Bouncing Back

I wasn’t surprised by the answer, but honestly that has not stopped it from impacting me.  The idea of having a table to give away Bibles and meet Albanians at the Albanian Festival in Worcester this June was something that I have been thinking about and praying for since I first heard about it almost 2 years ago. It has seemed like an incredible chance to engage the 15,000 Albanians who travel from NYC, CT, and the Boston area for dancing, exhibits, familiar food, music and friendships.

The last 6 months as I have been approaching the organizers of the event I have been directed from one person to another and heard no result.  Finally, one of the organizers called me on a Saturday a month ago. She apologized for the delay in the answer and confessed that no one wanted to deal with this and in a way they probably hoped that I would just go away.  You see, the Festival is organized by the Albanian Eastern Orthodox Church. Though the Festival is not religious in nature, its goal is to raise money for the church. The organizers didn’t want another “religion” as she put it, there to evangelize people.  

My disappointment since that phone call has been real.  In the past like a good Dutch stoic I have tried to push it aside, chalk things up to the Sovereignty of God, and get on with things.  But I am learning to slow down, allow myself to feel, reflect and process. I am learning to pray.

There have been prayers of why..   King Jesus who reigns and rules and moves the heart of man like water in his hand, why won’t you open a door for us?  Why isn’t this the perfect opportunity? Why won’t you rend the heavens and come down to bring salvation to these 50,000 men and women most of whom are blindly walking towards the edge of the cliff of eternity?

There have been prayers of what..  what are you up to O God? What do I do?  What is the next step? What could we have done differently?  What other doors are you opening?

One of the prayers has been “What do we do with this Eastern Orthodox institution?  What should be our posture towards it? In many ways this is new for me. Kosova was 99% Muslim, and though many Albanians in Philadelphia were Orthodox in background, it did not carry the weight, power, and influence as it does in the Boston area.  The Eastern Orthodox Church is a major cultural player here.

I have a lot to learn and discover.  Would God open doors and avenues for gospel renewal and transformation even within the Orthodox Church?  Or will the Orthodox church and those in it be an obstacle for the gospel, content with people who are familiar with some Christian culture but don’t know Jesus, His Word or the ways of God?

As for the “why” questions, those of you who have walked with Jesus know that many “why” questions surround our lives, ministries, and suffering.  Often these are never answered. Yet they are heard by our loving Lord who promises that he can be trusted and that He is and will be present. They are gifts that push us to pray and to realize our humanity and the world’s brokenness.  

As I have processed these things with my coach, Vinny, we have had the image of a boxer who takes a big hit but keeps in there.  I have thought of football and how often a quarterback talks about the first time that he is tackled and hit by a defender being a sort of awakening for him, getting him ready to play.  Ready to move forward.

In these last few months I have been reminded of the battle and the obstacles to the gospel’s spread among Albanians.  In our first year and a half things progressed quickly in terms of connections, networking and opportunities to share the gospel.  But in many ways the long slow work has now begun. Digging into the community, serving people with love and mercy, patiently seizing opportunities to teach and explain the Scripture, investing in leaders and those whom God seems to be stirring, and in all and over all praying.  Knowing that it must be His power, His will and all for His glory.

Yes, the road is long and the obstacles real.  But we are not going anywhere, things are just starting to get interesting....