Hey Friends & Family!!!

We traveled across the globe over the span of 37 hours—- all during Christmas!!

My team–11 of 12 girls in total– left KOA Hawaii Airport at around 2 pm on the 23rd of December & arrived on Christmas day at around 2 pm!! (Olivia, the 13th teammate is in quarantine in Hawaii & will be joining us soon) We first flew from Hawaii to Chicago & let me say— the enemy really didn’t want us on that flight. There were some technical difficulties with our plane because it has been scratched for some reason, so we stayed in our seats on the plane for almost 4 hours praying it would be fixed!! Thank God that it was fixed & we were ready for takeoff at the 4-hour mark of waiting.

Chicago

When we got to Chicago, our layover shrunk from 10+ hours to 6ish/7ish because of our waiting on the plane. I ate some Burger King for the last time, which filled my belly with an inexplicable joy + guilt only attained through eating fast food. We made a friend with the girl who worked there & my friend Jo & I went on our way to plant ourselves by our Gate. As we waited for several hours, we saw many Albanians pooling around, all waiting for the flight that would take us to Austria, & from Austria unto Tirana which is the capital of Albania.

Getting to see these beautiful women, their hidden beauty made by the hijabs (head coverings) they wore, made me marvel at how wonderful Jesus is. He loves His Albanian people so much. He cares about the voices of each Albanian woman so much that He decided to send a group of 13 very different girls to reach them in love.

As We Sat and Waited…austrian air to vienna

We sat and waited, I passed out & drooled myself to sleep I believe until I was woken up to finally start leaving. I might be biased, but I believe Austrian Airlines is the absolute best because they really do know how to feed people properly. We ate pasta, some yummy chocolate whip cream dish & had bread ups on bread upon bread at our heart’s desire. The coffee was fantastic & the tea was amazing—so of course, I asked them to mix both into one cup so I could enjoy it fully.

When we landed in Tirana, we knew we weren’t in Kansas anymore. This was different. You could feel the atmosphere of the country was so much different than our safe haven of Hawaii or even my safe haven of home with my family.

We got to Austria & It was surreal. We were far from home & there was no going back & none of us wanted to. We left shortly (4-hour layover) for Tirana & boarded the plane now with all Albanian people. The families were very large & loud, so it truly felt like home.

Not In Kansas Anymore!

When we landed in Tirana, we knew we weren’t in Kansas anymore. This was different. You could feel the atmosphere of the country was so much different than our safe haven of Hawaii or even my safe haven of home with my family. We could all feel that outreach would be an uphill battle to show these people how much they are loved by Jesus & how their identity is in Him, not what’s around them.

We didn’t shower, sleep much, or change clothes during this whole travel to Albania— but the grace of God got us to this beautiful country to spread the Good News & that was all that mattered.

Thank you to everyone who has been praying & cheering me on during this time of transition!! you are all my heroes & I value you all so so much, I’m so grateful for every heart cry made in my place & for every financial seed sown into God’s calling over my life & for His Albanian people!!

From the core of my heart to yours,

Destiny Rose Nielsen

Some of my first photos of Albania.

 I want to take this opportunity to thank all of those who have poured into my life with prayer and finances. As a “faith missionary” all of my financial support comes from the generous donations—whether through a “one-time” gift or monthly offering— of people who believe in what I am doing.   Your prayers and support are greatly appreciated!

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