I had to go to my own blog to figure out when I wrote last.
I can’t believe that it’s been a week. Time is flying by. Month 1 is almost
over. There has been so much.But for now let me give you a little more of a picture of
what we’re doing here, and where here is.
Team Jubilee is stationed at Casa Shalom, a “Christian
center� which once functioned as an orphanage. Present day, it’s operating as
base camp for ministry teams. Becky, the director of Casa Shalom, has countless contacts with churches, ministries, families, and outreaches in and around
Bucharest. As she has shared the vision she had years ago for this house, she
mentions that God showed her that her ministry team would come from here. In
the time that we will be here, Casa Shalom will have housed: three separate
World Race teams; Catherine who came from Ireland to spend time praying in
Bucharest; Max and Matt from Virginia who are here to look at the possibility
of 
helping out a couple families in the area; Kendra who came from Iowa to
spend the summer helping out in whatever way she can; children who grew up here
in the orphanage and spend time at Casa Shalom serving as the translators for
teams; and the entirety of “O� squad when all of the teams meet here next
weekend for a “check-in�. (photo of Jenny, me, Tracy and Brittany waiting for bus 122 back to Casa Shalom).
Our team’s focus during our time in Bucharest is a ministry called Jubilee
(coincidence? maybe not). So far serving at Jubilee has been dual-faceted.
Spending time at “Jubilee house� means we go and hang out at a home for about
thirty women, ages 28-36 years old. Every woman has a different story, few of
which we’ve actually heard. But most have come from the streets and have a
history
of mental or emotional handicaps and abuse in some form or another.
They are precious women. Some never leave the house, others have jobs. We don’t
have a schedule with them, don’t plan a program. Whatever comes up, we do. For
hours in the morning the first day we were there, that meant I pulled out bracelet
making materials and almost every girl ended up with a bracelet, either made by
her own hands or by one of us. Nails have been painted, hands held, games
played, pictures shared, songs sung…its just a chance for us to love on them. (photo of me and Geta playing with a kitten).
The other side of us working alongside Jubilee is a bit more
practical. Partners of the ministry bought a house years ago, which is
currently being fixed up to possibly house ministry teams that come in to work with
the girls in the future. So a few days have been spent cutting down weeds,
raking, using steel wool on more surfaces than I had previously thought steel
wool could be useful on, painting, sweeping, mopping, scrubbing… It’s been a
good time to see physical accomplishment and progress made.
Also, mixed throughout the last two weeks have been times of
ministering at churches, hanging out in village fields with kids, passing out
food, and spending time getting to know my teammates, which has been constantly
surprising and amazing. This Friday and Saturday, the rest of our squad, which
is currently spread out all over Ukraine, will be traveling here to Casa
Shalom. For a few precious days/hours, we’ll all be together to share stories and
struggles, check-in with our squad leaders, and figure out what this first
month of the World Race has been like for everyone. Please pray for everyone’s
travel as they head our way and for some growth together as a squad during our
short time in Bucharest.
I feel
like this update barely begins to scratch the surface of what we’ve been
experiencing, but I’m going to end it for now. I have a sermon/testimony which
I’ll be giving in the next 24 hours, and our “family night� as a team is
tonight…I think I still need to spread that reminder. Many thanks to everyone
whose support has allowed me to get to this point. I’m only beginning to get a
glimpse of what’s in store for the next 10 months.
