Team Retreat/Sabolciu

This past weekend we went on our first ever team retreat! It was at a little village out in the country that some friends of ours let us use for the weekend. It was so fun to just relax and hang out and spend time talking about all that God has done in the past 3 months and what we feel He is leading us to in the next 3 months. The place was so beautiful! It was an old farm and is was just so neat to see what it's like to live very simply...it was refreshing. Not a whole lot of technology out on an old farm, there isn't even a sink to wash dishes in inside the house. There's only a large trough like thing that is connected to a well. Here are some pictures:



And to finish off the weekend with a bang...Kylie and I went to Sabolciu for the first time!!! Since Sabolciu was on the way home from the village we had stayed at for the weekend we figured now was as good a time as any.

We wanted to wait a while for the team and Matt to be a little more familiar with the people in Sabolciu before we brought Kylie in. I was a little hesitant at first, mainly because I've been sort of concerned about germs. There is no running water in the village, the livestock are really close to their houses (some of them have chickens and ducks that just sort of come and go inside their homes as they please) and the children pretty much run wild and I knew that they were going to want to play with and touch Kylie a lot...and they did. I definitely got a little nervous when I looked down at Kylie and the kids had taken her pacifier out of her mouth and were putting their fingers in her mouth instead ha ha! As funny as this sounds I suppose all those times I found Kylie with my shoe in her mouth it was just preparing her and me for Sabolciu fingers in her mouth ha ha. She hasn't gotten sick yet, praise the Lord!!!

All in all it was a great weekend and I was glad to make it into Sabolciu with the team. I was able to get a sense of where the people are at with the Lord and just see how they live. I know that I will be able to pray for them better now. I was most definitely moved with compassion for the women...they are all pretty young have at least 5 kids, and no husband around to help at all. I can't even imagine how difficult life is for these women, but it is just something they have become accustomed to. I know I have a lot to learn from them and look forward to doing so. Also I hope to be able to join Amy on Thursdays as she's been leading a women's Bible study with the women. It would be great to be able to connect with them and invest more in the miracles God is performing in their hearts! Here are some pictures:
  

The Lord Is At Work!

Sorry it's been awhile, but a lot has happened in the past 2 months! (We are going to get better about posting I promise!)

Let's see...where to begin...

We had our 3 year anniversary, Kylie stopped army crawling and started crawling ALL over the place AND has been pulling herself up on things AND has a new tooth as well as 2 more on the way. We started a Bible study in the city center on Wednesday nights and Matt is teaching through the book of Colossians. The Lord has shown us favor by allowing us to have a Bible study at a coffee shop which is quite rare out here. So far we have had a good turn out and people have been very receptive to receiving the truth. The Lord has been really revealing His heart for the Romanian people which has been helping me to adjust and adapt because I have been able to see how much He desires for His people to know Him. Also things in the gypsy village have been going really well! When we first started maybe like 8 people would show up for church on Sunday (including children) and last Sunday there were close to 50 people (there's about 144 people in the village total)! Not to mention the men have been showing more interest in coming to church and have been more willing to talk with Matt and Steve. Amy has started a women's Bible study in the village with some of the women and Sierra has started the first ever worship group with some of the young ladies in the village. Things are moving forward quickly! It's been very exciting!!!

It's been exciting to see change already happening in such a short amount of time. Several of our Romanian friends who go to the village with us to translate have mentioned how they have been going to the village for several years and have been seeing a real difference in people since we started going there. What a great encouragement! I don't think that there has ever been a team of people who have consistently gone into the village to serve and share the love of Christ. They are used to Americans coming and going...it's really neat to see how being consistent and purposeful in building relationships can make such a huge difference.

So please continue to pray because we are most definitely seeing LOTS of answers to prayers and are thankful to be walking into all the prayers that have been laid out before us!

If The Lord Is My Shepherd, I Shall Not Want

"The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want"

-Psalm 23:1-

It all boils down to one simple question: Do I find contentment in the fact that I am in the will of the Father...or do I want more because that is that not enough for me?

As Matt and I were reading through Psalm 23 together the other day I was immediately convicted by all of the things that I want. I was convicted because I began to realize that Christ is not my shepherd. I realized that since we have moved here I've been finding myself wanting. A LOT. I want my hair to look a certain way. I want a rug for the the bedroom. I want more hand towels for the bathroom. I want a bread maker. I want an air conditioner. I want new summer clothes because it's so hot....sadly, I could keep going. I was convicted as I realized my lack of contentment. Why have I become so discontent? Because Christ is not my shepherd.

I keep thinking that if my hair would only be a little less curly, or if we had a rug in the bedroom or more hand towels...if I only had a new summer dress...then I might be happy.

It's almost embarrassing to admit it. To write it. To say it out loud, it seems so silly and so obviously "unchristian" of me. But there it is. I've been struggling to trust the Lord and the result is my being discontent. If Christ were my shepherd, I would not want. It's that simple.

So again the question remains...regardless of situation or circumstances, regardless of what I think I "need"...Can I find contentment, or even joy, in the simple truth that I know I am in the will of the Father? I imagine as Paul sat in his jail cell, looking around a dimly lit dirty room...if He wasn't absolutely convinced He was in the will of the Father there's no way he could have found true contentment and peace. If His will truly is my motive for being here orfor doing anything for that matter, than the answer should be yes.

So then why isn't it?

Do I really believe that a new summer dress is going to make me happy? The reality is that since I am not trusting Christ to be the good Shepherd who leads me to green pastures and to still waters and who longs to restore my soul...I cannot be content with being in the will of the Father. Only when I trust His leading and actually let Him lead me, (without holding a grudge) only then will I find the contentment I so desire and desperately need. It's only found in Him.

So today I let go. I open my hands to all that I'm holding on to and trust my Shepherd to lead me and my family. Forgive me Lord for not trusting who I know you to be. For choosing to put my feelings and circumstances above You. For seeking contentment in anything other than your presence.

 

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Sabolciu

We haven't really shared much about our time in the gypsy village Sabolciu so we just wanted to share a few photos and tell you a little bit about what it's like out there. Here are pictures of inside their church and a few of the kids...

The Lord has paved the way for us to share the loving gospel of Jesus Christ with a small gypsy village in the Romanian countryside separated from the rest of "civilized" society. We have been given the opportunity to completely facilitate their Sunday church service. When we arrived in Oradea, the two men that were pastoring the church had recently moved on to new ministry opportunities and there was a real lack of leadership in the church.

And that's where we came in...

As we began to go to the church we began to notice that the church was heavily based in Romanian church culture. This is not necessarily a bad thing, but it could easily be considered overly religious. Our heart for the people there is to break through the chains of religion and replace it with Biblical teaching, true fellowship, intimacy in prayer and worship.

There are 4 groups of people we desire to reach within the village:

The Children (babies to about 12 yrs old): The children make up the majority of the population of the village and the people who attend church. They are definitely the most interested and the most impressionable but are very wounded and bitter which causes them to be unruly and to have very short fuses which usually result in violence. We have started to teach them short Bible stories and are incorporating prayer into each lesson we teach. As we began to incorporate prayer we were excited to see how hungry they were to actually pray. Please pray that the Lord would restore the purity and youthfulness to the children as well as continuing to open their hearts to receiving Him. Also that they would break free from generational life style patterns and behaviours.

Teenage Boys and Girls: We know that they are in the village but it has been difficult to draw them out. Our hope is to be able to do weekday Bible studies with them separating them into girls groups and boy groups. Please pray that the Lord would draw them out and place a hunger in their hearts for Him.

The Women: They are and will be the backbone of the church and are crucial to the village accepting all that the Lord has for them. There are 7 faithful women who attend church each week and who are truly hungry for the Lord and what He has for them. They love to pray and worship and when they sing it sounds like a well-rehearsed choir. Please pray that the Lord would give them strength to be the light in such a dark place and to not lose heart at what the Lord is doing within the village.

The Men: They are the most influential people in the village and basically control all that happens there. Unfortunately they are the most against the Lord and what He stands for. There are only 1-2 men who will even come to church and the rest choose not to attend because they know the life they are living is against who God is. They are unwilling to forgo the lives they live. They live lives of alcoholism, theft, dishonesty, adultery, and abuse. Please pray that the Lord would break their hearts of stone and give them hearts of flesh because they are the ones who influence the village in the way that they live.

Matt has been given the opportunity to pastor the church by teaching the Bible at their Sunday church services and by praying with the women every week after church. Please pray that the Lord would give us great vision and fresh inspiration to do a new work within the village. We desire to do more outreach with them throughout the week as well as begin regular Bible studies coupled with prayer and worship meetings.

On a funny but sweet side note: the Jesus movement was started with people who came to church without shoes and shirts and who were considered dirty...we are hoping Jesus would move in Sabolciu with naked children and half clothed adults (since summer has officially started we always have a handful of completely naked children in church.)

They are truly coming to Christ just as they are.

It's Not Always Easy

The past week has been a little rough for me honestly. I'm beginning to realize just how much I do not like change. I suppose this is a good thing to know especially since I had no idea prior to moving here. However, regardless of how I feel, the Lord is so faithful and that is a fact! Time and time again I see how He hears me and answers my prayers. I had been feeling overwhelmed with the move. It's hard when everything around you is completely unfamiliar. Even going on a date with my husband was a little stressful simply because I had no idea what to order on the menu at the restaurant we went to because it was all in Romanian. It ended up being great and thankfully our waiter spoke English. He recommended the "meat pancake" and it was delicious. It was kind of like a lasagna burrito with sour cream type stuff on top. My stomach didn't quite agree with my taste buds but I suppose adjusting to the food just comes with the territory.

I've found myself really trying not to be angry at the Lord. He continues to encourage me and remind me that He does actually know what's best for me. He has been reminding me of how initially, I didn't think that Matt was His best for me either. Initially when Matt and I became friends I had absolutely no romantic interest in him at all...and then one day I looked at Matt and he looked different. Not because He had changed at all, but because God had changed my heart. Now having been married for almost 3 years I know without a shadow of a doubt Matt IS God's absolute best for me. The Lord is showing me that Romania is sort of the same. Initially I may have no interest in being here but one day I will look around and suddenly it will all look different and not because anything around me has changed, but simply because my heart has been changed. Until that day He remains faithful to remind me constantly of His presence while assuring me that He is with me and my family and this team.

On Saturday, one of the people we met through Pathway to Joy and his wife, took us to their grandpa's farm out in a tiny village in the countryside of Romania. It was absolutely beautiful! The best part was it was something familiar, which I desperately needed. It reminded me of the summers I spent in Tennessee with my best friend's family who lived on a farm. The smell of the hay, mixed with fresh cut grass, the clean crisp air and just the simplicity of life on the farm. It was a breath of fresh air and a reminder that my Father in Heaven hears me and is ready to help me in any way I might need Him to.

Isaiah 41:10: "Fear not, for I am with you; Be not dismayed, for I am your God. I WILL STRENGTHEN YOU. Yes I WILL HELP YOU, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand."

There is no feeling quite like the feeling you get from being strengthened by the Lord. It's almost indescribable. One minute you feel as though you can't go on any longer because it's just too hard...and the next minute you feel as though nothing could stop you. It's one of the many reasons that I know my God is real. That Jesus is real. That He is alive and active and that He cares about me and how I feel. It's what enables me to press on and press in...to do things I could never do on my own...(like move to Romania with my husband and a baby.) I truly can do ALL things through Christ who strengthens me. So although it's hard and it's uncomfortable most of the time, He enables me to thrive. To not only move forward, but to run forward in the goodness that He has for me, my family and my team. He really only does good and wondrous things and even if it doesn't necessarily feel "good" at the time, I know that He is good and that's good enough for me!

(On a side note we start our language classes tonight. We will be meeting with our teacher for an hour Mon-Thurs. Please pray for supernatural understanding because this is pretty much what will allow us to build relationships with people. Communication is key!)

What a Week

Greetings from Romania!

The past week has been a bit of a whirlwind. The team went out to visit one of the gypsy villages, we went to a pentecostal church where Matt and Amy got to share, we bought a car and we have been exploring Oradea and figuring out where and how to buy groceries (it's hard to buy food in another language so most of the time we're just guessing and hoping for the best). We are hoping to start taking language lessons 4 times a week soon which will help A LOT. The team will be going out the gypsy village again tomorrow and we are planning several outreaches for the week so this week should be pretty exciting! (we still don't have internet. We have an internet stick that gets passed around between the 6 of us to use. Once we get it in the house it will be easier to post pictures & update more regularly. We are learning that everything is a lot slower than we are used too...well except for drivers on the road ha ha.)

Acclimating has been a pretty fun experience and fortunately Kylie has been handling it really well. It was a little rough the first couple of days when I was jet lagged and she wanted to play at 1 in the morning but we are starting to get back on a schedule which is nice for us and for her. Plus she's back to sleeping through the night (well as of last night at least.) But each night has been getting better and better. We've also starting feeding her oat cereals which she loves and I'm pretty sure she's going to start crawling soon.

You know, I would just like to say that for all of you out there who read this and might think that you could never be a missionary or don't "feel" called...don't worry, I didn't either. I never saw myself living in Romania that's for sure. All I know is, the Lord invited me to join Him in His work and experience Him in a way I never had before. Because I love Him I couldn't say no. It certainly wasn't my first choice and honestly it's been hard. I've just gotten to a place of being willing to accept that things in life are hard and I'm willing to struggle through it. I have days when I wake up and really want to be back "home" in San Diego and it's hard not being there but we are each created to know and experience our creator...the lover of our souls. There is no life outside of Jesus Christ. Knowing Him IS life. So if that means I have to slap a label on my back says "missionary" then so be it. But I challenge you to really ask yourself, are you truly experiencing the fullness of Christ in your life? Are you willing for Him to take you to a foreign country even if you don't "feel called." Society says follow your heart...Christ says to lead your heart by following Him. It's not easy and sometimes you don't want to but I'm sure Christ didn't want to necessarily die on the cross...but He did, and that's what love does. It lays down its life for its friends...

So our Romanian adventure has begun...this should be interesting.

"For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many."
Mark 10:45

We finally made it! Kylie and I made it safely to Romania. It was a very long journey (we missed our connecting flight and got to stay the night in a beautiful hotel in Istanbul) but Kylie did SO good. I still can't believe what an amazing baby she is. I have never encountered such an easy going baby. I mean of course I'm a little biased, but she didn't really even fuss or cry at all during the whole 2 day adventure.

The biggest challenge has been adjusting to the 10 hour time difference. We are all still tired and trying to catch up on our sleep. It's also a little different having the sun out till about 10:00 pm but we are adjusting.

We are still working on getting a better internet connection and when that happens I plan to update more and add some photos but I just wanted to let everyone know that we made it and are enjoying our new life in Romania!