Hi & welcome back to the blog!
Today I brought water and a sweet treat, so let’s take a seat, snack, and share!
–
A brief intermission for a funding announcement!!
I AM 83% FUNDED!!!
I only have $2,700 left to raise!
I cannot explain how grateful I am to be blessed and covered by so many on this journey! THANK YOU so so so much to anyone and everyone who is following along!! Thank you for everyone who sends the sweetest texts, email and comments! They are so kind and encouraging!! I love you all and pray it keeps flowing!
I HAVE to be fully funded by the end of the race, which is May 22!
Are YOU willing to partner will me on this journey?!
Even if thats todays $5 coffee or just $1 a week? How bout $20 per blog post you read?
I am SO willing to be in contact with any connections you may have as well, business, churches, friends, family members, etc!
Reminder: my phone number ONLY works on WhatsApp!!
My email is [email protected] or find me on social media @ wildd.flowerz
–
Tirana, Albania with Team Radiant!
Recap: a quick run through of our ministry, and a look at our week!
Team Radiants ministry for Albania is something we call ATL on the race – Ask The Lord. This is commonly seen as street evangelism, but can take many forms. All of which have the bases of being active in prayer and building your relationship with faith, allowing God to lead you throughout your day. For team radiant this often looks like walking in small groups to local coffee shops, malls, parks, or activities with the mindset to talk and meet local young women. Although in reality we have met and connected with most people just walking on the street, on the bus or by sharing small notes with encouraging messages! The purpose for our ATL is to gather connections and friends to be able to plan an event called Beauty 4 Ashes! A women’s event consisting of crafts, food, music, games, fellowship, and a short message to connect and encourage the women! The event is even planned and hosted by our team! So our team’s ATL time is focused on reaching and connecting with young women and girls our age to build this event for! ATL takes place Tuesday-Friday! On Wednesday nights we also attend a youth group at our local church, which is mostly middle school boys! (personally I have a blast connecting with them!) On Thursday nights we attend the main church service, giving testimonies and sometimes messages, and even better learning to lead worship! On the weekends we send half of our team with our host pastor a few hours away to churches which our host also pastors at! They partake in 2-3 church services, fellowship, and food over the weekend! The half of the team at home enjoy exploring the city, more ATL, and meeting up with local friends! Monday is sabbath or day of rest! All of our mornings are dedicated to team bonding time, engaging in worship, teachings, planning, study, discussion and lots of laughter!! We live in two apartments in the same hall together and have the huge blessing of kitchens to plan and cook all of our own meals which has been so much fun to recreate meals from home! We are truly learning the art of sisterhood living together!!
Today (02/17) marks 46 days in Albania.
Bringing us to under two weeks left until we leave and head to Guatemala, a desperate countdown for many. But I somehow don’t know how to feel, have I served a successful purpose here? Have you learned? Have you lived? Have I helped? Have I grown in some way or another? Countdowns often help us look to the future but I can’t help but to look to the past, to ask myself all the big daunting questions. Leaving Albania means we enter our final country, but somehow not our final mission, for our mission is far beyond the field. It’s in our hearts that will carry us far beyond these simple nine months. It’s the seed that has begun to sprout, being nurtured into a small tree, and soon will begin to produce fruit.
Albania has been anything but easy, though it may seem as simple as sipping an afternoon latte, in reality it has been as trying, tiring, and tempting. It has been filled with many tears, temptations, team times, long city walks, talking to strangers, and now in our final weeks planning and hosting an event for local young women. But some comforts over these last six weeks have brought immense comfort and joy. Little things like rereading favorite quotes and poems often brings fuel and motivation to get through this moment, to get through today. In those moments I often turn back to this one quote from Henry David Thoreau who once said “Not until we are lost do we begin to understand ourselves.” I read and reread this, finding comfort knowing that if I am lost right now, it means I’m gaining, I’m growing, I’m learning, and most of all I’m living. Are these moments the ones that will begin to shape me? Do these tears water my growing tree? In those moments of doubt, in those hard times, in all the little things I realized that there is an immense power in DOING the hard things.
The power in doing hard things has become my new goal & not just for 2025, but chasing the mindset. Why do I hate certain things? Why haven’t I tried or pushed myself to do x y z? If that feels or seems hard, I want to pursue it. On day one in Albania our host sent us a warning: if we choose to do nothing, to be lazy, to make this country “feel” easy, we won’t get anything out of it. But if we busy ourselves, filling our time and building a schedule too intensely, we won’t allow any grace or freedom for exploration, peace, or time to just sit in God’s presence. We again won’t get the depth out of our opportunity. He encouraged us to build a vague plan, a loose idea, but to use our time to build connections. If that’s with our teammates, the youth, the locals, the church members, or even with God. It didn’t matter to him as long as we pour our hearts into these connections. This encouragement seemed simple, would I follow it on the first try? No. And that’s okay because God’s grace is abundant and I get to be here. In my last two weeks of Albania, reflecting back to that first conversation. Excited to see my mistakes and jump into active growth. The power was provided to me from God, seeking him not only in my times of need but learning to always, above anyone or anything else. The hard things were each and every moment I felt uncomfortable, scared, depressed & lonely. The growth was communicating and overcoming fear.
The real power in doing hard things is faith.
My first two weeks in Albania I enjoyed the freedom from a schedule, I loved adventuring the city, drinking cute little lattes, cooking meals in the apartment, and just settling in to experiencing the city. But in doing so I neglected my ministry, I failed to see where I was being called to press in to. I had a very inconsistent relationship with being in my bible, prayer, and journal. I lived each day fueled off of emotion and experience. But as week three rolled in and week four settled, the schedule developed and I started finding my fuel in the obsession of planning, cleaning, controlling, and just overall being busy. This left me at the end of each day with little to no positive energy to pour back in to my team, I was damaging my friendships and relationships with my intense desire to have full control, I was no longer having fun and everything and everyone felt like just another chore or task I had to complete to get through the day. This also left me with no motivation to get into my bible or journal on my own, I would do it as a task but not out of desire or interest, my teammates can even recount me falling asleep during worship sessions. Not because it was a required time, but because I had no interest in being there, I would quickly space out and soon be in a short nap. It passed the time and I checked the box. These weeks were completely consuming, I was of the mindset that if I didn’t do it it wouldn’t be done or done right so I pushed everyone out of my way or ordered them around hoping they’d figure out how to do it. I was exhausted. So when week five started, I found myself being reminded that it’s okay to let people love me, to let them help me, to reach out to God, to find encouragement in my Bible. To be refueled so I can overflow with fresh fruit instead of small brown fruits. My teammates gently reminded me of our ministry here, that there is a hope in the balance and there is peace where you lay things down.
Through weeks six and seven I have been struggling to get out of my head, to communicate, to connect, to love purely, to overflow. No amount of schedule or adventure could solve a hunger for peace, no amount of talking, sleeping, running, or isolating was fixing my desire to be content, to be okay. Peace came when I removed all the mental distractions, when I spent multiple nights breaking down, crying out, yearning that the same God who gives grace would grant me peace. Forcing myself to sit down, to journal, to pray, to worship, not for the contentment of others but for the healing of myself. The hard things hit me, the walls of confidence broke down, but my foundation held me firm, my faith held me, my good and graceful God held me close, he said lean on me. So as week eight and nine come, I am able to build up, to do the hard things. To take time for my relationship with finding faith, to pour out on to the local community of young women, to be vulnerable with my team, to find joy and peace within the hard things. Two days ago I thought the hardest thing to do was getting out of bed, but today I didn’t think twice about it. Two months ago I thought the hardest thing I could do was to pick up long distance running as a sport, but today I find joy in each mile I finish. One year ago I thought the hardest thing ever was sacrificing my future to do The World race, but today I am finding myself being made new in each moment of it.
Maybe it took being lost to be found.
Maybe the power is in DOING the hard things.
With many adventures & much love!
Aliya Koziol <3
Picture Time!
💕