An Invitation: to Joy, Belonging, & Fun

Hey everyone!! Thank you so much for praying for the Youth, Muslim, and Women’s events that we hosted!! As well as healing for everyone on my squad for ‘rona to exit our bodies so we could get negative tests and move on to serving in Albania. So guess what?! We’re in Durres, Albania NOW for debrief! The timing of everything this past month has been nothing short of incredible!! Check out my vlog above to see what one of our days serving in Romania was like!! : )

Fundraising Deadline

Before I get lost in sharing stories about people encountering God–which is what we’re all about here–I want to invite you guys to help me become fully funded to continue partnering with local ministries & sharing the Gospel with individuals abroad! I’m VERY CLOSE, 3 DAYS, and $1,400 AWAY from my deadline (the 28th)! These funds cover the cost of all my transportation, food, housing, and insurance for my 11 month commitment. Please prayerfully consider donating–any amount that you feel led to donate will help! All donations are tax deductible. You can donate online here on my blog, or by writing a check payable to “Adventures in Missions,” with my name in the memo line & send to P.O. Box 742570, Atlanta, GA 30374-2570 (send me an email if you wanna go the check route, because it will take more time to process: [email protected]). I’ll keep this post updated, to show what funds remain. Also! I would appreciate it if you share this post to your social media, with a short blip explaining how you know me, what we’re doing, and why they should support! THANK YOU!!!

Children’s Ministry

Though we were quarantined for a little over the first two weeks in Romania, our final two weeks were vibrant and fruitful! In my freedom I was able to immediately begin street evangelism each day, where we would also hand out invitations to our upcoming events (peak at my previous blog for those stories).

I was particularly interested in a people group, the Roma’s (informal: gypsies), who were outcasted by society because of systemic racism. Our host Raul allowed me to join some others in doing some children’s ministry in two of their villages. As children saw our van coming, they ran to it and alongside it. We couldn’t get the door open at first because there were so many children crowding it front of it. AND as we stepped out of the van so many little hands were reaching out to take hold of us! I saw excited eyes and shy smiles, children reaching for me and jumping up and down if they were not close enough to see/touch me. I tried practicing the little Romanian I knew: . I heard giggling, and others were calling out to me in their language. First we reenacted the Bible story of Jesus calling Zacheus down from the tree, and coming to his home (translated by our translator). They listened and watched intently, except for the toddlers. We sang a couple Bible songs (translated), played a game of “red light, green light,” and handed out a snack. When the sun had set, and color was fading from the sky, we would slowly make our way back to the van… though it was very difficult. Partly because I was physically being clung to by ten adoring children, and partly because I felt we were STILL leaving too early and I wanted to spend more time getting to know them and their parents. I’m really glad we got to spend some quality time with them and leave them with knowledge/experience of our God who knows and loves them even more than we do!

Youth, Muslim, & Women’s Events

Our Youth Event was also one of my favorite memories in Romania. We invited all the youth we could on the streets, aged 18-30 years old! It was the first time that I had actually gotten to sit down with other Romanians my age, have fun playing games, and discuss the value of faith, community, and culture in break out groups. I LOVED IT!! Particularly I prayed God would give each person joy and belonging when they entered the room. As people started trickling in and I began to introduce myself and get to know them, three people I separately talked to mentioned that they loved the feeling of the room and being around us Americans! They felt so “happy” and “seen” and “cared for.” Particularly there was a girl in my break out group, who was honest that she didn’t know what she believed about God. Having wrestled with doubt myself this past year, I was able to share that all of us Christians are seeking the truth about who God is and what that means for us. I encouraged her that Raul’s church desired to seek out answers to her questions with her, and that she would not be humiliated but rather welcomed and embraced. She was able to connect with a local missionary after our conversation, and they set up a time to meet & she said she would bring friends!

Our Muslim event went well too. We invited any and all Muslims we met on the street to attend our “Culture Event,” and talk about their country and religion. About 15 Muslim guys showed up, and I spent most of the evening talking to a man from Syria, who was currently attending medical school. My guy teammates connected with them more: playing a soccer game with them on multiple occasions and being invited to their apartment for tea and a traditional meal. One even attended church with my teammate the final Sunday! Ah, I adore Muslim people!! There’s so much I admire about their faith and culture, even though it is different from mine.

Lastly, we had our Women’s Event, where I got to sit by a mother and her daughter whom I’d been tutoring at our English Club sessions. We painted their nails, cooked and served them supper, and Anna (Raul’s wife) shared a message about the magic of when women empower and look out for one another (why we need each other in community). They got a chance to relax and be encouraged by scripture and one another!

Only Gratitude

I was sad to say goodbye to our hosts, and to the people of Romania. During quarantine, the Lord had revealed to me that the people in Romania had been let down in many ways: by government, by religion, by foreigners, etc. Hope and trust felt impossible. I recognized that also in how no one would look at me when I walked down the street. But I prayed about that—“Lord, let people look at me in the eyes. Let hope be ignited in their hearts when I smile or talk with them.” I felt so much compassion for them, and God did answer my prayer—people started noticing me and looking me in the eyes. The Lord knows each of them so personally, and has in His hands what they are looking for. I pray that their hearts can be soothed and softened, and that love can be redefined for them.

Currently we are having debrief in Albania, and will split into our teams to embark to our next city and ministry in Vlore, Albania, Sept. 28^th. Jesus exemplified how to serve by washing his disciple’s feet, so our squad washed each other’s feet in the Adriatic sea. The last picture is of my team: Empowered Servants! Again, thank you all for all of your prayers concerning our ministry in Romania. Please leave a comment below to let me now you’re praying and with any questions about our time in Romania!

Prayer Requests:

+Praise that we ALL had negative ‘rona tests & made it to Albania!!

+Praise that all three of our events had a great turn out with eternal conversations!!

+Prayer quality rest and reflection during debrief

+Prayer for unity & ability to hear clearly from God for our squad as we head into our next month of ministry!!

+Personal prayer, my digestive system is g o i n g t h r o u g h i t, XD. Please Lord, can I get some regular restroom visits? Haha.