WHAT IS GOD DOING IN ALBANIA, MINNESOTA & KONA?!?

(spoiler: a lot!!!)

These last couple of months have felt like one long front row seat to watching God move in wildly different places with different people and somehow seeing the same thing over and over again…

Jesus revealing Himself and people saying YES!!!

🇦🇱 ALBANIA!! WHAT HAPPENS WHEN YEARS OF PRAYER START LOOKING LIKE FRUIT?!

I was in Albania for 2 weeks in May!!

We started in Durres, gathering with long-term missionaries serving across North Africa and hearing stories of what God is doing in some of the least-reached places in the world!!

We were able to pray, encourage and champion these heroes!

I left feeling so provoked by the faithfulness of these people!

These aren’t people doing a short trip, but these are families who have uprooted their lives, raised children, started businesses, learned languages and planted themselves in hard places for years and years because Jesus is worthy!!

They’ve counted the cost and paid it!!

Then we headed to Tirana!!

Last year, I led a 3-month outreach there and honestly… it felt SO HARD.

We spent months praying, worshipping and believing God would move, often without seeing much fruit.

One of our biggest prayers was that Albania wouldn’t just receive missionaries but become a sending nation!!

This year, I came back and got to see some of those prayers answered!!

Over the last year, missionaries there have been spearheading The Send Albania with the vision of gathering and mobilising everyday believers into missional action!!

Around 1,200 people gathered to proclaim Jesus over Albania and say YES to reaching the lost!!

Then over the following weeks, they continued gathering people and altogether saw:

• 3,000 people gather!!

• 209 salvations!!

• 31 recorded healings!!

God was so kind to take me there to give me a glimpse of answered prayers!!

Even walking the streets felt different this year! Conversations about God felt so easy compared to last year!!

God is moving!!!

Another cool moment:

Towards the end, I was praying over people committing to missions and proclaiming:

“God, You’re moving in the 10/40 window. You’re moving in the Middle East, Central Asia and North Africa.”

And suddenly it hit me.

I wasn’t saying it because I’d heard stories, I was saying it because I’ve actually stood in those places and watched God move!!

I felt so grateful for where the Lord has taken me and what He’s let me witness!!

YWAM Tirana also launched their first DTS, and Albanians are already being sent into places like Central Asia and the Middle East!!

PLEASE PRAY!!!

That God would continue revealing Himself to Albanians through dreams and visions, and that believers would live wholeheartedly for Jesus and step into action!!

(The Send Albania!!)

🇺🇸 MINNESOTA!! A movement of GenZ!!!

After a quick stopover in England, we headed to Minnesota!!

Our 2 visions pieces

1. Least-reached people groups.

Minnesota has over 100 people groups represented and includes one of the largest Somali populations in the US!! There’s even a street where around 100 languages are spoken!!

There are thousands and thousands of people from least-reached places who now live in Minnesota, many displaced or arriving as refugees.

It was highlighted to us that it’s so difficult to get into many of these nations as missionaries. But in Minnesota, there’s so much more opportunity to meet people, serve them, build friendships, and share Jesus directly!

So while we were there, we got to partner with Mercy Ministries doing food distribution and helping with programmes that serve them. It was such a gift to serve practically and just love people!

2. Youth movements!!

YWAM also carries a huge heart to gather and activate believers wherever they are to step into the call of God on their lives with boldness and courage!!

Something super unique is happening in Minnesota!!

There are SO many little hubs of believers gathering all over the state, and most of the stories sounded the same:

“A couple of my friends wanted to pray…”

“A few of us started worshipping…”

…and suddenly 60 people are gathering every Monday.”

So every night we were there, we attended different worship nights, prayer gatherings and Bible studies, and almost all of them had grown massively in the last year!

YWAM's role right now is helping unify these groups and leaders and help people realise:

You’re part of what God is doing in Minnesota!!

Every month, they run evangelism gatherings, unity gatherings and worship nights across these different communities!

A lot of the leaders are only like 19 to 25 years old and started with inviting two friends over, and now suddenly lead groups of 100 people!!

So it’s been really cool to be able to encourage people, pray with them and put on evangelism gatherings and worship nights and just join in with what God is doing!

One thing that really struck me too…

Minnesota has such a strong culture of people caring deeply and showing up passionately for things they believe in. There’s a real history of movements, community action, justice conversations and people gathering around causes.

And honestly, I felt encouraged by that.

People CARE and want change and purpose!

And my prayer became:

Jesus, redirect this hunger into something eternal.

That people would discover that they were made for something even bigger than themselves and ultimately find that in Jesus.

It was such a fruitful few weeks!

(a prayer set we led, a sermon playing in a bar while we were doing evangelism?!, believers gathering!!)

PLEASE PRAY!!

• For young leaders to have wisdom and be discipled well

• For unity between ministries and gatherings

• That passion and courage would be captured by Jesus

• For least reached communities in Minnesota to encounter God!

• That what God is starting would continue to grow and multiply!!

🌺 KONA!! A ROCK IN THE MIDDLE OF THE OCEAN THAT MAKES NO SENSE!!

Then we headed back to Kona with the rest of the DTS!!

Collectively, around 400 students returned from 28 countries and WOW the stories!!!

One really cool story:

Back in Morocco, we met a man who told us he’d been having repeated dreams of Jesus and asked:

“How can I know God?”

We shared the gospel, gave him a Bible and simply encouraged him:

Go into your room, shut the door and ask God to reveal Himself!

One teammate stayed in touch, but eventually he stopped replying while we were in another country.

Meanwhile, another DTS team happened to also be in Morocco.

One day, while doing outreach, they felt highlighted to talk to one specific guy.

They start talking.

And realise…

IT’S THE SAME GUY.

They prayed with him.

And he gives his life to Jesus!!!

He literally said:

“There’s no way God isn’t pursuing me.”

And stories like that just kept happening!!

Salvations!! Healing!! Breakthrough!! Dreams!! Answered prayer!!

But honestly, my favourite part has just been watching hundreds of young people say YES to Jesus!!

(worship and testimony night!!)

✈️ WHAT’S NEXT FOR ME?!

Next stop: ENGLAND!!!

Next month I’ll be home in England for weddings, family and rest before heading back to Kona in August!

And while I know going back could sound like “just another school in Hawaii”, this season actually feels really different.

There’s a lot of transition happening and opportunities to help build and disciple in a new season. I feel more convinced than ever that God is doing something significant, and I’m grateful to keep saying yes!

Every three months, God gathers around 400 young people from all over the world onto this tiny island in the middle of the Pacific, who are hungry to know God, encounter Him, be discipled, be trained and then be sent out into the nations carrying the gospel!!

And I really feel like the Lord is continuing to do something new in this season, and I want to keep investing and building in that, discipling and training young people, creating places where people encounter Jesus and helping send people into the nations!! As well as going to all these unreached nations myslef too and contending in prayer!!

I’m expectant, excited and honestly really grateful to keep saying yes.

I genuinely wouldn’t want to do anything else!!

THANK YOU!!!

Thank you for praying!! Thank you for encouraging and supporting me and saying yes alongside me!!

You are part of these stories too!

💌 WOULD YOU CONSIDER PARTNERING WITH ME?

Getting to witness what God is doing in North Africa, Albania, Minnesota and Kona has honestly left me more convinced than ever that God is moving in incredible ways and inviting ordinary people like me into it!!

I still have around £400 left to cover from outreach costs, and I’m praying for £500 more per month in ongoing support to continue serving sustainably long term.

I’ve been living this way for nearly 3 years now, and honestly, I wouldn’t trade it! It has been one of the greatest privileges of my life to partner with what God is doing and watch Him provide again and again!!

So if these stories have encouraged you, if you’ve been stirred by what God is doing, or if you’ve ever wanted to practically invest in missions and discipleship, I’d love to invite you to partner with me!

You can give through this link (which gives me extra in gift aid too!):

 www.stewardship.org.uk/partners/Oliviawarren

Or via bank details:

O G Warren

20-69-34

30563625

Every penny goes directly toward missions!

THANK YOU!! I LOVE YOU GUYS, GOD IS SO GOOD AND FAITHFUL!!

PRAYER POINTS 

I would also love it if you could pray!!

🇦🇱 Albania → dreams, visions, salvations & Albanians sent to the nations!

🇺🇸 Minnesota → unity, discipleship & passion fully captured by Jesus!!

🌺 Kona → deep discipleship, protection & lasting fruit!!🤍 Personal → provision, wisdom & grace for the next season!

If you have any questions, comments or prayer requests, please let me know!! I’d love to hear! Also, I would LOVE to hop on a phone call or meet in person when I’m home if you are interested in hearing more about missions, YWAM and what God’s doing in my life and the nations! 

LOVE YOU GUYS!!!

See you in England 🇬🇧✨