Sunday, June 27, 2010
Saturday, June 19, 2010
Finally over...not hardly!
I just don't know where to begin b/c there is so much to tell you. We've (the entire team) had two of the most incredible days of our lives. Teaching children from the orphanage about Jesus would definitely be a highlight - seeing their eyes light up when you talked about this Man that loved them unconditionally, holding them, laughing with them, seeing them sing in a choir loft and hear themselves for the first time ever singing songs of praise that they will carry with them, and seeing them leave with tears in your eyes and theirs - memories and moments that have burned a place on my heart and theirs. Incredible.
Then there's all the people that came to the church, not necessarily for medical care, but some b/c they were looking for something more. So many professions of faith were made, and so many seeds planted. Mr. Henry and Pastor Marin were both humbled and thrilled b/c they saw seeds that were planted 10 and 11 years ago harvested this week. Unbeliveable stories of people overcoming years of hardships and torment to come to know and love this man named Jesus.
Then there is today. We began an "Experiencing God" weekend where our team members faciliated small groups and myself and Gina led the children. So far all of the reports have been wonderful. People are opening up and sharing, listening to and responding to the Holy Spirit. The work with the children was awesome. I stressed for weeks about how to teach them, what to teach them and wondered how I could teach them something I couldn't even wrap my own head around. As I prepared for today I read in our books that when God gives you a God-sized assignment you will see that you cannot do it on your own. The moment of decision comes when you have to decide if you will trust that God will help you do what He has asked. So, I made a few notes and as I walked into the room this morning I said out loud - Okay God this is it, here I am now give me the words and the ability to help these children understand. We had 12 children from 5 to 12 and by the time we left every one could tell you the first 5 truths, what they meant, what they had learned today AND give you examples of each. THEY GOT IT. We had a very teachable moment when Gina was pulled to go give her testimony so we loaded up the kids and went to listen It was a beautiful sight to see them lined up on the front row pointing one finger up to let Gina know we were praying for her. They got to see God invite her, listen to her crisis of belief, and see how God brought her through. It was amazing. Everything that happened today, everything that was said - Gina and I both were only the messengers. Neither of us were capable of doing what we did ourselves. The message came straight from God. I think the most defining moment of our day was right before we dismissed. When asked what stood out to them the most today, a beautiful boy named Christian said this "I understand that knowing God and what He wants you to do is not enough, you have to do something about it." What a profound statement - he pretty much stated truth #7 and we won't cover that till tomorrow. Needless to say God spoke to Gina and I both today - and for me it came straight out the mouth of a 12 year old little boy named Christian.
So if you can picture this I'm sitting on my bed with my earphones in, singing loudly and dancing (my roommates are loving this), and typing like a crazy person to type 2 days worth on here for you AND get in the bed before 1am! I'm singing because I'm happy, I'm singing because I love Jesus, and I'm singing because this week - I HAVE EXPERIENCED GOD. Tomorrow morning in the service I will give the final testimony on Truth #7 - You can experience God when you obey Him, and His work is accomplished through you. Am I nervous - heck no! After what I learned last year when I was here about loving Jesus and loving like Jesus - and after what I have seen and felt this week nerves are not an issue. I'm excited and honored to be able to tell these people about my experience. I have seen God work all around me in the people here; I have once again felt an overwhelming love from Him and for Him, I accepted his invitation to come here and serve, I have heard Him speak through His word, through prayer, through the children we've been with, through other team members, through the churches here; I have experienced a crisis of belief where I doubted myself and my abilities only to be reminded that it's not my abilities but His, and reminded of his promises to never leave me, and that His power works best in my weakness; I have made adjustments and let Him move me in the direction He wanted; and through all those things I have EXPERIENCED HIM. The way we taught the kids this morning was like this - it is just like drinking a cold glass of water on a 100 degree day when you are so hot you can hardly breathe and the heat has drained you of your last ounce of energy. You feel like you can't hardly move then you take a drink and it is sooooo good, you feel it from the time it hits your mouth till it reaches your toes, you are refreshed and fill as if you have just been given enough strength to make it a little bit longer.
So is it over? The trip almost, but the experience - not hardly. Will I go again? Without a doubt. God has invited me and I will continue to join Him until He directs me otherwise...so how about you - will you let Him fill your cup? Go ahead, drink some water and experience Him yourself...
Then there's all the people that came to the church, not necessarily for medical care, but some b/c they were looking for something more. So many professions of faith were made, and so many seeds planted. Mr. Henry and Pastor Marin were both humbled and thrilled b/c they saw seeds that were planted 10 and 11 years ago harvested this week. Unbeliveable stories of people overcoming years of hardships and torment to come to know and love this man named Jesus.
Then there is today. We began an "Experiencing God" weekend where our team members faciliated small groups and myself and Gina led the children. So far all of the reports have been wonderful. People are opening up and sharing, listening to and responding to the Holy Spirit. The work with the children was awesome. I stressed for weeks about how to teach them, what to teach them and wondered how I could teach them something I couldn't even wrap my own head around. As I prepared for today I read in our books that when God gives you a God-sized assignment you will see that you cannot do it on your own. The moment of decision comes when you have to decide if you will trust that God will help you do what He has asked. So, I made a few notes and as I walked into the room this morning I said out loud - Okay God this is it, here I am now give me the words and the ability to help these children understand. We had 12 children from 5 to 12 and by the time we left every one could tell you the first 5 truths, what they meant, what they had learned today AND give you examples of each. THEY GOT IT. We had a very teachable moment when Gina was pulled to go give her testimony so we loaded up the kids and went to listen It was a beautiful sight to see them lined up on the front row pointing one finger up to let Gina know we were praying for her. They got to see God invite her, listen to her crisis of belief, and see how God brought her through. It was amazing. Everything that happened today, everything that was said - Gina and I both were only the messengers. Neither of us were capable of doing what we did ourselves. The message came straight from God. I think the most defining moment of our day was right before we dismissed. When asked what stood out to them the most today, a beautiful boy named Christian said this "I understand that knowing God and what He wants you to do is not enough, you have to do something about it." What a profound statement - he pretty much stated truth #7 and we won't cover that till tomorrow. Needless to say God spoke to Gina and I both today - and for me it came straight out the mouth of a 12 year old little boy named Christian.
So if you can picture this I'm sitting on my bed with my earphones in, singing loudly and dancing (my roommates are loving this), and typing like a crazy person to type 2 days worth on here for you AND get in the bed before 1am! I'm singing because I'm happy, I'm singing because I love Jesus, and I'm singing because this week - I HAVE EXPERIENCED GOD. Tomorrow morning in the service I will give the final testimony on Truth #7 - You can experience God when you obey Him, and His work is accomplished through you. Am I nervous - heck no! After what I learned last year when I was here about loving Jesus and loving like Jesus - and after what I have seen and felt this week nerves are not an issue. I'm excited and honored to be able to tell these people about my experience. I have seen God work all around me in the people here; I have once again felt an overwhelming love from Him and for Him, I accepted his invitation to come here and serve, I have heard Him speak through His word, through prayer, through the children we've been with, through other team members, through the churches here; I have experienced a crisis of belief where I doubted myself and my abilities only to be reminded that it's not my abilities but His, and reminded of his promises to never leave me, and that His power works best in my weakness; I have made adjustments and let Him move me in the direction He wanted; and through all those things I have EXPERIENCED HIM. The way we taught the kids this morning was like this - it is just like drinking a cold glass of water on a 100 degree day when you are so hot you can hardly breathe and the heat has drained you of your last ounce of energy. You feel like you can't hardly move then you take a drink and it is sooooo good, you feel it from the time it hits your mouth till it reaches your toes, you are refreshed and fill as if you have just been given enough strength to make it a little bit longer.
So is it over? The trip almost, but the experience - not hardly. Will I go again? Without a doubt. God has invited me and I will continue to join Him until He directs me otherwise...so how about you - will you let Him fill your cup? Go ahead, drink some water and experience Him yourself...
Thursday, June 17, 2010
Another beautiful day!
This will be short and sweet! We've been going strong everyday since Sunday from 6am to about midnight and so tonight it is 11:05 and I'm very excited about going to bed early :):) Today was beautiful - I really can't think of a better word. We had 42 children and 29 from the state orphanage. (I believe there are about 300 children that stay there.) They were supposed to come in shifts (am and pm) but they had so much fun they wanted to do both. The instructors were amazed at how well behaved they were for us, how attentive and how eager to participate. You could just see the glow in their eyes as we interacted with them. Did I fall in love with them? Well yes, that's a no brainer!!! There was one very special little girl named Anka, 3 yrs. old. She wanted to be held and the whole time she would just rub your hair, tuck it behind your ears, look at your earrings and then lean back and gaze into your eyes and smile the most beautiful smile that would make you melt. It wasn't until she left that I found out that she and her older sister had only been there a few months. They were found abandoned on the streets. I wanted so badly to spend more time with these children and to help them understand that even though they might not be with their earthly parents, they have a Heavenly Father who loves them even more than they can understand. But of course we only had a few hours so we made the most of it. It was a very special day - after we told the story of Philip witnessing to the Ethiopian (very appropriate for us) we ended with some singing and one of the songs was Amazing Love. This is one of my all time favorites and to hear it in Romanian and English is even more beautiful. One neat thing was that the instructors from the orphanage also stayed and when they left they said they would be back to that church. Only God can use a program designed specifically for children to touch the heart of an adult.
I haven't had much time to talk to him since we got in, but Mr. Henry did tell me before the service tonight that he had one of the best days in his life as a Christian. One person right after another wanted to pray to receive Christ, so they did just that. He was grinning from ear to ear and after hearing about it we were too. Hopefully I'll have more details on that tomorrow.
Truth #3 in Experiencing God - God invites you to join Him............He invited, I joined. Can't imagine having missed this...
I haven't had much time to talk to him since we got in, but Mr. Henry did tell me before the service tonight that he had one of the best days in his life as a Christian. One person right after another wanted to pray to receive Christ, so they did just that. He was grinning from ear to ear and after hearing about it we were too. Hopefully I'll have more details on that tomorrow.
Truth #3 in Experiencing God - God invites you to join Him............He invited, I joined. Can't imagine having missed this...
Wednesday, June 16, 2010
Prayer still works - you might think, but oh how I know!
So Tuesday and Wednesday have come and gone - REALLY?!?!?!?!? Time flies when you're having fun! So here's the scoop on our last couple of days. Yesterday our team split and one group went to a village called Damuc and the other to Bicaz Ardelean. Today we were in a village call Damuc and also one called Bodesti. Since Monday we've seen over 700 patients and 100 children. We've been able to share the gospel with every single one!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 700+ people hearing the REAL DEAL about Jesus in 3 days. 44 people prayed with somebody one on one to receive Christ, not to mention numerous others that were during a group time! If that doesn't get you excited then you need to stop reading and take a look in the mirror. People need Jesus and He's using us to do it here - what's He using you for there???
Yesterday Mama Sharon had the priviledge to talk to a real shepherd - which she has desperately wanted to do for a year. While I'd love to tell you about it, it would take entirely too long to type - not to mention I think Jim should give up a sermon for her to be able to share it :) It was just that powerful, period. I've read and heard the 23rd Psalm since I was a little girl but I didn't really get it, until last night. She says she wants to stay the rest of the week - but I think she'd go home happy today!
So for me today was another big God moment. For the last two days I've been with a different translator. Things have been good, but different. I've worked so well with Irina that at times I've come to depend on her too much. If you heard my testimony last year you'd know that she is an awesome woman with an unbelievable faith - so it was easy to turn to her when I was at a loss for words. Today I was at a loss for words - I had prayed SEVERAL times during the day that God would make it work, that He would give me the words to say, and that the children would understand. At one point this afternoon I was in the room with 21 children and realized that only one was saved and the other 20 were from homes that did not have Christian families. Most were Orthodox. It was at that very moment that we started discussing salvation and how easy it is to accept Christ. Then the reality set in of how serious of a situation I was in, and how critical it was that these children left with a clear understanding of God's love. I froze. I was completely stuck and believe it or not, COMPLETELY SPEECHLESS. Then all of a sudden the words came, not from me, but no doubt from the Holy Spirit. If by some chance you were praying for me about 8:00 this morning - thank you, thank you, thank you!!! The fear that passed over for just a minute left just as quickly and was replaced with a feeling of peace. It was pretty cool to say the least :) Then we started talked about prayer. They didn't know how to pray, much less what to pray. It was a very real moment for me - reminding me of how sad it is here - and how desperately these children need to be taught. Prayer - something we so often take for granted, something we don't do nearly enough of, and yet the one thing that could make a difference for them. So, we began teaching them how to pray. If they got nothing else, hopefully they left with a sense of what praying was all about. If they start talking to God they will be taking a step towards a relationship with Him, which is what He wants with all of us. Truth 2 in Experiencing God "He pursues a love relationship with you."
We had several children today that were getting scolded by siblings/parents because they knew we were Christians and they didn't want them there. The kids stayed anyway :):):) Did I do a little dance when they stayed despite what they were being told - YOU BETTER BELIEVE IT!! Normally I don't condone children going against the wishes of their parents, but today I was all for it. Evidently what they saw in us impressed them more than what they saw in their families so they chose to stay. Ever seen God working in the hearts of children?? It's a pretty incredible thing.
Yesterday Mama Sharon had the priviledge to talk to a real shepherd - which she has desperately wanted to do for a year. While I'd love to tell you about it, it would take entirely too long to type - not to mention I think Jim should give up a sermon for her to be able to share it :) It was just that powerful, period. I've read and heard the 23rd Psalm since I was a little girl but I didn't really get it, until last night. She says she wants to stay the rest of the week - but I think she'd go home happy today!
So for me today was another big God moment. For the last two days I've been with a different translator. Things have been good, but different. I've worked so well with Irina that at times I've come to depend on her too much. If you heard my testimony last year you'd know that she is an awesome woman with an unbelievable faith - so it was easy to turn to her when I was at a loss for words. Today I was at a loss for words - I had prayed SEVERAL times during the day that God would make it work, that He would give me the words to say, and that the children would understand. At one point this afternoon I was in the room with 21 children and realized that only one was saved and the other 20 were from homes that did not have Christian families. Most were Orthodox. It was at that very moment that we started discussing salvation and how easy it is to accept Christ. Then the reality set in of how serious of a situation I was in, and how critical it was that these children left with a clear understanding of God's love. I froze. I was completely stuck and believe it or not, COMPLETELY SPEECHLESS. Then all of a sudden the words came, not from me, but no doubt from the Holy Spirit. If by some chance you were praying for me about 8:00 this morning - thank you, thank you, thank you!!! The fear that passed over for just a minute left just as quickly and was replaced with a feeling of peace. It was pretty cool to say the least :) Then we started talked about prayer. They didn't know how to pray, much less what to pray. It was a very real moment for me - reminding me of how sad it is here - and how desperately these children need to be taught. Prayer - something we so often take for granted, something we don't do nearly enough of, and yet the one thing that could make a difference for them. So, we began teaching them how to pray. If they got nothing else, hopefully they left with a sense of what praying was all about. If they start talking to God they will be taking a step towards a relationship with Him, which is what He wants with all of us. Truth 2 in Experiencing God "He pursues a love relationship with you."
We had several children today that were getting scolded by siblings/parents because they knew we were Christians and they didn't want them there. The kids stayed anyway :):):) Did I do a little dance when they stayed despite what they were being told - YOU BETTER BELIEVE IT!! Normally I don't condone children going against the wishes of their parents, but today I was all for it. Evidently what they saw in us impressed them more than what they saw in their families so they chose to stay. Ever seen God working in the hearts of children?? It's a pretty incredible thing.
Monday, June 14, 2010
God IS always at work...
Oh my goodness, oh my goodness, OH MY GOODNESS!!! I'm so excited to be writing this tonight! Last night we had church in Piatra Neamt and it was great. There cannot be another choir in this world that sounds like that. We recorded it, but it does not even come close to doing them justice. They sound just like angels - it is the most beautiful sound I've ever heard in my life. I wish I could bring them home :)
Our work today was in a town called Roman. We left this morning at 8 and got home about 7, and other than the car ride and a few minutes for lunch we were going non-stop all day. We had a total of about 20 kids in and out and WE HAD A BLAST. We played games, sang, did some crafts, told stories and talked about Jesus, and then we did it again, and again, and again. The most important thing with these kids is making sure that you take the stories, relate them to their lives today, and then tie that in with the whole idea of salvation as a free gift - not something you work for. I've got 3 awesome young people working with me this year - Gina Langston, Jay McBride and Mandy Simmons. Today all 3 of them had the opportunity to help deliver that message to the kids. I was so excited to see them working with the kids, getting excited about it, and most importantly seeing how God was using them. They were all completely out of their comfort zones and doing things they have never done before. It's amazing the things God can do through you, when you let him.
At the end of day our translator asked the children what their favorite parts of the day were. One boy in particular, Tibi, said he enjoyed the songs, playing ball with Jay, and the story of Zacchaeus. When we asked him why Zacchaeus he said "because I want my heart to be changed just like Zacchaeus' was." He didn't want to pray himself, but he did ask for us to pray for him - that his heart would be changed. So we did just that - we asked specifically that God would change his heart and that he would come to know the love of Jesus. Do I know what will happen with Tibi from here - nope. But I do know this, after singing, playing, and talking all day long he got what many grown ups who have had it in their face for years still do not. Only Jesus can change your heart.
That beautiful little boy named Tibi - that my friends is what's it all about, and that is why I came back.
Truth one of Experiencing God is that God is always at work around you. It doesn't matter where you are...
*New pics from yesterday and today: http://picasaweb.google.com/109699701465596226505/61410?feat=directlink
Our work today was in a town called Roman. We left this morning at 8 and got home about 7, and other than the car ride and a few minutes for lunch we were going non-stop all day. We had a total of about 20 kids in and out and WE HAD A BLAST. We played games, sang, did some crafts, told stories and talked about Jesus, and then we did it again, and again, and again. The most important thing with these kids is making sure that you take the stories, relate them to their lives today, and then tie that in with the whole idea of salvation as a free gift - not something you work for. I've got 3 awesome young people working with me this year - Gina Langston, Jay McBride and Mandy Simmons. Today all 3 of them had the opportunity to help deliver that message to the kids. I was so excited to see them working with the kids, getting excited about it, and most importantly seeing how God was using them. They were all completely out of their comfort zones and doing things they have never done before. It's amazing the things God can do through you, when you let him.
At the end of day our translator asked the children what their favorite parts of the day were. One boy in particular, Tibi, said he enjoyed the songs, playing ball with Jay, and the story of Zacchaeus. When we asked him why Zacchaeus he said "because I want my heart to be changed just like Zacchaeus' was." He didn't want to pray himself, but he did ask for us to pray for him - that his heart would be changed. So we did just that - we asked specifically that God would change his heart and that he would come to know the love of Jesus. Do I know what will happen with Tibi from here - nope. But I do know this, after singing, playing, and talking all day long he got what many grown ups who have had it in their face for years still do not. Only Jesus can change your heart.
That beautiful little boy named Tibi - that my friends is what's it all about, and that is why I came back.
Truth one of Experiencing God is that God is always at work around you. It doesn't matter where you are...
*New pics from yesterday and today: http://picasaweb.google.com/109699701465596226505/61410?feat=directlink
Saturday, June 12, 2010
Friday, Saturday, half of Sunday...
So after an 8 1/2-9 hour flight that was 45 minutes late getting into Germany, we barely made our flight out to Bucharest (our luggage did not :) 2 more hours on that plane and we finally landed in Romania! We got settled in our hotel, went out for a little sightseeing and dinner, and waited on our luggage to arrived several hours late. Better late than never!! Saturday we went to the People's Palace and The Village in Bucharest. The Village has homes from all different regions in Romania that are well over 100 years old. I've posted a link for pics you to see. There are also some pics from downtown Bucharest. After lunch we loaded up the bus for a 7 hour ride to our hotel where we will be all week in a village called Garcina. It's beautiful. I'm sitting on our balcony now surrounded by mountains :) Hopefully I'll get pics of that on here later - one day at a time!
This morning the team I was with went to church in Damuc where we will also have clinics on Tuesday. After church we were served a very traditional meal in one of the members homes. A 3 course meal, plus dessert and tea. Way different, way good - way full! While we were there we had the priviledge of being part of a baby dedication. The girl lives there with her baby Sophia, mother and grandmother. She accepted Christ early in life and then married a nonbeliver. Because he does not agree with her beliefs he has left her to live with his family and wants nothing to do with her, or the child. For whatever reason she had not had the baby dedicated at church so she wanted to do it with us. Bob (one of our pastors) read some scripture and had prayer - it was a very special thing to be a part of.
We have about an hour and a half before we have to go back to church tonight and we have supper planned for hopefully 9pm. Tomorrow starts our clinics/childrens work in a town called Roman. Hopefully I will be able to update tomorrow night, depending on what time we get back to the hotel. In the meantime thank you for your prayers for safe travel, and please continue to pray for us as we begin our week!
http://picasaweb.google.com/109699701465596226505/MyRomaniaExperience2010?feat=directlink
This morning the team I was with went to church in Damuc where we will also have clinics on Tuesday. After church we were served a very traditional meal in one of the members homes. A 3 course meal, plus dessert and tea. Way different, way good - way full! While we were there we had the priviledge of being part of a baby dedication. The girl lives there with her baby Sophia, mother and grandmother. She accepted Christ early in life and then married a nonbeliver. Because he does not agree with her beliefs he has left her to live with his family and wants nothing to do with her, or the child. For whatever reason she had not had the baby dedicated at church so she wanted to do it with us. Bob (one of our pastors) read some scripture and had prayer - it was a very special thing to be a part of.
We have about an hour and a half before we have to go back to church tonight and we have supper planned for hopefully 9pm. Tomorrow starts our clinics/childrens work in a town called Roman. Hopefully I will be able to update tomorrow night, depending on what time we get back to the hotel. In the meantime thank you for your prayers for safe travel, and please continue to pray for us as we begin our week!
http://picasaweb.google.com/109699701465596226505/MyRomaniaExperience2010?feat=directlink
Wednesday, June 9, 2010
Time to go...AGAIN!!!
So tomorrow we leave! I can hardly believe it’s been a year since my first international mission trip. Little did I know that a year ago today I would be beginning a journey that would change my life forever. I really didn’t know what to expect, and in hindsight - even if I had it would not have prepared me for what was to come!
This year will be different - not in a “better or worse” way, just altogether different. Some of the faces will be familiar and some will not. The experiences will be brand new, each in it’s own significant way. One new thing we will be doing is an Experiencing God weekend with the Romanian church. I’m not sure if you are familiar with that study or not, but it is a very powerful, very real “experience”. It has the potential to change the lives of all that are involved. And that is at the end of the week - that doesn’t count all the work in the clinics, with children, and in the churches that will start on Sunday. I’m talking about 8 action packed days - WOO HOO I’m getting excited just thinking about it!!!
The upcoming days will be an experience that will change my life, the lives of the team, and lives of thousands of people that we come in contact with. I decided to create this blog to give you a peak, a taste, a tease if you will, of the awesome things that can happen when you know, hear, obey, answer, and join God for experience with Him. Of course I still say the best way for you to know is to go yourself…
Stay tuned!
This year will be different - not in a “better or worse” way, just altogether different. Some of the faces will be familiar and some will not. The experiences will be brand new, each in it’s own significant way. One new thing we will be doing is an Experiencing God weekend with the Romanian church. I’m not sure if you are familiar with that study or not, but it is a very powerful, very real “experience”. It has the potential to change the lives of all that are involved. And that is at the end of the week - that doesn’t count all the work in the clinics, with children, and in the churches that will start on Sunday. I’m talking about 8 action packed days - WOO HOO I’m getting excited just thinking about it!!!
The upcoming days will be an experience that will change my life, the lives of the team, and lives of thousands of people that we come in contact with. I decided to create this blog to give you a peak, a taste, a tease if you will, of the awesome things that can happen when you know, hear, obey, answer, and join God for experience with Him. Of course I still say the best way for you to know is to go yourself…
Stay tuned!
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