This past month of Septemeber I was in Bucharest, Romania living at a former orphanage called Casa Shalom. The entire June squad (I-Squad) was there together. It was really an awesome bonding time for the squad; being able to do ministry all together was something we had not yet experienced. Seeing how God was worked in each member of this body since Guatemala was honestly inspiring. Every single person has grown and is growing closer to God- it rocks!
So, what did we do exactly? Well, the first week we were able to host a kid’s camp, the kids came and lived at Casa Shalom with us for 3 days. The kids ranged in ages and were from a local gyspy village.We had different activites throughout the day, including skits, songs, crafts, and games. It was alot of fun and also draining. Running around with kids all day long can take alot out of you. Yet, I know that these kids were touched by us and felt God’s love through us. That makes every second I was tired worth it. What made the kid’s camp the hardest was the fact that we were going through extreme team changes at the same time (as I wrote about in one of my last blogs). Also, 3 members of our squad left the World Race for various reasons. Team changes, squad changes, and running around with kids makes for a very stressful, tiring, hard time. But, God got us through all of it and I think it definitely brought more unity to us as a whole.
The following week we had a one day kid’s camp. My favorite part was telling the story of Jesus calming the storm. After we told the story we made up a skit for the kids to perform- it was so much fun. We had kids pretending to be the waves, some were disciples, and we a Jesus. The next day we visited the village that these kids lived in and had a few hours of games, singing, and other fun activities. It was awesome to be able to pour into the same kids more then once. That is something that has been hard for me at times. We do a kid’s program, I fall in love with a few little ones and then I never see them again. I felt blessed that God gave me an opportunity to see these kids once more.
Another ministry we were able to participate in was visiting a girl’s home. Most of the girls were in their teens or older and had some kind of mental or physical disability. We spent an afternoon with them painting and singing. Former team Abandon members had been to this home a couple times last month (August) and it was heart warming to see how excited the girls were to see them again. It showed me how much the simple things can affect someone and how valuable relational ministry really is.
Probably the most amazing ministry we did this past month was internal. Each person on the squad went through a time of sorrow and grieving because of the all the changes and because God is breaking all of us. We really were able to help one another through all kinds of crap and I believe that each person on I-Squad loves me for me and wants nothing more for them to fall more completely in love with God. And that is what I want for everyone on I-Squad too- falling completely in love with God. He really laid Ephesians 3:14-19 on my heart this past month for the squad: “For this reason I kneel before the Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth derives its name. I pray that out of his glorious riches he may streghten you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the Lord’s people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge-that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.” I truly pray for myself and for the entire squad that we believe and experience God’s amazing love and that we want nothing more then Him.
