Hello!
As some of you may know, I just finished my first year at Liberty University. In just a year, God has already taught me so much. Through my community and my classes, He has revealed to me the heart He has given me for the nations. This past fall, I realized I felt called to go abroad to share the love of Christ. I looked into many opportunities, but each led to a closed door. That was until this Spring when I happened upon a listing for an LU Serve Missions Trip to Albania. Something about it had just felt “right,” and now I can see how the closed doors were all a part of God’s plan to get me where I am meant to go.
Albania
Fall 2026
I will be going to Albania in fall of 2026 with an LU Serve team. We will be in the city of Vlore, partnering with a long-term missions family that has been in the city for seven years. This family is connected to Greater Europe Mission (GEM) and received a grant from GEM to start the first specialty coffee shop in Vlore. The coffee shop functions as a natural way to serve, love, and share the Gospel with the community in the city.
About Albania
When communism fell in 1992, the country was finally opened to the gospel. There was a very large movement of missionaries that came in at the beginning, and a lot of evangelism started happening all over the country. For the first time, people heard the gospel. Today, 50 years later, the church is still very young, but there is an exciting foundation being laid for the future of the local church.
Our Focus
While our team is there, we will help out at the coffee shop, which doubles as a ministry hub, as well as serve the citizens of Vlore. There are several ways in which our host family connects to serve with the community. They serve at a widower's brunch, host English classes at the coffee shop, share the gospel in schools, and locate and reach out to refugee populations. We will be coming alongside them to assist them in all of these things.
Pray For Us!
I am so excited for this unique opportunity to share the Gospel through building relationships and serving the community of Vlore! I am going to need help and support every step of the way. I would appreciate prayer for myself, my team, our host family, and the citizens of Vlore. I have a few specific things on my heart that you can be praying for:
For us to have open hearts as we prepare for this trip. That we would not rely on our own plan, but trust in God to lead us with His.
That our presence would be a blessing to both the citizens of Vlore and our host family, as well as a willingness for the unexpected.
That we would have eyes to see God's purpose for each of us to share God’s love on this trip. That we would be bold and live into that purpose.
Partner With Me!
Your prayer and support for these things will be so valued as I prepare to leave in the fall. As you pray, would also consider being a financial partner in this missional work? Your support will cover my needs and help us to meet the needs of many others in Vlore. Through this, I’m excited to know we can partner together in sharing the love of Christ in Albania!
Emerson Farwell
Questions?
Virginia, USA