Yesterday was my last morning at a Sunday church service. I was at the village church I have been serving at this whole month. It was so bitter sweet. I know I will be seeing most of these people again on my last days (Tuesday and Wednesday), but there was something about saying good bye to the church as a whole as opposed to individuals.
It was so exciting to be at church yesterday because we had heat! We have been praying all month that God would provide a good and reliable worker to put in the heating system and do it before the winter really came. Last Sunday we prayed that we would have heat this week…AND WE DID! What an answer to prayer and such a joyous occasion for everyone.
This month has been a’ month of prayer. We have had 2 hours of prayer time built into our schedule every day of ministry. Our contact would give us prayer requests every day. I will be honest, in the beginning of the month, I did not pray much. I thought it was a waste of time. God revealed to me that I did not believe in praying for these things. I didn’t believe God would make them happen. Our contact kept telling us to not pray unless we believed. That was the truth and even though I didn’t say it, in my heart that was where I was at. I didn’t believe God could give us heat in a week. I didn’t really believe God could bring in large amounts of money for the church or money for our contact’s dentist appointments. Boy was I wrong.
God answered this man’s prayers right and left. I have never seen so many prayers answered in such a short period of time. What is crazy is that this area is a really spiritually dead place. There is a lot of witchcraft going on in the area and this is the only church in the area. It’s incredible what God is doing in this little town outside of Draganesti, Romania.
I told the church this yesterday (through my tears of saying good bye) that I have been to churches all around the world, but I see something different in this church. The way God is answering prayers is amazing.
It has been a true honor to work with my contacts, Alexe and Vera and their family. Their faith is strong and the way their family is led and organized has been a beautiful example of a Christian family.
Today is my day off, tomorrow I will have normal ministry and Wednesday I will be saying good bye to these people I have grown to care for so much. I will be saying good bye to our contacts and the two 15 year old kids I have been teaching English to. I am not looking forward to saying good bye because my heart is so invested, but I know God will lead me.
On Thursday our whole squad will be putting on a Thanksgiving festival for 200 people in the town. It will be our last ministry together for the year. I think I will be helping out a friend make 250 funnel cakes! New skill I can add to my list.
On Friday we will have a day of cleaning/packing and then Saturday we leave for Brasov (a tourist town). There we will have our final debrief and then fly back to America on the following Friday.
It’s pretty surreal that it is all actually happening now. It’s strange that I can see the end. I can see next Friday and can see on the calendar when I will be home. I have A LOT of emotions every day. It’s hard to imagine saying good bye to all of these people I have traveled with, but exciting to go home and see my friends and family.
Please pray for my transition home. Not being in America or even being with my closest friends and family from home in a year and now coming back is scary and a strange thought. I know my perspective on things have changed a lot. Please pray that God gives me the eyes and the heart to accept America and “home” as it is and not as a poor reflection of the experience I have just had. I want to see my friends and family as Christ sees them and not as a reflection of who I think they are. I want to ask for grace and understanding as I work through these things when I get home. I won’t be perfect. I won’t adjust perfectly, but I will be open with how I am feeling with you all. Please help me in this and tell me how you are feeling as well.
I am excited to see you all again and personally share what God is doing around the world. It has been an honor to experience this year and I wouldn’t change it for the world. Thank you for being a part of it. I love you all!
