Memories in Romania and Egypt

Hey everyone!

Thanks so much for joining me in fasting and intercession last Monday! Let me begin by listing all the PRAISE REPORTS!! Three of the refugees we’ve been spending time with everyday decided to follow Jesus and are in contact with the pastor’s wife about getting baptized! The fundraiser our squad did for Hope Church last week raised $1,695 that is going to go towards servicing both transit vans and covering rent for 8 houses for refugees! They are still $300 short for this month—but these donations remain a powerful blessing! Also, I got an apartment secured, that I can move into as soon as I come back that is near International House of Prayer and with other strong Christian women! YAY! And lastly, I had asked for prayer about clarity regarding when to return to Romania, and I felt like the Lord was saying it would be at least another year and that He wanted me to pray more into taking up the torch for educating Roma children (Roma communities are tribal, don’t attend school, and are currently casted out of Romanian society). *gasps for air* The Church is powerful when we are unified! Thanks God for valuing clarity and provision!

Women’s Event

My time serving in Romania wrapped up so well—I couldn’t have written a better story myself. The final week we had a women’s event for the Ukraine refugees, where we did a skit of the Gospel, Claran did a dance, Anna shared a short message, and we fed them supper. The event was about the topic of worry, and how fixing our eyes on God gives us true peace. It was really touching, because after Anna got finished speaking, a Ukrainian woman who was a strong Christian stood up, and gave a heartfelt speech to all the other women to put their hope in God.

Roma Children’s Ministry

 I also got to go to a Roma village one last time, and we did a skit about a Bible story (I forgot which one :’)). I’ve been to the village 4 other times, and truly, you never know how it’s going to go. Whenever we show up, the kids are running out of their houses and beside the car, shouting to us with big smiles! And then we can hardly open the door there are so many children, and then they are all wanting hugs and your attention! I need to bulk up a bit, because having a child pulling on every limb I have is a bit unsteadying for me! XD One of the boys even came up from behind me, and picked me up! XD It’s chaos, but they are fun-loving kids! And I’m always so taken aback by how happy they are to see us, and how loving they are towards us. I’m usually walking around holding hands with two different little girls (sometimes they are fighting over who is going to hold my hand), but I can’t walk very far before several little girls just come up to give me a hug and don’t let go! Personal space doesn’t exist!

I was glad I got to visit the village one last time, and was surprised when I got kind of teary while we were singing and I was watching the kids sing and mirror the actions to “Deep and Wide.” It was hitting me that many of these children are neglected and caught in a generational cycle of being married at 13, stealing/cheating others for income, not attending any form of school, and practicing witchcraft or other superstitious traditions. I was just studying their faces—brown or green eyes, tanned skin, colorful clothing (but lack of covering), and big BIG smiles—and I was just thinking, “Who is going to advocate for them? How long will their beautiful smiles last before they are hungry or sold or something I don’t even know about what goes on? This is goodbye, and yet I still feel s o  u n f i n i s h e d here. I hardly know any of them by name, but each of them was created in God’s image, and my heart is breaking for their souls.” Even now I feel that same heaviness, that same throbbing in my heart—knowing that God desires to scoop them up in His arms and invite them to become His children. To set them free. To bestow worthiness and honor upon them, and to unveil their significant potential to the rest of Romanian society.

I don’t know how these burdens appeared in my heart or these tender thoughts in my mind, but I have a hunch that God was involved ; ). There was a missionary and his family visiting Pastor Raul from India to support the ministries he is overseeing, and he (Ed) had went to the Roma village with me and some others. He was really moved by the lack of education, discipleship, and neglect there, but was called back to India. He asked Pastor Raul if there was someone he knew he could express his concerns to about the Roma community, and Pastor Raul thought of me and called me into his office to speak with them. They prayed over me that this calling would rest on me. I had not shared these thoughts with them previously—Raul just knew I was passionate about a variety of their ministries. But it was unique that that happened, and God won’t allow me to forget it. Obviously someone from their own (Roma) community needs to rise up and lead their people away from witchcraft and valuing education—I want that. But if there is a small role I could play in helping that person realize who they are (similar to Samuel anointing David)—THAT WOULD BE EPIC! I’m thankful to God for His heart for these people and sharing that with me. I know He will be pursuing and revealing Himself to them while I am away! 

Okay, I didn’t plan on writing all of that—I was just going to note that the dad’s in the village got involved with helping the kids sit quietly for the skit and play the game by the rules, and that made a huge difference—as opposed to other times when the kids were out of control. I was catching glimpses of the dads smiling and laughing—one dad even joined the game of “hot potato” too and was having a grand time. Their presence and support was important, and I hadn’t seen them be involved any other time we had visited the villages. We had prayed beforehand—with the missionaries from India—that the short program would be effective, and wow, it couldn’t have went better. I pray that the message we shared would take root and grow!

Also, I got to reconnect with two friends I made my first month in Romania—Aisha and Toni! Spending time with them again felt like we’d always been friends and had just been apart for awhile. Both of them are strong Christians attending college in Craiova. I love them and our friendship!

Egypt

At the end of our year volunteering, our missions company gave us 10 days to go anywhere in the world using our personal money. Two friends and I chose Egypt and Morocco, and we just finished 2 days in Luxor and are now about to board a flight to Cairo! We’ve had the most wonderful host, Mohammed and his family. We would have been sooooo stressed and lost without him. He is a sailor, but also owns a small restaurant and rooms above it that he rents out as AirBnb’s that is right on the Nile (take about 20 steps and your feet would be in the water)! He helped us make a plan to visit all the places we wanted to go, for a great price, and his family helped us with ALL of the transportation and any unforeseen needs we had (like a pharmacy visit that his cousin owns—one of my friends got a parasite).

Yesterday we went to the Temple of Deir Al-Bahri, Valley of Kings, Colossi of Memnon, and then Mohammed took us on his felucca (a small sailboat) with his son to Banana Island and he made supper for us as the sun set. We also befriended some Germans who were staying at his AirBnb, and they joined us yesterday evening—it was SO MUCH FUN! This morning we went to Luxor Temple, walked through Sphinx Avenue, and visited Luxor museum with our German friends again, Laura and Benedict. There is SO MUCH I could write about Egypt—how everyone calls you their “brother,” wants to help you with directions, most people walk or motorbike places, many men are wearing thobes and women hijabs and abayas, how deeply breathing in the hot air will burn your nostrils, sand collecting under my nails without touching anything, the divinely soft bread and hummus and spices, and more if I took some time to process everything. Today standing by the mummified Ahmose was an experience. It felt really significant to be standing beside, looking at the face of this man who lived so long ago. Everyone has been so warm and kind to us, and I have felt safe everywhere we’ve been. I loved getting to know our German friends and Mohammed and his family, and loved and admired the way that they value relationships and quality time and unhurried living in Luxor. We exchanged contacts, and hopefully I’ll see each of them again someday on another adventure! Now we’re headed to Cairo! Please pray that the Lord continues to open doors for us to have quality conversations with people and glorify Him! Please pray that I would have a smooth transition returning to the states! Thank you so much! Before you go, don’t forget to comment below! : ) *big hug*