HAPPY (belated) EASTER FROM MOLDOVA
Where is Moldova? Probably a thought in your brain right now. Well, it's just east of Romania in old Europe… and it's been amazing. This first week in Moldova has been one big surprise. God only knows what could have been the case. I'm on a new all-girls team (The World Race doesn't like to let us stay too comfortable so they did some switch-a-roos at debrief).
Meet Team Oasis… named after a place “serving as a refuge, relief, or pleasant change from what is usual, annoying, difficult”. Now, I thought calling us Team Ovaries would be funny, but it wasn't really catching on. Darn. I am truly enjoying my girls. I am blessed, after much prayer, to be continuing this experience with my two awesome friends that I've been with on my prior team since day one of this crazy race; Rebekah Clark and Reagan Taylor. And three amazing women have joined us. In some things, we are much the same. Sometimes the state of our hearts jive, sometimes we need different things, sometimes we need wisdom from one another, and sometimes we just laugh… a lot.
(you can check out my new teammates blogs: Rachel Rush, Christina Schlabach, Abby Steverson… and my old teammates too, Rebekah Clark and Reagan Taylor).
Street evangelism. NEVER. THOUGHT. I. WOULD. DO. IT. Not my gift. Not my desire. But you give up all expectations and rights to yourself and what you are comfortable with when you sign up for this deal. So two days after arriving in Cahul, Moldova, and getting settled into our apartment, Abby and I were whisked away at 6:15am and sent to “the charismatics”… overnight. We literally ran to the bus and headed off with no way to contact anyone and the only instructions, “Get off in Leova”. Ummm, okay. Arrived by 8:00am, just in time to be picked up by some stranger looking for the American girls then driven to a house to join seven other people speaking Russian in time for worship and prayer. (The fact that they speak a different language that I can't understand in the first place made it a little more difficult to distinguish when they were speaking in tongues, or just speaking 🙂 After an amazing breakfast of Moldovan sweet rice, we went out for our first of three evangelism experiences… passing out flyers for a healing ministry that was going to be taking place in that village later that week and talking to people about Jesus. Now, I am a relational person. I want to spend time with someone and have a conversation where my heart for the Lord comes up and out, so this type of ministry is awkward and uncomfortable for me. I believe there are people who are gifted evangelists (especially since Paul writes about the gift in 1 Corinthians), but don't believe I am one of those people. However it was a good and challenging experience to have, especially since I've heard that it might be preparing me for Africa… ay-yi-yi.
In our first week here, I have spent an afternoon planting potatoes, speaking a little about how I came to know Jesus at a home group of Russian speaking Moldovans and connecting to a girl there who is just beginning to pursue Christ, street evangelism, and tried to hitch-hike (and failed). Our contact person this month (Fanel, he's awesome!) hooked us up to join a church in town for their Easter picnic which served some amazing food. It's amazing how so many things look a little sketchy to eat, but are delicious to taste. Of all the countries so far, Moldova wins in the culinary category. We have been treated like queens and fed so well. I am also wrestling with certain biblical theology that I have always thought to be true, and now wonder if it is so, such as…
Spiritual gifts… what exactly they mean and what they look like to be at work in believers
What to make of unanswered prayers for someone's healing
Things you can be praying for…
- for my new team and I as we continue to get to know each other and invest in one another, all while encountering different cultures, languages, and norms. This will most likely be my team for the duration of the race so while we're still feeling each other out, we are ready to go hard at growing deep relationships and serving Christ together.
- for God to reveal to me more and more what it means to be a woman of wisdom and discernment in my life and for the life-giving benefit of those around me and that I may use the gifts that He has specifically given to me.
- for the people of Moldova, that the scales of believing that religion is enough would fall from their eyes
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for Rebekah as she steps out of the role of a normal racer like everyone else and into the new role as our team leader (She's awesome by the way 🙂
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for my team and I to continue being strong while being away from home. Some girls are dealing with a little more home-sickness than others. My family grew by one little 7 lb member on April 9th when my niece, Elle, was born and it was a difficult first few days not being there. But let me tell you, Skype is such a blessing!!!
Thank you to all of you who care for me, read my blogs, check out my pics and statuses on Facebook (you can find out a lot of fun little details of my days there), and pray for my team and I. This is an amazing time in my life and God is revealing things to me about myself, the world, His Word and how cultural and language differences and geography can not separate the body of Christ. I have worshiped God in 4 new countries, languages, and cultures and we all have the same heart. I love this thing called the race.
