“As Jesus and his disciples were on their way, he came to a village where a woman named Martha opened her home to him. She had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord’s feet listening to what he said. But Martha was distracted by all the preparations that had to be made. She came to him and asked, “Lord, don’t you care that my sister has left me to do the work by myself? Tell her to help me!”
“Martha, Martha,” the Lord answered, “you are worried and upset about many things, but few things are needed—or indeed only one. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her.”
~ Luke 10:38-42 ~
We entered the border of Albania on a beautiful, cold morning with a gorgeous lake and mountain view. Lake Ohrid is vastly huge (a lot bigger than I imagined) and the blue tint changes colors based on the depth of the waters and the reflection of the sun.
As we drove alongside the lake to my team's new home for the next six weeks, I was nervous and excited about a new place, a new country. Romania was a fast-paced hard season that was absolutely insane because we got to see God’s light work in the darkness and spiritual heaviness. However, I would be lying if I didn’t admit that I was really tired; spiritually, physically, and emotionally.
Entering through the gates of our new ministry home in Albania was beautifully surprising as all my nerves quieted down and I was just filled with a peace that surpasses understanding. Our new home and ministry illuminated that kind of peace, a peace that only comes from God. As my team started to settle in our new space, my girls were smiling, laughing, and even crying tears of joy because this place was an answered prayer.
Words are not enough to express my love and gratitude to this ministry. My team and I were at a low point of exhaustion when entering into this new season and this ministry met us where we were at. They prioritized our health, rest, and above all, our relationship with the Lord. They invited us into their ministry rather than making up things and events we could do. They integrated us into helping with everything they were already facilitating.
My team and I would spend most mornings doing practical work for the ministry facilities; a lot of cleaning to take care of their space. Some mornings we would go out for house visits in the villages and towns. This was a very blessed time, we really got to love people, encourage them, and pray for them. We were also extremely blessed by the hospitality of the Albanian culture. They would always serve us a drink and a candy, no matter the financial situation of the family. We met a lot of families grieving from loss, dealing with terminal illnesses, going through marital problems, and having financial difficulties. There were times that we would walk into a home and the family situations were so heart breaking, I could barely breathe, let alone speak encouragement into their lives. And as my heart would break, I could feel the emotional compassion of God’s heart for His people. Moments like these are when the outpour of your prayer time with the Lord comes into play. When you trust and give your voice over to the Holy Spirit, it is He who comforts, loves, gives peace and understanding, better than we ever could. This is when you let the Holy Spirit pray through you with power and authority over all brokenness and darkness in the world.
In the morning once a week our ministry would set aside time (almost five hours) for teachings. This was my favorite time because my team and I were filled with true amazement in the word of God, and all that it could show us about God; who He is and Whose we are. We were blessed with a ministry that was a training/Bible school facility and they blessed us with their biblical and missional knowledge. We did sessions on discipleship and the characteristics of God, "helps" ministry (basically what I’m doing on this race--going to other countries and helping established ministries), a deep study on the book of James, and an overview of the Islam and Hindu religions (world religions that we will be immersed in within our next few counties).
Evenings were filled with prayer meetings on Mondays, women's meetings on Tuesdays, kids and women’s ministry on Wednesdays, a church service on Thursdays, and youth meeting on Fridays. My entire team had an opportunity to lead at these meetings by sharing a testimony, message, or by planning an activation activity. This was so fun! I had the honor of teaching and preaching several times (so did my team which was awesome) and it was such a blessing to share what God has been teaching me these past few months (all of which will be published in the next blog). This really stretched and challenged a lot of my team. Every single one of them did so amazing and grew in learning that they don’t have to have the perfect words or a certain title to speak in front of a group of people. All they need is to surrender to the Spirit, teach what God’s been walking them through, and believe that God is using all of it to encourage, love, and speak truth over everyone listening. We are all the body of Christ and our stories and what God is teaching us is not meant to be just for us, but can and should be told to encourage others in their walk of faith. If you really think about it, it’s quite selfish of us to not speak and tell our testimonies and redemption stories.
My team and I were also asked to do a drama for the church. None of us had any musical talents or had ever really done theater before, so you could say that this request was a shock and maybe even a bit (racing of the heart) stressful. But if you know me, you know that I am indeed the child of a Drama Ministry Queen (lol aka my mom) at a young age I was asked to participate in a lot of church dramas. After a long period of my church not having a drama team, a friend and I actually started one called "Awaken" around high school, which is still alive and active in my church today (shout out to Awaken Team, y’all are amazing!). So I was actually quite excited about this opportunity. After praying about it, the Lord gave me the song, “Same God” by Elevation Worship and mapped out an entire drama performance in my head. My whole team was on board to perform it. We literally practiced one afternoon for like four hours and we had it down! It was crazy and so fun! I think the sweetest part of this was seeing my whole team buy into a vision that God gave me and help it come to life! We blessed the ministry and church in giving this request our all. Our host said, “that drama had an anointing on it and it blessed a lot of people.” So thanks God for blessing me, my team, and our ministry!
Something I’ve been trying to grasp throughout the race is learning how to balance being a Martha and a Mary in the Kingdom. In Guatemala, I learned how to be a Mary. I spent a lot of time at the feet of Jesus listening to Him and all of His guidance and wisdom. In Romania, I was a Martha, running around doing all the things to advance the Kingdom of God on Earth.
I’m happy to report that in Albania, my ministry exemplified what it meant to be a Martha and a Mary. This is something they taught us well. They prioritized and even helped nurture our relationship with the Lord as they gave us time to rest and sit at Jesus’ feet. They also had many ministry events and meetings going on that they invited us to lead and take part in. We learned how to rest and receive at the feet of Jesus first and foremost (they even gave us time throughout the day to reset ourselves in front of Him) and then we would go do ministry for the Kingdom.
A healthy, well-balanced ministry has both Martha’s and Mary’s. They have people ready to go do the work for the Kingdom (Martha) and those who pray, intercede and sit at the feet of Jesus (Mary). Our ministry was filled with Marthas’ and Marys’ and many had the capacity to be both and balance them well. The Martha’s need the Mary’s to remind them what’s really important and what is greater than any physical work they could do, and the Mary’s need the Martha’s to help them do the work of ministry. We need both and we can be both, which is necessary to serve well and effectively in the Kingdom of God. More often than not, ministries are all filled with Martha’s and they may reach a goal of souls reached and saved with all their hard work, but without the prayer and intercession of a Mary, they will only get so far in the physical world and basically nowhere in the spiritual.
This is why it’s so important to start with prayer and intercession--to seek the heart and will of the Father before going and doing the hard work of advancing His Kingdom on Earth. And in the end of it all - Mary had a better understanding and that would never be taken from her. To reside, to truly rest and abide in His presence, is where we find the strength to go out and do ministry on a regular basis. Without being filled with the Living Water, we can not expect to overflow and fill others up as well. It is possible to be a Martha and a Mary, it just takes a whole lot of humility to lay down at the feet of Jesus, and a whole lot of courage and discernment to rise up and go!
I’m beyond thankful for the heart of this ministry. The hospitality, love, light, and peace that they radiated. They took care of us, spiritually uplifted us, and physically gave us time to rest and heal. They poured into my team and into me! They taught me so much and loved me so well! I truly miss all of the amazing people I met in Albania. I pray for them every time I think about them, asking for the Lord’s blessings on them and their wonderful, faith-built, and ministry lives!