Hello everyone!
Yes! Our team played spin the bottle, but it’s not what you think; we got to share the gospel with a local from Vlore!
Let me back up and explain a little and explain how we got there.
As we left Kruje for Vlore, our team traveled to the capital city of Tirana, where we hopped on another bus headed to our final destination. We traveled with another team as we were both headed south. I can only imagine the thoughts going through the heads of the locals. It was indeed a sight to behold. Thirteen Americans piled onto a bus, weighed down with our 70L big packs, our daypacks, and filled with a mixture of excitement and sadness as we departed from the rest of our squad.
The locals, who were already seated, scattered to fill the empty seats at the front while we attempted to make room in the tiny seats with all of our belongings. My team leader, Heidi, sat next to an eighteen-year-old named Roy. Roy, a Vlore native, was traveling home for spring break. He attends university in Tirana studying psychology, but his true passion is the film industry, and he hopes to work in that field in the future. Heidi, who has worked in the film industry for a couple of years, connected with him immediately over movies they both enjoyed. After we arrived in Vlore, she got his number and connected further with him, bringing Brian along too.
Outside of the connection with Roy, it was hard to connect with the locals. Our ministry in Vlore was slow and disappointing for the first couple of days. Later, we learned that Albania values mutual respect between religions; for example, it is not uncommon for a Christian to marry a Muslim. Bringing up religion and God can cause someone to immediately shut down or enter an “agree to disagree” mindset. Roy, however, kept our spirits high.
Brian and Heidi’s connection with him allowed us to hang out with him several times. One of the times, he invited us out to his favorite spot in Vlore, a beach on the northern side of the city. We even got to stop at his favorite restaurant, and we each got to try his favorite lunch!
When we arrived at the beach, we picnicked, and the boys played soccer with him for a while. As time passed, Roy suggested we play a game. When he threw an empty bottle on the ground in the middle of our circle, we looked around at each other with humor in our eyes as he suggested playing Spin the Bottle. He quickly clarified that he wanted to play a game of questions (like truth or dare, but only with truth). We agreed to play and began to spin the bottle, asking light-hearted questions like, “what was your most embarrassing moment?” and “what was the scariest thing you’ve ever done?”
As the game progressed, Roy asked if we could change the rules. He wanted to take a turn and ask a question the five of us would individually answer, and then we would each ask him a different question. The questions eventually changed from light-hearted to more serious. He asked us why we would leave stable jobs, loved ones, and relationships to share the gospel. He asked each of us to share the moment that we decided to follow Jesus. The most beautiful part, he was openly conversing with us, and then we were able to return questions and press into the gospel with him as we each got to ask him individual questions. Each one of us shared the gospel with him at different points in the afternoon. We each go to share our testimonies. AND we got to dig into his beliefs and what he thought of the gospel.
CAN YOU BELIEVE IT? It was so natural. So beautiful. The Lord was so present in that moment. It was a lived example of the body of Christ working together to share the good news. We were able to bounce off of each other’s strengths to bring Roy the good news of Jesus. We were also able to intercede for each other while we each shared. Each of us shared different life experiences, different reasons for going on the race, different perspectives on what the Lord is showing us, different aspects of the journey of a Christian – but we all shared about the ONE true God, the ONE true way, the ONE true life.
Want to know the best part of the whole thing? He told us that right before he left Tirana to travel home, he turned down a job offer that didn’t feel right. That day on the bus, he was beating himself up internally. He was putting himself down for not being on his own, being a burden to his parents, and not being able to secure a job yet. He told us that he overheard someone saying that some Americans would be getting on the bus, and his curiosity peaked, so he began to tidy up his stuff so someone could sit next to him. He didn’t recognize it, but he was hearing the voice/nudging of the Holy Spirit!
After he got off that bus, he told us that he had that curiosity because he was supposed to talk to us. He told us that we carried something different and that he had never met people who had shown interest in what he was interested in and who had pursued him. He even told us that he would tell his grandkids about our time together! What a testimony that the Holy Spirit was paving the way even before we arrived. All we did was ride a bus and have a conversation, but it could forever change the course of his eternity!
Roy returned to Tirana for school on Monday. Before he left, we connected once more to grab lunch and play card games. It has been a beautiful connection and one that I will forever remember. Roy has not yet accepted Christ, but the Holy Spirit is working, and I believe that others will follow and continue to share with Roy the gospel. This story might not be a harvest story, but planting the seeds is just as important.
I hope we can continue our connection with Roy and pour into him, even if we are eventually countries apart. The best part is that whether or not our relationship continues, we have the power to pray and ask the Lord to save him. Roy is on the cusp of accepting Jesus, and we know that it is not our impact but the power of the Lord that saves!
~
Will you join me in praying for Roy?
Pray that he will encounter more people who love Jesus. Pray that he will grasp that there is nothing we can do to earn salvation, but rather, through Jesus, we have access to grace, mercy, and redemption. Pray that he will accept the good news!
I’m learning that God can use anything to spread the gospel – even a game of Spin the Bottle.
With love,
Corban
