Posted in A Trip Update by Jessica Miller on 7/17/2010
It's been a few days since arriving back in the U.S. and although I'm tired I'm starting to process this past month of being in Romania. Here are just a few things this month has been to me.
1) COMING ALIVE. One of my biggest passions is watching people come alive in Christ. I love the process of dying to yourself and risking it all for Christ. Our team of 6 high school students and 3 leaders did just that. They risked big things for the Lord by leaving there families, friends and comforts behind and got to go on a trek to Romania. In these risks Christ broke of parts of ourselves so we may grow in him. Using an outhouse became normal, strange food became something we craved, and coming around somebody and praying was encouraging to everyone. Christ awaked our hearts.
2) BEING A FAMILY. Our team learned what being the church and a family away from our families looked like. Our team was split into two houses. Half were at Sandu's (our ministry contact) house and the other half were at his brothers Abi's house. Those families cooked, cleaned and loved on us. They understood what being a servant was all about and loved us like we were there own. They even called some of us there daughters. This really modeled to our team what being family was all about. In bonded us in a way only Christ could do.
3) HAVING FUN. I love laughing and our team was never lacking in that. Our team knew how to have fun together and really enjoy each other. There were many funny moments like doing yoga in the hallway with Ian's funny yoga voice and watching 6 grown men dragging a huge pig across the yard. Our team was such a blessing and it was evident that they really loved each other.
These are just a few things that have been on my heart from Romania. Some say our trip is over but I really feel in my heart this is just the beginning. Its the beginning of lasting friendships and the beginning with a radical walk with the Lord. Thank you Lord for these great things you have done.
Posted in A Trip Update by Kristen Torres-Toro on 7/15/2010
Hey, Everyone!
The Romania team arrived in Atlanta late this evening (actually super early in the morning), tired and full of stories. Please continue to pray for them as they rest and debrief.
Last week, we had the pleasure of taking a bunch of kids from a nearby orphanage to the zoo. After seeing all the animals, we had a few hours to kill. Instead of chilling in the shade, I ended up playing soccer tennis with some of the kids. I don't remember the boy's name but the two girls I played with were Amalia and Andrea.
I grew up playing soccer but I quit recently because it wasn't fun anymore; it got too competitive. Playing with these kids was so much fun. When one of us messed up, we laughed and teased each other but there were no hard feelings. The atmosphere was so much more chill than I was used to and I really began to enjoy it. Eventually, we got yelled at by an employee for playing on the sidewalk but we didn't let that ruin our fun.
As a group, we headed to a giant playground outside the zoo. This playground was amazing. I've never seen anything like it. It had everything from ziplines to ping-pong tables. I played with a lot of the kids but I spent most of the afternoon with Amalia and Andrea. We spent our time trying to out-do each other, taking pictures and getting in tickle fights. My favorite part was watching Amalia break dance; she was a beast. I quickly forgot that these girls were only thirteen because I got along with them just like I would with my friends at home.
My high from the afternoon ended when we got on the bus to take them home because the fact that they were orphans really hit me then. At home I have two parents and an easy life. I basically have everything handed to me on a silver platter yet they still have so much more joy than I do. When we dropped them off at the orphanage, I figured we would never see them again, but it turns out that, though Amalia lives at the orphanage, her mom lives in Viile Tecii, the village we're staying in. I've been lucky enough to see her almost everyday since. Our conversations are limited but now she feels comfortable enough to let me buy her coke and ice cream from the store down the street. We even have a secret handshake.
One thing I've learned since we've been here is that the success of a mission trip isn't measured by the amount of people who come to know Christ through our influence or the number of churches we build. In fact, there's no way to measure success. All we can do is love on the people here. If that means building a pig pen, so be it. If that means playing goose (tag) with kids for hours on end, so be it. The fact is that God brought us here for a reason. It's clear to all of us that that reason was to love the people here. I don't know where Amalia is at in her relationship with God or if she even believes in him. What I do know though, is that simply being her friend and loving her for who she is what God brought me here to do. If he has chosen her to be his child, he will pursue her in a way that I, as a human, can not.
In Him,
Emily
(In the picture, Amalia is on the left and Andrea is on the right)
Posted in A Trip Update by Betsie MacLellan on 7/6/2010
A snapshot of my life right now:
My team is upstairs; Bryan is messing around on his accoustic guitar, playing some Jack Johnson song, and occasionally whooping loud enough for me to hear from downstairs. Someone's singing and someone else is snapping their fingers. Most of our Romanian family are outside working on the pig pen, except for Sanda and Laura who are playing with their children on the bed as Beni (a little five year old boy) repeats, "Google-y goo! Google-y goo!" We've just got back from playing with a group of very poor gypsy children and the day is winding down.
In a week's time from now this picture will be impossible to recreate as we will be going home. "Going home." It sounds so odd in my mouth when I say it aloud. How can you go home when you're already there?
Jesus taught a lot about not biological families, but families solely united in the Lord and His will. I, as a Christian, am in the body of Christ. But no one has ever demonstrated to me what that is as well as the Romanian people have. The first thing Abi (he owns the house I'm staying at) said to me was, "I'm Abi. But you can call me papa! I will be your Romanian father." Every time he sees me, he hugs me and says, "My beautiful girl!" The openness and incredible loving servant heart our two families have shown all of us has floored me. They have put my needs above their own, they offer me their finest, and they serve me unbegrudgingly. It's the family of Christ perfectly painted.
Romania is my home because this is my family in Christ's home. But America is, too; and my own family waits or me there. That's how God means it to be, though, right? Because of His love, I have family members all over the world.
"That is why you are no longer foreigners and outsiders but citizens together with God's people and members of God's family." Ephesians 2:19
"But he replied to the man who told him, "Who is my mother and who are my brothers?". And stretching out his hand toward his disciples, he said, "Here are my mother and my brothers! For whoever does the will of my Father in heaven is my brother and sister and mother,"
Matthew 12:48-50
Family has always played a huge role in my life. That really goes without saying when people find out I am the oldest of four and graduated high school having been home schooled my entire life. But my family has never been strictly the people that share my DNA. I've given the title of brother and sister to many of my closest friends and call a lot of their parents mom and dad.
I knew going into this trip that I'd be going a month away from my family. I wouldn't be able to jump on my moms bed at midnight just to talk, play zombie video games with my brother, or make a random trip to Chipotle with my dad for a whole 31 days. While having only email to communicate with them has been different, I oddly have not been homesick yet. I credit this to the fact that I serve a Creator who shares my belief that your family isn't limited to blood relatives.
I could write to you for hours on how God has given me a family in this team. The way we have bonded and grown together and the way we relate to each other is exactly like the way siblings would. I will confidently tell you that we were all hand picked by God to be on this team together. There is no way that out of billions of people on Earth, the nine of us ended up here by chance. God knew what he was doing when he sent us on this trip.
But He didn't stop with the team. During our time here in Romania, we have been staying with two families. Though they had never met us before, they welcomed us into their homes with open arms. From the moment we arrived we were made to feel like a member of the family. They've made us like their children and we've all taken up the role. Anyone who knows me knows I am the least domestic person on the planet, yet I was given the job of cooking when we made gogosi, and I learned to peel potatoes while helping make dinner for the family.
I'm one of those people who is touched by the little things. Grand gestures get you no where with me, but something small and meaningful will mean the world. This is no exception without these families.
Last week, we were all on our way home from church in the two cars the families drive. We were leading the way home to have dinner when Abi, the father in the house where I'm staying, pulled over the car and got out without saying anything to us. Confused, we sat there as the other car went on past us and our team mates gave us equally confused looks as they went by. A few minutes later, Abi returns holding five colored wrapped in his hand. He got back into the car, turned to us in the backseat, and hands each of us one of the ice creams, letting us pick between chocolate and vanilla. With a smile, he told us that he had wanted to get ice cream for "his girls". I've never enjoyed ice cream as much as I did in that moment, and it wasn't because of the quality of the ice cream itself. It was the meaning behind it.
Our families are never defined by our blood relatives. Through Christ we have brothers and sisters and fathers and mothers everywhere from our homes to others cities and even other countries all the way across the ocean. This trip has truly taught me the real meaning of the body of Christ working together through both the families here and the amazing team I am so blessed to be a part of.
Posted in A Trip Update by Kelsey Taylor on 7/5/2010
"Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comforts, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves have received from God." 2 Corinthians 1:3-4
This Wednesday will mark two weeks here in Romania. I have really fallen in love with the people, the culture, and the overall beauty of the country. During this past week God has been teaching me that I need to fully rely on Him for my comfort not on other people. I have began to miss my friends, family, and just being at home. When I am at home and am with my friends and family and everything that is normal to me. I have a tendency to rely on my friends and family for my comfort through tough situations instead of God.
This is something that has always been difficult for me. Being taken away from all my norms and friends has made the difficult process of relying fully on God to comfort you a little bit easier because I am not around the people who I use for comfort instead of God. Like the verse at the beginning of my post says you have to first allow yourself to be comforted by God before you are able to show and give the comfort that God gives you to other people.
I have given up more of my broken heartedness and struggles to God so that He can comfort me. It has become easier to comfort others and made it easier for me to show them the comfort that He gives to His children. It has also made it easier to love the kids and the people here because I don't have the constant thought of dealing with things that I am trying to deal with myself because I want to be in control not let God be in control.
Posted in A Trip Update by Haley Robertson on 7/5/2010
Finally, all of you, live in harmony with one another; be sympathetic, love as brothers, be compassionate and humble.
1 Peter 3:8
God has been teaching me to work with a team. I've totally had to give up all independence since I've been here. I've learned how awesome it is to not have to rely on myself for everything and to be able to trust my team. This has been an important lesson for me because through it, I've learned how the body of Christ works.
We're not made to do everything by ourselves but to put trust in our brothers and sisters in Christ. We need each other to be able to change the world and work for Christ. There's not one person in the world who can do it by themself. We also need each other for encouragement. My team has been such a huge encouragement to me throughtout this whole trip.
God has also started to open my eyes to how truly awesome He is. Although I don't know if I'll ever be able to fully grasp how awesome God is, I see Him in His creation. Just looking at the mountains here helps me experience God. When I look at the mountains, it shows me how big God is and how small I am.
I am so thankful that God continues to teach me new things everyday!
Now to him who is able to do immeasurable more than all we can ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen.
Ephesians 3:20-21
Posted in A Trip Update by Haley Robertson on 7/1/2010
I've now officially been in Romania for one week. It has been an amazing and life changing week. I've learned so much since I've been here. It's definitely been hard and it has brought me out of my comfort zone. At first I didn't want to come out of my comfort zone and "go in deep" but I've realized that the times when I am insecure and vulnerable are when I really experience God and change in my life. Those uncomfortable situations I've been thrown into are the times when I feel closest to God. I pray now that God will continue to pull me out of my comfort zone so that I can continue to grow and rely on Him.
Yesterday my team had a time of worship. During that time God revealed to me some distractions that had been holding me back from "going in deep." I surrendered those distractions over to God and at that moment, my heart and desires changed. God put boldness in my heart when I surrendered. I've done things these past few days that I never would have dreamed of doing before this trip.
God is working here. I see it not only in my life but also in the lives of my team members. I came on this trip expecting to change people's lives... I didn't realize how much God would change my life.
But he said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ's sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.
From the moment I arrived at training camp God has been challenging and molding me into a man after His own heart. Just one of the many things my team has been praying over me is a heart and spirit like King David's. A spirit that lays aside everything and runs wholeheartedly the unbeaten path laid before me. And I have been loving every second God has given me here doing just that. Spending time with Sandu's family Has been such a blessing. They have thrown open their home to us and welcomed us with all the love that Christ has given them. I have enjoyed every minute we have spent laying concrete and moving rocks for their new pig pen. The Joy that they have in what ever they do is just inspiring. This family doesn't have much but whatever they can they give away happily.
God has done so much already on this trip. Chains that have bound for so long are being broken. the Boxes that we have put ourselves or God in are being crushed. lives are being renewed, and restored. God is breaking and molding us into vessels that are one with Him in spirit (1 Corinthians 6:17). Satan trembles as God's name is lifted High and His glory rebounds off the Hills here in Romania.
"For God alone, O my soul, wait in silence, for my hope is from Him. He only is my rock and my salvation, my fortress; I shall not be shaken. On God rests my salvation and my glory; my might rock, my refuge is God,"
- Psalm 62:5-7
For the past two years, I have found it far too easy to hide behind my abundance of emotional baggage. I would make excuses and blame it on things that happened to me in the past instead of actually making an effort to change my ways. It was always far too easy to put God in a box and never take any chances, because there was always the risk I would be hurt again.
When I signed up for this trip nine months ago, I didn't realize at the time what a huge chance I was taking. I was basically signing up to spend a month in a foreign country, eating new foods, learning to speak a new language, meeting new people, and basically kissing my comfort zone goodbye and running full force in the opposite direction. Oddly enough. . . this has turned out to be the best chance I've taken in my life.
At training camp, we were told to lay down our expectations for our trip and surrender it all to God. I was dead positive I had done this, and I was ready to go. I had been growing my leaps and bounds, doing new things like actually listening for God's voice when I prayed and opening up to these 8 other people on my team. I prayed out loud for the first time in my life, which was a bigger deal than most realized.
When we arrived in Romania, to say I was slapped in the face by culture shock would be a mild understatement. It took me a good week to actually adjust to this new way of life. I was eating new foods and dealing with a language barrier I had never dealt with before, and on top of it all we were all jet lagged. My comfort zone was (and still is for the most part) so far behind me that I couldn't even see it, let alone run back if I wanted to. Just when I thought praying out loud was a big deal, I was asked to speak in front of an entire church. I finally hit the point this week when I realized my problem; I had never truly laid down my expectations. I came into this trip expecting it to change me as a person, help me see God more clearly, and also as a break from things back home I didn't want to deal with anymore. All of these things were expectations, whether I realized it or not, and I would never be getting anywhere until I laid them all down and surrendered them to God. During a team worship session, I knew it had to be done, and not just in my head. It had to be one of those out loud, bold expressions. It had to completely leave me.
This changed everything.
Now, two weeks into this trip, I cannot imagine going home. I have learned to eat food without questioning it and sometimes I actually really enjoy it. I've spent an afternoon shoveling dirt and it has become second nature to use an outdoor bathroom. I've begun to fall in love with this country and these people, and our time left here seems far too short.
It has become more and more clear to me with each day of this trip how necessary it is to completely rely on God and actually listen for the Holy Spirit. To know that the little voice in my head isn't just me being crazy, but God actually speaking to me is such an awesome yet overwhelming thought.
The song "Hosanna" has played a huge role in this trip for many of us. My prayer for myself (and for my team) this entire trip has been that God would "heal my heart and make it clean, open up my eyes to the things unseen" and "break my heart for what breaks his" just as the song says, and with each day we spend here in Romania, I see this all coming about as God works not only through me, but through each and every member of this team.
