Hello Friends and Family!!
I am in Draganesti-Olt this month, partnering with Hope Baptist Church here in Southern Romania. The first 24 hours were quite a culture shock from Transnistria, but we have settled in quite nicely to our Mission Home here. I am so thrilled to be working with Raul, the senior pastor of the church, as he is extremely bold and has been challenging our team in so many great ways.
Ministry:
– 2 Hours of Daily Prayer for Local, Regional, and International Needs
– Myself, Alana, Rachael G, and Johnna work in Raul’s office doing administrative work that includes managing their website, and all of their social media accounts.
– Other teams ( we are all squad this month ) are assisting with various projects: Teaching English, distributing shoes/clothing/other resources to the community, evangelizing, passing out New Testament Bibles, construction, assisting with Micro Business, and traveling to other villages near by to help in whatever capacity they can.
– Encouraging the volunteers and family members of the church.
Country Information:
– Unemployment rate is formally at 50%, while 80% of the people here are actually without work.
– Large population of Roma “Gypsies” ( operates like the “mafia” in many ways. ). Consequently there is stark contrast between the rich and poor in the Roma Community — I.E.- Million dollar mansions vs transient horse drawn wagon homes. In the first week of being here, one of the first things we have noticed is the peculiarity of a BMW zooming by a Horse and Buggy.
– Social Problems include: Trafficking/Prostitution of women in Roma culture to other European Countries, poor quality education, Teen Pregnancy, etc.
– Major Religion is Orthodoxy, and Christians are often persecuted here for not being Orthodox.
Prayer Requests:
– It is common for men to be aggressive with both local and foreign women here. Prayers for guidance on how to establish a ministry that will attract and encourage the men of this country.
– Resources for a missionary named Dorothy ( from Canada ). She established the Kid’s Club Ministry here and is returning with a group of volunteers here in the first of July. She would like to return full time, but is awaiting financial provision.
– Raul and his family as they are very generous with their time at the church. Being the pastor’s family, it is important that they do take time for rest and rejuvenation. Prayers for unity, peace, and guidance in all that they do.
– Confidence for our squad as we transition into the end of the race. Confidence that we will remember the lessons that God has taught us, the authority that God has given us, and the dreams that God has given us for the future. Going home is a very vulnerable place to be as God has changed our hearts dramatically, and there is quite a bit of concern that we may not ” fit in ” to our American lives anymore.
Dragonesti- Olt is 1/3 of the way up from the bottom of the river running through the center of the country.
Rachael G ( fearless teamleader ) and I working in the office!
This is our team! ( we have a great big family table at the Mission House where we prepare our meals. It was Johnna’s Birthday this month, so Helene made her a delicious southern meal!
Will post more photos as they come about!
