We are leaving Albania after a month and a half of incredible ministry. This past month and a half has really instilled in me the idea of missions being relational and not about big events that bring a ton of people to a church. I really enjoyed being able to pour into the kids and teens in the city of Polican. I’m definitely going to miss the people I’ve built relationships with here in these last six weeks, but such is the nature of short-term missions. I definitely want to get more involved with long-term missions when I finish the World Race so that I can dive more into relationship building with people. I’m not quite sure what this will look like or where it will even be, but I know that there is a need in the US as well as the nations.
But anyways, I am now over halfway done with my trip and I wanted to give a brief update on how I’m doing. This has definitely been an eye opening and transformative year. I’ve learned so much about God, but so much more than just head knowledge; I feel like most of the things that God has revealed to me have been instilled into my heart and not just my head. As mentioned above, God has shown me the importance of missions being relational, but He has also given me the confidence to talk about the Gospel in every situation and a much better ability to connect everyday things people are going through with the Gospel. It has become immensely easier to bring the Gospel into every conversation and to see how God is working in people’s lives and how they can bring Him into more of it. God has also affirmed some passions I thought I had, such as working with teens and people struggling with addiction to substances. One last big thing He has instilled in me is that it is our job as Christians to bring in those who are hurting and to love on them; the Church should be a hospital. Jesus says in Matthew 9:12 “It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick.” We need to bring in those who need comfort, love, and hope, and tell them about the good news of the Gospel and show them how Jesus has transformed our lives and how He can transform theirs. We are called to love others so that they can see Christ’s love through us. “In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.” – Matthew 5-16.
Some things I’m still working on and struggling with are being content while being away from the people I care about back home and learning how to love my brothers and sisters in Christ. The World Race has definitely been an uncomfortable experience, but I think that I’ve been able to work through the physical discomforts just fine. The thing that has been the toughest has been being away from my girlfriend Jaci and my friends back home. Although I’ve been making good friendships along the Race, it’s hard not being able to be physically present with the people I’ve built relationships with back in Minnesota. I’ve also been struggling being able to love some of the people I’m doing missions with. There are a lot of different personalities given that there’s 25 of us on my squad, and some personalities don’t mesh well, leading to a good amount of frustration at times. I would really appreciate prayers regarding this.
God has been good and He’s working in incredible ways in this world. Our next stop is Romania, where all 25 of us will be staying in the southern end of the country for the next two months. We will be staying with Hope Church Romania, where we will be doing multiple different ministries. I’m not totally sure as to what this will look like, but I’m excited to work with them. Thank you for your prayers and support. I look forward to seeing how God is working in all of your lives.
God bless,
Colton
A couple of the teens in Albania that we connected with
Playing soccer with some of the kids
Me getting my butt kicked in chess by one of the men at the nursing home
