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I left the United States on July 7th.

So here is some of what Ive been doing.

T squad landed in Romania and traveled three hours southwest from Bucharest to the quaint town of Draganesti-Olt. We are living all together this month and working with Hope Baptist Church. The men camp out back with a few women hanging in their hammocks and the rest of us are sleeping anywhere we can find space in the house. Its crowded and noisy and beautiful and difficult at times.
This is the region that Draganesti is located in. It is located along the river 1/3 up from the bottom of the map
So far we have figured out how to best feed all 54 of us, get laundry done and put toilet paper in the trashcan. We have done a variety of projects throughout the days we have been here. I could not begin to tell you where people have been each day. I, for the most part, have worked in the church’s office trying to help organize paperwork, emails and translate
things into English for our main contact, Raul.

The town of Draganesti pronounced Drag-en-nescht is a collaboration of old-world and the modern west. We have electricity, running warm water, refrigeration, internet and are allowed to run the AC in the church. Yet, it is not uncommon to watch a Mercedes speed around a horse and buggy. There is one Aldi type store in town that has benefited from our outfit hanging out here this month. Daily we make visits to the Penny Market and buy our food, toilet paper and drinking water supply. For the most part, I watch locals step in and out of other stores selling specialty items, buying bread in one and their meat in another.

There is around an 80% unemployment rate here. It is likely that on a walk down the street you will meet at least five people sitting outside on a bench or set of stairs all day long, simply passing time. Stray dogs are everywhere. Children know simple English phrases, but we face a pretty big language barrier. Nothing a smile cannot handle.

Every day some of our squad stay back to get household chores complete and cook meals. I hung back on Saturday and helped to straighten up our bathrooms, sweep and cook a meal of hamburgers, fries and guacamole. It is a wonderful way to get to know my family this year, and to serve everyone. It is also just smart because 50+ people tracking in the dust of the day makes for a mess.

I plan on writing another blog to talk about what more I am learning this month and how ministry is shaping up for me specifically. But for the time being:

We have met several faithful men and women helping with the church. I am blown away by their commitment and vision to serve this region. Many of the towns they minister to only have one known Christian living in them. They have shared stories of how the people they meet with are persecuted for their faith in Christ. The Romanian people are traditionally orthodox and the orthodox priests are usually a main source of the persecution believers face. We meet at the church every day for prayer and intercession for the missionaries, ministries and region.

The missionaries here (mainly Romanian themselves) are passionate about the Lord. And they have been amazing to learn from. We are simply meeting with them and joining them in their work. It has been an adjustment as this is a new way to think of missions work for some on the squad, but it is beautiful to be able to simply ask where we can be a blessing and to encourage and serve in many of the ways they have graciously accepted our willing hands and voices.

Please keep our squad in your prayers. Weve been hit with a variety of illnesses and a couple of rolled ankles this past week. We are settling into a good grove with each other. Pray that we continue to press in to where God has us, what He wants to show us and how to love and serve one another better.

::Update::

We have our first country change! No longer will T Squad be traveling to Ukraine for ministry. Next month we will be in Moldova. It is the poorest nation in Europe and is a hotbed for human trafficking, and organ trafficking. We recently found out where our teams will be and I will write more on this later.

We will still travel to the Ukraine and spend time there for a debrief as a whole squad before flying to Ireland sometime for our third month of ministry.