Leaving for Albania!!

((so i thought I had posted this before I left, so imagine it's mid december))

Hey all!! I have been in Kona for 6 months now, I leave for Albania this week!!  

This last week has been super busy as I hustle to wrap up outreach planning, training and prepping the team for mission, team finances, budget, and outreach logistics. I am also continuing discipleship, class, intercession, praying for Albania and working through my own finances, spending time with my sister, friends, and room girls before we part, and doing a lot of prayer!   

Class  

A couple of weeks ago, we were all set for a speaker to come, but they had to cancel at the last minute. So, the Fire & Fragrance leadership team took turns sharing about spiritual hunger. And God’s presence showed up in such a powerful way! As the leaders spoke about intimacy with Jesus, the fire of the Holy Spirit, and longing for a move of God, something shifted in the room. Here are a few powerful things that stood out:  

• You can’t set yourself on fire — only by truly beholding Jesus for who He is will.  

• You become what you behold — where you place your focus is where your heart will go.  

• The quickest way to dim your fire is offence — protecting your heart from bitterness and offence is vital to keeping your passion alive.  

• Psalm 132:3-5 says, “I will not enter my house or get into my bed, I will not give sleep to my eyes or slumber to my eyelids until I find a place for the Lord, a dwelling place for the Mighty One of Jacob.” The importance of hungering for God’s presence, and hungering that every nation will be a dwelling place of God—there’s an urgency to see Him glorified in every nation, people group, and sphere of life.  

• In Luke 1:37-38, we are reminded, “No word from God will ever fail.” When Mary said, “I am the Lord’s servant… May your word to me be fulfilled,” she showed radical faith. What promises has God spoken to you? What vision has He placed in your heart that you need to hold onto and keep contending for, no matter how impossible it seems?  

• Luke 11:9-10 says, “Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you.” In praying having the attitude of ‘you said to ask, so I’m asking’! There’s an invitation to come boldly before God, asking with full expectation that He will answer.   

• God won’t force-feed us. You can’t fill someone who’s already full. Are we satisfied with things that aren’t Him? Are we hungry enough to let go of the distractions and let God fill us?  

•  Keep your eyes fixed on Jesus. The moment we start comparing ourselves to others, we lose sight of what God is doing in our own lives. The only comparison we should make is between who we are today and who God is calling us to be.  

We were also blessed to have Aaron Tedeschi from Upperroom lead worship during the week—starting with our corporate Monday night ministry time and then a powerful worship night on Wednesday. His deep intimacy with Jesus and freedom in worship, with eyes fixed on the King, shaped the week in people being laid out lovers of Jesus, so hungry for more of the presence of God. The worship night ended up being over 6 hours of pure worship, the glory of God sure did fall! 4 straight days of worship proceeded, going over everything else on the schedule, going all day and all night! In the embrace of His presence, we found ourselves lost in worship. Days turned into nights, and nights into days, as the glory of God poured out, this was the closest I could get to heaven in this life!   

“As the deer pants for streams of water, so my soul pants for you, my God. My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. When can I go and meet with God?” Psalms 42:1-2   

The next week Philip Dodge, a Fire & Fragrance leader, took us through a very practical outreach training week- learning how to evangelise with Muslims, Catholics and post-Christian nations; grouping with our teams to ask the Lord for words and vision over our outreach; training in how to gather and host youth; and practicals within team dynamics!   

The next week we had Daniel Hoogteijiling, part of YWAM Kona leadership, who served in Kenya for 8 years on missions! He talked on The Great Commission!! Which I am now very very familiar with! His stories and joy in that made me super excited to one day long term in a foreign nation!!! 

Next, Bryan Hunsberger from YWAM Sunshine Coast Australia talked on the Bible!! He took us through the whole Bible in 4 days!! As he talked about the journey the Lord has brought him through, it was a good reminder of the importance of simple obedience! The places and things God has led him into far exceeded what he could have made up himself! God does everything in love and with a plan, all for His glory! He also spoke truth about how emotions aren’t based on truth, and the Bible is the word of God, a firm foundation of truth to live on!! He also mentioned how they prayed for boldness in the book of Acts because they knew they’d be persecuted, but God gives boldness to keep preaching! 

We also had Robert Thatch, a missionary from Central Asia during one of our Thursday Night Gatherings, who is very well entrenched in my life as someone who activates others into missions! He spoke last year a few times, as well as over the summer, yet every single time he talks, despite me now knowing what he’s about to say word for word, I still am gripped for the unreached and Central Asia!! At the end he did an alter call for people willing to commit their lives to long-term missions- this was my like 5th commissioning, but still, I ran up on that stage committing my life to the call of God and making Him known!!  

This last week, we had Eniola and Chase from Circuit Riders speak on prayer and worship! They are powerful speakers and leaders, speaking from intimacy with Jesus and revelation!

Some things that stood out:

• Don’t make prayers, words of the Lord or dreams just a journal entry

• Hear the word and let it impact you

• Faith should motivate us to action

• Cain gave God what Cain wanted, and Abel gave God what he was worthy of

• Accept God for who He is, so then you won’t be sat bored saying “God do that thing that entertains me”- just like how we can sit with our friends without entertainment

• We worship from and in faith- faith comes from what God says and who He is, and not my wish-list

• Worship is grounded in trust

Heart piece   

Something the Lord has been reminding me constantly is that the earth cries worthy. We were created to be loved by him, we were created for relationship and fellowship with him, we were created in His image. Everything in creation—both the vast cosmos and the smallest details—reflects the wisdom, power, and goodness of God. He made the world not out of necessity but as an act of wilful love, desiring to share His perfection and beauty with beings capable of knowing, loving, and reflecting Him. 

The glimmer of sun on the ocean, the songs of the birds, the paintwork of the pinks and oranges in the sunrise. The earth sings worthy, the earth cries holy!  

yet.  

Yet the cries of oppression in Afghanistan.  

Yet the cries of the many people who do not know Jesus.  

Yet the cries of the foster system, of human trafficking, divorce, world hunger, the loneliness, confusion and anxiety of GenZ.   

The cry.  

The cries of His people, whether eternal or limited to the confines of earth, are not cries of worthiness or holiness. The gloom of this earth that tries to outweigh the glory, power and beauty of Christ, that drowns years, experiences, and lives.   

Yet the hope, joy, peace and love that surpasses understanding. Oh how majestic, beautiful, lovely is God seated on the throne of heaven.  

Sit with Him.  

Face to face.   

Away from the thunder, the ringing noise of the enemy. The distraction, the diversion of the Prince of Peace, the perfect heavenly Father, the friend of the Holy Spirit.   

He’s in every moment of every day waiting for relationship. First, we were made to be with him, face to face.

Sit with God and then partner with Him and his heart for His people.  

In Judges 4&5 Deborah sat under the palm of Deborah for 20 years, day after day, to hear the cries of her people, the cries of the oppression in Israel. She was faithful and willing to listen to the cries of God's people and answer. And how? Consistent intimacy, relationship, with God.  

As she is spending time with the Lord on the 20th year God reveals His solution and end to this pain, and she listened and obeyed right away and within one battle the army of Sisera was defeated.   

She KNEW God, she sat with Him, which meant she had the strength and patience to day by day listen to the cries of her people and do her job.   

She KNEW God, she sat with Him so when He spoke, she knew the voice of the Lord and trusted him, so without hesitation she obeyed.   

She sat and partnered with Him to find the solution to the cries of the people.  

God wants to raise leaders who are willing to stand firm in faith, listen to the cries of those in need, and act according to His will!! I feel so heavy on my heart that if we all sit with the Lord and partner with His heart for His people, this earth will be living in light and not darkness!!  

Outreach  

As you may know, I leave soon for Albania, ((*I'm already here)) where I will lead a team of 14 on a 3-month mission trip. Albania, in Southeastern Europe, is a beautiful country with a rich history and diverse culture, rooted in family traditions, hospitality and national pride. However, Albania remains one of the least reached countries in Europe by the Gospel! Most Albanians are either Muslim or have no religious affiliation at all, as well as some Catholic and Eastern Orthodox sprinkled in there. After decades of communist rule, where religion was forbidden, many Albanians are still recovering from the lasting effects of religious suppression and are searching for hope and truth. The need for the Gospel is so real! Many communities have little or no Christian presence, and believers often face challenges in living out their faith openly. This makes it an urgent mission field where even small acts of kindness or outreach can make a huge difference!   

Our team will be mainly focused on relational street evangelism, engaging with people where they are, building relationships, and sharing the message and love of Jesus in their context through personal interaction and connection. Our goal is to not only build as many relationships as we can and share the Gospel but also to encourage lasting transformation by walking alongside the Albanian people, empowering them to become leaders and evangelists in their own country, walking in their true God-given identities in the call of God on their lives.    

We will also serve and work with missionaries and churches in Albania, doing faith trips, lots and lots of worship and intercession and gathering youth in activation!     

Prayer

I would so appreciate your prayers at this time! Prayers for our team’s safety, unity, wisdom, and effectiveness as we minister in Albania. Also prayer over my co-leader Lexi and me that we would be walking in the Spirit and that there’d be a God-given grace and strength over all things logistics and leadership. As well as pray with us for His kingdom come in Albania! That we'd see people meet and know Jesus, that we would see salvation, healing and freedom in the name of Jesus, all for His glory!

I believe God is going to do incredible things, and I’m so thankful to have you on this journey with me. Together, we can make a difference for His Kingdom!    

Thank you for your love, prayers, and support. I can’t wait to update you on all that God is doing in Albania!    

Love Olivia <3