This month we are in Draganesti, Romania and we are working with a local church and missionaries. The whole squad is staying at one house, with the girls inside and the guys outside in tents. We have great access to wifi and hot showers. This first month we have been so blessed with both our ministry contact and housing.
Before I jump into what we have been doing I want to give you a little background about Romania. The Romanian revolution from communism was in 1989 and since that time the economy has suffered. I was told about 80% of the population is unemployed. In Draganesti the unemployment rate is about 50%. There is also a high population of the Roma, otherwise known as gypsies, in the area. The predominant religion is Orthodoxy and the priests do not get along with the Protestant Christians. So, in other words we have a lot of ministry opportunities here.
We are partnering with a local church and the ministries and missionaries that they help support. Because there are lots of ministries involved, what we do everyday varies. So far I have picked up trash in the community while building connections with the community, written in evangelistic brochures and handed them out to people, and worked with children in the neighboring community. Most of the ministries we will work with this month are heavy on evangelism by either going door to door or sharing Christ on the streets.
We also found out that we are no longer going to Ukraine, but to Moldova instead. I have to say that I was pretty sad that we weren’t going to Ukraine because it was one of the countries I was looking forward to the most. But you have to be flexible and have an open mind when you go on the Race, so to Moldova we go.
