Month 5 is gone and I can’t believe it! In
just 2 short weeks I will be half way done with The World Race. It seems so
strange to think about being here, knowing that only a few months ago I was
thinking about this moment; driving in my car back in Georgia thinking, ‘wow,
I’m going to be in Europe in 5 months.’ Now, Europe is over and Africa is just a
plane ride away!
This month has been full of ever-changing
days and amazing moments! Here is my month in Romania in review:
Weather – COLD! It is
winter here and is close to freezing almost every day. When I leave the house I
have so many layers on that I feel like the Michelin man.
Cultural Food – This month we
have had our own kitchen (granted the smallest stove I’ve ever seen) and have
been able to cook our own meals. On our WR budget this has been a lot of pasta,
soup, chicken and rice, etc. One thing we did partake in outside our home were
the donuts! Back home I don’t really like donuts, but here they are more like
funnel cake! Yum!
Common Transportation – Feet! We walked
everywhere. The locals here either drive cars or wagons pulled by donkeys or
horses… I have begun calling these modes of transportation ‘trough buggies.’
(You can see why below.)
Housing/Bed – We stayed in the
Mission House that the church provided. It is a nice old house with its quirks.
I stayed on the top bunk.
Ministry – Working with
Hope Church and aiding them in their existing ministries. Some of the
ministries I was able to be a part of were the after school program, house
visits, prayer walks, children’s programs, and yard work.
Team – This month we were blessed to do
ministry with another team, I-61. I was able to get to know them better and now
have some great new friendships. Our family is still growing together and we
have spent the month focusing on being intentional with each other and with
God.
Spiritual Growth – God has been
challenging me to pray boldly and to be confident in my voice. While I usually
have something to say, it is sometimes hard for me to say because I don’t want
to risk my words being misunderstood. This month God has begun to give me
confidence in my voice. This lesson, like all the others on the race, comes
back to surrender.
Greatest Challenge – Our schedule this
month has changed almost every day. I rarely have 2 consistent days in a row.
For me, a person who lives by the schedule, this has been difficult. I have
been forced into flexibility, something I am growing in, which has been good
but caused some frustration. I naturally operate better with a schedule so not
having that has made it much harder to be disciplined in other areas.
Verse – “Then Samuel took a stone
and set it up between Mizpah and Shen. He named it Ebenezer, saying “Thus
far the LORD has helped us.”” 1 Samuel 7:12
Favorite Moment – During our last
week here I spent the most time working with kids in a nearby gypsy village.
Each day we would sing songs with the kids, tell them a Bible story, and play
games with them. Seeing the joy these kids have is humbling. I was so blessed
to spend just a few days with them and show them the love of Jesus.
Favorite Adventure – This month in
Draganesti has not been one of adventure… this city doesn’t have a ton of stuff
to do. The one day we did venture outside of town we went to look at the river,
see a monastery, and go to the grocery store. Exciting right? To make it more
entertaining the 6 of us who went decided to take as many awkward pictures as
humanly possible. Other than that we did have a little more adventure in
Bucharest. One morning a few of us went to go see ‘the arch.’ We ended up
waking through a beautiful park and playing on the playground. Then, that
night, our squad had a scavenger hunt around the city. Somehow I beat the odds
and ended up on a team with 4 guys. We had fun taking pictures and goofing off
around the city.
Fun Fact – When walking
anywhere you must be careful of horse poop… it is everywhere! You should also
beware of blindingly colored houses…
Monday morning at 7am the 14 of us load up
and head to Bucharest to get on a plane and begin our journey to South Africa.
My team will be heading to Durban, South Africa. I have to say that I am beyond
excited about this ministry! We will be working 2 weeks of camp for disabled
and mentally handicapped adults. Then for 1 week we will be working on a farm
with troubled adolescents. That is right… camp and farming!!! For the week of
Christmas our team has been blessed to be able to spend time as a family
celebrating together as our contacts do so with their families. Please keep us
in your prayers!
Many Blessings,
Kim
