Hey Family/Friends/Strangers
Today has been one of the greatest days since I left home! All because of the simple things. This morning my team made it to our home for the month, a little church in Stoenesti, Romania; and our host family is unbelievably kind. As soon as we arrived we all felt extremely blessed to be welcomed into this family. Our contact is the pastor of the church, George. He and his wife, Donna have two smiley, adorable little daughters, Sara and Lydia. They took all of about five seconds to warm up to us. Then we were introduced to our accommodations and well, let's just say it's looking to be a good month. We have a kitchen, a shower (kind of), and really comfortable beds, and couches. I have been feeling God's presence so strongly here… it's such a comfort. Especially, because I have been struggling a little lately. For a while my mind felt chaotic and it has been hard to spend time with Him. Until Last night when a couple friends and I went to sit on a hill overlooking the horizon and I spent some time being still, just praying as I watched sun sink into the landscape. Then today after we dropped our packs in our rooms and cooked some food, I closed my eyes, turned on some worship music and immediately felt Him there, felt deeply loved, felt reassured I am in His hands. I won't go into that conversation, but I will say that all the chaos and struggle going on inside seemed to dissolve and was replaced by a peace and encouragement.
Soon after we were shown around, George told us about a widow that lived nearby and she needed help with her corn crop. So a couple of my teammates and I went to the next village and with a few other neighbors, we all helped her move her corn crop. It was hard work, but so much fun and exactly what I needed… Basket after basket, for hours we put all the corn into a raised storage barn. All of our backs were aching, but with the Romanian music cranked, chickens running all over, and that playful joy that comes with doing hard work together, we had a great time! (I know that probably sounds sappy, but whatever I'm not changing it.) Then when all the work was done she force fed us an abundance of fruits and vegetables from her farm. And homemade pizza. And homemade cake. So after much laughter and many hugs from the sweet little old ladies, oh and my chicken catching skills (Or lack thereof) getting put to shame by one of those old ladies, we said our goodbyes and assured her that if she needs any help on the farm this month, we'll come running. It was energizing to get worn out helping people like them.
Then we jumped in the car and my teammate, Kevin drove us home, (Yeah we get to use our contacts van – more proof he's awesome!) where we sat down to dinner number two, which was French toast, sausage, and eggs. God bless Kadie and Alex! Hah, then little Sara wanted me to help her practice learning to ride her bike. So after a couple band-aids and an hour or so of cheering her on, we all walked to the nearby river to enjoy the sunset …and well, that was my day. Then I went to write this blog and the little girls kept stealing my computer to play some game where you build a cake or something.
I realize telling you about my day is an odd blog, however I said all of that to attempt to give you a picture of what this trip is like. It's also community and learning and struggles and exploring and terribly long bus rides(longest so far, 29 hours).
First, this is for anyone thinking about embarking on this same trip. Of course not every day is like that, some days are going to suck. It's easy to romanticize something like this trip and only imagine the good stuff, but know that the good days far outweigh the bad. Also, we grow through them both and our God will do some serious gardening in our hearts along the way.
Secondly, this is for anyone who may feel led to support me financially. This journey is only a part of my life because of you and I greatly appreciate all those who have helped out in any way! Not only are you impacting my life, but also those that we have the honor to serve. I am currently at $7,882 and the next deadline is $11,000 by the start of October. So, if you feel you would like to help, any amount whether it be five dollars or five hundred dollars would be a huge blessing! Thank you all for the prayers and messages, they mean a lot!
P.S. I know I have been terrible about blogging. I will write something about Albania & Bulgaria soon. Oh, and I will post some pictures soon.
I love and miss y'all back home! -Zach
