, the sun shone in a vibrant sunbeam display over the ocean. I was awed by His presence and what He did this day. The sun set into the ocean and we ate dinner together. Wow… what a day it was. And I hope to not forget this day.

Debrief continued, and we celebrated the Sabbath together. I got a nice run in along the beach and got to explore the area a bit. We spent a restful weekend getting ready for the next month, which is ATL (Ask The Lord) – which is no ministry hosts and being guided by the Holy Spirit. It was also terrific to catch up with two friends from H Squad who were in the area and came to see us!

The day to leave Durres came, and we got on the bus to Permet. The night before, we said goodbyes to each other since we are being split into teams. On the bus, we zigzagged throughout Southern Albania and passed through the mighty Kelcyre Gorge. We pushed forward along the road beside the blue Vjosa River. As we neared Permet, sunbeams illuminated the area. This is it! Beams of light pointed the way to where we are now serving at.. We then got off the bus- ready for a new adventure and what the Lord has in store for us!

“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. In Him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.”

John 1: 1-5