All in the Family of God

Today was my last Sunday at my home church in Ashland. My friend Elijah had me come up front and he prayed for me, sending me out to Romania. Everyone's hands were stretched out towards me and people were "um hum"-ing and "amen"-ing. I was so humbled and so encouraged at the same time. I know this family of God will keep me in prayer while I am in Romania and that is such a comfort! Afterward the service more people came up and prayed for me, taking me before the Lord. This was so powerful for me. I'm not in this journey alone. I am going with God and I have people here at home bringing my cause before Him. Thank you so much Lord. After all my complaining about your Church in America, you know how to remind me of what really matters.

Friday was my last day of work, tomorrow will be a day of solitude, Tuesday is my little brother's 19th birthday, and then Friday I will leave for Redding, CA to spend some last moments with some friends from college. Then I willbe off to my cousin's wedding in Alabama (pray for the weather) and then on to Romania! I can't believe it is coming so soon! As soon as I arrive in Romania, a friend from the YWAM base will be meeting me and we will be taking the train together to my favorite Romanian city, Sigisoara. It is so beautiful there! Then the next day we will be going to a conference for all of the YWAM bases in Romania. This way I will get to start off my year with a fresh perspective of what God is doing through YWAM in Romania. It should be awesome. I just hope I survive the jetlag and all of that! God is so good my friends! Even when we are whiney little kids he continues to remain our loving and faithful Father. Rest in who He is!

How it all began...

The street kid outreach that I will be a part of for the next year was begun by three amazing guys, Walley Fipps, Syrus Beck and Seth Clarke. They set out for a country basiclly unknown to them, in search of finding street kids that were in need of the Love of God. So they rounded up some people off the streets and started a soup kitchen, giving out a free meal and lots of hugs and love, along with a message that God loved them so much and had a special plan for their lives. That was about four years ago and since then the simple soup kitchen outreach has grown to having a Day Center for children up to 18 years old, a group home for teenage girls, and providing contacts and opportunities for getting into rehabilitation and treatment programs. PRAISE GOD! It has been amazing to witness the growth through the years and get to know the people who have been a part of making it all happen. In September I hope to join in this effort to see the Street Kids of Romania be transformed by the LOVE OF JESUS... It is God who first loved us and has given us any ability to give out that love to others. What an honor.

My departure is drawing near... I really need to get my newsletter out! Should have been doing that instead of messing around on the internet! :) Please go to this link to see pictures of that first year of the soup kitchen outreach. A friend, Pierre-Luc, that we met in Turkey took them while he came to visit the guys in Constanta. They are beautiful!

http://www.pbase.com/plucpel/romania

This is Felicia, one of the girls I will be spending time with in Romania. This was about three years ago when I first met her in Constanta. Please pray that she will be able to be part of the girls home that will be openning up in September