The Kenet...

One step in the wrong direction and I knew immediately I had stepped into a mud puddle. This was no easy walk in the Kenet - the Albanian word for swamp - as we made our way back to our lodging from an evening in the home of one of our missionaries. Watching every step, we made our way by the light of the moon, following close behind the person in front of us who was navigating this obstacle course called a street. Finding a semi-dry area where the mud didn't squish around your shoes was an impossible task, especially in the dark. Puddles filled from recent rains seemed to connect like a collection of small lakes. The mini-light on a cigarette lighter served as my flashlight, but it didn't prove useful in differentiating between a slight mound of rocky soil, which I preferred to a puddle or wet squishy area.

A quick lunge to get myself out of the situation wasn't quite far enough to keep my other foot out of the same murky water. Once on drier ground, my flashlight revealed brown slimy mud coating my shoes like the chocolate on a candy bar.

Walking through the streets of the Kenet is an everyday occurrence for our M's. Free land was the appeal of building homes in this swamp land for those who moved from the villages and small towns in hopes of finding a job in the city of Durres. Unfortunately the city does not recognize those who live in the Kenet as resident's. Infrastructure is practically nonexistent. Open sewage runs in canals. The water is contaminated. Electric wires are strung up in dangerous fashion. Black plastic water pipes run on top of the ground directly into the canals. Streets are a muddy mess when it rains and full of ruts in the heat of summer.

Choosing to live among the marginalized, overlooked, and oppressed in this community of over 50 thousand people; sharing the same day-to-day surroundings and circumstances common to the Kenet is something I admire. My best word for it is incarnational. My little incident with the muddy shoes was a minor inconvenience compared to the overwhelming needs of the Kenet.

Our M's are the hands and feet of Jesus to the people of the Kenet. A daycare for widows so they are able to work knowing their children are properly cared for. A medical clinic. Friendship. Doing life together. Isn't this the very heart of God - choosing to live among those He came to serve?

Pray for our M's who serve so selflessly in Albania. Pray for fresh strength for each new day. Pray that many would open their hearts to the One who offers Living Water that quenches all thirst.