Tonight is our final night at the beautiful beach house on Lake Ohrid where we have been completing our training camp here in Albania. I’ve finally stopped moving enough to decide to sit and write to update you!
On the 26th of August I said goodbye to my home, my dogs, my family, and everything I’ve really ever known. I boarded a plane and landed in New York City. As I made my way to the baggage claim to meet 2/4ths of my leadership team, I was just talking to myself. Encouraging myself that everything is going to be okay.
“These are your people, Amanda. Let them be your people.”
For anyone who knows me, we know my love language is not the one of adventure. I am safety. Protection. Environment of calm. Not pack up and leave the country for three months; and I need to be honest… I was seriously doubting that I had what it takes now that I was facing it directly.
“Can I really do this? Was this the right decision? What if I fail and let everyone down?” Ya know, the usual existential crisis questions.
I met Tammy and Tanner at the baggage carousel, hugged them both and determined then and there to make them my family.
We hopped in an Uber, and made our way to West New York, New Jersey. Immediately, I was so impressed with my new “friends”. Tammy asked this driver all sorts of questions about his life, while Tanner effortlessly acclimated to a whole new normal. I sat silently in the back seat making interesting to no one comments about signage on the back of trucks or billboards.
At our AirBnb, we met Shania. The team was here. This is the base for everything our students will be building on. Will we work? Will we understand the nuance of each other’s communication styles? Will we even really like each other?
Quickly we discovered what very well may be our biggest issue to date… No one wants to make the call on where to eat.
In other words, we got along just fine.
Our patterns quickly emerge, our likes, our dislikes, the two extroverts being captivated by the city and me quietly falling behind, listening to the conversation that never seems to run out of fuel. Tammy asks me thought-provoking questions, and we all can agree coffee is the most important segment of the food pyramid.
We spent several days sight seeing, bonding, and preparing the best we can for the upcoming training camp. Tammy, the ever present, solid leader, pulls out the deck of student cards that will be our team in the coming days. “What do we think of them?”
Here is my moment.
For the next several minutes I organize students based on personalities from information gathered through group chats, videos, socials, and assessments we have access to. My little INFJ brain thrives- find the pattern, make it make sense, see the things no one sees. Yay. My simple organization summary to the team? “Vibes”.
Our roles are becoming more and more defined even as we just go about daily life in the city. We have the opportunity to see the Broadway Musical, Hamilton. We visit Ellis Island, The Statue of Liberty, Central Park, and a great selection of restaurants. I blink and it’s Friday. Team day.
We head to our airport… and practically the whole team is there. Talk about intimidating. Put on your coolest face, act like it’s not terrifying to meet 20 new young strangers all at once. See how accurate our predictions and AI were at pinning them down… and begin to be a team.
After a couple minutes of socializing, I fall back on my trusted confidant. Coffee. Coffee and false busyness. I go sit with the bags downstairs while we wait for our checkin to begin. My mind is wild, but also calm. What a weird combination. I meet students that are trickling in to finish out our 27 person class. Parents cry, I feel the pressure in my chest. These are the hearts I will spend the next three months taking care of.
Our last students arrives, I walk one through security. How is it that she seems more at ease than I do? Oh yeah, probably because she left the country by herself for the first time at 15. Even at 26, that terrified me. She’s cool as a cucumber. This is the caliber of my new students.
I talk with the smiliest of students at the gate. She makes me feel like I haven’t totally lost my mind. I am a youth pastor. I got this handled. I learn details of her life, and enjoy every second of conversation. I introduce myself to a few others. And now, it’s time to go.
Our flight boards, and I am sat next to the sweetest girl- who just the day before I said I know nothing about. She had been very quiet in the group chat. To my delight, I find she’s great. Suddenly, my heart is okay. This is what I love to do. I love to know the lives of others. I have this.
We fly, and I am oddly calm. Flying makes me anxious, but I sleep. I laugh with students. I ponder the age of the technology of the inflight movies that won’t seem to run. Just like that. We show up in Serbia.
Team dynamics are surprisingly non-cliquey. As far as I can tell, this is an awesome team. I split the students into nine groups of three by calling them a giant, wizard, or an elf. (Shout out to all of my show choir buddies who understand this- a useful tool and team builder we will be looking at later this week.) Find your giant, wizard, or elf. Make sure they board the next flight. Please don’t make me count again.
On our rickety little airship, I sit down and immediately I am asleep. I wake up in Albania. Customs, bags, and the first snag of our trip. Lost luggage. Our leaders split, and then split again. One leader per “bus” (which is a passenger van) and two at the airport to try to figure out our student’s missing suitcase.
Scared, locked on the bus with 18 students, alone, and feeling not nearly qualified to lead, I have a student I am pretty familiar with come sit by me. She could talk to a brick wall and end up getting it to talk back and I am filled with relief. Her energy is infectious and soon my little section of the bus has a great conversation going about the importance of a good pickle.
Dinner, room assignments, a quick nap, a trip to the pharmacy for antibiotics for stitches that may or may not be infected… and that’s the end of the travel day.
Our adventure has only just begun, but I’ll give you a quick spoiler. I have no question, this is exactly where I am meant to be. Thank you guys for covering me in prayer, for being my people, and for supporting me as I get to live this crazy adventure. I will update a lot sooner than this last one for all who are wondering where I have been! Thanks for your love and grace.
God bless you.
Amanda
Leave a Reply