Here we go!!!!!

So this is it.... the time has come.

Tim & I are heading to Albania to teach English.

Pray.


The bus will leave tomorrow at 11am or so, with 40 odd kids and 10 even odder leaders and it will take approximately 7 hours to get to Vlora. Pray for safety in travel, a smooth crossing through the border checkpoint and strong stomachs & bladders on the bus!!

Each morning at camp there will be 3 activities that the kids will rotate round, all centred on teaching them English (it is an English camp after all). Tim & myself will be involved in the more structured, intensive activities despite having no teaching experience! So please pray for confidence, ability & plenty of wisdom!

The afternoons will be spent on the beach, not all the campers & not all the leaders can swim or are strong swimmers so we would really appreciate prayers for safety.

Then in the evenings the campers will be split into discussion groups where we will look at a passenge from the Bible. Due to legal restrictions we have to be careful of what we say so again please pray that the leaders of each group will have discernment but also the courage to ask deeper questions. Pray also that God will work in the hearts of the campers, that even studying these passenges in a comprehension fashion will give them cause to explore God's word deeper.

And then.. after all that we will have some games or movie time, pray that the campers & leaders will have a blast and get to know each better during this time.

So that's it. We are pretty anxious, we had no intention when we left Belfast on the 3rd July that we would still be here come the 23rd and be staying until the 1st August. Toiletries and clean clothes have long run out (& been replaced - don't fear) & Prishtina now feels like a second home, we've met some incredible people and are humbled that we can help out the church with their camp in this way.

We both have had different verses in are heads over the last few days as we have contemplated (& joked about) our current situation. Tim has been reminded of Proverbs 16 v 9 "In their hearts humans plan their course, but the Lord establishes their steps" and for me it's been Jeremiah 29 v 11 "For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans to prosper you and not harm you, plans to give you hope and a future". We don't know what's in store but we know that God has planned it from the beginning and that it is for good, we have no reason really to be anxious or worried but every reason to be bold & confident in Christ!

We hope to keep this updated while we are on camp but have no idea how much time or access to internet we will have but please do check back and also check out the ECMI Shorts facebook group as we might, at the very least, be able to post short updates on there.


Thanks for joining with us in prayer!

Lucy & Tim