Training and Debrief Weeks

The first 2 weeks in our second country, Albania, were filled with training, rest, and debriefing the previous month. This was a time for our amazing leadership team to pour into us and help prepare us for the next few months. We were in the city of Durres, Albania, which was right on the beach of the Adriatic Sea. Every morning I would wake up early enough to have a nice little walk on the boardwalk and pastry from the local markets. 

(One of the many mornings I got to enjoy this view)

Training Week

The first week was training week. This week was filled with teachings from our squad mentor about all kinds of things ranging from our role in the kingdom, spiritual gifts, and spiritual disciplines. We started our days with an hour of worship and then we dove straight into these teachings. We had this week of training to prepare us for the coming months as well as life after this trip is over in 10 months. These teachings were not simply to prepare us for the rest of the year, they were also meant to prepare us to return to our lives and still live with a missions mindset whether we decide to be full time missionaries or not. This week ended with a spontaneous day of praying for each other, washing each other’s feet, and baptisms in the Adriatic sea. So many people on the squad were set free from oppression and got to be refilled with the Holy Spirit. I got the opportunity to be rebaptized that day and it was freeing and exhilarating. That day was filled with joy and laughter and it allowed everyone to experience a different side of the Holy Spirit that some of us may have never seen before. 

Photo taken by: Hannah Green

Photo taken by: Drew Davidson

Photo taken by: Joanne Hoffmann

Debrief Week

The following week, after having a Sabbath day, we started debrief week! This week was not as busy as training week. We got to have one-on-one meetings with our leadership team and go over how we were feeling about the previous month. It also allowed us to look forward and cast vision on the month we were about to enter. We had time to reconnect with our teams and discuss what we wanted our next month to look like regarding what to prioritize what was most important to us as a team. We also got the opportunity to be tourists for a few days and explore a beach town in Albania! This week was not all rest but, we had so many opportunities to just abide in the Lord and enjoy our remaining time as a squad before separating from each other for a few months. 

Photo taken by: John Carothers

(We got a meal made by a local man that was AMAZING!)

(My team!)

Overall, these weeks were amazing and I learned so much. I also loved using these weeks to get to know some of my squad mates that I hadn’t been able to yet. I loved being able to freely hang out and catch lunch with the community I am surrounded with and I am so happy to say that I miss them already! I am looking forward to having so much time with just my team to get to know them better but, I also can’t wait for us all to be reunited again in a few months for another debrief. These past few weeks were amazing and I can’t wait to see what the Lord does with me, my team, and the entire squad over the rest of our time in Albania and our next country.