what have I been up to you ask?

Romania has been the most challenging month so far for me. Our ministry started off slowly. One reason being most of our whole team was sick the first week and a half. Also, the pace in Romania is much different than it was in Haiti. The term “missionary” is very new to the people here in the southern part of Romania. Whereas unlike in Haiti, if you’re white, you are probably there to help the people and most likely a missionary. Here in Draganesti-Olt, the way to approach people about the Gospel is much different- the idea of a relationship with Christ is SO new here and a missionaries approach has to have a much stronger emphasis on developing a relationship with the community first.

Personally, I’ve also been struggling with feeling intimate with God this month. I’ve have time to read my Bible more than ever, but Romania is a tough place- it’s affecting me emotionally and spiritually. I’ve been homesick for one- missing the ones I love a whole bunch. And there’s a lot of fear in me here I’ve never felt before and a sense of lost hope. But on a positive note I’ve been a huge prayer warrior since being here and that’s been awesome to see me grow in :]  I’m thankful for a God who is loving and despite the deep hole I’m in right now, I still know He’s good. I know I’m His beloved.

So what exactly have we been up to?

Last Saturday: Melissa, Natalie and I had the opportunity to help out Dorothy with her kid’s program. Dorothy is a missionary originally from Canada who has lived in Romania for a couple years- she is so sweet. God has not only given her a passion for kids, but a heart of Gold. Her program is much like VBS/sunday school back at home. There were a mix of Romanian children and gypsy children there. It was really neat to see them reciting memorized scripture that I know from ED3- Romans 6:23!

Last Sunday: Cristi had asked two of us to go into the village of Corabia with him for church. The missionaries who use to run this church had to recently move back to North Romania so Cristi has been running the services there every Sunday. So Craig and I traveled with Cristi, his wife Roxana, their 3 young children and Dorothy, about an hour away near the boarder of Bulgaria. The village is very poor and so most of the stores on the street are abandoned, except the random fitness gym next door to the church, ha. The church is literally a store front window off the street. We were told there are hardly any churches in this region of Romania and so the congregations are few… but we walk in and there are four people. yupp four. A young man and his grandma and then another elderly couple. Cristi and his family faithfully come to speak and lead worship at this church of four every Sunday because he knows without a pastor, these four people would have no church community. wow. talk about obedience.

After worshiping, Craig got to speak on the importance of prayer and I got to share my testimony. Then Cristi spoke on Ephesians, which was totally a God thing because I had just read from Ephesians that morning! As he preached all I could do was pray for these people. I prayed for their church to multiply and for their protection. That God will reward them for their love and obedience. That they will bring His light into the darkness that fills this region of Romania. That in all they do daily, Christ will shine from them.

Last Wednesday: Mel and I got to go into another village near by called Pestra with Marian and Andrea Stoica. Mel went with Marian and got to pass out eye glasses to people in the neighborhood. She also got her door-to-door evangelism on in the process, wahoo!! I stayed back with Andrea, and helped her host a women’s Bible study. There were 8 of us- me, Andrea, Andrea’s mother-in-law, Emilia, Mariana, Florina, Dorina and Ilinka. It was Dorina and Mariana’s first time to come as well! Andrea had run into them earlier in the week while doing an eye clinic for the village and had invited them to come. Mariana is the mayor’s wife, but he has another mistress (this is very common for women here) so she has really been struggling- after hearing this before even meeting her I was SO excited she had come!! After singing a couple of songs and all getting to pray out loud, it was time for me to share my testimony. Andrea had explained to me before that most of these women come from a whole lot of emotional pain. Their husbands are either drunks or have other women if not both. I was excited God had placed me with these women because I could go more in depth of my story. It was neat to be of encouragement to older women! Then Andrea ask me to lead the Bible study… uh ok?? ha I had nothing prepared because I didn’t know I was going to be leading, but immediately God placed on my heart Matthew 4:19. I love this verse about being fishers of men. So we read the verse and then I got to share the beautiful story of my neighbor Melissa, who got baptized all because God placed a cup of milk between us and we were both faithful in following Him (read about this story here)

Like I said at the beginning of my blog, I’ve really been struggling here in Romania, but this night was an awesome reminder that God is moving here in Draganesti-Olt. Even though there is a way smaller Christian community, I see hope for the future of the people through the 12 couples who have moved their lives here to minister to this community because God individually called each and every one of them all to this closed off spiritually dark place. I am honored to know them all. As my team leader Tommy said: all it takes is a single spark of hope to set a forest ablaze!!!! AMEN.