Well, month 2 flew by SO quickly! As I was sitting and reflecting over the month, I realized that between All-Squad month teachings and ministry and just doing life with my team, God taught me an incredible amount in Romania.
So, here are 26 lessons I learned during my 26 days in Romania:
- The church is family, it’s okay to make mistakes during service
- Always be ready to sing a song or share your testimony at any moment several times a day
- Plums are what prunes are made of
- A gift of 5lbs of plums from someone at church is the greatest blessing when you haven’t pooped in 12 days
- You can’t be fully present at ministry, with your team, with your squad, at home, and with God all at the same time, you have to choose
- If you choose God first, any amount of time you spend with any of your other choices is significantly more meaningful
- Some people think “holy moly” is a bad word, please correct them
- Getting hugs from children never gets old
- Letting fear stop you from evangelizing is the worst
- You don’t need fancy words or theology to share the Gospel
- When you step out in obedience despite your fear, God uses you in ways you wouldn’t imagine
- Just because the menu says hamburger doesn’t mean you are going to get a hamburger
- You can make apple crisp on the stovetop if you don’t have an oven available
- Beautiful friendships can be made out of just laugher and hugs
- Perfect love casts out all fear, perfect love casts out all fear, perfect love casts out all fear
- Peach Rings taste even better in Romania
- Spiritual warfare is the real deal, but Jesus is stronger EVERY time
- There are so many lies I have believed about myself that have deeply affected who I am and what I do
- I don’t have to live in those lies anymore, Jesus set me free
- Wind storms in Romania are something so terrifying and so awe-inspiring at the same time
- Pulling your fingers apart so hard it leaves bruises is the way a five year old boy tells you they love you
- God loves me so uniquely and knows how to reveal the hardest visions in the most gentle ways
- There’s always another course, so don’t fill up on soup right away
- Crying at least five times a week is a perfectly okay norm
- Not everyone is as open about farting as you are, but they can change
- When God gives you a vision for your town, you can’t let anyone or anything discourage you from chasing after it – even when you see hardly any fruit yet.
Bonus: I woke up this morning and my phone made this little video of my pictures from last month for me. Perfect timing!
