I am way behind in blogging, because life has happened so fast in the past few weeks. There is so much I want to say:
Of the challenges in community and the many ways God has shown up in the middle of them, in sweetness and faithfulness.
Of what God has been teaching me on the power of prayer. There are so many situations where all you can do is pray…but ONLY pray? Prayer is everything: it is where we get to ask for God to bring His kingdom and get to be a part of Him doing it.
Of a pastor named Raul who has the most amazing gift of discernment and has a passion and God-sized vision for the kingdom to come in this, the poorest area of Romania, in which only 0.2% of the people are saved. Most are held bound by the traditions of the Orthodox church.
Of the powerful presence of God that I felt standing on a windy hillside overlooking the town of Dragonesti-Olt, interceding for the town, this country, and the missionaries already working here
Of the afternoon where we were taken to a small town called Beciu (basement) to hand out Bibles where the mayor and police will wrongly not allow it: many in our squad were detained by the police and even forced to call the US embassy
Of a precious woman Lois, a lonely widow that God brought across our path in Beciu who allowed us the honor of praying for her
Of the protection of God when my group was caught red-handed by the Beciu police handing out tracts and bibles, but were only told to leave
God has been so faithful. He shows up in so many beautiful love letters and unexpected ways along this journey. But today, my heart is so full. Today, we arrived at our ministry location in Stonesti and are staying in a church with the pastor and his family next door. I am currently writing this with one of the pastor’s daughters in my lap: we have quickly been adopted as family.
This afternoon I walked around with two girls that are also staying at the church, to invite the neighborhood widows to an event at the church tomorrow. Every weathered dark-eyed face I have seen today overwhelms my heart. God’s love and desire for them, the hugs full of warmth I received, the sparkle of life lived full amidst poverty.
Walking down the dirt roads in this tiny Romanian town, where the horse and buggy is more common than the car, where goats and geese are staples of every household, where there are piles of harvested corn and fields of huge sunflowers everywhere, I am amazed. I am amazed that I am here – in an unlikely place that I have immediately fallen in love with. I am amazed how alive I feel – in walking out obedience. I am amazed at how right this is – to live every day focused on being His hands and feet.
Oh praise the One who paid my debt and raised this life up from the dead
