Nick Bellack is a currently studying at St. Vladimir Seminary in New York. He has served on a missionary team previously and brings a great musical talent to the group. His comments about his Albanian missionary experiences are:
Being in Albania was an extraordinary experience for both my mind and my soul. It was almost as if coming to serve short-term was a vacation rather than a mission trip. I say this because I was able to "play" by doing the things that I enjoy so much in life such as dancing, singing, being around kids, giving hugs, and having intimate talks. The mission trip to Albania gave me a lens by which to view my soul and where my priorities are.
Being with the long-term missionaries was another extremely influential situation. I can't begin to express the myriad of different situations, talks, gestures and selfless actions that made me feel so welcome and free to pray, thank God and praise His name. Seeing them in their element gave me a nudge to explore this wonderful deed and call myself.
The Albanian people and their history fascinated my fellow team members and I. Every day there was something new to discover, some new word to try to use (correctly) and a new cultural element that shocked me in a good way. Perhaps I was dripping with sweat on some days, but only realized how fortunate I am as an American Citizen and how dangerous it is to not think about how many other people embrace their situation. I see the Albanian people and their commitment to family and friends and honestly emulate this level of affection and love. It as if their love exhibits itself exponentially higher because they do not have to worry about what car they drive, what clothes they have to wear, etc... Stripping away the superficial facade of materialism America so desperately yearns for has allowed the Albanian people, I feel, to be able to actively engage the Lord's greatest commandment of loving one another.
Therefore it seems so fitting that our camp's theme was "Love One Another". This important message will give Albania hope for the future but what has it done for my fellow missionaries and I? Setting our goals for camp in line with this theme offered us a chance to introspectively look at our own hearts and souls and only reciprocated how much we needed the camp, as well.
My missionary experiences has made me view the world in a different frame of mind. Seeing the long-term missionaries and their goals and motivations influenced me. The Albanian people influenced me. Orthodoxy influences me and it is alive and well in Albania. I feel this for a number of reasons but specifically, I feel this and expressed this in the tears I shed and left in Albania.
