We have made it to Romania from Ukraine via Budapest, Hungary. Month 8 has come to a close! To celebrate, our squad (all 34 of us) took a long weekend in Budapest to reconnect and debrief everything that has happened over the past few months. Budapest was our fourth full debrief as a squad. I notice that these debriefs don’t just function as a time to refill and stop but as a time to take note of where we are, then make corrections and get new fire for the months to come.
I’ll be honest and say that the last month of ministry was hard for our team. Being face-to-face and working with each other are important things that allow us to function well. Last month didn’t readily lend itself to much of either, so we fell into disrepair. We still held orphans who would not have been picked up that day, connected with nonbelievers, poured into out host, and shared the Gospel but were suffering as a team. It is this weird thing/phenomenon of pouring into others while getting more and more empty yourself. This is something that I think gets me more often than I think.
However, debrief allowed us to stop and realize what was going on. We had some hard conversations and loved each other well. It was an awesome God-moment as we fixed some differences and then found a new vision for this month in Romania! The end result, the debrief was good and a sweet time of replenishment.
That now brings us into month 9! This month will be a somewhat crazy one. This is not only due to Ministry but also because my Mom is coming to Romania for the Parent Vision Trip (PVT)! I’ll talk more about that later but first more about Ministry right now.
We are working and living in the humblest idea you can attach to the words ‘Conference Center.’ Our hosts, a couple in their 60’s and 70’s, run the center. We will be helping with conferences as they happen sporadically throughout the month. A typical day, though, will consist of one of our hosts walking us through a seminary leadership course in the mornings, ministering to Gypsies, also known as the Roma people, in the afternoons, and guest “speaking” in the evenings at different churches.
I use the work speaking loosely because we have entered into a very conservative culture where women are typically not allowed to speak in churches, but we happen to have an in as Americans. This culture also means no earrings, only skirts, no exposed knees, and heads covered whenever we are in church. This will be interesting because I don’t have much that fits the bill at this point as far as clothing is concerned. To conserve backpack space, I dropped all but one of my long skirts at the end of Africa. I think I will be wearing the most Ministry chic I ever have.
We are literally in the middle of nowhere this month, so we will have to work to do outreach which will be a new experience for me personally. God is doing interesting things through this center and our host. It will be exciting to be along for the ride and encourage people along the way as well as share the Gospel.
As far as PVT is concerned, I AM SO excited! At the end of this month, my mom will be coming with a bunch of other parents to do Ministry with my squad and me here in Romania! It will be a cool experience! I am super-excited to see her and do Ministry with her! I have asked my mom to write some guest blogs on here to let all of you know what is happening but also so other parents who are considering the World Race and PVT can get a better glimpse into the parent’s side of things. Please keep a lookout for those! She is an excellent writer!
So that sums up this month to which God has brought me and now my Mom! Out of all the places in the world, He wants me in this month to hear Him and to share with others who He is. I am glad you all can come along for the ride!
Blessings!
Elise
