This week of training camp has been full of so many unexpected blessings—friendships forming quickly and deep conversations coming easily. We’ve enjoyed beautiful views and have had two cities to explore within walking distance. Most importantly, we’ve seen God working through every interaction, along with a growing sense of belonging.

One of the most significant things that has stuck with me so far is the time we’ve spent talking with the locals. We walk the 2.5 miles into Pogradec almost every day, which means we often bump into the same people multiple times and get to speak to new people every day. The majority of Albanians we’ve talked to so far are so excited to hear about America and often say how badly they want to visit.

One day in the city, most of our group was swimming in the lake while another girl and I sat on the dock to talk. Two little kids ran up to us after hearing us speak English, and they immediately started talking to us about anything and everything. Their English was very good, and we were able to ask them about their lives in Albania and their favorite things to do. Their parents came over soon after, and we got to meet them and their older sister as well. It wasn’t a huge or dramatic moment, but just getting to connect with the locals and seeing how excited they were about our presence was so encouraging.

Another conversation that stands out was one we had with a local on our road. During a scavenger hunt through the city, we met a man named Tani who had recently opened a restaurant and was excited to tell us about it. We were in a rush at the time, but we promised to come visit in the coming days.

The next afternoon, we were given a budget to spend on lunch, and six of us decided to stop at Tani’s restaurant. He wasn’t there when we arrived, but we talked with the waitress and had a delicious meal. Part of our group asked the servers if they knew God and if we could pray for them. One of the ladies nodded, and by the end of the prayer, she was brought to tears. Afterward, they told us to wait by the beach, so we made our way over there.

We were hesitant at first, since there was nobody else around the beach, and we sat for a few minutes wondering if we should just leave. However, after five minutes, one of the servers came over with a tray and told us they wanted to give us drinks on the house. We all cheered and took them with our server before starting to walk back. Just as we were about to leave, Tani drove up and was overjoyed to see us. When we told him we had come to try out his restaurant, the look of shock and joy on his face stuck with me. He told us he’d love to have us back and that we should visit again before we leave Pogradec.

We were uncomfortable in the moments when we were waiting—unsure if there was a miscommunication or if we were doing the right thing—but we leaned into that discomfort and were able to connect with our new friends through it.

So much of this trip so far has been about leaning into the discomfort: the discomfort of understanding a new culture, getting past a language barrier, making new friends, and eating foods we wouldn’t normally try. We learned in one of our lessons this week that the best way to grow is to first fail. If we were perfect at everything, spoke the language fluently, and were never uncomfortable, we probably wouldn’t change or learn nearly as much from this experience.

God has been working in every one of our hearts—and in the hearts of the people of Albania as well. I feel so blessed to be part of this team and to continue living out God’s will over the next few months