We arrived by train from Bucharest at Draganesti about a week ago. It was quick drop off as we literally had 2 minutes to get off the train with our packs. There is not a station in Draganesti so when we stepped off the train we were in the middle of the tracks.
If you've read Harry Potter, this will make sense.
The Spreading the Gospel in Oltania is the name of the organization we are working with in Draganesti. Olt county, according to our ministry contacts, has about .2% born again Christians. There is over a 50% unemployment rate, many children from broken families, and a general ignorance about spiritual matters. Many of our ministry contacts moved here from other places in Romania, Moldova, and Canada to spread the Gospel to the people of Draganesti and Olt county.
The missionaries and church planters here have huge hearts for this county, for the city of Draganesti and the people. The light of Christ shines out of them and into this dark place. It is a dark place. The missionary couple from Canada said that there is a lot of spiritual warfare here and that they the number one thing that they tell teams they can do is pray.
I was on these girls' team and we were mice.
The ministry that I am most involved in is the After School Program. A lovely woman named Mariana, who is originally is from Moldova, is in charge of the program. She does some social work with some of the families in the area, providing them with certain items they may need, such as clothing or milk. There are about 7-10 children who come after school. Mariana told us that these children are from poorer families whose parents are not able to or don't help them with their homework. She said many of these children struggle at school. This week we have been helping them with math homework and teaching them English or playing games with them at the end of the program. I've been working on learning my numbers in Romanian; thank the Lord for fingers when I forget that the number 5 is cinci.
Here I am teaching the colors in English to the children at the After School Program.
Before we wrote them on the board we played a little game with me holding up markers, since I had no idea how to say it in Romanian.
Because the After School Program is a ministry where they want consistent people every day, I haven't been involved in many of the other ministries beyond that. Something that the Lord has pressed upon my heart this month though is prayer. Since I have more free time than some of my teammates, the Lord told me to pray. It has been a good challenge for me learning not just to pray, but to be an intercessor, to stand in the gap for Team I-61 and Team Healing Hurricanes, for the ministry, for the city of Draganesti, and the people that we come into contact with. God is going to do big things and both are teams are committed to lifting this place and these people up in prayer. Please be in prayer for us and for the missionaries of "Spreading the Gospel in Oltania". We are honored to partner with them.
As we were praying one morning the Lord gave me these verses in Psalm 107. They speak to what the Lord wants to do in our hearts and in Draganesti.
Then they cried to the Lord in their distress. He brought them out of darkness and the deepest gloom and broke away the chains. Let them give thanks to the Lord for his unfailing love and his wonderful deeds for men, for he breaks down gates of bronze and cuts through bars of iron…Then they cried to the Lord in their trouble, and he saved them from their distress He sent forth his word and healed them; he rescued them from the grave. Let them give thanks to the Lord for his unfailing love and his wonderful deed for men. Let them sacrifice thank offerings and tell of his works with songs of joy.
