Yesterday was our Sabbath. The plan was simple: rest, take it easy, and enjoy the day. A group of my team decided to walk to the store, it’s about 2.5 miles each way, so roughly five miles total. Honestly, I didn’t feel like going at first, but they convinced me to tag along. Looking back, I’m so glad they did, because God clearly had something bigger in mind than just groceries.

As we set off, we came across some local kids who attend the church we’ve been staying at and partnering with. Over the past few weeks, we’ve been building relationships with them, and it felt like such a gift to run into them along the road. Two of the kids spoke some English, which made it easy to talk as we walked. They even showed us a “shortcut” though it required climbing a hill and crossing an abandoned train track! It felt like an adventure. After that, the kids parted ways with us, and we continued on toward the store.

We finally got to the store, picked up what we needed, and then decided to stop at a fruit stand across the street. The man working at the fruit stand was incredibly kind, he even gave one of the girls on our team a free pomegranate. That small gesture of generosity opened the door for us to share the gospel with him. He didn’t fully understand everything we were saying, but his heart seemed open, and when we invited him to church, he smiled and said he would come.

By then, everyone was hungry from the long walk, so we stopped at a little food spot nearby. They sold gyros—basically wraps stuffed with meat and fries, and they were so good. We laughed, talked, and enjoyed the meal together before heading back.

That’s when I saw her.

An older woman was sitting on the sidewalk with a little girl asleep on her lap. The girl couldn’t have been more than six years old. The woman was begging for money. I walked past at first, but something tugged at my heart. I stopped, reached into my belt bag, and pulled out a 100 lek coin to give her. It didn’t feel like enough.

A few minutes later, as we walked toward another fruit stand, I looked at my team and asked, “Are you thinking what I’m thinking?” They nodded. Together, we bought loads of filling fruit and added some of the snacks we had just purchased. We packed everything into a bag and walked back.

This time, the little girl was sitting alone. One of the girls on my team bent down to talk with her. She didn’t understand us, but when we handed her the bag of food, her eyes lit up. She immediately reached for the water bottle, grateful beyond words.

Soon after, the grandmother returned and saw the food and water. She hugged each of us, overwhelmed with gratitude. Two of my teammates felt led to do even more, so they walked back to the shop where we had eaten earlier and bought gyros for the grandmother and granddaughter. When they returned and handed them the food, I saw tears begin to fill the woman’s eyes. She was so deeply grateful, it was humbling to witness.

We tried speaking with her, but she didn’t know any English. So, I pulled out Google Translate and typed: Do you know God? When she looked at the screen, we realized she couldn’t read. We played the translation out loud in Albanian, but she just shrugged.

Then, using the voice feature, she shared her story. The little girl was her granddaughter. Her daughter, the child’s mother, had died. She was now caring for her granddaughter alone, with no job, no money, and no real hope.

Our hearts broke. We told her about the love of Jesus and how He offers healing and hope even in the darkest situations. We asked if we could pray with her, and she agreed. So there, in the middle of the street, we laid hands on her and prayed. The Holy Spirit was present in such a powerful way. We invited her to church, and she said she would try to come.

What struck me most was that none of this had been planned. We weren’t out on a mission or setting aside time for evangelism. We were simply walking to the store. But God had other plans. He turned an ordinary walk to the store into divine appointments, moments to love, to give, to listen, to pray.

Thank you so much for reading and for following along on this journey. Your prayers, encouragement, and support mean more than I can put into words. Every step here feels lighter knowing I’m not walking it alone, you’re part of it too. See you next week for another update!