Thinking back on the past three months I’ve spent in Romania fills me with so much gratitude and awe.The renewell and redemption God has so evidently covered Romania with is beautiful. My perspective towards God and my mindset in general has been completely shaken. Trying to sum up the growth and the crazy ways God has moved is way too overwhelming for me to try and fit into one blog, so I thought I’d open up the platform for you guys to ask me whatever you want about my time in Romania and Eastern Europe as a whole. Here’s some questions people asked me through instagram and facebook:
What is the most beautiful country you have been to so far?
-I would definitely have to give this one to Greece. During our first week in Romania, Our ministry host took us to Thessolonikki for a few days to hang out on the beach and go cliff jumping in the Mediterranean Sea.
What has been your ministry in Romania?
-Our ministry host gave us the goal of cultivating relationships and introducing locals to the church community that is being planted in Craiova. The first few weeks of ministry looked like approaching random people ( who sometimes didn’t speak English,) and attempting to strike up a conversation. I remember being so anxious. It was completely out of my comfort zone. Street evangelism was something so far from what I was used to, and it was hard for me to see where I fit into it. After about three weeks of continuously walking the streets and trying to meet people, I began to actually see relationships forming with the locals. Some of them were small, like the smiles I got to exchange with the coffee shop baristas I saw everyday; others I got to see blossom into friendships that I now hold close to my heart. I got the opportunity to share the love of Christ through intentional conversations and relational living. Romania taught me that Ministry = life. One thing that was cool about ministry in Romania was the creative freedom we got to walk in. Our ministry host gave us a vision, and allowed us to go about it in our own way. Me and half of my squad got the opportunity to hold a weekly bible study. We shared the word of God, testimonies, and worship with our friends from Romania. We occasionally got the chance to do kids ministry in the Roma villages which was always a blessing. Other things we did often were trips to the local markets to pass out care packages and bibles. No matter what our ministry looked like for the day, seeds were planted in the hearts of Romanians and the love of the father was present. I’m extremely thankful for the ways I was stretched during ministry. I know now that ministry and alignment with the spirit is a mindset I should dwell in constantly.
Romania is commonly known as “the missionary grave yard.” Are the youth more open?
-The prominent religion in Romania is Roman Orthodox. This religion is similar to Catholicism but in some ways leans even farther towards legalism and is very corrupt among the priests and religious leaders. Many of the young people here associate God with Orthodox. They think our God is a God of rules. They don’t understand the concept of having a two way relationship with God. Showing the younger people here that our God is one of love and grace and intimacy has been challenging due to the preconceived perception of God in the Orthodox Church. Even so, after taking the time to invest individuals and explain to them who Jesus truly is, I’ve personally witnessed so many seeds planted in the hearts of the youth here.
Favorite food and drink you have had?
-If you ever get the chance to visit Bucharest, do yourself a favor and go to “Van Goghs Grand Cafe.” I ordered a salted Carmel macchiato with an extra shot and oat milk. I paired it with a traditional Romania desert called papinash. Best food I’ve had in Europe so far.
Favorite memory in Romania with each team mate?
Morgan: rap battles in the kitchen
Abbie: coffee house adventures; dance parties upstairs
Anna: late night cookie dough making
Emalani: laying in the grass with you at the botanical gardens
Kori: singing worship together; trying not to spit water on each other as we listen to fart noises
Kate: attempting to hike in Birkenstocks and watching her slide all the way down the hill lol
Most impactful person you met?
This is hard one for me because I met so many people who were impactful to me in unique ways. My perspective was changed time and time again by the people I’ve met during this season. The first person that came to my mind was a man named Valentine that I met during month two. Me and. Few others go the chance to travel to Bulgaria for Ministry one day. We had been walking around a village handing out new testaments and talking to villagers when we met Valentine. He took all of us out for Coffee and pastries and payed for all of our food. He barely knew us, but he was so eager to serve us and to show us kindness. He shared stories with us about his time living in Germany and also his time in America during the war. He invited us to his home afterwords to pick apples and walnuts off his trees. Valentine embodied the kindness and intentionality of Jesus. He showed me what it looks like to love people exactly where they are, even if you don’t know them or their situation. We went to Bulgaria to minister to others, but ended up being ministered to ourselves.
Hardest challenges so far?
-As beautiful as the last three months have been, there have been some super rough times, and some days that I really want to just be home. Adjusting to living in constant community was one of my biggest struggles in Romania. As an introvert, alone time is the way I process and recharge. Finding rest within the chaos of living with 30 people was definitely a learning process. staying present on the days when I miss home is something I have to continually strive for. It’s easy for me to focus on the hard things about life on the race and wish I was back home having the easy way out. Honestly, growth can be tiring. You can’t experience growth before stepping out of your comfort zone, and being in the constant state of stretching and uncomfortability is exhausting some days. But God calls us to constantly be stretching ourselves and growing in every area of our life. I’m learning to find beauty within the process. I’m thankful even for the hard days.
Biggest culture shock thing?
People don’t smile back in Romania. I don’t know why, but smiling at strangers is just not a thing in Romania I guess. This seems like a small thing, but it made a big impact on me when I first arrived. I didn’t realize how much a simple smile could brighten my day until they were so sparingly returned.
What is something you found there that you loved?
-2 lei coffee!!! Everyday on our walk to ministry, we would stop and get 2 lei ( 50 cent) coffee from the corner store. I have a lot of good memories drinking coffee and laughing with my squamates.
-the Christmas lights in the square. Romania goes HARD with Christmas decorations. The whole square was lit up our last month there.
-The botanical gardens! theres a huge nature park close to where we stayed. We would go there some days for ministry or to just sit in the grass and chill. Good mems.
Top three things you have learned?
- Joy is a choice. God has given me authority over my mind. I have the ability and opportunity to choose into him and joy everyday. It’s not situational. It is a habit.
- The Holy Spirit is in constant communication with us, we just have to choose to be still and listen.
- True freedom does not equal perfection.
THANK YOU GOD FOR ROMANIA.
