After breakfast, I went for a walk with 3 wonderful women, Heidi, Sara and Krystel. The village we are staying in is small, with unpaved roads, surrounded by rolling hills and cornfields. The sun was shining golden light upon this beautiful fall day, brining the temperature to around 60. We walked up, up, up a hill, passing an old cemetery and a scarecrow in a distant cornfield. I know it was a scarecrow only because Heidi made me wave to it to see if it was a person. It remained immobile and didn’t wave back.
At the top of the hill you can get a beautiful view of the village before entering a small forested area. In the forest while the girls sat and talked I wandered away and found a tree stump perfect for sitting. I sat in awe of the rays of sunshine streaming through the branches high above and sang songs to the Creator, my heart filled with peace and joy.
As we headed back and the village unfolded before us, growing closer with every step, I enjoyed getting to know my teammates better, relating stories of family back home. We rejoiced in exercise that doesn’t feel like exercise and encouraged one another sharing words of love and support.
Our ministry plans for the day were street evangelism in the city, followed by a visit to a Gypsy village. We headed out, first to a park which we have been to once before, and gathered to pray. During our prayer time I felt led to remain in the park to pray for my mother, who has been having ongoing trouble with aortic fibrillation, a heart condition which causes her heart to beat irregularly and too fast. I gathered Joshua and Alexandra, who I felt were supposed to be praying with me. Sara also chose to remain and pray.
It turns out that each of us who remained in the park to pray have a beloved mother or sister back home with heart trouble. We poured ourselves into prayer for healing to be rained down on each of these beautiful women and tears flowed from my eyes as I sat on the grass with the sounds of children playing on swings nearby.
After our prayer time, we began to plan and prepare for the worship we would be leading at the Gypsy village. My teammate, Alexandra, got out her guitar and we sang in the park. She quickly lost her voice and her guitar went out of tune. Over and over we tried to love God through song, but were interrupted, attacked by spiritual darkness.
Shortly before we were supposed to leave for the village, Alexandra turned to me and said “God just told me were aren’t going to the Gypsy village.” Within 30 seconds we were informed that no one would be in the village because they were all harvesting corn so we would be going down the street to another park.
At park number two I asked Alexandra if she thought we could worship and she agreed to try. As she began to play, a crowd gathered and the 2 of us sang song after song while children smiled and clapped. Praise flowed, the Holy Spirit moved. The others with us were able to talk to the people who had gathered, to love them in the name of Jesus.
I was drawn to 3 Gypsy girls who had been watching us intently. None of them spoke English, but through a game of charades had a wonderful conversation with them. Rosaria is 18 and pregnant with twins. Her friends are Erica and Tunde. All 3 are petite with dark complexions and eyes; enchantingly beautiful just as the stereotype of a Gypsy woman would lead you to expect. But their eyes remain empty, longing, troubled. I know they could use your prayers and God’s love.
What an amazing day! We returned home and I may have fallen down the stairs and injured my thumb (severely bruised and swollen, but not broken) and even that could not keep me from rejoicing in God’s love.
That night as we worshipped after dinner, I was overwhelmed with what God has done in my life; how he has changed me from a broken person to someone who will lead worship in a park. Sometimes I look at my life and don’t even know who I am because I’m certainly not the shy, timid girl I used to be, but a woman who is learning to walk in boldness, to use my voice and the gifts that God has given me. THANK YOU, JESUS.
Oh, hey, remember that time Carrie led worship in a park in Romania?? Here’s a video.
